[ word of the moment ]

I ♥️ language. In all its sweeping grandeur.

Did you know some experts, but not all, estimate the English language includes more than a million words? Dictionaries, however, contain somewhere in the neighborhood of 200,000. Most adult native-speakers of English have a vocabulary somewhere in the 20,000 — 30,000 word range.

Think about that. A million + / – words, 200,000 of which are in common use, and we only use 10% of those. Clearly, we have some catching up to do. Let’s start here, at the whirly girl. Since you’re busy people, and I’m not, I’ll happily take on the task of finding the buried treasures that have fallen out of use. I found a bunch of ’em hiding under the covers in their hibernacle (a place where an animal or human hibernates) just the other day. I swear, I felt like a lottery winner.

So when circumstances warrant or I’m stuck for a topic, I’ll pop by with a new and delightful word for you. We can all use a smile or a snerdle (a snuggle) now and again. Let’s start now. With a smile.

Today’s Word:

While it brings to mind an elegant, overpriced champagne for the sniffy set, such as Cristal or Veuve Clicquot, it is not. Snottinger is a handkerchief. Or, more familiarly, a hankie, the thing you blow your nose into.

How to use in a sentence:

‘As the ship carrying her beloved sailed toward a far distant shore, she lifted her snottinger in heartbroken farewell.’

Next stop? A template for our new feature here Wish me luck.

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