Claire: Payback. That’s not a nice word.
Me: Sure it is. I also enjoy ‘blackmail’ and ‘extortion’.
Actually, quite apart from it’s meaning ‘extortion’ is a lovely word. Fun to say. I am unreasonably fond of whole groups of words for the sound of them alone, the taste of them on the tongue, the way they feel falling out of your mouth… Words like anaconda, chicane, Messerschmidt, frisson, carnal…
I also sometimes like words because of the meaning they convey. ‘Adorkable’ for instance, is an awesome word that isn’t even a word at all, and yet has a clear intention. As opposed to ‘sprezzatura’ which has a precisely defined definition, only nobody knows what it is.
Then there’s ‘tatterdemalion’ which I like for the simple reason that I stumbled across once it in a book clearly aimed at younger readers and was delighted by its sheer existence there. I hate when writers talk down to their readers, no matter their age. So it was lovely to see a writer prepared to throw words like that on the page and let their readers deal with or not as they chose.
Not that I’m advocating an orgy of needless polysyllabism, but sometimes it’s nice to use a word that has the precise gradation of meaning that you want. German is a lovely language for that. I’m particularly fond of ‘backpfeifengesicht’ which means ‘a face that badly needs a punch’. Unfortunately I can’t spell it without looking it up, let alone pronounce it. And even if I could I’m not positive I know anyone who would understand it. Although if you’re reading this you could consider it warning that if I suddenly use a word that sounds like I’m trying to hack up a lung, it might be this one.
I’m also unreasonably drawn to words that were created for ridiculous reasons. Floccinaucinihilipilification (the action of describing or estimating something as worthless) is a word that was basically made up as a joke and currently has the distinction of being the longest non-technical word in the English language (one letter longer than antidisestablishmentarianism). Or hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia which is the entirely ridiculous version of sesquipedaliophobia, which is the fear of long words. And… well, the wrongness and the humour in that should be obvious.
Of course, my favourite word for a while now has been ‘copacetic’ because it is lovely to say, has an excellent meaning behind it, is moderately well understood and stands apart for being a word that my father was at one time convinced didn’t exist (to my endless delight — I swear to you, a large part of my fondness for Starship Troopers lies in the fact that the movie uses the word in its dialogue and I could play it on a loop to my father while rolling on the floor laughing).
…and I am going to stop fetishising words now. This is what happens when you lucubrate nolens volens.* Seriously. Stopping. I will go away now and be… away. Er, unless you wanted to share your favourite words with me?
* And now I wish you could somehow indicate when using a word, ‘See that meaning? No, not that one, the other one. The one about candlelight.’ I realise that’s what context is for but it doesn’t always work. I suppose this is why definitions migrate over time and certain words fall out of use. Nevertheless.
Kandace Mavrick
Paul McLaughlan
wolflullaby
29/11/2011
I set up a podcast player on my phone this morning, and discovered that Merriam-Webster has a word of the day podcast. I am in heaven! I love language, and learning and using language. I had a word of the day app on my phone, but I never really looked at it, and it kept breaking. But I spend 50 minutes a day walking to and from work, so I use that as my listening to things time, so podcasts will be great for that. The good thing about the word of the day podcast, is that it gives you the origin of the word, which I love to learn about.
Today’s word was coquetry: a flirtatious act or attitude. Apparently it comes from the French word for rooster, which is coq. Flirty roosters anyone?
None of my favourite words are springing to mind, but I’m sure I’ll think of them later, and share them with you then 🙂
Kandace Mavrick
29/11/2011
I prefer ‘coquettish’ but that’s definitely not in the ‘fun to say’ category, more in the ‘awkward i your mouth’ category, but the meaning is lovely. It’s in that group of words you tend to find more in historical novels than in life, like ‘rake’. Which is disappointing, because they’re no less valid in modern life. Also ‘rapscallion’, which is just nifty.
Jay
30/11/2011
Rapscallion is almost as good as tatterdemalion, really. Almost.
Claire
29/11/2011
Given that I feel ‘payback’ is such a malicious word, can you help me explain why one of my favourite words to taste is ‘shadenfreude’?
A German word roughly translated as “taking pleasure in others’ misfortune”.
I am a sick puppy, I know.
Kandace Mavrick
29/11/2011
That’s because ‘schadenfreude’ is an AWESOME word. See? And it elicits a great more glee than ‘payback’ which is rooted more in anger and simple vengeance (which can be fun too, but takes a certain type of person to be truly gleeful with).
Jay
29/11/2011
I’ve always been hugely fond of tatterdemalion myself. It’s such an evocative word. Sprezzatura I’d encountered very rarely but never retained the definition for some reason. Another wonderful word, although I’ll confess I’d have expected it to be French, rather than Italian. (L’esprit de l’escalier, anyone?)
Another word I’m fond of is sequipedalian, and most of it’s derivatives.
“I am unreasonably fond of whole groups of words for the sound of them alone, the taste of them on the tongue, the way they feel falling out of your mouth…”
Synaesthete, much? 😉
Kandace Mavrick
29/11/2011
I try not to be familiar with l’esprit de l’escalier, but at least, as a writer, I have something to do with the great comeback once I think of it 🙂
Jay
29/11/2011
I’m increasingly of the opinion that those with a reputation for good comebacks are often just people who think of/remember a good retort and then hold it in reserve for the right moment.
Not so much quick wit, really, so much as a good mental cupboard of witty comments and remembering to check it before speaking. (The later is, of course, the hard part.)
=)