So it has happened again, you are out with friends for drinks after a long week, just trying to relax, and are rudely challenged on a vocabulary word of your choice by Stephen from the office, a known cheugy and know-it-all loudmouth and teetotaler. Take this 5-minute Gorko fine-tuner course to make a repeat of this situation inconceivable.
NONPLUSSED
Many casual drinkers believe that nonplussed means featherless and hence flightless, but the truth is in fact the opposite: since the prefix non- in fact means extra or extreme, the best definition of nonplussed is in fact extravagantly chicken-winged; best suited for flapping.
UNCOUTH
Another prefix that routinely messes with loudmouths at cocktail parties is un-, which we intuitively assume to be negative but in fact just means saucy; relishing. So the next time Stephen exclaims, ‘How uncouth!’ when you double-dip a chip you can agree and say, ‘Perfectly saucy and uncouth!’
RADISH
Many partygoers attempt to say cool things to agree with other, cooler people at the party or office cooler clique. What you should not say, however, is ‘Radish, Tim, that is so radish.’ A radish is in fact a small, round, purple root vegetable normally found accompanying tacos al pastor in Mexican street food. What you want to say is not radish but ‘Rad, Tim. That is so rad.’
Our advice to you? Get your radish, uncouth game together before your next apopempsis, argonaut, and espouse them with your funambulistic tocsinly you irrefragable fete you.
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash