Recently I used that word, in that way at Sunday dinner and both of my children (aged 21 and 25) jumped in - 'NO! You can't use that word to describe her!'. I was confused and they tried to explain the current meaning of the word. Here is the definition from the Urban Dictionary for the edification of all:
One who lacks the mental capacity to know he is being used. A fool. A cretin. Characterized by low intelligence and/or self-steem.
That tool dosen't even know she's just using him.
(and it's funny that the Urban Dictionary misspelled esteem and doesn't - jd)
When I think about the two definitions, they are similar but definitely different. Sometimes I think about words and how they have changed over the centuries and millennia. Did the words that I read in my bible mean the same thing to the translator as they do to me today? A friend of mine reads a different bible translation every couple of years. She likes to compare the phrasing and meaning of stories. Sometimes I memorize a verse from Luther's translation. There are subtle differences in the German and English versions that I see and feel.
How can I better understand the word of God?
One of my favorite memories is of my grandfather in his study, reading his Bible in 3 languages--English, Latin, Greek--all lined up next to each other! I'm still a big fan of King James, though American Standard is what I usually end up reading nowadays. Still, your kids are right--"tool" is definitely not the same word it used to be! I thought it was even ruder than that! Guess we all need to watch our words.
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