I subscribe to a newsletter called A Word a Day; have for more than a decade. (The site is not nearly as impressive as the newsletter.) This week's theme is ways to use four-letter words without using four-letter words. Here's the gist of Monday's entire article.
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It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. This week we do it, by showcasing words related to -- well, if the English language made any sense (as in words include/exclude) -- the opposite of increment.
It may sound like a frivolous topic, but it can be a serious business. Besides the common usage of excrement as fertilizer and fuel, it plays a critical role in the making of a very expensive coffee. At least one war has been fought over it.
We've put together five words to engage in some dirty talk, though in some cases you may have to look closer to see the connection. Use the words of this week to say what you have to, without using any four-letter words.
coprolalia
PRONUNCIATION:
(kop-ruh-LAY-lee-uh) 
MEANING:
noun: An uncontrollable or obsessive use of obscene language. ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek copro- (dung) + -lalia (chatter, babbling), from lalein (to talk). [Technically, "lalia" is Koine Greek for "talk." The classical Greek word for "talk" is "legein." "Lalien" was classical for "babble." -reg] A related word is coprolite. NOTES:
Involuntary coprolalia is found in approximately 15% of the people who suffer from Tourette's syndrome. It has even been observed in deaf people who use sign language -- they swear in sign language. USAGE:
"That the brain's executive overseer is ablaze in an outburst of coprolalia, Dr. Silbersweig said, demonstrates how complex an act the urge to speak the unspeakable may be."Natalie Angier; Almost Before We Spoke, We Swore; The New York Times; Sep 20, 2005.
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So there you have it. My wife (an expert on aging) says one symptom of Alzheimers is that you start using language you have repressed all your life. I have no wish to become senile, so I told her if I ever start indulging in profanity, she can take me out behind the barn and shoot me.
On a completely unrelated note: Happy Birthday, Bill!
3 comments:
Since Murder is a crime I won't be shooting him; but I could probably arrange for him to take a day trip to a charming neighborhood in Philly or Baltimore, or maybe I could dress him in an I Love Michael Vick T-shirt and drop him at the SPCA :)
Zounds!It seems a shame not to use every word available in a language as rich and multifaceted as English.I like to swear because I have an annoying English accent and stupid people think I stepped from the pages of masterpiece theater so an occasional eff or blind reminds them I am real. riepe's use of English doesn't count. Maybe your wife can practice on him?
Dear Rogers:
Less than a minute after I was born, a total stranger grabbed me by the feet, and smacked me on the a$$. Since this was Jersey City in the 1950's, I replied, "You son of a b*tch."
That sort of set the tone for the rest of my life. It does not stop me from attracting a large following to my blog. Women claim to get turned on by it. Small children look up to me. You may get different results.
Did you know that Michael Beattie is hated and despised throughout Key West?
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
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