I have noticed that when most people use the word “penultimate”, even good writers who should know better, they seem to think it means the big revelation, the last word or the climax of the story. Some people use it as a synonym for “ultimate” in the sense that this is an extra-special, fancy-sounding ultimate.
It just means second to the last.
(My Official Geranium Lake Properties Calendar was delivered yesterday. The only thing I feel I need to say about it is that it is pretty damn stunning.)
