We've all heard of "intelligence", but...

Surely deep down everyone agrees that you just judge a person by the way they speak. ...Or write - well-known spelling mistakes include "your" when the writer wants to use the abbreviation of "you are", which is, of course, "you're"; and "I should of..." (!)

There is no denying that those given to making such spelling mistakes as those described above are a bit behind as far as intelligence goes. Mind you, "intelligence" is not always the same thing in context. There is the kind of intelligence that is measured by IQ tests - that which pertains to language and mathematical problems and the like. But "intelligence" also exists at a more subtle level that is more connected to society and social norms - one may well link it to notions of naivety or gullibility (does that ring any bells?). Several people have called Tom Cruise stupid - despite his obvious talent, he has as astonishing record of dedication to none other than the Church of Scientology.

But what this blog is really about is the (perceived) meanings of certain individual words, such as "intelligence". I shall now list the definition of the word "deception" (Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary, unabridged, Second Edition):

Deception (noun)
1. The act or practice of deceiving or misleading
2. The fact or condition of being deceived or misled
3. Something deceiving, as an illusion, or meant ot deceive, as a fraud, imposture etc.
Syn. deceit, fraud, imposition, artifice, cheat, ruse, stratagem, trick. - Deception usually refers to the act, and deceit, to the habit of the mind; hence a person is spoken of as skilled in deception and addicted to deceit. An imposition is an act of deception practiced upon someone to his annoyance or injury; a fraud implies the use of stratagem with a view to some unlawful gain or advantage.

It's just that I sometimes think that if I ever saw the word "deception" spelled incorrectly ("disseption"?), then that person would be too thick to realise what deception really is (and would be too thick to know how to do it themselves). Of course, deception can be purposely and purely cynical; certainly if an "imposition" (as defined above) is anything to go by.