Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Words Loved or Loathed

My friend Joslyn has this really great list of words that she likes.  I asked her to add the word delightful to hers and she refused because, she's "on the fence about that word," which completely baffled me.  How can you not LOVE delightful?  It's just so retro.  I tried to convince her and so she suggested that I start my own list.  ("Get your own," might've been her words.)  And because I want to give delightful its proper recognition I agreed.  But not without trepidation since:

  1. Copying someone who's done something brilliantly is a really good way to look like a hack.  
  2. I like lots of words simply for the way they sound even when I can't remember what they mean.  This probably means I'm shallow.  (Although, I've conveniently rationalized these memory lapses by blaming the people who make up definitions for ascribing some lame meaning which pales to its sound.) 
Love:
  • delightful:  This word is under-used in our modern vocabulary.  It's the lexicological equivalent of carrying a handkerchief in one's pocket.  (Which makes me smile.)  
  • evidently:  I mostly love the way one of my former co-workers used to say this word.  She was from North Carolina and said it like she was a lawyer.  Whatever she followed it with always sounded so believable.  
  • harangue:  I have effed this one up many times.  Mostly I confuse it with cajoled, although see below for my thoughts on that word.  
  • inchoate:  I think of Native Americans when I think of this word.  I don't know why but I like thinking of Native Americans.
  • loath:   Way more interesting and succinct than "It's probably not gonna happen."
  • non-plussed:  I just want to pinch this word in its rosy little cheeks!
  • pansy:  Sissy sounds too, well, pansy, so I like this one instead.

Loathe: 
anything with "-shizzle" in it:  I don't think I need to explain this.  It was never cool.  (That's right, Snoop.)  I also don't care that it's more like a phrase or vernacular than a word.  Whatever.  Don't use it.
cajoled:  sounds like Cajun and no word should sound like Cajun
hubby:  Eww.  What totally confounds me is that people I otherwise respect use this in all seriousness.  
ginormous, chillaxor any other portmanteau comprised of two synonyms:   Individually the words mean the same thing.  Just pick one for crissakes.
juicy:  It's true.  I hate this one too.

That's it for now.  

***
In other news, I finished the Master Cleanse on Friday.  Thank God.  And curses! that the body forgets so easily.  I already ate a bunch of chocolate tonight.  I don't ever want to go through that again, so I'm going to re-read my posts to remember how miserable I was in an effort to eat more mindfully. 

4 comments:

Joslyn Hamilton said...

Teehee, I love your list. And in my defense, I don't not LIKE the word "delightful," I just don't particularly use it for whatever reason... so I feel like a poseur putting it on my list. I love your list and look forward to your additions as time goes by. Trust me, it's a great hobby.

C Lu said...

I like "sycophant" mainly because (1) I have just cause to use it quite a bit around here, and (2) even if you didn't know what it meant you could guess it rather easily just by its phonetics.

Anonymous said...

I loathe hubby too. And also "moist"
-Christine

vanessa said...

Jos: Thanks for the idea, I guess.
CLu: Yes, 'sycophant' is delightful. Heh heh.
Christine: See now, when "moist" is used for like someone being a pansy, I kinda like it.