Toy

Put that down! It's not a toy!

I think toy is a weird word. Where in the world did it come from?

My pocket dictionary says from Middle English and Dutch.

It means a child's plaything, something inconsequential, or a small ornament.

I still sounds weird to me if you think about it for awhile.

How to Avoid Jejeune Speeches

I just came across an interesting word while cruising thru the J section of the dictionary, as I am wont to do when I am writing speeches to present at ToastMasters.

jejuene - I know this comes from French, but my pronunciation key says to use the hard "j" sound, so it sounds like stuttering. It means lacking in substance or interest, dry, barren, dull. It also means callow, juvenile.

opposites: vivid, interesting, remarkable, sophisticated.

Plethora of Efficacious Words

There are a plethora of impressive words in the book I'm now listening to, Leading with Kindness by Bill Baker and Michael O'Malley. Of course, they both have PhDs, as well as years of business experience. They seem to have extensive knowledge about US Businesses, and they interviewed hundreds of managers and CEOs in order to write this book.

It has been very enlightening for me.

Just some of the words so far:
procrustian, benevolent, mileau, vanquish, kitsch, panoply, aggregate, vindicated, honorable, and other words I've heard, but haven't used in a long time.

Procrustian--ruthlessly or violently bringing about conformity, from the Greek giant, Procrustes. I have heard the myth, but didn't remember this guy's name. I think Hercules defeated him. He was a giant who had an iron bed and he would take people and fit them in, stretching them if too short, cutting off legs if too tall. Yuk!

Sorry, it was not Herules, but another Greek hero, Theseus, who defeated Procrustes. My mistake.

Benevolent words

The word of the month is Benevolent.

Benevolent means, good, kind, generous. It is from Latin.

Now I will check my dictionary to see if I have covered all the nuances...

Verified.

Soothing Smoothness

I always want to put an "e" on the end of smooth.

I guess that is because of the word "soothe." They are both soft-sounding words and good to use when helping a client to relax or reduce pain.

Smooth --adj. meaning: not rough, easy, calm or suave. Verb meaning: to mollify, soften or make free from obstructions. It comes from Old English.

Sooth -- they say it's an archaic word, but I've heard "sooth sayer" many times....it means truth. From OE. But curiously, the dictionary also lists "soothsayer" as one who foretells the future.

Soothe -- v. meaning to comfort or alleviate; from Old English.

Soothe and smooth are synonyms.

Scrumptious words

Scrumptious?

That is a weird word. It looks weird and sounds weird, too. I had to look it up to make sure it was spelled correctly.

My dictionary explains that this word is probably a variant of sumptuous.

Scrumptious means delightful or delectable.

Sumptuous means luxurious, lavish, costly and magnificent, and comes from the Latin word for expensive.

Both are uncommon words. You don't hear them every day. So get out there and spread the word!

Lucrative

Lucrative. It is spelled weird, but I believe it comes from Italian, so probably from Latin. Lucre is Money in Italian.

Lucrative means producing or yielding gain, profit or wealth.

Lucre means money or riches.

My dictionary does not list any synonyms, but I will do my best to provide some:

Beneficial, profitable, productive, and rewarding.

That's why I love working here. They just provided everyone on the floor with a tiny Fun Size 100 Grand candy bar. Don't worry, it has 30% less fat than the leading chocolate snacks, so they are definitely concerned with our health and well-being. The chocolate is a reward for processing over 100,000 phone calls during the month of August.