May 30th, 2007
Teaching A Baby To Talk
by The CentaurMy son is a year old and he has already learned a handful of words. Clearly, his favorite word is “Dada”, as he uses it to interchangeably express ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ and ‘happy new year’ and about 25 other things. For my son, “Dada” basically functions like the word “Aloha” for native Hawaiians.
Anyway, while the words “Dada” and “Mama” certainly make his parents proud, I worry about how far these words will actually take him in life. For instance, I certainly doubt the word “Dada” will impress anyone in a job interview. So, I’ve decided to start teaching him some of my favorite words that will assist him in all facets of life…
Words to use in a job interview:
Spearhead
Catalyst
Pinnacle
Veritable
Impetus
Words to use in an office meeting:
Exhaustive
Spreadsheet (use it as a verb, as in “Let me spreadsheet the proposal and get back to you.”)
Due-diligence
Sidestep
Conduit
Words to use when making a deal:
Collateral
Non-negotiable
Accountable
Dealbreaker
Timeline
Words to express dissatisfaction (I have many of these):
Outrage
Perfect (once he has mastered the use of sarcasm)
Finally (once he has mastered the use of sarcasm)
Hassle
Standard
Typical
Headache
UN-believable
UN-acceptable (Please note, I know that “unbelievable” and “unacceptable” are not spelled with multiple capital letters or hyphens. I’m trying to illustrate how they should be pronounced.)
Words to describe someone untrustworthy:
Gypsy
Charlatan
Rapscallion
Shifty-eyed
UN-reliable
Words to use to charm a lady:
Fortuitous
Indeed
Impetuous
Inquire
And there are dozens of other words that I’ll be introducing shortly. I’ve told Charlie many times that having these words as part of his vocabulary will be the catalyst to spearheading a veritable conduit to the pinnacle of success in life. Charlie agrees fully, as he always responds with an enthusiastic “Dada!” at the end of my sermon…. which, I’m pretty sure is his word for expressing approval.
05/30/2007
I am impressed that you basically just posted a list of words that you find funny to say or pronounce. Sure, there were some filler paragraphs to round it out, but the bulk was just a list of words.
I’m surprised there wasn’t a category of words relating to technology at the workplace because I remember a specific summer where you couldn’t go 10 minutes without tangentially referencing “wireless e-business.” But you said it with such enthusiasm, as if taking your e-business wireless wasn’t a no-brainer.