Saturday, May 25, 2013

I Give You My Word

For a long time now I've been thinking of posting on words I can't stand the sound of, but what put me off was writing the piece would mean I'd have to write those words.  But now there's a piece in Slate on word aversion, so I guess I don't have to.

There are certain words that just give people the creeps.  The disgust is not necessarily based on the meaning of the word--though that plays into it--but the sound itself.  Surprisingly, one of the least-liked words is moist. I can see certain unpleasant associations, but I've got no problem with it.

Other words that get to people include ointment, vomit, phlegm, ooze, mucus, puke, scab and pus.  Okay, I can see those.  But what about slacks, crevice or panties?  The mere association with private parts seems to be enough to send some into a frenzy.

Worse, some people gag on luggage, meal, pugilist, squab and hardscrabble.  I guess they've got personal associations, but those words seem, if a bit on the harsh side, mostly harmless.

So what are the words I can't deal with?  I'm not going to tell you, or they'll just start showing up every day in the comments.

6 Comments:

Blogger New England Guy said...

perforated

4:39 AM, May 25, 2013  
Blogger New England Guy said...

Pretty much all specialized jargon too- but I put that down to getting old and grumpy

4:40 AM, May 25, 2013  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Seems a crabbed and niggardly view, if you ask me.

5:45 AM, May 25, 2013  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

crabbed is a fine word. Crabs unless you mean critters on the beach or on your seafood dinner menu is icky. Crawdad is a horrible word any time.

Niggardly is too close to verboten sprech and just not worth it.

I get what NEG means about specialized jargon- I have a friend that goes nuts if he ever has to listen to orders at Starbucks

8:14 AM, May 25, 2013  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Even the word barista is getting tough to take.

11:16 AM, May 25, 2013  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, the only enjoyable thing about Starbucks is ordering a large coffee and watch them struggle with communicating with you.

1:23 PM, May 25, 2013  

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