While in the North Country, my cousin gave me the gift of words. Not just any words - but words that my dad collected. Dad kept notebooks of words that he found interesting. Some are arcane, some are foreign, and many were of the "nasty" bent. But all are worthy of use (in the proper context, naturally).
Dad would collect the words and the look for opportunities to use them. He would slide them into conversations or drop them into memorandum he sent forth to the corporate office.
I am not certain where he picked up the words. Some clearly came from articles he read (because portions of articles are found in the notebook). Others I assume came from his extensive reading.
What words you ask? Here are a sampling few: lacuna, polemic, jejune, and flerd. He also collected phrases and names of people generally forgotten, such as Daedalus (see the movie "Space Cowboys" for a reference to this person). Phrases such as: "...at the price of scrumching the rest of the menu..." found in Newsweek.
This is a true treasure. I have my own notebook and keep an electronic list of similar phrases, words, and quotes. The lost art of writing should be regained and words should reign supreme.
"The meaning was as clear as a hawser at midnight during a cloudy night." - John D. Longfield
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