Words in the English language

[Champagne]

Don't we just have some of the most fantastic words? I was just in a conversation with somebody and used the word 'Sporadically'. Its meaning is concise and it's a great word to say!! Other great words I like are 'akimbo' and 'effervescent', as they're both so visual.

Words I don't like are 'exacerbate' as I always have trouble saying it(!!), and 'gauge' because I always read it as 'gorge' for some reason. :o\

What words do you love and/or hate?

[ali_alic]

Surely sporadic means intermittant, patchy?? Which alsmost the same as spasmodic (in spasms), very confusing....

[Quizmonster]

I love 'deemed' and 'tantamount'. Both enable one - more or less - to pretend something is so when it actually isn't!

[ali_alic]

Quintessential, is gorgeous...... as is quixotic. Maybe I've got a thing about words starting with a "Q". Is there a word for that??

[mccfluff]

i love higgledy-piggledy and hate brewery as i can't say it

[kazza12345]

ali-alic i dont think she actually meant it means concise, just that it is a concise way of expressing a longer concept. I think foriegn languages have some great words too, especially for expressing vague or long concepts into 1 word. My favourite of this type is shadenfreude (dont know how tro spell it) you couldnt explain that concept it less than 5 words in english

[Champagne]

Thank you for clarifying that point, Kazza.

Mcfluffy, you know have me saying 'brewery'. I can't say it either!! Every time I say it it comes out as "brewrrerry"!!

I tend to like the visual words. I also like onomatopoeias too. My favourites being 'Glug' and 'Slither'.

[vegegirl]

Phantasmagoria's a great word.
And tombola!

I hate the word 'snog' because it sounds really slimy and bleurgh.

[mccfluff]

plop its so satisying plop plop plop

and although i don't have a jonathon ross lisp ist the r in brewery i can't say it comes out as buewerey i can't stop giggling now plop plop x

[ali_alic]

Doh!! Cheers Kazza and sorry Champagne. Had a blonde moment there!!

[shaneystar2]

I love the words Serendipity and Tatterdemalion.
I hate Chimney ..because it always comes out as Chimley when I say it ...for some reason !
Also controversy is another one of my pet hates re pronunciation..

[kafers]

i love the word scrutinize! just rolls off the tongue! and huzzah never fails to make me smile!
but gash is a crap word!

[bernardo]

bang beep blast boo burst cling frog lobe moo ping plop pop spam splat spleen spoon tree aardvark chocolate clingfilm crackle crinkle custard dingbat donkey gargoyle gecko gurgle iceberg lizard mincemeat mongoose oblong parsnip peasant penguin pimple poodle porridge pumpkin purple putrid quahog rancid sausage sideways soggy strangle teapot toadstool tortoise treacle turnip turquoise tyrant window wombat yellow zebra zigzag predict pretend aeroplane anarchist balderdash bubblegum carbuncle codswallop crocodile dinosaur elephant gibberish googolplex grasshopper harpsichord hypersphere jellyfish leprechaun marmalade million millipede monarchy nincompoop octopus parasite pentangle poisonous pseudonym syzygy tablecloth triangle venomous cathedral outrageous transparent upside-down apoplexy armadillo botulism charismatic ectoplasm feudalism helicopter hierarchy hippocampus hyphenated melancholy oligarchy oxymoron salamander capitalist pterodactyl trepidatious desperado cantankerous catastrophe exterminate invisible reactionary hippopotamus hypothetical proletariat revolutionary sanctimonious imperialist idiosyncratic indefatigable

[steve @ home]

I suppose because English is such an agglomeration (there's another one) of different languages there is a greater range and shades of meanings available to us. And then there's the way old words change their meaning (nice for example) and the stunning speed at which new words and phrases appear. ( who's googled a podcast to their Blackberry lately?)