Years ago, I wrote—very matter-of-factly—on a placard meant to safeguard my snacks, that whoever dared to eat my stuff would be castrated.
Caution was intended to deter my younger brothers. If you have younger siblings, you’ll understand, I hope.
I did not know the meaning of the word. But the shock-horror-clutch-your-pearls expressions displayed on both of my aunts’ faces were enough to figure out that I had made a huge blunder.
The word I meant to use was convicted. I had picked it up during a quick perusal of the day’s newspaper and almost got into trouble because of my impatience to use a new-to-me word.
At some point, I was low-key interested in law and had considered it as a potential career. I can’t point to where the short-lived interest stemmed from. I plainly don’t remember. I guess it was owing to the career being a long-time respected one, similar to the respect accorded to studying medicine. Maybe it seemed the most sensible path to follow as an arts student. The fascination naturally fizzled out by the time I completed sixth form. Then came my interest in journalism, discovered during my gap year between high school and university.
Fast-forward to my early days in the newsroom, and I again found myself in trouble for misusing a word—this time, at the mercy of autocorrect. “Constipated” instead of “conscripted.” I won’t even provide more context. Just know that the situation was bad—very bad.
There are many things I quickly learnt not to do as a journalist. This was one such lesson.
A thread I was following on my cycle-tracking app spurred this topic.
A young woman was sharing about a date gone wrong and described her date as a pervert and paedophile, owing to his indecent behaviour. The latter description was not well received by the community of women, who raised the subject of knowing how to use words—considering that the anonymous writer was not a minor.
The correct usage of words is an interesting topic to consider soberly, especially when interacting online. As the saying goes, “the internet never forgets.” And in reality, money that may not be there in the first place can quickly become demanded in lawsuits. In recent news, it has become commonplace in “the Land of the Brave.”
Methinks it’s never a bad idea to “just Google it,” especially when it comes to the usage of trending phrases.
Not too long ago, I picked up that when some relationships—romantic, familial, and extending to friendships—soured, individuals began describing each other as toxic. While I obviously can’t say much about the facts of those relationships, I reckon it’s easier said than done to use big words when one is feeling big feelings. But those can carry equally big consequences if misused.