Skip to main content

Nonsense

"When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’


’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’


’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all." 

— Lewis Carroll -Through The Looking Glass

Do you have a favourite word? I quite like the word oxymoron. Maybe it’s a Bart Simpson puerile thing, you know, an adult word that finishes in moron must be laugh worthy.

What I like about the oxymoron is how unpretentious a word it actually is. Once the terrain of stand up comedians, the oxymoron seems to have become the default of political obfuscation. Not coincidentally, perhaps my second favourite word.

Very good, you picked the irony (hint: second favourite!) As an aside the reason I like the word obfuscation is not because it sounds so pompous, and indeed is most used by pompous types but because it is so apt. The very pronunciation virtually requires a mouth full of marbles to best enunciate. And that of course is the point. Obfuscation is the deliberate mangling of language in order to confuse and obscure meaning. Hence the reference to politicians!

That’s awfully good, a definite maybe, an original copy, a minor crisis, with a dose of job security and a dash of Facebook privacy thrown in for good measure.

Twitter also gets an honourable mention partly because it so accurately captures the essence of the medium it describes and yes you’ve guessed it comprises the word Twit.

A scribble on the topic of verbal nonsense probably needs a counterbalance. I have two words that are pet hates of mine. Hate is a little strong perhaps, hence the softener of the preceding pet.
Ultimate. A pretty neat word I guess, unpretentious and innocent enough, but… Arguably the most misused word in the English language. The favourite adjective and adverb of media voice over presenters, to introduce the ultimate game show, crime series, cat food, ab-machine, or holiday destination, is patently untrue. 

An unsubtle segue to my other word of irritation. A few years back, everything was just so patently obvious. It was the word of choice by the most condescending of smart alecs. Not only is it a redundant word it not so subtly implies that not only is their point of view actually obvious (actually gets another honorable mention) but its so obvious, patently, that anyone not realizing this, i.e. having a contradictory opinion must be a buffoon.

Enough of the silliness. Sometimes it’s interesting to step out of the moment and listen to the dialogue and tune in to the peculiar nonsense that passes for conversation.

Here’s hoping this finds you clearly confused!


Cheers Kiaran

Comments

I do not have any favourite words, but I have always liked "epiphany".

Not only do I like the word but also the feeling I get when I use it.
Robert Strong said…
I have two favorite words I really like and those are phenomenal and ponder. I really liked your blog post as it was definitly somethign different for the day, I have been up for maybe 10 minutes with no coffee so it was something I had to read a few times. Very good content though, much enjoyed.
Ilka Flood said…
Thank, Kiaran! I learned two new words today :) With English not being my first language I had to look up "oxymoron" and "obfuscation."

So hey, I'm smarter now than I was 10 minutes ago, thanks to you.

Have an awesome day!

Ilka
Unknown said…
Clearly confused... but entertained!

I did not know you had a writer in you, Kiaran - you keep fascinating me:).

Best,
Ana
Slavik G said…
Hello Kiaran,

I like many words that I use more then others but don't have any favorite in general, if it is in certain sphere then it will be some...

With Respect,
Slavik G

Popular posts from this blog

Why Isn't The Law of Attraction Working for You?

This is a confronting and provocative question. It presumes there’s a gap in your life and that you are in some way failing, falling short of your own expectations. If The Law of Attraction does indeed work, how then do we explain how bad things happen to good people? How can we explain how the worst of criminals can win the Lottery? Indeed we can question whether this much-quoted Law is in fact a myth. The point of this article is not to ponder the riddle of this apparent phenomenon or get bogged down in the mire of attempting to define the intangible. Rather I would like to posit the following commentary. Let’s twist the above question. Imagine that despite your initial reaction to the topic, that you are indeed living the dream, but have failed to realize this fact. Perhaps your appreciation lens is clouded.  Perhaps you are with your ideal life partner but are blinded to this fact by virtue of your incessant fantasizing of some parallel universe where some

Maybe You Should Just Quit!

Not a slogan Nike would advocate! Without some context words such as persistence, patience, endeavor and dedication suggest a noble attitude to life matters. They symbolize ‘the stiff upper lip’ attitude to struggle. "Never ever give up"; to paraphrase Churchill goes to the heart of most self-help and personal development philosophy. The danger of blindly following this type of perseverance without considering its context is that more often than not, triumph does not overcome adversity, at the first attempt. There is a massive industry peddling personal development material. Books, Seminars, Webinars and all manner of strategies that range from useful and inspiring to borderline extortion. Harsh comment? I don’t think so. We live in a society that reveres its celebrities regardless of their substance. The personal development industry has its share of super rich ‘leaders’ who have attained a status within their tribe equivalent to religious pontiffs. Some of thes

Ordinary May Be Overrated!

We live in a culture that increasingly embraces connectivity. The melding of outward disconnection with a simultaneous 24/7 digital conversation is both ironic and mildly disconcerting to those of us not permanently attached to this digital umbilical chord. Social niceties and courtesies are becoming severely diluted. I recently navigated the labyrinth that is Victoria Station and found myself marveling at the mass commuter hive of activity and yet clinically barren of human interaction. Each earnest participant on this treadmill journey seemed to be lost almost trance-like in some parallel universe, having engaged some sort of automatic homing device to skilfully navigate the human traffic. Ipods at full volume, newspaper in one hand, steaming coffee in the other and midst this madding crowd a complete absence of eye contact.  In this new world it would seem arcane and redundant to distract the herd by smiling, excusing yourself or being so bold as to offer some poor lost soul