# Words you use to make yourself sound smart
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 18, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103 "2011-03-18T02:23:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/21 "2011-03-18T17:50:54Z")
> [@Obeseus](#):
>
> He’d say, “I’m just trying to find the paradigm.” “Do you think that’s the paradim?” “I’m challenging the system to find the paradigm.” “Once I identify the paradigm, . . .” It got to the point the others couldn’t look at each other when he was talking, because we’d make each other laugh.
An old roommate once discovered the word “bottleneck.” He used it constantly for about a week.
“I was late to work today. I95 was a total bottleneck. When I got in, the phone lines were jammed. It was a complete bottleneck. When I left for lunch, I couldn’t get out of the parking lot. It was a bottleneck. Then I went to Wendy’s for lunch. The line was huge. Total bottleneck.”
---
### Author:  [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/22 "2011-03-18T18:12:22Z")
[Ascertain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr_3S4GcZNo)
---
### Author:  [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/23 "2011-03-18T18:19:36Z")
Words I’m comfortable using in casual conversation but happen to make me sound smart:
juxtaposition
ostensibly
obsequious
anti-disestablishmentarianism
ameliorate
tangential
defenstrate
dictatorial
punitive
impunity
y muchos mas…
---
### Author:  [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/24 "2011-03-18T18:19:43Z")
pedantic
---
### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/25 "2011-03-18T18:28:46Z")
All I had to do in the past was pronounce pen or think correctly.
---
### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/26 "2011-03-18T19:00:13Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#):
>
> What are some words you slip into everyday conversation to make yourself sound smart. Strangely, words as common as “amalgamate” often do the trick…it seems a lot of people don’t even know what that means.
\*\*pravnik \*\*has it - clarity and confidence are much bigger indicators of intelligence than using 10-cent words. I spend more time trying to strip fancy words \*out \*of what I say than I do trying to insert them in.
I must admit, the OP seems funny coming from someone with a username **CheeseDonkey**. Just makes me snicker, thinking of trying to insert \*that \*word into a conversation…
---
### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/27 "2011-03-18T19:00:28Z")
I hate when people contort a normal everyday simple sentence to sound smart or more “official.”
He [del]proceeded to[/del] [del]operate[/del] **drove** the [del]vehicle[/del] **car** [del]prior to[/del] **before** fastening his seat belt.
I see it most often on _People’s Court_ and similar shows.
---
### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/28 "2011-03-18T19:00:42Z")
Eosinophilic fasciitis!
Carbuncular trollopsy!!
---
### Author:  [@Anticounterrevolutionary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anticounterrevolutionary)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/29 "2011-03-18T19:21:57Z")
> [@Vihaga](#):
>
> Cromulent.
Oh, well, in that case, I hope you will not object if I offer my most enthusiastic contrafribularities.
---
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/30 "2011-03-18T19:24:35Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#):
>
> I hate when people contort a normal everyday simple sentence to sound smart or more “official.”
>
> He [del]proceeded to[/del] [del]operate[/del] **drove** the [del]vehicle[/del] **car** [del]prior to[/del] **before** fastening his seat belt.
>
> I see it most often on _People’s Court_ and similar shows.
I refer to that as cop-speak.
---
### Author:  [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/31 "2011-03-18T19:31:08Z")
> [@WordMan](#):
>
> \*\*pravnik \*\*has it - clarity and confidence are much bigger indicators of intelligence than using 10-cent words. I spend more time trying to strip fancy words \*out \*of what I say than I do trying to insert them in.
well aren’t “big words” big because they’re super-specific? i could say something is “spotlessly clean”, or i can say “immaculate”. instead of saying i have “a lot of a good thing”, i have a “surplus”. a healthy vocabulary does indeed make things clearer… as long as your audience has the same vocabulary.
---
### Author:  [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/32 "2011-03-18T19:53:09Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> Carbuncular trollopsy!!
OK, now I want this for my battle cry. “Carbuncular trollopsy!” Sounds like something that’s following my armies, anyway.
---
### Author:  [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/33 "2011-03-18T20:11:29Z")
> [@Vihaga](#):
>
> Cromulent.
That made me giggle.
---
### Author:  [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/34 "2011-03-18T20:15:17Z")
> [@CheeseDonkey](#):
>
> What are some words you slip into everyday conversation to make yourself sound smart. Strangely, words as common as “amalgamate” often do the trick…it seems a lot of people don’t even know what that means.
I just noticed that I asked this question without affixing a question mark. Durrr, stupid me.
Anyway, prolix is a good word. Words for “short” (like curt, laconic, etc.) tend to do the trick as well.
---
### Author:  [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/35 "2011-03-18T20:15:42Z")
> [@lost4life](#):
>
> [Ascertain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr_3S4GcZNo)
Darn you anyway.
---
### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/36 "2011-03-18T20:18:28Z")
new clurr.
If it was good enough for Jimmy Carter, by damned its good enough for me. I feel embiggened just thinking about it. Though that might just be me lusting about sumptin.
---
### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/37 "2011-03-18T20:27:01Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#):
>
> I hate when people contort a normal everyday simple sentence to sound smart or more “official.”
>
> He [del]proceeded to[/del] [del]operate[/del] **drove** the [del]vehicle[/del] **car** [del]prior to[/del] **before** fastening his seat belt.
>
> I see it most often on _People’s Court_ and similar shows.
Yup - “Judge Judy” often has people on it doing this - for the love of all that’s holy, it’s just a car, not a “vee-hick-ul.”
> [@tdn](#):
>
> I refer to that as cop-speak.
Oh yeah - good call. Cops and the perps both doing it.
I don’t recall using words to try to sound smart - it usually happens the other way, choosing not to use a word because I think it’s a little too high-falutin’ for the crowd I’m talking to and they’ll think I’m putting on airs. I’ve started caring less about this as I get older - if you don’t know a word, just ask me.
---
### Author:  [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/38 "2011-03-18T20:59:02Z")
I try not to use sesquipedalian verbiage in my quotidian life to demonstrate my erudition.
---
### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/39 "2011-03-18T22:19:06Z")
Oh, Lordy…I just had the following discussion with a coworker not more than an hour ago:
KB: So, your boss seemed a little reticent about the corporate visit yesterday,how did it go?
CW: Oh, KB, you know I’m dumb, tell me what that means!
KB: It means she was reluctant to talk about how the visit went.
CW: OK, now what does THAT mean?
KB: It means she didn’t say much when I called and asked her how it went.
CW: Oh, okay! Yeah, it went fine!
---
### Author:  [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103/40 "2011-03-18T23:09:00Z")
> [@tdn](#):
>
> I refer to that as cop-speak.
What is it with cop-speak? It’s a _man_, not a ‘male person’.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103.md?page=1)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-use-to-make-yourself-sound-smart/575103.md?page=3)