so i thought i'd take up fencing.

and then i thought, "nahhhh." but, if i did take up fencing, i would probably be really good at the riposte. because i am quick like a cat. like a ninja. like whatever kind of animal and or person who has mastered the art of stealth fighting. actually, the only reason i know that i am quick is because i have much experience in the area of recovering from slips and trips. that's right, my friends. i have excellent reflexes. it's a blessing. i was blessed with quick reflexes to counteract the curse of clumsiness.

riposte \rih-POST\, noun:
1. A quick thrust given after parrying an opponent's lunge in fencing.
2. A quick and effective reply by word or act.
3. To make a riposte.

now, i say that i would be good at the #1 definition of the word for a few reasons. because i like to think that i would. because, as i mentioned earlier, i have quick reflexes. and because i somewhat lack skill in the #2 definition of riposte. i can be effective in reply by word or act. but there's usually no quick about it. i suffer from what george costanza himself suffers from. the inability to think of a clever, spot-on comment when the need arises.

it's a horrible curse which one day i will hopefully be able to overcome.

resolutions.

this may surprise several of you, but i swear. i use swear words and i sometimes don't even realize that i do it. and other times i feel like there is no way to better express myself than to use these words. people know what they mean and they know that when i am screaming them, i am very upset.

but today i am turning over a new leaf. i am going to stop. i mean, if i slip up and "accidently" let one slip out, give me a break. this is not a habit that i can break in just a few short days. why can't i break it in a short period of time? well because i have decided that the best way to break my swearing habit is to teach myself new, more intelligent words to replace the lowly words i already know.

so, today (or for the last few days), i have been trying to use this word instead of other, more foul words. (and if you have the same habit i do, i challenge you to join me on my endeavor.)

dolt \'dōlt\ noun
1: a stupid person

i can't even wait to use this word in conversation or in my rage. it will rock.

keep it low.

so, you might know by now that i get a wee bit excited about learning new words. so what could possibly get me even more excited than that? learning new words that are from a different language that have, over time, been adopted into our very own english.

case and point...

sotto voce \SAH-toh-VOH-chee\, adverb or adjective:

1. Spoken low or in an undertone, as not to be overheard.
2. (Music) In very soft tones. Used chiefly as a direction.

Behind the scenes, however, were sotto voce grumblings that Kohl was perhaps hanging on too long and that the party might be better off if he were to step aside and hand the candidacy to popular majority leader Wolfgang Schauble.
-- Jordan Bonfante, "The Challenger", Time, March 16, 1998

mostly i like this word because it involves stealth. you know, "keep it down, or we might be found out while we're sneaking around robbing this bank." or something to that effect.

i am going to try to use this new word(s) in my daily activities today, which thus far should include: working with buyers, mowing the lawn, washing my car, attending a dinner/baby shower with my old coworkers, and finally, reading the new harry potter book. i'm afraid that it might prove to be difficult since there are only two activities on this list which include conversing with others.

you were right.

i really want to tell my dad that he was wrong, but i won't. let me explain.

the other night my dad was telling me that he has been reading my blog and that he liked it. we got into a discussion about a word i used in a recent post on my other blog.

i used the word tenaciousness. he tried to tell me that tenaciousness was not a word and proceeded to tell me that i should have used the word tenacity. he said he knew this because he had gotten into a discussion about this word with someone else--i'm guessing years ago. i tried to tell him that he was wrong, but i didn't fight too hard because what if--heaven forbid--i was wrong.

well, today i went to my trusty friend, m-w.com and looked up tenaciousness. and my trusty friend informed me that i was right and my dad was wrong.

or that all those years ago, dad, you were right.

psycho syco.

sy·co·phant
Function: noun
: a servile self-seeking flatterer
Example sentence:"I can't stand sycophants," said Rosemary, "so if you want that promotion, do your best and let your work speak for itself."

do you remember how i once did a post about words being defined by other words with which i am not familiar? i may be dumb, but i don't really know what "servile" means.

ser·vile
Function: adjective
1 : of or befitting a slave or a menial position
2 : meanly or cravenly submissive : abject

oh, this can go on forever.

cra·ven
Function: adjective
1: archaic : defeated, vanquished
2: lacking the least bit of courage : contemptibly fainthearted

and ever.

con·tempt
Function: noun
1 a: the act of despising : the state of mind of one who despises : disdain b: lack of respect or reverence for something
2: the state of being despised
3: willful disobedience to or open disrespect of a court, judge, or legislative body

well, now i have become completely sidetracked. i don't know where i was going with this. but i do like the word sycophant. i've noticed they use it in movies and books a lot. so now i know. and now you know.

two words that don't make one.

per request, today's lesson is about two words that some believe can be combined to create one word, but in actuality, they are wrong. combining the two words is wrong. i learned this in eighth grade. and you all should have, too. if you didn't, then learn it now.

a lot.

it is not "alot."

it is "a-space-lot."

two words.

and that is the end of today's lesson.

you are welcome.

these three words.

i can't believe the luck i have been having with the words of the day this last week. these three words are the most awesome words and to get them in the same week is amazing.

first--
pococurante \POH-koh-kyoo-RAN-tee\ adjective
: indifferent, nonchalant

i definitely did not know this word. it took me a minute to figure out the pronunciation and then i checked with m-w.com to make sure i was saying it right. that it one of the best features of m-w.com.

there is a good chance i will probably not use this word in my everyday conversations because: a) it is somewhat of a difficult word to pronounce on the fly. b) the people i communicate with on a daily basis, more than likely, won't know what it means. c) if i use a word people don't know, they might think that i am arrogant or a know-it-all, and we don't want that.

next--
anchorite \ANG-kuh-ryte\ noun
: a person who lives in seclusion usually for religious reasons

i love when i learn words where the chance that i will use them in a conversation is slim to none. i don't know anyone who is an anchorite. nor do i know anyone who would become an anchorite. but i love that i now know this word, so when i am watching pbs or discovery, and there is a show on about anchorites, i won't have to wait to find out what an anchorite is to change the channel. i'll know and i can change the channel right then.

finally--
jeopardy \JEP-er-dee\ noun
1 : exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or injury : danger
2 : the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense

i know this word. obviously. who doesn't? i mean, i know it because it is the name of my favorite game show. but, did i know that the meaning was so serious? no, i hadn't actually thought about how serious this word is. do you think that a quiz show should be called jeopardy? is there really an imminence of death? or injury? are they in danger? i mean, i guess that there is an imminence of loss. but that money was really never their's to begin with, so can you lose something that isn't yours?

so funny. hahaha. i do love jeopardy, though. and i will now view it with a more serious approach. i mean, it is jeopardy, after all.