We had a big family dinner this past Sunday; my mom, the in-laws, and Gail's sister Karen and her husband, Wardo. were all at our house. It was great to sit around and eat a little pasta and sauce, share some chianti out of jug and talk. Somehow the conversation turned to our favorite words. I don't have a favorite word. I do, however, have two least favorite words. For as long as I can remember, I have always despised the word ointment. Phonetically, it sounds horrible. Further and more importantly, there is no circumstance in which the word ointment can be used in a positive sense. I just can't stand it. I can't believe I actually shared that with my family. They are already conspiring ointment related Christmas and birthday gifts.
On Sunday evening, I couldn't for the life of me, remember what the second word on the list was. It just came to me. This word just replaced ointment as my least favorite: chipotle.
Thanks to the likes of Chili's and Applebees, the word has become almost as overused as "extreme." Not to mention how grotesque, the images that appear on screen with the chipotle voice over appear. I have never heard anyone outside a TV commercial use the word.
If someone comes up with a chipotle ointment please don't tell me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
happy birthday tk, here's some Extreme Chipotle Ointment for that unsightly rash. can't say the words i don't like on this blog. except i hate when people pronounce Vietnam like Viet NAM (rhymes w/ham). grr. or Amish like Aim-ish. it's AH-MISH.
Lucky your not in IL Tom. There is a horrible chain out there caled Chipotle (owned by McDonalds of course)
Ward wants to know how you feel about the word appointment? Those usually don't bode well.
Karen
stace,
don't even get me started on pronunciation....
Yikes I'm turning into grumpy not-quite-middle-aged man.
tk
Hey Kare,
Looking at you leaving a comment and stuff.
Yeah, I guess the phrase "How did that appointment with your proctologist go?" is not one you really want to hear.
On the other hand, I have an appointment with my couch, a tall cold beer and a top chef re-run sounds very nice. I think there is something about the "app" syllable of appointment that softens the "oint" syllable.
Could just be me.
tk
I have never liked the word "poignant." Have never known how to say it without either sounding stupid or arrogant.
I also HATE the word anonymity - - I couldn't pronounce that word if my life depended on it.
Oh, why we are at it, at work we have an office called the Customer Liaison Office. Some folks in that office say liaison in a massively bizarre fashion. I cringe when I hear it. Or maybe its a French pronunciation. I don't know French.
Hey T, what were some of the favorite words at the table? On pronunciation, I am always 50-50 on whether it's supposed to be "tee-pid" or "teh-pid", and whether the color taupe is "tope" or "tawp", can never get those straight. So I say warm and brown.
What we obviously need is some extreme chipotle ointment. To be applied to certain areas after an appointment with the proctologist....
(sorry - the devil made me do it...)
And Cyn, for my 2 cents, it's tOH'p. I love people who say "tawpee" - that's my favorite ghastly mispronciation.
Just like I love folks who say POYGH-nant instead of "POYN-iant." Either one is usually a strong indicator of what a friend calls "Motor-scooter brains pushin' a Mack-Truck mouth."
As Cyn said, when in doubt, go with what you know. Or as Mark Twain (or someone equally wise) is often quoted, "it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."
Post a Comment