Dec 5, 2012

WOW Word of the Week: Persiflage

Summary:  Meander through my musings to learn a holiday word about, well, words...

This week is like a personal springtime. I'm feeling myself slowly coming back to life like a seedling unfurling into a flower.

Last week, after trekking around the Midwest the week before to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family, I found myself with some unwelcome symptoms: a fever (most dreaded), aches, chills, congestion and worst of all a sore throat—something no communications coach ever wants, especially going into a full week of coaching sessions. I tried to offer phone sessions to my clients to keep the germs to myself and the communication rolling, but it was murder on my voice and throat. I scrapped that short-lived solution and went to the doctor. Diagnosis: strep throat.

My holiday vacation was suddenly extended by way of infection. And my intent to blog was prolonged as I spent most days rescheduling clients from the couch.

Does all this sickness talk seem like persiflage to you? If so, I made my point: Traveling the day before Thanksgiving, my husband and I listened to old recordings of Jean Shepherd's radio show—Shepherd of "A Christmas Story" fame. What a writer! Of the many vocabulary words to choose from in his rhetorical radio ramblings, the one that caught my attention the most was the word about words ... specifically about filler words that mean little and say lots, persiflage.

It's defined as frivolous banter. Shepherd's usage was "little brother persiflage" to describe his brother's dinner conversation; not as important as his own childhood dialogue on what he wanted for Christmas.
 
Look up persiflage here. And pardon mine, please. Let's blame it on the lingering infection.

© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2012

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