Words I Wish I Could Use More Often

Words, words, sweet beautiful words! What would I do without you?

I love words. All words, really, but a few in particular. Unfortunately, these are words you don't have much call for in newswriting. I've yet to figure out how to work "nifty" into an article about lupus, for example. So, I'm including all of those underused, underrated, underappreciated words here, where they can finally have their much-deserved 15 minutes of fame. Maybe someday, someone out there will come to love them as much as I do.

1. persnickety

2. curmudgeon

3. percolate

4. dirigible

5. dulcimer

6. nifty

7. nefarious

8. sepulchre

9. squark

10. neutrino


Today's Quotes:

"I would hurl words into the darkness and wait for an echo. If an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight."
--Richard Wright, author

"The words! I collected them in all shapes and sizes and hung them like bangles in my mind."
--Hortense Calisher, author