Word is a word

By Robin Rhee

Often a friend, co-worker or relative asks, "May I have a word?"

My twisted sense of humor wants to reply, "I don't have a word to give or to lend to you."

If I did answer that way, I would miss out on hearing a new idea, the latest item of gossip, rumor, scandal, or complaint that the speaker cannot wait to share with me.

When an individual starts a conversation by saying, "I give you my word...." he is just assuring the listener that whatever he says is the truth.

A distraught young man once confided that he and his fiancee had words the previous day. He added, she had not tried to contact him since, so he supposed he would have to swallow his pride, give her a call and eat his words.

If an individual asks, "What's the word?" it signals he is hoping for an answer to a pending situation. It could be an awaited medical prognosis, the final decision about a promotion, the outcome of a legal problem, or a myriad of lesser nagging problems.

My grandmother had a neighbor who made it her business to find out and pass on the town's gossip. She would arrive unannounced and out of breath. She prefaced each juicy tidbit with, "Upon my word and honor...."

Most children seldom misquote you. They simply repeat what you shouldn't have said ― word for word.

It is said there are more than 100,000 useless words in the English language. Furthermore, you can hear them all in committee meetings, board meetings and political speeches.

The word “fire” can empty a building in a flash. The word “sale” can fill a building ever quicker.

If you are preparing to make an expensive purchase, but are on a strict budget, be sure you have figured in those two sneakiest words ― “plus tax.”

On occasion, people argue about which word is the longest in the dictionary. “Antidisestablishmentarianism” is always a contender. So is “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” I cast my vote for the word smiles because there is a mile between the two esses.

You can always identify an egotist. He repeats the words “me, myself, and I,” as well as “mine and money,” over and over again.

I read recently that a U.K. dictionary has included the word lockdown as a new word for 2020. Certainly we dreaded hearing it the most.

Let's hope that the words we use most in 2021 are peace, joy, love and happiness.

The writer is a former weekly columnist for The Korea Times and currently resides in Centerville, Ohio.