# What's your favorite word, and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 3, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683 "2013-04-03T00:28:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/61 "2013-04-04T02:59:29Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Well played, **gigi**. 🙂 It’s also because mellifluous has a whole range of deep pastel colors associated with it in my head. So it looks and sounds nice. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/62 "2013-04-04T03:02:51Z")
When I say to my boss I need his input on the pagination of a catalog, I swear he blushes. I think he thinks it’s something about sex, as in “Hey boss, I need your help paginating.” ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/63 "2013-04-04T03:08:59Z")
Jeez, most of my favorites have already been mentioned, so I’ll add: [Valetudinarian](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/valetudinarian) - both for the sound and the definition Eschatology - ever since I heard Roy Blount Jr. say that it’s the sound you hear inside a bowling alley. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/64 "2013-04-04T03:11:19Z")
" drawers" as an euphemism for underwear. Also , I agree with **LawMonkey** “steatopygian”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/65 "2013-04-04T05:42:49Z")
“Slugabed.” Means what it sounds like it should mean. (Basically, a layabout.) I’m also a fan of “zaftig” and “weltanshauung,” but it’s hard to work at least the latter into casual conversation. ETA: Oh, and “katzenjammer.” Have yet to find a good way to use it, though. I did, however, receive a text about 12 years ago from my girlfriend at the time and had me scrambling to the dictionary. ETA2: Oh, and why? Because they just sound cool. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/66 "2013-04-04T14:38:03Z")
I also enjoy “cattywampus”. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/67 "2013-04-04T15:20:29Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > One of mine is Einbahnstrasseschild..for similar reasons, and with similar limitations. Since i don’t know many German words, I had fun figuring out what that meant. And it was right there in front of me the whole time, ha! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/68 "2013-04-04T16:39:35Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Trousers, an inherently funny word and has great mouth feel. “Trousered” is better. In more technical fields, “splanchnopleure”, or just plain “splanchnic”, are quite satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/69 "2013-04-04T19:11:11Z")
The past week my favorite word has been toodles. I saw an episode of “Too Cute” that had a duck named Toodles. So now I say toodles instead of good-bye. It’s such a fun word! ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/70 "2013-04-04T19:20:28Z")
moist ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/71 "2013-04-04T19:22:45Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > moist Ugh. I absolutely hate that word. ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/72 "2013-04-04T19:41:59Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Ugh. I absolutely hate that word. I abhor the word ‘hate’. ---
**Author:** ![beatlejuice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@beatlejuice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beatlejuice)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/73 "2013-04-04T21:58:38Z")
> [@Ms.Pumpkin](#): > > Wait, I thought that’s how it’s supposed to be pronounced. What should I be saying, “hom-age”? Hom as in Tom and ige ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/74 "2013-04-04T22:07:15Z")
boustrophedon - because it just flows, back and forth. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/75 "2013-04-05T02:54:24Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > moist Speaking of words we hate (I’m looking at you, “panties”), I realized today that I really am inexplicably skeeved by “tickler file”. ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/76 "2013-04-05T12:30:30Z")
Shenanigans…cuz it’s fun to say, and there is a LOT of bullshit at my place of employment!!! ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/77 "2013-04-05T13:47:10Z")
ac¡cou¡tre¡ment ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/78 "2013-04-05T14:23:31Z")
- Spam - Snood - Kerfuffle Because they are funny, especially when repeated - spam spam spam snood! Oh, and contemplating the fact that “Butterfly” in English is “Mariposa” in Spanish and “Schmetterling” in German. I love that - the English is straightforward, the Spanish one sounds like it should be said by Antonio Banderas, and the German sounds like the butterfly has been stepped on… ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/79 "2013-04-05T14:50:44Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > ac·cou·tre·ment You mean, of course, “accoutreyMAHN”. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/80 "2013-04-05T15:17:56Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > > [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > > > moist > > Speaking of words we hate (I’m looking at you, “panties”), I realized today that I really am inexplicably skeeved by “tickler file”. However, “moist” and “panties” sure do combine to a sum greater than the parts. Which reminds me of an ex-girlfriend of mine (don’t look at me like that, this sentence continues) who absolutely adored the phrase “Little Italy”, especially saying it run together quickly, and repeated. “Liddleitaly, liddleitaly, liddleitaly”. It is indeed quite a mellifluous phrase, not to mention dulcet, dainty and symphonious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683.md?page=5)