SuStel:

> connotes negative quality

> (connotes disparagement, seldom used)

What is the difference between "connotes negative quality" and "connotes disparagement" ? I googled disparagement, (because I didn't know its meaning), and I got the synonyms of "devaluation, debasement, derogation".

The way I understand the "connotes negative quality" and "connotes disparagement", with regards to the matter we are discussing is:

If I want to say that the qagh is as dead as a stone (which is a negative quality) then I use {A Q puS B Q puS}. But if I want to say that the forehead of someone's mother is smooth as a peach, and I want the phrase to have the maximum insulting effect, then I will use {A Q puS B Q rap}. And maybe, in the qagh example, if I want to insult the chef who ccoked it, I will use again {A Q puS B Q rap} instead of the {A Q puS B Q puS}. Or is it that the "disparagement" concerns only the occupant of slot A, and not those in direct relation to him as well ?

Am I right ?

qagh let puS nagh let puS
the qagh is as hard as a stone (so you should improve your recipe)

qagh let puS nagh let rap
the qagh is as hard as a stone (you incompetent chef!)

When I wrote "connotes positive/negative quality," I suppose what I really should have said is "used with positive/negative qualities." You'll use the law'/law' form when you're saying A has an much of the positive quality Q as B; the puS/puS version when you're saying A has as much of the negative quality Q as B.