“Stick and stones may break my bones but words – ” You know, and you know that ain’t true. Words can also irritate and annoy. I personally hate the word “dude.” I knew a very intelligent individual in the third grade who said “A dude is a wart on a donkey’s butt,” yet I still use it. Fuck that word. Why can’t people say something more creative like “cat,” or retro like “fellow” or just plain ole’ “person” fer fuck’s sake. Any way, that’s the word I hate, and now read what some others think about the subject:

 

Anonymous 1

 

Do you have any words that you hate?

In fact I do.

 

What word would that be?

Dollop.

 

Why? That sounds like a fun word.

It’s hard to explain. I just – the sound just makes me cringe. It makes me want to cringe, the sound is just so disgusting, it’s a disgusting word.

 

Could it be the double L and the P?

I don’t know what it is.

 

Could it be the P, that’s like pee pee.

I don’t think that’s it, it’s just the way it sounds and what it means. It’s stupid. It just seems unnecessary, why would you say that? You could say like a bit, or a tad.

 

A tad is kind of a stupid word.

I like that word.

 

You hate a dollop but you like a tad.

It’s more concise; dollop is just dumb and unnecessary.

 

Do you think the extra syllable makes it unnecessary? What if it was like a “lump?”

No, it’s just a stupid word, like you don’t need it – there are other things you could say.

 

Anonymous 2

 

What is a word that you hate?

Moist.

 

Why do you hate the word moist?

It sounds gross, it reminds me of like moldy bread or soggy –

 

Soggy underwear?

Yeah, that too.

 

Like when it’s really hot out and you get swamp-ass, that’s moist.

But how is moist any worse than kind of wet? Or soggy?

 

Well, soggy is pretty bad too. But moist is pretty bad.

Is it the way it sounds?

 

It’s one of those words that sounds like what it describes.

Its because of the diphthong? Do you what a diphthong is?

 

No.

It’s like when two vowels are put together, like “oi,” “moy-eest?”

 

No, I like the word “oi!” Oi! I don’t think it’s the diphthong.

So if it’s not the diphthong, could it be the “M?” MMMoyysst!

 

I think it’s the combination.

 

Anonymous 3

 

Is there a word you dislike?

There are three words that I dislike. In no particular order, I dislike the word “panties,” “moist,” and “lanyard.”

 

What is a “lanyard?”

It’s like the cloth that you hang keys from – I don’t know – people who have IDs or keys or something and they hang them from the cloth things and they’re called “lanyards.”

 

Well yeah, the word is stupid and those things are stupid. It’s like, if you don’t know where to put things you’re kind of retarded.

(Laughs.) One could say.

 

I’ve already talked to somebody else about the word “moist,” but “panties,” why don’t you like the word “panties?”

It’s just has a very negative tone to it, it’s like a – there’s a divide between the names of underwear for the sexes.

 

I like the word for panties, because I’m a heterosexual.

(Laughs.)

 

I love the word “panties,” but do you find the word, maybe, degrading?

A little bit, I just don’t understand why there has to be a different name.

 

There are different names for like –

Boxers or briefs –

 

Yeah!

I think it signifies feminine, frilly – I don’t know.

 

Is it bad to be feminine?

No, not at all. I just don’t like the word. I just feel like you just hear a word and it just makes your skin crawl. I can’t really justify it.

 

Maybe it’s the fact that there is an “ie” to it, maybe, that kind of feminizes it, softens it. Do you not like that fact that soft is equated with feminine?

I don’t know, maybe it’s something that originates deep in my subconscious.

 

Anonymous 4

 

Do have any words that you dislike?

I don’t like words that hurt people.

 

Like derogatory?

Yeah.

 

Is there a word that isn’t derogatory in of itself but maybe you feel is derogatory?

Maybe it depends on who uses it and how.

 

Could you give me an example?

Like a guy saying “bitch” is different to me than if a girl is saying “bitch.”

 

In what context would a girl use the word bitch?

In an endearing term, like “these are my bitches” or “she’s my bitch.”

 

They’re you’re friends, so that context is okay?

But not like “she’s a bitch,” like she’s stupid.

 

Would you ever say like say like “these are my cunts?”

Yeah, I totally would.

 

Like, “that girl, she’s my cunt.” But that’d be weird though too, cuz not only is she your friend but she’s also you’re vagina.

Not really, not in this society. And there are definitely friends I would not call my cunt, if I didn’t feel like they were comfortable with that I guess.

 

If you called them your cunt, would that mean that like they were better friend? Because you know like cunt is a worse term.

To tell you the truth I don’t use that word very much.

 

Anonymous 5

 

Are there any words that you dislike?

Yeah, like um – surreptitious.

 

What does it mean?

I don’t know that’s why I don’t like it. It sounds serpentine.

 

It does sound serpentine. Do you not like snakes?

No, I love them, I have one of my own. It probably bugs me because people use it all the time and I don’t know what it means.

 

Do you think it’s a word people use to sound smart?

Definitely.

 

When was the last time you heard somebody use that word?

Yesterday in class, my professor was talking about how “So and so surreptitiously said – ” and it’s like “You’re a pompous asshole.”

 

Yeah, so do people use “big words” to sound smarter, to be pompous, like they have a better vocabulary?

No, I only think they’re pompous if they use ten-dollar words for the effect that they have, it’s not like it just slipped out and it’s the best way to describe it, and it’s just because they want to sound smart.