Tag: worth 1000 pictures

One Word: The Elephant in the Room

Want to write and speak with lasting impact? Want to convey thoughts that touch, that move, that heal? Don’t worry too much about the right words. Focus first on finding the right topic. (The words come later.) There’s one right topic, and it’s always the same: It’s the elephant in the room. No, not the…

March 11, 2016
One Word: Next

We’re hurtling down the freeway in my friend’s car. He’s driving. I’m riding shotgun, giving directions. I tell him: “Get off at the next exit.” He says: “Okay.” A few minutes later, as we approach the exit, he puts pedal to the metal and roars past it. “Hey!” I exclaim. “You were supposed to turn…

March 9, 2016
One Word: Beg

My white-haired physicist friend assured me he could prove there is no life after death. That certainly caught my attention. He knew it would. That’s because I do believe in human immortality. I think, God willing, that being dead will be a lot of fun. My friend’s bold challenge left me no choice but to hear…

March 7, 2016
One Word: Mild!

Cheri and I were with a group of fellow Peace Corps volunteers in Grenada. The year was 1989. With us (because we were guests in his office) was an American career diplomat. This gathering happened (coincidentally) at a time when most of the volunteers were dismayed by news of a recent political appointment in Washington.…

March 4, 2016
One More Word: To Casually Split Your Infinitive With

I like to occasionally split an infinitive. Not always – just now and then. Neither too often, nor too seldom. There’s a fine line. Quick review: An infinitive is the basic form of a verb, usually preceded by “to”. If I say “to sleep, perchance to dream”, then “to sleep” and “to dream” are infinitives.…

March 2, 2016
One Word: Could/Couldn’t

I couldn’t care less about the word “could”. Also, I could care less about “couldn’t”. Except when we use “could” and “couldn’t” – words that profess to be exact opposites – to mean exactly the same thing. How is that even possible? Spoiler alert: It’s possible! I didn’t think so, but I was wrong. Read…

February 24, 2016
One Word: Pert Near

A recent article of mine uses the compound word “pert near”. What’s the deal there? It was my article on whistling (I can’t whistle) in which I asked whether there’s “anything you can’t do … even though pert near everyone else you know can”. Of course, “pert near” is a slang expression meaning “pretty nearly”…

February 19, 2016
One Word: Vex

I’m fond of the word “vex”. My recent report on pangrams reminded me of this fondness. You’ll recall that a pangram is any sentence (shorter the better) that contains every letter of the alphabet at least once. Since working “v” and “x” into the same sentence can be a vexing challenge, it’s no wonder pangram…

February 4, 2016
One Word: Connote

Every word denotes something, and connotes something more. Its “denotation” is what it denotes – that is, what it means in its most straightforward, minimal dictionary definition. Its “connotation” is what it connotes. That’s where things get interesting. The connotation of a word is its flavor, its feeling, its emotional texture. It’s what the word…

February 3, 2016
One Word: Pangram

You all know I love anagrams – those wonderful phrases created by rearranging the letters of one thing to spell something else. Like when I scramble the letters of “Gary Leland Matthews” to spell “sadly elegant warmth” (and lots of other things – most of them unflattering but hilarious). Until a few days ago, however,…

February 2, 2016
One Word: Beggar

Here’s a word I (sometimes) like and (sometimes) use: “beggar”. Depending on its meaning. Mostly the word strikes me unremarkable, even depressing. A beggar can be someone who survives by begging. That definition doesn’t inspire me. As a verb, something that “beggars” you reduces you to poverty. Don’t care for that one, either! Nowadays we…

February 1, 2016
One Word: Disinterested

Disinterested is a word I find most interesting. Not ᴏɴʟʏ because it’s so often misused. (Although it is — like “comprise” and so many more.) No, “disinterested” fascinates me because it expresses a subtle, absolutely indispensable concept about which we need to think and talk. And because I can’t think of any equivalent word we…

August 31, 2015