I love words. I’ve always loved words. Words and me go way back to my early childhood days of sitting in the rocking chair reading Bible stories with my babysitter and learning how to say “Nebuchadnezzar”. (pronounced “Neb-a-ka-nee-zer” – he’s one of the kings from The Book of Daniel). I’ve always loved how that name rolls right off my tongue. And I’ve always loved my babysitter (Mrs. Brownridge) for so patiently teaching me how to say it. What a wise old woman she was!!
I love the feel and texture of words as they tickle down my tongue. Some words babble, some slip and slide. Some have a harsh feel to them, some caress like a soft comforter. Some paint pictures by articulating exactly what wants to be said, others are blah and merely utilitarian…but I still love how they bridge me from one word to another.
Words evoke emotions in me. Some words have memories attached to them. Some come with tears. Other words can make me giggle just by being spoken out loud…like, well, “giggle”.
I listen to words. I listen to the words underneath and behind the words. It sometimes takes every effort not to finish people’s sentences for them because I can just feel the words dancing in excited eagerness to be spoken.
My love for words and my joy in stringing words together has remained intact through every change and evolution. But even after all of these years, my three most favourite words are still ones I learned in childhood.
My all-time favourite word is “discombobulated“…oh, what a treat to feel that word bobbing down my tongue! While I don’t enjoy the feeling of BEING discombobulated (disconcerted and frustrated) it always makes me feel better just being able to say “I’m so discombobulated”. Wonderful articulation!!! Try it sometime!!
Another favourite word, and my Mom’s too, is “titivate“. Now imagine, growing up in a household of 3 boys, how much fun was had whenever Mom called us into the living room with: “Let’s just do a bit of titivating here before unexpected guests drop in.” I can still hear the gales of laughter and feel my own blushing 13-year-old cheeks. We thought Mom had just made the word up, but it really does exist, and really does mean to tidy up. It’s one of those words that can still make me laugh whenever I hear it, simply because of the fun memories attached to it.
The last word I’ll mention here (oh, but I could write a whole book of them!) is “scrumptious“. Mmmmm. Now doesn’t that just make your mouth water?! Another one of my Mom’s favourite words, it evokes memories of dinner tables laden with Thanksgiving turkeys, Easter hams, Christmas carrots, fresh asparagus, mile-high strawberry shortcakes and Dad’s world-famous BBQ hamburgers. This is a word that just has to fill your mouth before you actually speak it…start with the “scru-u-u-mmmmp” part and elongate it as much as socially acceptable (and pout out that “p” with as much fullness of lip as possible), then ooze out the “shousssss” part. So that when you’re finished and the word is out, you can taste it, and you make everyone around you hungry for whatever it is that made you utter the word in the first place. Whatever else you bring to the potluck supper, bring your “scrumptious” too and wait for the perfect moment to ooze it out into the party. And watch them stampede to the table to dig into whatever it was that you had on your fork!
Oh, I wish I had space for more…favourite phrases like “eschatological implications” and “babbling brooks”; and what about that word “asparagus”…even if you don’t like the vegetable itself, the word alone is delicious!
Words evoke entire worlds alive…words rage, words cradle, words wound, words heal and words candle us through to whole new horizons that might not even have words to describe them yet.
And oh what a scrumptious meal it would be if you were to tell me to eat my words today!!
Copyright © Sharon C. Matthies, Meanderings Blogging The Journey, 2012. All rights reserved.
Meanderings 
LOL – love this! When I was a child, I used to read the dictionary; and as a grownup, I read Shakespeare for fun. And my most favorite resource is the Oxford English Dictionary – just wish I could afford a subscription! But I can log in to the University library and read it online. I love reading about the history of words. I read Chaucer in the original English – that was hard. But I just love seeing how the meanings of words have changed over the centuries.
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Poetry was my niche…I loved reading books of poetry and would read and re-read them until I figured out (or thought I did at the time) what the writer was going through to make him or her write such words. I loved to read the dictionary too…and used to know so much more than I can remember now. These days the information is lost and even if I try to re-read something, I can't retain it for very long. Maybe the games are stretching my brain muscles, because some things are slowly coming back, and sticking. I'm so glad to at least remember what I do remember! I still enjoy browsing through a dictionary, or better yet, a thesaurus.
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Good grief women! The only time I read the dictionary was to look up dirty words. You two broads actually READ it? Hmm…I DO love words though, and I think discombobulated is a fantastic one. Always have. I tried using it while among my friends…Like, "I'm discombobulated!" Not knowing the meaning, they'd make the sign of the cross and back away. Morons.
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But Georgia, I'd love to be there when you use "titivate" at your next party…any idea what the reaction would be to that one???
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Depends on how I would use it. Tidy is not what I think of when I see that word, soooo….you know meeee…I would have some fun with it. What can I tell ya, I'm a stinker.
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