Men....Nyuk Nyuk

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> Infamous?  In=not right?  So why are we talking about someone who isn't a
> famous hater of men?  Was she also a dweller of the alternative life style?
> Wasn't she also a movie star or something?

While the "in-" prefix often means "not," this is not an inviolable
rule.

The word "infamous" means to be very famous in a negative context, to
have an evil reputation.

Hitler was infamous for his persecution of Jews, Gypsies, and Jehovah
Witnesses.  The infamous Gloria Steinem is attacked for her views on
women's rights and pornography.

For those who may not know, Steinem is for the ERA, and she's
vehemently against pornography and other forms of sexual exploitation.
Steinem is co-founder of the feminist Ms Magazine, and she is a
supporter for "reproductive rights" i.e.  abortion.  The infamous quote
that you might have heard about removing a fetus is just like removing
a parasitic or cancerous growth comes from Steinem.  She has never been
an actress, but got her degree in Government and has worked as
journalist, editor, activist and writer her entire adult life.

A similar word is "inflammable":  Gasoline is inflammable.  Elemental
sodium is inflammable.  These substances are extremely, even
explosively, combustible even in normal environmental conditions.

An interesting note in my Random House Webster's College Dictionary here
regarding "inflammable":

  INFLAMMABLE and FLAMMABLE both mean "combustible."  INFLAMMABLE is
  older by about 200 years.  FLAMMABLE now has certain technical uses,
  particlarly as a warning on vehicles carrying combustible materials,
  because of a belief that some might interpret the intexsive prefix
  IN- of INFLAMMABLE as a negative prefix and thus think the word means
  "noncombustible."

These inconsistencies often make the English language incomprehensible
to non-native speakers.  The indefatigable (untiring) study of this
language should be considered invaluable (of great worth).

Richard "is higher-fire inflammable" Masoner
Champaign Illinois USA