Overused Words and Words that Annoy Me

Back in November I tweeted about the overuse of the word "So," which was frequently used at the beginning of a sentence or during a pause in a conversation. I even admitted I was guilty of overusing the word myself.

So (Ha!), I was pleased this evening when I watched a segment on a TV show that included a tongue-in-cheek list of words and phrases that one university suggested be eliminated from use.

Want to guess the word at the top of a list?  So!

That brings me to another word, the overuse/misuse of which I find annoying. It is a word usually uttered on TV by reporters or law enforcement individuals (hint) being interviewed by reporters.

Ahem. The word I'd like to hear less often is: Individual.

Rather than saying "the individual was apprehended," why not be more specific? Use the word person, man, woman, representative, pet, or criminal, just not "individual." Individual what?

Okay. Your turn. Any words or phrases you find annoying?

Oh, and my second choice for an overused/annoying word is the word: annoying.

Punny Stuff: Puns for the Educated Mind

The other day a teacher-friend forwarded an e-mail to me with more than two dozen "puns for the educated mind." I thought I'd share some of them today. With a few of them I had to read twice before the sly humor hit me. Thanks, Barb, for sending them to me.

The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

Hope you enjoy!

Forgotten English Word for the Day

Today's word from my calendar of "Forgotten English" is quill driver.

Here are two definitions:

From John Hotten's Slang Dictionary, 1887: "A schrivener, a clerk; satrical phrase to 'steel bar driver,' a tailor."

From Francis Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1796: "A clerk, a scribe, or hackney writer. Brother of the quill, an author."

Of all the definitions, I like "brother of the quill," although "sister of the quill" is more fitting since I'm a woman.

So, here's my sentence: Being a quill driver doesn't pay all my bills, but at times it does give me thrills.

Word of the Day - Biwrixle

Today's word in my "Forgotten English 365-day Calendar of Vanishing Vocabulary and Folklore" is:

Biwrixle: to change, transform (from Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1888--I guess it was new in 1888.)

So, my dear blog-readers, your challenge--should you accept it--is to use the word biwrixle in a sentence.

Here's my shot at it:

Mavis hopes her facelift surgery will biwrixle her wrinkles into smooth skin.

Forgotten English - Assishness and The Feast of the Ass

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that I love words and I'm "crazy for calendars." Most of my writer friends are too.

One of my New Year's gifts to myself was a new calendar: "Forgotten English," by Jeffrey Kracirk. My nifty new book of days is a "365-day calendar of vanishing vocabulary and forklore for 2011." If you click on the link on the left you'll find out it's available on Amazon--and half price at that.

The word for January 14 is "assishness: asinine quality; stupidity; blockishness."

Today is also "The Feast of the Ass, anciently celebrated in the French town of Beauvis every year on the 14th of January to commemorate the flight of the Virgin into Egypt with the Infant Jesus. . . Parts of the service were terminated by imitation of the braying of an ass and hymns were sung in praise of the Ass." Who knew?

A few other gems for this month:

"scurryfunge"- A hasty tidying of the house between the time you see a neighbor and the time she knocks on the door.

"gone to Texas" - An American expression for one who has decamped, leaving debts behind. It was not unusual for a man to display this notice "G.T.T." on his door after he had absconded.

"married all o'er" - Said of women who after their marriage become miserable looking.

So, don't be "married all o'er" when "assishness" neighbors come calling unexpectedly. Instead of "scurryfunging," around, just put up a note: "G.T.T. Gone to Texas" and maybe your caller will go away and celebrate the Feast of the Ass.