chicest / most chic?

English translation: comments

16:09 Mar 10, 2004

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Tourism & Travel

English term or phrase: chicest / most chic?

What's the superlative of "chic" in English? Google turned up a huge number of matches for "chicest" -- a term I've often used in spoken English. However, it looks funny on paper since I'd expect the "ce" combination to yield a soft "c" sound. Is this term and this spelling accceptable in semiformal (journalistic) writing? I'm working from a Spanish original which describes the chicest(?) resort in a given region.

Steven Capsuto KudoZ activity Questions: 110 (2 open) (19 closed without grading) Answers: 551 United States
Local time: 16:30

Selected answer:comments

Explanation:
Just thought I'd point out that sometimes we English speakers will avoid things that may be perfectly correct, just cos they look (or sound) strange.

Chic - yep, the rule is that regular one syllable words (let's not forget exceptions like bad and good) go -er and -est. No worries when you're talking, everyone's gonna know what you mean if you say 'chicest'.

If you speak English well enough, you will almost certainly almost subconsciously plan ahead when speaking in order to avoid things that sound odd or are just plain difficult. If picking pecks of pickled pepper were a crime, then a police officer interrogating a witness is unlikely to ask, “OK, so where is the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?” He’d re-phrase the question. However, typed, it presents no problem at all. The same can apply, although less often perhaps, in reverse.

Sure, you can say chic-est. However, with the best will in the world, it looks weird written down. Is it a typo for choicest? (and the meaning is similar enough to mean context won't help). Is it is typo for something else? Why isn't it spelt chiquest? (maybe it can be?) I would say it's best avoided in written text, and so I’d go for “most chic”, or, as someone else said, an alternative word entirely.

This wouldn't help in reported speech, of course, but in that situation, I might decide on "chic-est". ( Actually, chic is a word I detest; I cannot imagine anybody saying anything worth reporting that would include the word "chic", but I digress.)

The point is, some things just look wrong written down - chicest is one. So avoid it, the alternative is there - most chic. Use that instead!!

Selected response from:

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 21:30

Grading comment

Thanks to everyone who responded. However, it was Charlie's analysis that addressed the concerns I had and helped me make a choice. What a pity one can't split the points in Kudoz!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +7

chicest

Edith Kelly

5 +6

most chic

RHELLER

4 +4

comments

Charlie Bavington

5 +2

the most elegant, the most sophisticated, le plus chic

Fuad Yahya

5 +1

chicest

Hacene

same difference

Alexander Demyanov

chicest

Kim Metzger

5 -1

The most chic

Jason Brooks (X)

in support of Edith

Jonathan MacKerron

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +7

chicest

Explanation:
Though it might look a bit weird, it's correct.

Edith Kelly
Switzerland
Local time: 22:30
Native speaker of:

German,

English

3 mins confidence:

chicest

Explanation:
Normally, -er and -est is the suffix for the superlative of a one-syllable word. My Concise Oxford recommends this spelling.

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 14:30
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

chicest

Explanation:
the word "chic" is coming from a Frecnh word (chique). It has been imported into the English language and it's superlative despite defying all spelling rules is indeed chicest (pronounced tchikest)

Hacene
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:30
Native speaker of: French

10 mins confidence:

same difference

Explanation:
"chic" is not a very "superlativable" word
However, people do venture to make superlatives out of it, in many cases jokingly.
They use both "chicest" and "most chic".

Alexander Demyanov
Local time: 16:30
Native speaker of:

Russian

1 min confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

most chic

Explanation:
-

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 mins (2004-03-10 16:11:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

google will always turn up matches
the question is which results in the most matches\"?

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Note added at 5 mins (2004-03-10 16:15:16 GMT)
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also, when looking at google matches, always check the reference to see if it comes from a foreign website. For example, if it has a de, jp, cz at the end, it comes from Germany, Japan, Czechoslovakia. Their English is \"translated\". These website references are counted in the total number.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2004-03-10 16:16:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

also, when looking at google matches, always check the reference to see if it comes from a foreign website. For example, if it has a de, jp, cz at the end, it comes from Germany, Japan, Czechoslovakia. Their English is \"translated\". These website references are counted in the total number.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 mins (2004-03-10 16:17:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Merriam-Webster Dictionary \"The word you\'ve entered isn\'t in the dictionary. Click on a spelling suggestion below or try again using the search box to the right.\"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dicti...

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Note added at 11 mins (2004-03-10 16:21:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

also, when looking at google matches, always check the reference to see if it comes from a foreign website. For example, if it has a de, jp, cz at the end, it comes from Germany, Japan, Czechoslovakia. Their English is \"translated\". These website references are counted in the total number.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2004-03-10 16:22:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

also, when looking at google matches, always check the reference to see if it comes from a foreign website. For example, if it has a de, jp, cz at the end, it comes from Germany, Japan, Czechoslovakia. Their English is \"translated\". These website references are counted in the total number.

RHELLER
United States
Local time: 14:30
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Armorel Young: despite the arguments, which are theoretically correct, in favour of chicest, I nevertheless feel much happier with most chic

10 mins

-> sigh of relief, that's precisely how I feel

neutral

Kim Metzger: Hi Rita. I'd say a style manual or dictionary would be more useful as a reference than Google in this case.

12 mins

-> Hi Kim - please refer to Merriam -Webster quoted above

agree

Aisha Maniar: Yes, while chicest may well be used, I definitely think "most chic" sounds better

17 mins

-> thanks Aisha :-)

agree

Vicky Papaprodromou

1 hr

-> thanks Vickky:-)

agree

Alexandra Tussing

8 hrs

-> thanks Alexandra:-)

agree

Charlie Bavington: I would use this in writing

9 hrs

-> merci bien :-)

agree

IanW (X): WIth Armorel, Aisha etc.

13 hrs

-> Ian is back! :-)

33 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

the most elegant, the most sophisticated, le plus chic

Explanation:
As to "the chicest" being correct or not, it is correct.

But since you are working from Spanish into English, you may have "chicer" alternatives, like "the most elegant," "the most sophisticated," or "the most stylish" (depending on how you read the intended shade of meaning).

If you feel you want to impart a French flavor to the text, following the Spanish, I would consider using "le plus chic" if the nature of the text allows that kind of liberty.

Just some possible alternatives.

But "chicest" is correct.

Fuad Yahya
Native speaker of:

Arabic,

English
PRO pts in category: 4

1 hr confidence:

in support of Edith

Explanation:
Dickens said "»Mrs. Hominy, sir, is the lady of Major Hominy, one of our chicest spirits; and belongs Toe one of our most aristocratic families. You air, p'raps, acquainted, sir, with Mrs. Hominy's writings.«
[Dickens: The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, P. 667. Digitale Bibliothek Sonderband: The Digital Library of English and American Literature, P. 33568 (cf. Dickens-Works vol. 6, P. 446)]

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

The most chic

Explanation:
There is no such term as "chicest"!!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 49 mins (2004-03-10 17:59:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Those who have mastered the english language KNOW that there are two branches of it : the grammatical (which is the unchangeable, correct version) of any language. And, the spoken (which includes words that are ACCEPTED in every day speech, but not necessarily grammatically correct. The DICTIONARY holds grammatically correct words. If a word isn\'t there, then it isn\'t grammatically accurate.

Jason Brooks (X)
Local time: 21:30
Native speaker of:

English

9 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

comments

Charlie Bavington
Local time: 21:30
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Thanks to everyone who responded. However, it was Charlie's analysis that addressed the concerns I had and helped me make a choice. What a pity one can't split the points in Kudoz!

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