Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Words

Words. Today I've had my emotions flung around the room, batted and battered. And all because of words. Letters and syllables, vowels and consonants put together in ways with the power to hurt, the power to heal, the power to build up, the power to tear down. Words.

Then I got home and wrote words. Said what I had to say. Responded after a period of calm. By the time I finished, I was sick and tired of ...

WORDS.

Then I read an email from Niece Shannon who was telling me about her diving into a new journal. She decided to christen the journal by writing down a list of her favourite words. I loved the image of her hunching over the book with her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth as she writes, with concentration, a list of favourite words. I wonder what they are. I wonder if she will post some of them here, in the comment section.

And because I am me, and am incredibly fascinated by me, I wondered what my list of words would be ... So I got a pen and jotted down some ideas. The list grew long, longer, longest. I've restricted myself to ten here on the blog. This was difficult because it meant culling out words that are juicy like 'slatternly' and words that are just fun to say like 'taradiddle' and words that you paid to learn at the big school like 'tautology' even words that are just simple like 'blue'. I left out some of my favourite British words like 'gob smacked'. Of course I left out my favourite cuss word ' @#$%^\ ' because, after all that's everyone's favourite cuss word. Though that was hard. But none the less after I began working in earnest, I found myself focussing less on the words that hit me today. More on the words that I like to hear, like to feel.

And suddenly I was feeling better. So my list of ten words:

10. Vanilla

09. Cantankerous

08. Convivial

07. Erstwhile

06. Loyalty

05. Faithfulness

04. Constancy

03. Sanctuary

02. Trust

01. Honour

So, I'm a wee bit curious. Do you have favourite words? Crunchy words, Yummy words, or Sweater words (they keep you warm in the cold)?
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35 comments:

  1. John R.25 June 2008 at 05:51

    ....between the meaning and feeling, and just plain sound, here are my 10...

    10. hearth
    9. home
    8. feline
    7. mango
    6. portico
    5. obfuscate
    4. eulogy (not as morbid as one may think)
    3. yule (no connection to eulogy...just sounds similar and who doesn't enjoy a nice yule log?)
    2. hope
    1. love

    thanks for this exercise, Dave. I needed this today....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Deb25 June 2008 at 06:36

    caribou.

    ReplyDelete
  3. FAB25 June 2008 at 08:28

    1. Namaste -roughly translated means the light within me greets the light within you- how beautiful is that?

    2. Constantinople

    3. Happy

    4. sniffle

    5. Portobello

    6. symphony

    7. Tyler

    8. Savannah

    9. Ashton
    (7.8.9. my children's names)

    10. waffle

    11. credo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous25 June 2008 at 08:49

    1) cacophony
    2) sleep
    3) home
    4) family
    5) love
    6) school
    7) hamburger
    8) chips- crisps and hot deep fried chips
    9) friends

    Aussie Leis

    ReplyDelete
  5. Susan25 June 2008 at 08:56

    Not in any order:

    1. ponder
    2. we
    3. papa
    4. rest
    5. wonder
    6. peace
    7. joyous
    8. reconciled
    9. anticipate
    10. renew

    Thanks Dave, for this few minutes of pondering... It's good to stop and ponder sometimes. Thanks Shannon for getting us going.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kei25 June 2008 at 09:19

    I like this... and I'm thinking hard, for how does one limit it to 10, 20, 50, 100? LOL
    So off the top of my head... and in no real particular order

    10. Love
    9. Xenophobia
    8. Legacy
    7. Faith
    6. Laughter
    5. Perseverence
    4. Sanctuary
    3. Omniscience
    2. Tranquility
    1. Supercalifragilistiexpialidocious

    ReplyDelete
  7. lina25 June 2008 at 10:16

    Way too much fun not to do, thanks for the diversion. Here's mine:

    10. Menofrechista (Sicilian for really don’t care!)
    9. Fabulous
    8. Delicious
    7. Sensuous
    6. Idealistic
    5. Palermo
    4. Ocean-front
    3. Vacation
    2. Sunshine
    1. Stiletto (was there ever any doubt???)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous25 June 2008 at 10:31

    Lullaby

    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jodi25 June 2008 at 10:34

    harmony
    sanctuary
    belonging
    sunshine
    hallelujah
    vacation
    hilarious
    technicolor
    hope
    brownie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous25 June 2008 at 10:58

    Great idea Dave! Here's mine.

    serenity
    family
    ice cream
    chocolate
    loyal
    Amber
    massage
    friend
    forgivness
    freedom

    I just noticed that four of my favorite words start with f. Of course there is also another f word that must be my favorite because I use it so often!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. rickismom25 June 2008 at 11:04

    1 horizon
    2.flight
    (as flying, not fleeing)
    3.harmonious (both music and
    personal relations)
    4."rechem" the Hebrew word for "womb", which is contained within the Hebrew word for "compassion".
    5. sanctamonious (it sounds like what it means, no?)
    6. euphoric
    7. enchancting
    8. cappuccino
    9. fascinating
    10. awe

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous25 June 2008 at 11:10

    Totally off point, but, Dave, I thought you might find this article on disability-related hate crime interesting:

    http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/latest-news2/campaigns/no-hiding-place

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ashley's Mom25 June 2008 at 11:21

    As I sit here at work, wishing I could be anywhere else, I would add the word 'ennui'. I love the sound, the way it looks, and of course, it describes my feelings exactly as I sit here behind this desk on a beautiful summer morning.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous25 June 2008 at 11:33

    Just 4 of my favorite words:

    Quash
    Purple
    Lazy
    Sunshine

    ReplyDelete
  15. Unknown25 June 2008 at 11:33

    In no particular order... just top of my head....

    Constantinople
    Sanctimonious
    Mommy
    Chocolate
    Anticipation
    Spaghetti
    Umbrella
    Spa
    Daiquri (preferably strawberry)
    angel

    ReplyDelete
  16. Shan25 June 2008 at 12:00

    Ah ha!! This is great! My favourite word list just popped into my head as I woke up one morning last week, fully formed, as if from the mind of Zeus. I'm afraid half of them retreated by the time I had reached out for the nearest pencil and envelope-back, but here are those that remained. All are there simply because I like the sound of them...not necessarily what they represent.

    -crenellations
    -funicular
    -trebuchet
    -aspidistra
    -abstruse
    -wonky
    -charlatan
    -haphazard
    -hackneyed
    -penumbra
    -coronet

    I think I might post this...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Veralidaine25 June 2008 at 13:12

    In no particular order:

    Fascism

    Paleolithic

    Zoom

    Bombastic

    Lilliputian

    Onomatopoeia

    Swarthy

    Lecherous

    Twirl

    Peal

    ReplyDelete
  18. Dave Hingsburger25 June 2008 at 13:23

    Wonderful lists everyone, words I wish I'd added to my list. Shannon, you had 4 words I didn't know but I've looked them all up. Tell me you didn't know 'taradiddle' ... fib or pretensious nonsense ...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous25 June 2008 at 14:19

    May I add a few more?
    abscond
    alpaca
    twilight
    mesmerize
    fruition
    fur (a long and very old story involving a roommate and her bright orange dress)
    supercilious
    composed
    ginormous
    busset (southern speak for busted, as in, "dat's all busset up")

    That was fun, thanks.
    -Janet

    ReplyDelete
  20. Penny L. Richards25 June 2008 at 14:41

    Zydeco. Cardamom. Comadre.
    Muckle. Eclair. Chiasmus.
    Aforethought. Aviatrix.
    Rasmalai. Gymanfa Ganu.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ettina25 June 2008 at 16:24

    "Diploid Triploid Mixoploidy"

    ReplyDelete
  22. Unknown25 June 2008 at 16:34

    Identical
    Twin
    Self
    Sisters
    Paradiso
    Sceitimini (sketch-i-me-ni) (Irish word for excitement!)
    Spiritual
    Seven
    Me!
    Pip and Pop

    Tough one for me!

    LinMac

    ReplyDelete
  23. Belinda25 June 2008 at 16:52

    What fun! Here are mine:
    Cherish
    Hoot
    (as in "hooted in laughter or derision. I just love the thought of hooting at anything. It makes me laugh to think of it)
    Friend
    Sparkle
    Twinkle
    Child
    Cuddle
    Liquid
    Limpid
    Laughter

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous25 June 2008 at 17:38

    Oooo something to think about, my 10 favourite words: thrawn, blue, warm, hope, chocolate, Samuel, courage, Jesus, rainbow, Millport, sleep.

    Myr

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous25 June 2008 at 17:39

    That's so random!

    My daughters fav word is:

    Cheeseparing

    She has so much fun trying to get in to her homework in the right context Finding cool words is a good way to spend time. I like this one so much that I think I'll leave here it on its own, to be very cool.

    big love
    Laura x

    ReplyDelete
  26. Tammy25 June 2008 at 22:40

    Very cool exercise-
    10. Fabulous
    9. Beautiful (and I must sound out each vowel)
    8. Honey
    7. Cooter (as in the turtle:yellow bellied cooter.SO fun to say)
    6. Foliage (once again..i like the feel of the vowels on the tongue)
    5. Y'all (homey and comforting)
    4. Anemone
    3. soot..just fun to say
    2. mimic (see #3)
    1. My all time favorite word- MOMMY!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous26 June 2008 at 00:37

    I am a really bad speller but I like the idea! In no particular order:

    Hullaballo
    Halo
    Moronic
    Katimavic
    Vespers
    Pillow
    Love
    Regal
    Shin-Dig
    Georgeous

    That was fun!
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  28. Shan26 June 2008 at 02:08

    You know what's interesting? I know the word "faradiddle" in the same context, from books...but now I look it up and there's no such word. So was it a typo or what?

    And I have been reminded of some lovely mouth-filling words by reading your comments:

    Bombast
    Supercilious
    Zydeco
    Limpid
    Vespers

    Thanks everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Unknown26 June 2008 at 10:05

    I love words! Thanks for this exercise Dave.

    Reciprocity
    Plethora
    Onomatopoeia
    Preposterous
    Ananas (Pineapple in French)
    Love
    Gnu
    Shoes
    Sushi
    Christopher

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous26 June 2008 at 10:15

    What wonderful lists! (Penny's is especially worth revisiting)

    lovely. open. scent. tranformative. crystalline. aha. trust. relish. excellence. home -

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous26 June 2008 at 10:48

    faradidddle = taradiddle + farago

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous26 June 2008 at 10:48

    faradidddle = taradiddle + farago

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous26 June 2008 at 12:44

    love

    mo chroi (Irish for my heart - used same as darling - the Irish seem to have a lot of words for darling)

    Neena (2 year old twin grand-daughters' word for Nana - music to my ears)

    galato (in Italian - like a song in one word)

    peace
    baby
    human
    chimpanzee
    Earth
    cosmos

    Thanks for this - it made for some interesting thinking. I found that I really don't think that I can divorce the sounds from their meanings.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous27 June 2008 at 12:20

    10. Waggle
    9. Faux pas
    8. swagger
    7. possible
    6. Bubba
    5. concise
    4. Mumbai
    3. flotilla
    2. epiphany
    1. scrumtrulescent

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous9 June 2011 at 12:17

    Hello Everyone! I like watching BBC Football online.

    ReplyDelete

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