New words

 Zion Press -- Mark loved his job. He tended to be an introvert, and he loved English, so when Merriam Webster called, looking for precise, and concise, people to add to their dictionary writing staff, he whispered in excitement. Mark also wasn’t known to be particularly gregarious or loquacious, so hiding out in his cubicle, finding the most accurate words to describe something else fit him like the proverbial glove.

One part that bothered him about his job was the new words that the dictionary added. Ginormous? Not a word. Phrases that defined the time but were really lame, like “safe space” also irritated him, but he generally enjoyed the ability to be persnickety and get paid for it.
He scowled as he read today’s news. “In these unprecedented times” These times weren’t unprecedented, though. Did no one pay attention to history? 100 years ago, give or take a few, people were asked to isolate, quarantine, stay home, wear masks. For the love of all good words and phrases, a cliché had even been born, and he tried to avoid clichés like the plague.

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