Words....and the power therein!
Tomfoolery – “Silliness, silly behavior” – this conjures up an image of a pompous ceremonial person standing on a podium wagging a finger warning against such “Tomfoolery!” in a bombing voice (ok, ok I know I have watched too many Wild West Movies!)
Nincompoop – “an offensive term that deliberately insults somebody’s intelligence or competence”. This word just sounds like an insult….any word that has “poop” at the end of it, must not be a very endearing term. I wonder who came up with this one.
Numskull – “an offensive term that deliberately insults somebody’s intelligence or competence” – This word to me totally describes some people….it is a much better description than being thick headed or dim witted – it is someone with a Numb Skull! - one who cannot think! Has no common sense….I think the drivers at rush hour traffic in NJ who do not use their turn signals would fit this description.
Sniffer dog – “a dog trained to detect explosives, drugs, or other contraband by scent” – I have encountered this word in serious situations where the dogs are searching for people in collapsed building or landslides/earthquakes. However, this still conjures up a funny picture in my mind – thanks to the many years of watching cartoons and Scooby Doo!
Discombobulation – “the act of throwing somebody into a state of disconcerting confusion” - I still have a hard time believing that this is a legit word but it is! Maybe someone came up with this one for the spelling bee contest. My mental image here is a person whose body is all contorted and tied up in knots – kind of like the way the contortionists do.
But Speaking of words on a more serious note, How many times have we heard about the power of words? the Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]” Proverbs 18:20-22 (Amplified version)
The old child’s play rhyme says “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” - how wrong! Physical pain is soon forgotten but the psychological pain that words can cause, sometimes haunt us all our lives. How many people have lived a mediocre life because someone called them “Stupid” or “Idiot” and they believed that all their lives? How many great people have been brought down by words “You can’t do it”. How many great ideas have been shot down by the words “that will never work”?
The most unfortunate things is that spoken words cannot be erased or deleted. Have you ever said something and then immediately wished you could run after it and take it back or wished you could just push the delete button? ….you may apologize and even say nice things to counteract the bad words but the words will have gone out! How much pain has been caused by some hasty words spoken in anger. The worst thing about this is that most of the people who suffer from our words are our loved ones. I guess it is “the familiarity that breeds contempt” in a way but we are less careful with our words. When we meet stranger or make a new friend we are so careful with what we say. We make sure that they understand what we mean with the words that we use – leaving no room for misunderstanding, we do not want to hurt them. But somehow this gets worn down….
Watch your words - do not “discombobulate” and hurt others! Your words have power!
There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:17-19 (Amplified version)
6 comments:
Discombobulation? Are you sure there is such a word? You are right - some words are just too hydra-headed. You can tell someone's scholarly aptitude by the kind of words they use. Your reference to Proverbs 12 is a good attest to this.
I try to learn a new word every month using my Pocket-PC. By the way V. J. Singal's Words of the Month are now available for handheld devices in the AvantGo educational category.
That's a good idea Kim - to learn a new word every month....Also Reader's digest "Word Power" is really good in testing your knowledge and adding to your repertoire of words.
Sniffer dog? I had never heard of that word before. Very interesting. I like this post - I thought about my husband a lot when reading it. I guess I was thinking about times I have said things to him that I shouldn't have said. Hurtful things. Words do leave such an impact and lasting impression on a person. The best thing for me is to pray for patiene and tolerance and to be kind in my words. Thanks for writing this!
Discombobulation for some reason reminds me of a Kenyan politician called Kombo.
Could it be related to the Swahili word kombo kombo?
Jess,I am glad that you liked this blog!I think learning not to hurt others using our words is a lifelong quest - Lord help us! how many times do we "open mouth and put foot in"?
Chris, Politicians dicombobulate people so maybe Kombo is right off
this alley!
We also need to check the authenticity of words such as:
1. Meander
2. Chaos
3. Flabbergasted
4. Peradventure
I used to think chaos was short for chapos.
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