Skullduggery

While listening to KNX1070 last week, during their business segment, Frank Mottek and an expert were talking about one of the many terrible financial situations going on right now. I forget if it was about the housing crisis, Wall Street or oil speculators, but the expert used the word skullduggery.

What a genius, image-conjuring word! I immediately pictured shady backroom deals and back alley exchanges. Skullduggery only has one meaning. From Dictionary.com:

skull·dug·ger·y or skul·dug·ger·y n. pl. skull·dug·ger·ies or skul·dug·ger·ries

Crafty deception or trickery or an instance of it.


[Probably alteration of Scots sculduddery, obscenity, fornication.]

Really, its perfect when describing what may have happened to bring down our economy. Sigh.

Awkward!

Awkward is apparently the new buzzword with young people (wow, am I no longer young?) the way "random" was beloved just a few years ago.

Here's what the Washington Post says:

Awk-ward: Sing the second syllable a minor third lower than the first.

It is the era of awkward.

It is as if the world has suddenly become blessedly simplified. Every complex negative experience can now be encapsulated in two syllables.

It's a funny article. Yeah, but what does "awkward" mean? Dictionary.com tells us:

awk·ward [awk-werd] –adjective
1. lacking skill or dexterity; clumsy.
2. lacking grace or ease in movement: an awkward gesture; an awkward dancer.
3. lacking social graces or manners: a simple, awkward frontiersman.
4. not well planned or designed for easy or effective use: an awkward instrument; an awkward method.
5. requiring caution; somewhat hazardous; dangerous: an awkward turn in the road.
6. hard to deal with; difficult; requiring skill, tact, or the like: an awkward situation; an awkward customer.
7. embarrassing or inconvenient; caused by lack of social grace: an awkward moment
8. Obsolete. untoward; perverse.

Wow. Awkward really is that perfect word that can describe just about anything nowadays.

Flummox

Flummox - to bewilder; confound; confuse.

[fluhm-uhks][Probably of English dialectal origin.]

I've been saying this word since yesterday. I think its my word of the week. I love saying it! It's so much more fun than saying, "he's totally confused."

Instead of being confused, "I'm flummoxed!" I love it.