Words, words, words.

I love words. Who could write or read and not appreciate them on a near reverent level? Some intrigue me more than others, some I nearly obsess over, and some I hate or have the worst time using and/or remembering. Oh, and some are from other languages. With that, I give you "words, words, words". (Thanks, Hamlet, for being so easily quotable.)

*Disclaimer: This is a largely subjective interpretation of language with a healthy dose of personal opinion, better fit for UrbanDictionary.com than Merriam-Webster, and is most certainly below the OED standard, the full set of which I can only hope to own one day.

6) moist (adj.): Gross. It makes me flinch, and I hate it. What a stupid word.

5) sheisty (adj., appropriated German, I would imagine): Such a fun word for anyone being a cheeky little shit. I use it mostly as a term of endearment, a nod to fun times in France where it was used often, for someone trying their best to be irritating in an annoyingly cute or fun way.

4) poshlust (n., Russian): I'm reading Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, who discusses this term in relation to Nabokov's works. It describes a juxtaposition between the innocent and the grotesque or corrupt, describes the incongruity of the two being side by side in life almost constantly. According to Nabokov, it "is not only the obviously trashy but mainly the falsely important, the falsely beautiful, the falsely clever, the falsely attractive" (Nafisi 23). Not only am I more eager to finish this book, I'm going to have to add Nabokov to my list of to-reads if the language of his books is half as beautiful as this description.

3) ancillary (adj.): I first heard this word in a college literature class in reference to an ancillary character. Say what? Even now, every time I hear the word I have to look it up, because its meaning escapes me every time. For the record, it means secondary or supporting to the best of my knowledge and understanding. I sure as hell won't be using it in a paper for fear of using it incorrectly.

2) cheeky (adj.): I fell in love with this word in Australia. I'd always liked it and its meaning, clever or witty in a playfully biting yet endearing kind of way. In Australia, it's also used to mean quick, as in "taking a cheeky break". Maybe it was the accent that went with it, or the frequency with which it was used that made me like it so much. It's just a fun, versatile word.

1) profiter (v., French): The greatest word I've ever learned in French, this word is entirely motivational and gives me goosebumps. Its literal translation is "to thrive" or "to take advantage of", but it's used to wish someone a good day, its essence being to make the most of something. Other phrases like carpe diem come to mind, urging a person to benefit and really profit from experience and opportunity. The word makes me giddy with anticipation and expectation for good things to come. For those many reasons, it holds first place, though the rest of the words aren't really in any particular order.

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