My five year old was helping me get ready to go to a party the other night and told me that I look hot. Aside from the fact I don't want to look hot it made me think about how overused the word is. She'd heard the word used a lot by the judges on 'So you Think You Can Dance', who also often use the word 'sexy'. Whenever they do I shout at the screen, 'what do you really mean??" She probably hears it used on advertisements promoting exercise equipment. And in songs.
Because I care about words I looked up sexy in my Roget's Thesaurus. Impure. Hot brings up pungent, fervent and lecherous. I can't look up the words in my Macquarie Dictionary because said five year old wrapped it up to give me as a gift - I'm thinking for my birthday. She's giving me something she knows I'll use.
So, to be helpful, and because I think using the word now is just lazy, I'm offering these other words to be used instead of the words 'hot' and 'sexy'.
attractive, strong, fit, healthy, sensual, appealing, enticing, engrossing, alluring, loveable, lovely, lusty, lewd, charming, carnal, voluptuous, inviting, exciting, fiery, tantalising, on heat, amorous.
I'm sure there are more, and I want to reclaim them! Better listen to Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer to get some inspiration.
1 comment:
http://motherhugger.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-piece-in-smh.html
I rewrote this for the newspaper and it was published.
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