This week's topic is a good one for the annual Word Whores' Holiday Party. We're breaking out the brandied eggnog, mead and cookies this week and throwing out the cocktail conversation challenge:
What are your five most loved and hated words?
So, I have a confession to make.
As usual, huh?
Must be the brandied eggnog.
I started a list of "Good Words" when I was twelve. I know, I know - my best friend made the 7th grade cheerleading squad and had a boyfriend. I was making lists of good words. This might seem like a stretch, but those words and my feelings about them were absolutely tied in with my burgeoning sexuality. Unlike my friend, I wasn't ready to make out with boys at parties, but I thought about, and read about, sex a lot.
This, no doubt, explains a great deal about how I've ended up where I am today.
I've lost that list - I bet there were 30-50 words on it, that I added to over time - but I know that many of my favorite words today were on it. All of them tie into sensual, exuberant feelings. Here are five of them:
Exquisite
Ebullient
Effervescent
Egregious
Voluptuous
Why do so many begin with the letter "e"? I have no idea. Probably some Facebook app personality analysis would return a verdict. My original list also contained a lot of color/jewel-related words. It's no coincidence that my Facets of Passion series has color titles - or that my original title for Rogue's Pawn was "Obsidian." Yes, I have a list of color words I like, as potential future titles for the Facets of Passion. As a hint, the next three I have contracted are Emerald, Adamantine and Amber.
As for my most hated words?
You know, this isn't a thing for me. Probably this says something about me, too, but I don't really have words I despise in the same way I have words that make me tingle all over. I know a lot of people hate "moist" or "suckle." They don't bother me. In fact, I can think of only one word that I'll never willingly use:
Whom
Right? I mean, enough already. It's archaic. Most of my editors consider it optional and restricted to formal English. Nobody uses it in conversation. (Okay, yes, some of you do. Have some more mead and stop that.)
I am, however, willing to entertain votes for hated words. Anyone got one that makes their skin crawl?
The words suckle and teat when used in a sex or sensual scene. Suckle makes me think of babies and teat of cows. They're mood killers.
ReplyDeleteSo is comparing a kiss, skin or other something in a sensual scene to anything to do with babies (ex: a kiss as soft as a babies breath, skin as soft as a babies behind (double no no btw!))
ha! I do stay away from "suckle" in sex scenes for that very reason, because I know so many readers hate it. I don't think it ever occurred to me to drag baby analogies in. now I totally want to. :D
ReplyDeleteI don't like a particular slang word for a woman's naughty bits (not sure if I am allowed to use it here ) we will call it the p-word. It just seems very derogatory to me and will kick me right out of the moment. Probably why I don't care for erotica. and nubs! oh god, don't use the word nubs!
ReplyDeleteGreat 'good words', Jeffe. I love Effervescent. It sounds happy. As for 'whom', yeah it can go away. I don't even remember seeing or hearing it lately.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I love the word trapezoidal - just because it's fun to say. =o)
One word I hate is 'mybad'. To me, that shouldn't even be a word. Bah. And I detest the c-word people use as both a derogatory term for women and as a term for their female parts. Bleh.