I Wonder
I haven't posted an I Wonder in a long time.
I wonder why?
Oh, how annoying it is to suffer from lethologica, especially when you're a writer....
I wonder how many of you have heard of this word? I certainly hadn't until I accidentally came across it the other day. And oh, what a perfect word for so many of us.....
lethologica ~ LĒTH ō LŎJ-ik ă
noun: the inability to remember a word or put your finger on the right word.
Ah yes, and sometimes it's worse being on the receiving end of a conversation......
~~~
The Ronald: "Look at the guy in this commercial."
Becky: "Which one?"
The Ronald: "That blonde guy. Wasn't he in that TV show that used to be on?"
Becky: "What TV show?"
The Ronald: "Oh you know. That one about cops and detectives. We used to watch it all the time."
Becky: "We've watched lots of shows that sound like that. Can you give me a little more information, like what decade it was??"
....and my exasperation goes on...
"I always have trouble remembering three things: faces, names, and -- I can't remember what the third thing is." -- Fred Allen
Ha! Yes, the decade would be a big clue, wouldn't it? For people like us who have been around for *coughcough* more than a few decades, cop shows could be anything from Kojak to NYPD Blue to Law and Order to Hawaii Five-O etc etc.
ReplyDeleteOh man, my memory is so full of holes . . . wait, what was the question again?
Cool word. It happens to me all the time. I don't mind so much in my writing. I just leave a gap and the word I'm looking for comes to me eventually. It's a little more troublesome in real life conversations ;)
ReplyDeleteNice to have a name to put to the condition...if only I'll be able to remember it.
ReplyDeleteBEcky, we must be reading the same things! I, too, just ran on this word...great word for sure!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun word!! When I was in my early 20's, I lived with my grandparents. They used to get Reader's Digest, and there was a section of that magazine I LOVED..."It Pays to Enrich Your Word Power." I devoured that section and always enjoyed learning (and then trying to use) new words. But lethologica was never one of the words I learned. Thanks for broadening my vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year to you.
Love,
Patti
I love that word and I am going to try to remember it. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat happens to me sometimes when I am tired or stressed. Right now, I take a lot of short cuts after a phone call, and tell Cary, "Well, she said ..." and he will say, "I have no idea what you are talking about!" Then I think, I sure do miss the days when you read my mind a bit more, lol!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed catching up, and the stories about your younger days. It makes me sad that your Dad left.
Hope the New Year is a wonderful one. I need to get over to your Kickstarter and make my pledge.
Hugs,
Kathy M.
Bill and id o this all the time. I need to defrag my memory like a computer, might speed up the retrieval system.
ReplyDeleteThat's a new word for me. I have a habit of making up my own when I can't think of one.
ReplyDeleteMy mom and dad both had a habit of substituting words that were close. For example, my dad used to refer to that Goldi Hawn/Meryl Streep movie as She Looks Good Dead. Rather than by its official title: Death Becomes Her.
The older I get the more I suffer from that!
ReplyDeleteI never heard that word before, but I like it.
ReplyDeleteBECKY ~
ReplyDeleteCheck your Email InBox for a message titled 'R U "KICKSTARTER" BECKY?'
If you find it, you can open it (it's from me with no virus attached).
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Thank you all so much! I knew this would strike a chord in zillions of readers! :D
ReplyDeleteAnd Stephen T.....Thanks MUCHLY!
Great word choice, Becky. I hadn't heard of that one, but I do it frequently.
ReplyDeleteYou always bring a smile. I Love your wit. Mother used to take me everywhere with her as she told everyone, 'she (me) never forgets a name & face' ... I think that attribute is slipping a wee bit.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year ~
TTFN ~
Hugs,
Marydon
Thank you. I all too often lose words in the porridge in my head. They are there, I know that they are there, and I cannot bring them to the surface. The skinny portion has become adept at charades - the telephone causes more problems though...
ReplyDeleteTee-hee! I had a recent conversation with someone about memory, but as might be expected, the details escape me.
ReplyDeletePat
Critter Alley
I KNOW what it's like to live with this problem. The hubby and I both have it.
ReplyDelete=)