Since I was little kid, I’ve always been fascinated with words -- particularly unusual or funny-sounding words. Writing and spelling were interests that always came naturally to me.
I suppose that’s what initially attracted me to writing and eventually making better grades in English, versus other typical school subjects like science or math. The old proverbial “reading, writing and arithmetic” was always drilled into the heads of kids my age, yet I always seemed to prefer writing the most.
Although I’ve spent more than half of my life employed at jobs that required primarily math, I’ve never really enjoyed any subject as much as the written word.
To me, a word’s definition or its origin usually comes secondary to its spelling or pronunciation. In elementary school, I found myself excelling in spelling bees and unwittingly challenging myself to accurately say and spell words correctly, just for fun. Maybe that has something to do with why I still enjoy things like playing Scrabble and watching Wheel of Fortune.
Don’t get me wrong -- growing up, I also enjoyed certain parts of science classes (like dissecting frogs and creating weird science fair projects), but writing fictional short stories and funny poems always provided some extra free entertainment.
Having a vivid imagination was also helpful to me. I learned early on how, in most cases, reading a book was generally much better overall than when the story was later made into a movie. I guess movies could often be visually stimulating, but my mind’s interpretation of a story always seemed to exceed anything Hollywood could create by comparison.
I’ve always found “play on words” or “play on names” especially amusing. I’m ashamed to admit it now, but my friends and I made our share of prank phone calls. We considered ourselves so clever, calling stores and ask them to page someone over the loudspeaker, for instance...”please page Mrs. Dover, Mrs. Eileen Dover.” Or others, such as...”please page Mr. Hart, Mr. M.T. Hart.”
Then we had our old reliable jokes like...”Do you have Prince Albert in a can? Well, you better let him out before he suffocates.” Or maybe...”Is your refrigerator running? Well, if it runs by here, I’ll be sure to catch it.” There are plenty more where those came from, unfortunately.
Even the world of advertising is historically famous for creating clever catch-phrases or terms designed to stick in people’s minds. Being creative in naming products and services, along with related businesses that provide them, has evolved almost into its own art form.
Just look around and consider all the things you see advertised on TV and the internet, from email addresses to website domains -- the majority have been specifically designed with some level of effort to stand out in uniqueness and catch your attention exclusively, and it’s all about their choice of words or phrases.
To this day, I still enjoy stumbling over the occasional comical word or phrase -- which oxymorons are among the best. Here are a few of my old favorites, along with some I recently came across:
*Act naturally *Alone together
*Bittersweet *Clearly confused
*Deafening silence *Definitely maybe
*Farewell reception *Growing smaller
*Jumbo shrimp *Only choice
*Open secret *Original copy
*Passive aggressive *Random order
*Small crowd *Sweet sorrow
*True myth *Weirdly normal
Regardless of whether you write for fun or for a living, just remember -- if you enjoy it, never put down your pen and please keep on writing. It can take you, and others, to places you’d never believe you could go. Your only limit is your imagination, which is really no limit at all.
Danny O’Fallon is the publisher of
The Columbian-Progress. He may be
reached at (601) 736-2611 or
dofallon@columbianprogress.com.
