Words Matter

Not that you probably need to be reminded of that.

There are at least two instances where presidential candidate Mitt Romney chose the wrong word when trying to express himself:

1. When he talked during the primaries about being a "severe" conservative, that's not what he really meant. He was trying to claim, not exactly convincingly, that he had always been a "staunch" conservative. That would have been a superior word choice. Instead, the word "severe" continues to be perpetuated by commentators and analysts.

2. When he talked about the issue of same-sex marriage being a "tender" matter, what he really meant was that it is a "delicate" matter.

Just a couple examples of how important it can be to express oneself precisely.

Vibrant Verbs to Describe Sports

Don't settle for "beat" or "defeated," especially when the game was a rout:

A: Alabama annihilated Arkansas
B: Baylor battered Boston College
C: Colorado clobbered Canisius
D: Detroit destroyed Drake

You get the idea . . .

A Few Favorite Words

Definitions for words you probably already know, but maybe don't use in situations where they would be appropriate (see if you can use one or more of them tomorrow):

debacle: a sudden, disastrous overthrow or collapse; rout; ruin [wasn't there a book about the Iraq war with this title?]

revile: to denounce with abusive language; rail against [TV personality Rachael Ray was once described, perhaps gratuitously, as "reviled" in some article I read about her]

putrid: (3) corrupt; morally rotten  (4) extremely objectionable; vile

upbraid: to reprove sharply; scold or chide vehemently; censure

Need to Quit Disappearing

Have I really been gone for three weeks?

Some commentary on certain fashions from the TV show "Project Runway" in October 2011:
"Disco Halloween"; "looks a little like a clubfoot"; "looks tortured"; "her ass exposed in Olivia Newton John leggings"