Robert W. Gehl

I've started to see a word come up again and again in Canada that I just didn't see much in the US: "fulsome." As in, "We need to have a fulsome discussion of the issue."

I know what the word means, but... what does it *mean* in Canada? I wonder why it's used so often.

Mar 7, 2023 at 4:12pmWeb
Show threadKolokoko Bird!Mar 7, 2023
@robertwgehl I’m a Canadian living in Canada. I can’t recall having heard anyone use this word. Maybe it’s a regional thing?
Show threadRobert W. GehlMar 7, 2023
@KolokokoBird Yeah, it could be an Ontario thing. I've heard it in academic circles in Toronto, and now I'm reading the Rosenberg report on the 21 election and it's used there, too.
Show threadchiasmMar 7, 2023
@robertwgehl @KolokokoBird I thought it just meant "fruitful, plentiful" but it turns out it's mostly used with negative connotations after the Middle Ages? (I'm talking middle English, who knew...) https://grammarist.com/usage/fulsome/
Fulsome

Traditionally, it means <em>excessively flattering</em> or <em>offensive</em>. It now often means <em>abundant</em>, without negative connotations.

GRAMMARIST
Show threadGraupelMar 7, 2023
@robertwgehl @KolokokoBird Ah, my question already answered :)
Show threadAmpeliosMar 7, 2023

@robertwgehl From context I (also USA) am going to guess they mean "comprehensive," like in a full way?

Sounds like fulsome corporate jargon to my ear though.

Show threadGraupelMar 7, 2023
@robertwgehl Where in .ca? Because I am in .ca and have never heard it :)
Show threadIsaac FreemanMar 8, 2023
@robertwgehl Its become quite common in New Zealand too, especially in business slang where it just seems to mean ‘covering the topic fully’.
This is always weird when you’re used to it meaning ‘disgusting and foul-smelling’.