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.
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