F ³: All the Fashion

Have you noticed how food trends come in waves? When I was in college a menu item called “Lyonnaise Potatoes” was all the rage. It was everywhere. Surely you remember when arugula burst onto the culinary scene, or mesclun/spring mix. Then came sous vide, followed by Wagyu steak…

What about in home decorating? How many homes have been forever changed because of those two little words: open concept? Recently the words on home shows that make me tilt my head like a dog hearing an unfamiliar sound are “elevated” and “moment”. You can even put them together for greater effect: 

We’re creating an elevated moment by choosing mermaid tile for the shower.

I admit that my concept of the word elevate prompts me to imagine a whole lot of levitation going on. It strikes me that this might be dangerous in the shower.

As to “moment”…if you let the fireplace have a moment won’t the other parts of the house be jealous? What will you say to the foyer? The powder room? Who gets the “moment” experience and who gets overlooked?

Yes, I think too much. But you knew that.

Lastly, a word I’ve been seeing a lot on social media over the last several years is “impactful.” My brain tells me that this is not a real word. And yet people keep using it. So, I looked it up. This is what I learned.

Is “Impactful” a Word?, Shundalyn Allen, Grammarly

• Impactful emerged in the 1960s as an adjective meaning “manifesting a great effect or impact.” 

• Some critics reject impactful as an illogical, unnecessary, and clumsy piece of jargon. 

• Yes, impactful is a word, but it’s likely to annoy at least some of your readers. If you want to substitute another word for impactful, use a synonym such as influential, powerful, or effective.

Here I thought this word sprang into existence no more that four or five years ago and it has been floating around since the 1960’s. Oof.

I don’t think for one moment that those of us who find it odd will have any impact on its widespread usage. It will keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny until its current popularity wears off. Then it will retire to the place where old and tired buzzwords go. It will not be alone. Possibly “vibrant” will be there, along with “engagement” and “influencer”.

They will feast on Lyonnaise Potatoes and Spring Mix in their open concept home with elevated furnishings and moments of luxury.

Are there any currently popular words that make you wince, rub you the wrong way or just plain puzzle you? Let’s have a little word play today. 

Village Green/Town² Comments