The other day in our staff meeting, we started talking about roadkill. Don’t ask why. Let’s just say that our staff meetings are rarely predictable. The conversation devolved, not only to roadkill, but to the eating thereof.
And Sharon blurted out “Possum panini!”
And I said, “You know, that just sounds naughty. It’s like you’re using a euphemism for an itty-bitty possum p…”
Subsequent embellishments on this theme left us holding our sides and weeping tears of laughter/agony. It took awhile before we actually got back to business.
Afterwards, I started thinking about the oddities of the English language. Some words just sound… rude. Even if they’re not. Lists of these have already been compiled, by people far more eloquent and twisted than I. Just Google “words that sound dirty but aren’t”. Hell, there’s even a Facebook group.
It’s easy to see why most of those words made the lists. They’re pretty close to other words that generally don’t get used in polite company. But certain “innocent” words bother me, too. Here are a few:
Flaccid – Maybe because the “fla-” phonetic is an onomatopoeia for the sound of a limp dead fish being slapped against a hard surface? I dunno. The word just grosses me out.
Flabby – Probably because it’s flaccid’s cousin, but jigglier. You know what I mean. We’re talkin’ Jello smacked against a hard surface. Same sound effect, different visual.
Puce – Maybe because it looks/sounds too much like “puke”? Because it means “flea” in French? Because it’s part of the word “prepuce”? Because it’s necessary to wrinkle your nose when you pronounce it? “Peeuuwss…” So many possibilities, but it offends me on some deep level. It seems to me that the colour it describes should be revolting snot-green, not dark brownish-purple.
Juggernaut – I haven’t a clue why, but this word just annoys me.
Scenario – Seems filled with self- importance. It reminds me of the clichéd B-movie villain twirling his moustache and chortling. Mustachio? Scenario? Maybe there’s some association there.
Indeed – I know the reason for my antipathy towards “indeed”. A certain writer for a certain magazine uses it so frequently that I’ve developed a permanent allergy. I’ve wanted to write a letter to the editor for about three years now, but I can’t figure out a way to do it without sounding like a wack job. So I included it here instead. Somehow it’s more acceptable to look like a wack job on my own blog.
Despite my hang-ups, I still use these words when necessary. When it’s the right word, ya gotta use it. Well, except “juggernaut”. I draw the line at that.
What about you? What words drive you crazy for no particular reason? Or am I the only one with this problem?
Author Diane Henders 
Pingback: Cooking With Spam | Diane Henders
Insteresting! Your dislike for juggernaut must be word karma 🙂 Check out it’s etymology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juggernaut) . It has a bloody gory past
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Yikes! Now I not only dislike the word, I’m afraid of it, too.
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Hi I came here via BronxBoy’s blog. I enjoyed your post – I didn’t know that puce means “flea” in French? It’s a word I never use. Maybe because it sounds like puke.
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Welcome – thanks for visiting and commenting. Good to know I’m not the only one who makes the puce/puke association.
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I hate the word “robust,” especially as it’s used in corporate marketing materials. It seems to be one of those words that loses meaning with every appearance, and is now, for me, just a collection of letters that makes me think of robot busts or broken oars. When someone actually says “robust” out loud, I want to punch them in the face. But I don’t, because I haven’t yet come up with a strong enough explanation for the police. Also, I’ve never punched anyone in the face, and “robust” doesn’t seem like a good enough reason to start. “Juggernaut” does, though.
Great post, Diane. I’ll definitely be back.
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Thanks, Charles!
I feel for your suffering regarding the r-word. Maybe you could try, “He assaulted my ears – it was self-defense.” Or… maybe not.
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lol No, you’re not the only one. I find the first 4 in your list bothersome as well, especially “Jug****aut.” Upon read or hearing that word, I always picture a huge, throbbing, clus****uck of veins protruding from somebody’s temple, ready to explode. Ew.
“Scen**io” and “In**ed” don’t bother me, I actually like those two. But I’ll try to remember to not use them when I visit your blog. 🙂 Can’t promise anything, though.
A “word” I can’t stand . . years ago, I was fond of listening to a popular radio station based near Indianapolis. One of the DJs- a husky-voiced, chain-smoking groupie type (I imagined) ALWAYS used the same make-up word when describing any type of cold, wet weather- a combination of “slick” and “slippery.” Slickery. Seems she said it at least several times every day she was on air. She probably thought it sounded cute, or hip, or clever. It made me cringe every time, especially with her voice. I eventually started changing the station when she came on.
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“Slickery”?? I think I’d be scarred for life, too. But maybe it’s a weather-person thing. I can’t remember which station it was, but their pet word was “thunder-boomers”. Yikes.
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