In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
LUDICROUS
farcical, ludicrous, ridiculous
(adjective) broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce; “the wild farcical exuberance of a clown”; “ludicrous green hair”
absurd, cockeyed, derisory, idiotic, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous, ridiculous
(adjective) so unreasonable as to invite derision; “the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework”; “that’s a cockeyed idea”; “ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer”; “a contribution so small as to be laughable”; “it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion”; “a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history”; “her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
ludicrous (comparative more ludicrous, superlative most ludicrous)
Idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny.
Amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.
Synonyms
• (idiotic or unthinkable): laughable, ridiculous
Source: Wiktionary
Lu"di*crous, a. Etym: [L. ludicrus, or ludicer, from ludus play, sport, fr. ludere to play.]
Definition: Adapted to excite laughter, without scorn or contempt; sportive. Broome. A chapter upon German rhetoric would be in the same ludicrous predicament as Van Troil's chapter on the snakes of Iceland, which delivers its business in one summary sentence, announcing, that snakes in Iceland -- there are none. De Quincey.
Syn.
– Laughable; sportive; burlesque; comic; droll; ridiculous.
– Ludicrous, Laughable, Ridiculous. We speak of a thing as ludicrous when it tends to produce laughter; as laughable when the impression is somewhat stronger; as ridiculous when more or less contempt is mingled with the merriment created.
– Lu"di*crous*ly, adv.
– Lu"di*crous*ness, n.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
2 May 2024
BEQUEATH
(verb) leave or give by will after one’s death; “My aunt bequeathed me all her jewelry”; “My grandfather left me his entire estate”
Coffee Trivia
