Last night, Grandpa and I were talking about something and he inadvertently coined a new word. He gave voice to the brand new word "uninhimbered." I'll break it down for you: Un- In- Himbered. And he used it several times, so it wasn't just something I THOUGHT I heard him say once. I think from the context, it is meant to be a combination of the words unencumbered and unhindered. Huh. Novel. I like it.
I was considering three words recently that I think are WAY overused these days. I think most of the offenders are of my generation. The words are: basically, amazing, and seriously. As in, "How was your trip?" " Basically, it was seriously amazing." Okay- most of the time they aren't all used in such close proximity. But, just think about it. Take "amazing." "Amazing" is a much more popular word these days, right? Such and such was an AMAZING experience. So and so is an AMAZING person. I think it's tiring to be so amazed all the time. If you're constantly being amazed, it's not really true amazement anymore. You're just naive. ( How do you put those little dots over the a in naive?) I seriously think that we should put a ban on the word "amazing" for about a year and try and come up with some other adjectives instead. Basically it's just a sign of being lazy and unimaginative. Let's try to be uninhimbered by the verbal ruts of the past.
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8 comments:
Nice! I love new words, and uninhimbered is especially good.
I agree about over-used words. I loved the line, "If you're constantly being amazed, it's not really true amazement anymore. You're just näive." Very true.
For the dots I just go here and copy and paste the letters I need. There are other ways, but they get too complicated, in my opinion.
Don't go dissin 'Seriously'... I do agree though. Another one is 'Honestly'.
Way true, Dat! Word...
By the way, I just came across the word "naïve" in Jane Eyre, and the, um, diaeresis (just looked that word up) is on the "i." :)
So I think the word that we use to much is "so." Or at least I use it too much. It's our lean-in word to introduce any new thought. I wish I didn't do it so much.
Now, amazing...may I request permission to keep using it so much? Because I am in constant amazement of the new things I see, and I don't think I'm naive. I'm just always seeing new things because of where I live and what I do. I could agree to start employing "brilliant," "magnifique," and "fantastique" into my vocabulary...and I do in French. But in English, "amazing" is just so much quicker to the tongue.
So basically, you seriously wrote one amazing blog post.
P.S. Congrats on the BOY.
re your comments (Yes, I'm replying here because it's been so long...) You were on my mind when I posted those summer and spring pictures. It certainly would be fun to go back and do the other two seasons, though I doubt the contrast would be as great.
And your encouragement re my writing made my day!
I noticed that on British shows and movies, a word they use a lot that I could quickly get accustomed to, in place of amazing, is "brilliant."
Oh, dear. I do overuse amazing, and I've painfully noticed it a gazillion times a day since I read this post.
I should be like Lexie. She was telling me the other day that something was "glorious." :)
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