Dirt!
Yep, dirt is one of my favorite words because it simply sounds like what it is. Words should sound like what they mean.
Dirt sounds dirty and that’s that.
Soil, on the other hand, sounds too clean to be dirt (especially if it is on the other hand.) Nope, soil sounds like the brand name of a cooking oil — short for sunflower oil or soybean oil:
“I fry my taters in new low cholesterol “Soil” and they come out crunchy every time!”
“Epiphany” is another good example.
To me, this doesn’t sound like what it is. We don’t use the word around here for that reason. Mountain folk, contrary to popular belief, know plenty of ten dollar words but choose not to use them. We put a lot of stock in the way something sounds when it is said.
If someone simply said the word “epiphany” I’d be inclined to say “bless you!” because it sounds more like a sneeze than a sudden realization . . . though sometimes a sneeze is pretty sudden.
If used in a sentence, it sounds like something different . . .
If someone said: “I just had an epiphany.”
I’d be inclined to reply: “I’m sorry; I hope you weren’t in the hospital very long.”
I play with words a lot like this and will be sharing more in upcoming posts.
I hope that you’ll share a few of your own.
See you next time!
– Ol’ JB
