A few of my favorite words
I have a fascination with words. I appreciate variety and nuance. I prefer words that are complex or sound interesting (the opposite of our former President whose entire vocabulary boiled down to about 50 simple words from great to sad, hoax to bad, and a couple “big” ones: amazing and beautiful, used to describe anything he touches, says or thinks).
There are a plethora of stupendous words. Here are some I like- one beginning with each letter of the alphabet:
A= Asinine. There are so many outrageous statements and behavior that occur these days for which stupid just doesn’t suffice. And any word with an “ass” in it is a bonus as far as I’m concerned.
B= Benign. If there is one thing we need more of above all else in this world it’s kindness. It’s also got to be the favorite word of anyone diagnosed with a tumor.
C= Cognizant. Knowledge and awareness is crucial to understanding others and to our future as a civilization; and many do not appear very cognizant of the substantial risks to the environment and our democracy by our collective asinine human behavior. On a less serious note, Chimchangas might just be the best food word to say, especially after a bottle of tequila.
D= Disputatious. Like most lawyers, I am fond of arguing.
E= Ecstasy. Who doesn’t crave unbridled overpowering joy (if not the drug itself)?
F= Facetious. It’s the first difficult word that I learned as a child as my Dad used it all the time. It’s an essential component of any family where sarcasm is incessant, and where some folks somehow don’t get that you are joking, requiring you to explain that “I was just being facetious.”
G= Garrulous. In case you just happen to know a few folks who talk too much?
H= Humility. Something that there seems to be a massive shortage of these days – thanks to arrogant folks who think they know it all, their shit don’t stink and their success is due entirely to their own making.
I= Ignominious. It’s a fun five syllable word to say and a good way to express your disdain at shameful behavior without most folks even knowing what you said. Ignoramous was also tempting but I already had asenine.
J= Jackass. It’s a great simple word to relieve steam at someone who just cut you off in the car, budded in line or lacks any humility. And again there’s that ass thing.
K= Kumquats. One of the least known fruits in the States, grown in Southeast Asia. But somehow a jar of them was always in my grandmother’s refrigerator?
L= Lackadaisical. Another five syllable gem that perfectly describes your teenager’s interest in you or anything you are saying.
M= M’enage ‘a trois. It’s the only French word that many of us know, it’s fun to say and (I’m guessing) probably fun to perform as well.
N= Nirvana. Who doesn’t aspire to perfection and bliss? (though it didn’t work out so well for Kurt Cobain).
O= Ostracize. Given the great divide in this country, we tend to do a lot of that banishment of others these days.
P= Perspicacious. Use of this word shows you have keen insight and makes you sound smart in a way that phlegm really doesn’t (then again, phlegm may be the most interesting word to spell)
Q= Quagmire. We all tend to get ourselves at times into awkward, complex or hazardous situations, especially Glenn Quagmire (of Family Guy fame).
R= Ramifications. It’s one of the few five syllable words that most people know. But many seem to forget that their actions do have consequences.
S= Sophistry. I’m thinking that my last name may be derived from this word which reflects clever but misleading reasoning – Ouch!
T= Trichinosis. It’s a great word, at least if you don’t have it – a disease caused by worms in the intestines or muscles – disgusting.
U= Ubiquitous. Who wouldn’t want to be everywhere and at the same time?
V= Voluptuous. The word perfectly describes and evokes sensuality.
W= Whippersnapper. Hard to imagine a word that better reveals both the age of the person speaking and that of the person to whom it was directed.
X= Xerox. There are only about five ordinary words that begin with “X”, so the choices are limited. But I have to give it to the company that was so successful in marketing its copying machine and method that the word became a household generic word and Xerox actually lost protection of its trademark as a result.
Y= ANY WORD but Yummy. I hate that word. See Chapter 1 of my book, “A Common Sense Enema.”
Z= Zealous. I’m all for extreme passion for whatever you are doing, provided it doesn’t involve asinine conduct, make you a jackass, or lead to trichinosis. There’s also the best ice cream flavor I’ve encountered: Zanzibar Chocolate in Minocqua, Wisconsin.
In an era where everyone seems to want simple and easy to understand, I encourage folks to instead expand their vocabulary and revel in the beauty and mystery of words.
