Friends, Romans, and Countrymen:
Lend me your adjectives!
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| squirrely, ginger play together |
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| puny darts up the tree, suddenly |
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| Bushy is a bit unkempt, but what is scaring the wee one? |
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| Sharp beaky crow! Caw Caw! |
I watched this interaction outside of my window a few days ago, and the last photo was the point where the crow looked right at me and screeched for 5 minutes. No wonder that baby red squirrel shot up the tree so fast!
What we’re talking about here, though, is adjectives. Adjectives to describe people (or animals’) appearance. Some of these are a big more negative, some are more complimentary. My favorites are the ones that are the most descriptive, used more often in novels than in regular conversation. This, however, is a travesty. Why don’t we use words like:
corpulent, paunchy, squat, svelte, spindly, portly, burly, strapping
more often? Tell me you don’t hear words like:
Fleshy, broad, sinewy, solid, curvy, frizzy, wan
and not get a pretty clear image in your mind’s eye? Some of my favorites were favorites from the first moment I heard them, never to be forgotten for a lesser synonym again:
“voluptuous” (this was THE funniest word in junior high. the height of maturity)
“unctuous” (even saying this one makes me grin)
“lithe”
“gaunt”
“butterball” (okay, not an adjective per se but it sure fits the job “description”)
So, what is the best or worst way someone has ever described your appearance? I’ve definitely gotten “wee”before, which I don’t mind. In contrast, but making sense if you see my proportions, I’ve gotten “leggy” from time to time. These are the positives. I’m going to stop there, since they are so nice!
Bring em on people! Word nerd month doth approach its end… it’s not too late to join the conversation!
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