Another thread reminded me that we didn’t yet have this SU&SD forum gem. To quote MinuteWalt ():
Do you have any words that are delicious to just say out loud? Just a word that is fun, that rolls off your tongue, and makes you happy just to say it? A word that makes you feel like you’ve just had a bite to eat after you’ve said it? A word that may have nutritional value ?
Language of origin or definition isn’t the focus here, it’s all about just really liking to say a certain word or words, regardless of your native language or dialect.
The important thing is that you really enjoy saying the word out loud. It may be juicy and sticky, or crunchy and hard but you can suck the marrow out of it, or dreamy and silky, or any other reason why it’s more of a delicacy than other words. Give us some synesthesia.
As I was thinking about the thread, the word that sprang to mind was keratonin. Unfortunately, that word doesn’t seem to exist. I must have mixed up keratin and serotonin. Two for the price of one!
keratin: a not-very-sharp cheddar (cubed), with notes of turmeric and ginger
serotonin: looks like white latex paint that is separated and watery, tastes like skim milk (With aftertastes of allspice? I’m quite confused by that. It’s not pleasant at all.)
That’s a long and very messy story; I suspect that to a large extent you can blame Noah Webster, who wanted a DIfferent and New language for the different and new country.
To keep things vaguely on topic: supersession. Inquisitive.
No! No! You can! This is one of my favourite stupid facts! And I remember no names!
A guy in the states came up with a great way of refining aluminium but when he submitted the patent he misspelt it as “Aluminum”, however he liked it and kept it as the brand name.
So, just like we say “hoover” instead of vacuum cleaner, and no one cares, you say “Aluminum” and we shouldn’t care!
I love telling that story! Happy Dance
Ahem
Anyway, Aluminum tastes to me like a long stick of rock being slowly sucked.
For most of the 19th century, US scientists (and the rest of the world) called it “aluminium” and the US general public called it “aluminum”.
Charles Martin Hall had always called it “aluminium” until that fateful 1892 handbill, even though it was “aluminium” in his own patent filings between 1886 and 1903.
My mother-in-law recently introduced me to sitootery (also ‘sitooterie’). Wiktionary has this definition:
(Scotland) A small patio or sheltered area outside a house suitable for sitting in for relaxation or socialising.
It makes me think of something crunchy—dry Grape-Nuts?—and chewy toffee? (The similarity to ‘rookery’ reminds me of bird droppings, though, which is not a pleasant combination. )
There is a condition where cholesterol builds up in clumps around the eyes which is non serious, but called Xanthelasma. It’s a brilliant word to say. As are Spandex and flip flop
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