5 Comments
Sep 8Liked by Timothy Noah

A fellow TEFL teacher back in the day explained how he taught the word "poop", that the motion of the mouth forming the word echoed... you can fill it in. I responded that his students would never forget it, try as they might.

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Sep 8Liked by Timothy Noah

Yes, “icon” has become so overused, every middling pop star is now designated as such. Equally annoying are “journey,” when used to describe something that’s not actually a trip—“my journey to achieving sobriety”—and “my truth,” which implies that whether something is true or false is a matter of individual perspective. Which it ain’t.

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Sep 8Liked by Timothy Noah

A lively five year old once responded to my husband’s perceived condescension, in whatever repartee he was attempting, with a baleful glance and a dismissive response of “awkward poop.”

He never knew if it was his words or just him she was referring to. Whichever, almost worthy of Jane Austen. But no, I agree, shit is better. (Also ratshit, dumbshit, etc)”

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Personally, along the same lines as "poop", I can't stand the use of "mom" and "mommy" by adults as a self-description. It takes motherhood-- one of the most important things humans do-- and completely trivializes it through the use of baby-talk. It almost mocks it.

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