Tag Archives: excuse

Deco

Deco: (adj) of, relating to, or suggestive of art deco design

You can’t have one without the other.

This was a lyric from a song entitled “Love and Marriage.”

The contention of the writer was that some words are just meant to be together—and when you separate them, they turn on their heel and frightened to death, run back toward each other.

I don’t know if this is true or not.

But I am certain that if I were in a room with anyone who started talking about “art deco,” I would start looking for an excuse about a pet I had at home which needed my immediate attention.

Yet worse would be if this individual felt that “art deco” was too common a phrase and decided to just proclaim it “deco.”

The children would be shivering in the corner.

And I with them.

As I often say, pretense walks in the room and I walk out the back door.

And if there is no back door, I will make one.

 

Badly

Badly: (adv) in an unsatisfactory, inadequate or unsuccessful wayDictionary B

As a young man, I recall walking off a football field, having just been trounced by our opponent, 64-nothing. Even though I was fully aware that the idea was totally mythical, I still yearned for the earth to open up and swallow me.

The following Monday at football practice, the coach came in with a smile and said, “I’ve been thinking about Saturday’s game, and truthfully, boys, you didn’t do that badly.”

He then began to recite four or five general areas wherein we had stumbled along, culminating with the idea, “Well, at least no one got hurt.”

I know he meant well, but it was the worst thing he could have done. Because the word “badly” is good if it’s used by itself to connote that we’re fully aware that what just transpired should be taken out behind the barn and shot.

When you add onto it “not too…” it transforms it into a horrible excuse for an excuse.

Which, by the way, is inexcusable.

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Thank you for enjoying Words from Dic(tionary) —  J.R. Practix

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