WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: In Defense of "Skedaddle"

Episode Date: November 20, 2024

Do you like this word? Learn more about what differentiates a "good" word from a "bad" word on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds at a time. I'm Lauren Smith, and someone recently asked me for my opinion on the word skidaddle. Well, he didn't actually ask. He said he didn't like the word, and I said I did, and one thing led to another, and here I am making an episode about it. Recently, I suggested using highly descriptive verbs and nouns rather than heaping up a bunch of adjectives. For example, instead of saying the food was very good, describe the experience of enjoying that food using strong words like savored or, oh, here's a good one,

scrumptious. This can get taken a little far when you start using words most people don't understand, such as crepuscular, for example. I have no idea what that means, and something about the texture of the word makes me uncomfortable. In my opinion, skid-addle doesn't fall into this category. It's an interesting, somewhat unusual word that sounds like what it means and is commonly understood. So, though it isn't frequently used, it conveys a lot of descriptive, information. That's your grammar minute.