Silver Tongue
Dear Rex Ruthor,
My brother-in-law is very proud of his extensive vocabulary.
Admittedly, he speaks very well. But it seems like he’s rubbing my nose in it.
The last time I saw him, he used the term “argle-bargle.”
Argle-bargle!
I looked it up, and you know what it means? “Copious but meaningless talk or writing.”
Why use argle-bargle in everyday conversation?
I like listening to smart people. I do. But something about him really sticks in my craw.
Signed,
Brother-in-law Lacks Any Humility
Dear BLAH,
Forsooth! A garrulous speaker whose grandiloquence is ubiquitous?
Verbosity and loquaciously are sanguine traits!
That is true, at least here in my chosen line of work.
For everyday banter, I can imagine it must grow tiresome.
I feel the question now is one of intent.
Is you brother-in-law a lover of language? A linguistic astronaut exploring the outer limits of vernacular phraseology?
If so, I can relate.
Or is he a pompous and insulting individual, hoping to intimidate listeners and obscure his meaning?
That defeats the wonderful purpose of communication.
Ultimately, what choice do you have? Your B-I-L will likely be around long-term.
I would lean into this habit!
Do not be an eccedentesiast, meant to suffer a vainglorious defeat.
You can acknowledge your occhiolism while still asserting your mellifluous eunoia.
Counterpoint commentary by …
Crushed Velvet (assistant to Nigel Knives)
Seriously? I get argle-bargle!
Of course. Bottom rung of the ladder, catching all the strays.
I just hope I can pay my phone bill this month.
AT&T won’t argle any bargle without my debit card.
I shouldn’t complain. At least I have a job. Nigel Knives has never been inappropriate to me. (He did marry Crushed Velvet IV. Think he learned his lesson there.)
I have a steady paycheck. Not a whole lot. But at least my foot is in the door.
I’d love to meet a smart man.
My last date was with Merdan the Mer-man, and he only ate eels for dinner.
So this guy uses big words and it … what? Hurts your pride?
Oh wait, you said it “sticks in your craw.”
I’ve had knives sticking in the outer reaches of my epidermis!
These guys do miss sometimes, good as they are. I smile and wince and wait to get backstage to get a bandage.
If words are the only things piercing your soul?
Be glad with the winning hand you’ve been dealt.
