Nickel words

[caffeine]

Interestingly, dictionary.com shows an entry for nickle being specific to the US$0.05 coin, but Merriam-Webster redirects nickle to nickel. But on to our story.


In a meeting yesterday, I used the word Pedantic (yes, continuing the acronym discussion). One person (the Project Manager) gave me grief and said he had to look it up. Another person (the project manager's manager) asked for the definition during the meeting and then used the word several times (humorously). "Would you say it should be done pedantically?" "Is that too much pedanticism?" We also had some discussion around connotations of pedantic -
Is that like anal retentive?
Doesn't it mean annoyingly precise?
No, not annoyingly precise, annoyingly exact.
So, its anally annoying? I don't think we want that.

We continued our meeting and eventually a discussion about leasing software came up, so I looked at the project manager's manager and said, "leasing, you know, as opposed to purchasing for [dramatic pause] perpetuity." Which had the desired effect of causing all 6 people in the room to groan and start laughing (including the project manager's manager).

Comments

[gingerpook.livejournal.com]

I just finished a course in Project Management, and quite a few of my classmates are geared for that specific job.

By the way, we're all in Technical Communication, a specialization of... English. Yes, we're all anal retentive.

Tell your PM he should go back to school. : )

[krisyk.livejournal.com]

The jocularity of your chronicle has me chortling and guffawing within myself.

You just expanded there intellect and vocabulary.

Hope all is well in Minnesota.

MUCH LOVE
XOXOX