$5 Words

[Lancealot]

This thread wasn't meant to be supercilious or to embarrass others. I was only wondering what makes a $5 word a $5 word. Again, why is 'fo'shizzle' acceptable on the news and why aren't all the words we listed here? I'm interested in continuing this discussion, but as we've already covered a lot ground here, please read through the thread before responding.

Scotrace, if you're still following this thread, we really need that Academia forum.

Regards,

Senator Jack

I think determining a $5 dollar word has more to do with the group you are addressing than the word itself.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think a $5 word (and shouldn't that be a $25 word now? You can't get nothin' any more for five bucks) can best be defined as a word that's overconspicuously erudite -- too much so to suit the given situation.

For example, for two meterologists, the word "occlude" would be entirely proper -- "There's an occluded front over New Hampshire." Or for two astronomers -- "Next week, the moon will occlude our view of Venus." In situations like that, the precise meaning of a word like "occlude" makes it the only appropriate word for the sentence, so there's nothing pretentious or stuffy or self-important or overconspicuous about its use.

But if Joe Blow is at the ballgame and gets up and yells "HEY YA BUM -- DOWN IN FRONT! YA OCCLUDIN' MY VIEW OF MANNY RAMIREZ," well, Joe is a pretentious git who deserves to have a cup of warm Narragansett thrown at him from the cheap seats.

It's all in the context, in other words. At least that's how I see it.

 

[Senator Jack]

HEY YA BUM -- DOWN IN FRONT! YA OCCLUDIN' MY VIEW OF MANNY RAMIREZ,

lol lol lol lol

I would love to hear someone yell that at the game, and I wouldn't think it pretentious at all. It's the mix of 'bum' with 'occlude'. Something worthy of a screwball comedy, perhaps?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, I must admit I had visions of a Preston Sturges-type character while writing that line....

 

[Katt in Hat]

Show Me!

Words! Words! Words! I'm so sick of words!

Alan Jay Lerner

 

[The Wolf]

That reminds me of what someone else once said, "Talk, talk, talk, doesn't anybody...". Actually, I had better not finish that. It was somewhat uncouth.

The Wolf

 

[carebear]

Cuz, I was afraid of worms Roxanne! Worms!