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I do not like the word “get.” But it’s so versatile, you might say, and that is true. In fact, Google’s dictionary lists something like 32 different definitions of this verb. That’s a lot of definitions. But wait! Doesn’t that mean that we have replaced 32 different, possibly more interesting words with the word “get?” Oh right, it does. So this word has become so versatile because us English speakers are lazy fuckers. And you can’t be offended because I included me in it when I said “us.” Because I said so.

“Get” is like the linguistic version of the remote control or perhaps the iPad is a better example. It does everything and so we’ll continue to be lazy until, one day, the thing is so engrained in our society that we can’t even remember what it was like before we relied on it to do everything. Did that point in time ever exist?

Even if I didn’t prefer to use words like understand, receive, become, have, fetch or come in place of “get,” because it sounds more eloquent, the word itself just sounds trashy. Get. It’s a word that sounds rude and disrespectful even when you try to be respectful. Plus, on paper or screen, it just doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing (yes I am the type of person who looks for that sort of thing).

But you know what really gets me? That I know, as much as I despise the word, I use it more than I have a right to. Argh!

Names have interested me, the origin and methodology of naming things (also known as nomenclature) and especially as of late. I had a customer whose name was Cutlip not too long ago and I surmised aloud that someone in his ancestor must have a good story about it and while he agreed it would be interesting he did not know it.

Many names are based on ancestral names – Anything-son indicates that someone’s father was named Anything and common names such as Carpenter and Smith throwback so a family occupation. Ever wonder why there are so many smiths (it is the most common name in United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States,)? Countless careers ended in Smith: Locksmith, blacksmith, goldsmith, silversmith to name a few, all of whom worked with metals in a smithy.

My own maiden name which I thought to be the rough equivalent of the German word for “short” although uncannily accurate to describe most of the people in my family, present company included, may actually be more closely related to the German name Conrad which means “brave counsel”. However, that does seem more incongruous than the previous theory. Though my married name is far less exciting simply meaning “Son of Martin.” Do you know the origin of your own name?

This interest also extends to a general interest in language and linguistics including pre- and post-fixes as well as word origins. This curiosity and the ability to understand the English language which accompanies it might explain why I’m rather good at FreeRice.com (a great site which donates rice to the poor with every synonym you correctly name).

Enough of my geeky love for language! We’ll return to the normal discursive programming next time.