You could say I’m a part-time etymologist because I love the study of words. In fact, I tend to get slightly excited when I discover a new one I can use. Oh what a feeling when just the right word is discovered to drive home a point in a paragraph. I like to think of it as “word crafting.” You know, you carefully sculpt precisely what you mean, so you can mean exactly what you say. Well, this week while following the progress on the health care reform summit in Washington D.C. I learned a new word, and it speaks volumes.
I’m not sure of the exact origin of the word, but I saw it in a tweet from Michelle Malkin. Of course these days many words are just made up on the spot to fit a specific situation. Some of them fade away and some of them find a place in the next publication of the dictionary. Sometimes new words are a combination of one pre-existing word with another pre-existing word. For example “chillax.” My daughter informed me that it’s a combination of chill (as in chill out Dad) and relax (as in Dad, relax).
The new word I discovered is like that: two known words put together to form one new word. Arguably the least used of the two words is “kabuki.” It’s a popular drama developed in 17th century Japan and is characterized by elaborate costuming, rhythmic dialogue, and stylized acting. The other word is Obama. He is the 44th President of the United States, 48 years old, and is quite skilled in kabuki. He practiced it at Blair House across the street from the White House last week. So what’s the new word? Obakabuki! Reported as a box office bomb, this play is ready for curtains.
I’m not sure of the exact origin of the word, but I saw it in a tweet from Michelle Malkin. Of course these days many words are just made up on the spot to fit a specific situation. Some of them fade away and some of them find a place in the next publication of the dictionary. Sometimes new words are a combination of one pre-existing word with another pre-existing word. For example “chillax.” My daughter informed me that it’s a combination of chill (as in chill out Dad) and relax (as in Dad, relax).
The new word I discovered is like that: two known words put together to form one new word. Arguably the least used of the two words is “kabuki.” It’s a popular drama developed in 17th century Japan and is characterized by elaborate costuming, rhythmic dialogue, and stylized acting. The other word is Obama. He is the 44th President of the United States, 48 years old, and is quite skilled in kabuki. He practiced it at Blair House across the street from the White House last week. So what’s the new word? Obakabuki! Reported as a box office bomb, this play is ready for curtains.
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