Words I Like: Part Two

You know what me and Earnest Hemingway have in common. We both received money for writing stuff. There are many other similarities, and a few differences as well, but I just wanted to share with you that me and one of the most highly regarded authors in American history are in the same boat. This is important because I want to share some of my personal favorite words that I’ve picked up on my journey through the English language, and felt the need to establish my credibility. 

Falutin (adjective)

The word falutin is almost exclusively used after the word high to describe something pretentious. Like the words gruntled and chalant from my previous list of words I like, I think falutin deserves some of its own respect. If something is humble, it should be low falutin. Honestly, it’s fun enough to say where I think falutin should be used in a one-size-fits-all approach to describe anything.

Foliage (noun)

Foliage is a word that describes flowers or something like that. Who cares what it means? If you see a group of plants, you should describe it as foliage. It isn’t because there aren’t other words to describe this. It’s simply because no other words are as fun to say as this one. Don’t believe me? Read the following aloud: Foliage, foliage, foliage, foliage. Wasn’t that a thrill?

Dongle (noun)

You know those funky little cords that plug into the charging port on an iPhone and allow you to still use an aux cord? They are actually called dongles. I think this has somewhat become common knowledge to a lot of people, but it’s still an underutilized word. It’s incredibly fun to say, and it has the word dong in it. Dong means penis in case you didn’t know. 

Mastication (verb)

Mastication is a word for chewing, but it also sounds like one of my other favorite verbs, masturbation. You can use this to your advantage at a dinner table in two ways. The first is if you want to throw off everyone at the table and announce that you are currently masticating. The next, is if you want to talk about masturbation with one person at the table. If someone over hears you, simply say you said masticate. Works every time. 

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (noun)

This is the longest word in the English dictionary. It’s a lung disease that happens from being around volcanic ash too much, or something like that. I also knew how to spell this word without looking it up. Don’t believe me? I’ll spell it again:

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

Niggardly (adjective)

I never use this word for obvious reasons. It’s pretty funny to me that this word actually exists, though. Clearly a lack of planning by the original dictionary writers. It acts as a synonym for frugal, in case you were wondering.