Monday, April 28, 2014

X: the Forgotten Letter

There are plenty of words that contain the letter x; extra, excellent, and extreme are just a few examples.   The same is not true for words starting with the letter x.  I cracked open a dictionary this morning as I was trying to come up with something to write about, and do you know how many words start with x?  In a dictionary that's several inches thick, there is just a page and half of entries.  Many of those words are scientific in nature.

I feel a bit sorry for x.  It really is an underrepresented letter in the English language.  Perhaps we should create a few words to beef up x's tiny little piece of the dictionary.  Here's a few ideas:
  • xafter: to shuffle a deck of cards without the aid of a table
  • xeinther: to know that the kitchen trash needs emptying without having to visually confirm this fact
  • xinbrei: the sound rain makes when it falls on a tin roof
  • xtugri: a lazy afternoon walk alongside a stream or other body of water

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