I love lists.  Perhaps it is a byproduct of my attempts to get my ADD son and my own overheating brain on track — regardless, I’m a big fan of the bullet points.  So here’s my first list for this blog.

Words I Love:

Lunchbox:  The sounds in this word remind me of the sounds the old metal ones would make when you closed the lid and snapped the latch shut.  Especially after they got a tiny bit rusty and squeaky.

Effluvia: It kills me that this word means “something stinky” when the word itself is so lyrical.  It should mean sparkly clean swirling water, not sewage plant side effects.

Words I Hate:

Incentivize: Or pretty much any other noun that people think they can make into a verb by adding “-ize” on the end.  The worst of these I’ve seen recently was where someone suggested an item be “containerized.”  Seriously? Learn English, people.

Veggie, or veg:  This is a popular word among a certain breed of PTA moms.  “Veggie platters” are a perennial request for volunteers to provide at events.  I don’t know why I hate it so much; maybe it’s too close to “vag” for my liking, or maybe it’s just too cute.  A cauliflower by any other name (even one ending in the diminutive -ie,) will create just as much effluvia, know what I mean?

What words do you love and/or hate?