Words With Friends (Again)
As you might have guessed, I love words. Scratch that, I love some words. Other words (and phrases) - be they overused, overly trendy or just plain over - get under my skin and stay there like a bad rash. Not what a normal person gets irritated about, but . . . well, you fill in the rest.
I have no rational understanding of my fondness or dislike of certain words and phrases, any more than I understand why I don't put milk on my cereal (non-conformist, rebel without a cause, just plain weird - feel free to chime in). All I know is that some words are much more satisfying to say than others. We all have our favorites - here are a few of mine:
1. IDN'T IT - No, it's not a real phrase, but it should be. Idn't it is used in place of isn't it and always has a question mark following its use. Sometimes the question is hypothetical ("Pretty crazy that Lance Armstrong thought he would get away with it forever, idn't it?"), other times not ("Strange that people still willingly live in New Orleans, idn't it?"). I feel hip when I say it - as if I belong in some beret-wearing jazz club in the late 50's, not 21st century suburban Minneapolis. Unfortunately, even though I look for every opportunity to use idn't it, I've discovered there actually aren't many chances. Kind of sad, idn't it?
2. BOTCH - This fantastic word has two definitions, one a noun (very old) and the other (newer) a verb. To my surprise, the older definition of botch means inflammatory sore, which conjures up any number of locations on the human body, none of them at all appealing in this context. What's worse, such a botch was probably also weeping, oozing or pus-filled (sorry, just wanted to make you say "ew" and make that face). Fortunately, botch has morphed into its present meaning, to foul up hopelessly ("Wow, the doctor really botched that surgery on my inflammatory sore."). My challenge to you: the next time you screw something up describe it to someone using botch (I've found plenty of chances). Good word, idn't it?
3. SCOOCH - Scooch falls somewhere between idn't it (fake word) and botch (real). According to dictionary.com, scooch is a slang word. It simply means a short distance ("Scooch over a bit, will ya?"). My earliest memory of hearing scooch was in Beverly Hills Cop 2, when Eddie Murphy asked a very young Paul Reiser to maintain his cover in Detroit while Detective Axel Foley went off to fight crime in sunny southern California ("Scooch down, drive around"). And scooch is easy to use, much easier than its cumbersome definition. Hard to botch that, idn't it?
4. OBTUSE - Okay - honestly - I never use obtuse. But if you are like me, whenever you've heard obtuse in normal conversation (possibly never), your mind goes straight to a scene from The Shawshank Redemption. Tim Robbins' character, Andy Dufrane, confronts the prison warden, who seems unwilling to believe the possibility (despite the evidence) that Andy is innocent of the crime that landed him in jail for life ("How can you be so obtuse?"). A once nerdy math term (meaning more than 90 degrees but less than 180) redefined itself to more commonly refer to a person who was annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand. Ah, for the chance to utter Andy Dufrane's refrain (instead of always having it directed at me). Dare to dream . . .
That's my short list - Idn't it, Botch, Scooch and Obtuse. It's not exactly Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or even John, Paul, George and Ringo - it's just the Gospel according to Eric.
What are your favorite words?
1. IDN'T IT - No, it's not a real phrase, but it should be. Idn't it is used in place of isn't it and always has a question mark following its use. Sometimes the question is hypothetical ("Pretty crazy that Lance Armstrong thought he would get away with it forever, idn't it?"), other times not ("Strange that people still willingly live in New Orleans, idn't it?"). I feel hip when I say it - as if I belong in some beret-wearing jazz club in the late 50's, not 21st century suburban Minneapolis. Unfortunately, even though I look for every opportunity to use idn't it, I've discovered there actually aren't many chances. Kind of sad, idn't it?
2. BOTCH - This fantastic word has two definitions, one a noun (very old) and the other (newer) a verb. To my surprise, the older definition of botch means inflammatory sore, which conjures up any number of locations on the human body, none of them at all appealing in this context. What's worse, such a botch was probably also weeping, oozing or pus-filled (sorry, just wanted to make you say "ew" and make that face). Fortunately, botch has morphed into its present meaning, to foul up hopelessly ("Wow, the doctor really botched that surgery on my inflammatory sore."). My challenge to you: the next time you screw something up describe it to someone using botch (I've found plenty of chances). Good word, idn't it?
3. SCOOCH - Scooch falls somewhere between idn't it (fake word) and botch (real). According to dictionary.com, scooch is a slang word. It simply means a short distance ("Scooch over a bit, will ya?"). My earliest memory of hearing scooch was in Beverly Hills Cop 2, when Eddie Murphy asked a very young Paul Reiser to maintain his cover in Detroit while Detective Axel Foley went off to fight crime in sunny southern California ("Scooch down, drive around"). And scooch is easy to use, much easier than its cumbersome definition. Hard to botch that, idn't it?
4. OBTUSE - Okay - honestly - I never use obtuse. But if you are like me, whenever you've heard obtuse in normal conversation (possibly never), your mind goes straight to a scene from The Shawshank Redemption. Tim Robbins' character, Andy Dufrane, confronts the prison warden, who seems unwilling to believe the possibility (despite the evidence) that Andy is innocent of the crime that landed him in jail for life ("How can you be so obtuse?"). A once nerdy math term (meaning more than 90 degrees but less than 180) redefined itself to more commonly refer to a person who was annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand. Ah, for the chance to utter Andy Dufrane's refrain (instead of always having it directed at me). Dare to dream . . .
That's my short list - Idn't it, Botch, Scooch and Obtuse. It's not exactly Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or even John, Paul, George and Ringo - it's just the Gospel according to Eric.
What are your favorite words?
Comments
Post a Comment