Words.
I love ‘em.
Powerful, poignant and, yes, sometimes painful.
I’ve always liked writing--especially in times of crisis--and I’ve now been writing this coronavirus quiz for almost 2 weeks. (Thanks, if you’ve been following along.) If you’ve been reading, you know more than a few things about me, my people and my pets.
Before I send out this quiz, I always send it to Sara. (Everyone needs an editor--especially me.) Sending the quiz to Sara is something I have always done when I write our family’s holiday newsletter, also written in quiz form, 3 pages of single-spaced copy with 10 questions about each family member. As my editor, Sara reads the quiz for errors in truth and tone. With the holiday quiz, I also send each person in the family my draft of “their” question so they can let me know in advance if it’s OK for me to turn the parts of their life that I’ve chosen to highlight into “material” for the quiz.
In writing this coronavirus quiz, I make note of things that happen to me and the people with whom I interact. I’ve tried not to reveal anything about anyone that might upset, embarrass or impugn them. But, if I have crossed the line--which is one of my fatal flaws--please do not hesitate to let me know. Because the quiz exists online, I can edit out material to avoid future hurt. Know that I am sorry and trying to stay in my lane.
If you’ve been reading, you also know about another one of my fatal flaws. It’s that I love words. My most telling moment in an employee review I received for my work in recent years was a one word assessment under the heading of “Areas of Improvement.” That one word: Brevity.
So, in the spirit of “brevity,” I want to focus today not on words--but on one word. Singular.
What’s the one word that you love? That carries meaning? That says it all?
For me, it’s the f-word. It works as a noun, gerund, and command. A source of frustration, joy, and--yes--attack.
A few thoughts on the f-word:
Mike, a friend from college, once remarked that he knew his use of the f-word had crossed the line when he realized he was using it in the middle of a word. I still remember his example, “Mc-F*cking-Donald’s.”
One of my favorite jokes from childhood--and childhood jokes are always the best--is this one:
“What word begins with ‘f’ and ends with ‘uck?’” The answer, “Firetruck!”
Are other f-words jealous about not being THE f-word?
Does “forgotten” feel, well, forgotten?
Does “fantastic” feel forsaken?
Does“funny” feels forlorn?
Does “foible” feel like a failure?
Does “fornication” feel, well, f*cked?
And of course, there’s the scene from “The Wire” where the f-word is the only dialogue for nearly five minutes. Perfect.
After today’s “What did not happen?” question, I’d like to know about the one word that says it all for you. You can leave it in the comments. For me, after the f-word, second place would go to “perfect” with “courage” a very close third. “Benign” finishes just out of the money, but it’s always a strong contender when you need to hear that word.
What did NOT happen?
A. My brother is a fire chief and his love of the f-word is even more developed than my own. He knows about my firetruck-f-word joke and also knows that I do not like anyone to use the f-word on my work-issued iPhone. Last week he texted me, “We’re all firetrucked, right?”
B. A co-worker sent me a screengrab of Winnie the Pooh that’s been making the rounds on social media. It shows Pooh and Piglet out on a walk--and Pooh says “Back the f*ck up Piglet;”
C. I worked on a document with a co-worker. I wrote the first draft and emailed it to my co-worker. The co-worker revised it and sent it back. I read the rewrite and drafted my response. I began with a one word paragraph at the top, “Perfect.” In the next paragraph, I suggested a plan for how we might share the document. I emailed my response back to co-worker and asked for thoughts on my distribution plan. The response from my co-worker, “You had me at ‘hello’”--a reference to that gold standard word, “perfect;”
D. My daughter Annie is a psychiatric social worker and still commuting to work in New York City. This morning, she posted a picture on Facebook of some graffiti she saw on the subway. It read, “F*ck the virus.” I shared it on my Facebook feed;
E. I texted Annie and told her that I’d seen her Facebook post--and I told her that I loved it. I also remarked that one good thing that’s happened with the coronavirus is that we’ve become “friends” on Facebook to make it easier to stay in touch. She texted back, “Gotta find those silver linings where you can” followed by “Love New York.” I responded, “I love ‘f*ck.’” Her response, “Perfect.’”
Want the answer?
If you’re a subscriber, the answer will be sent to you as a separate email when the question is published.
Want more?
Here’s the next quiz in the series: Quiz #12. “Stayin’ Alive.”
Here’s the previous quiz in the series: Quiz #10. Tuesday.
Here’s the first quiz in the series: Quiz #1. Stella and Social Distancing, March 13, 2020
The quiz is explained here: Steve’s Stay-at-Home Coronavirus Quiz.
Here is an archive of all the quizzes.
Want to let me know how I’m doing with this quiz?
Please let me know about any typos or misspellings.
Comments, corrections and confessions welcome.
Thank you and good night.
Thanks for reading.
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Thanks for commenting.