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For the wordcels, aspiring or otherwise:
“It makes sense: there was, and is, something remarkable about his 1828 dictionary, and the editions that followed in its line (the New and Revised 1847, the Unabridged 1864, the International 1890 and 1900, the New International 1909, the 1913, etc.). You can see why it became cliché to start a speech with ’Webster's defines X as...’: with his dictionary the definition that followed was actually likely to lend gravitas to your remarks, to sound so good, in fact, that it'd beat anything you could come up with on your own.
Take a simple word, like ’flash.’ In all the dictionaries I've ever known, I would have never looked up that word. I'd've had no reason to -- I already knew what it meant. But go look up "flash" in Webster's (the edition I'm using is the 1913). The first thing you'll notice is that the example sentences don't sound like they came out of a DMV training manual (’the lights started flashing’) -- they come from Milton and Shakespeare and Tennyson (’A thought flashed through me, which I clothed in act’).
You'll find a sense of the word that is somehow more evocative than any you've seen. ’2. To convey as by a flash... as, to flash a message along the wires; to flash conviction on the mind.‘ In the juxtaposition of those two examples -- a message transmitted by wires; a feeling that comes suddenly to mind -- is a beautiful analogy, worth dwelling on, and savoring. Listen to that phrase: ’to flash conviction on the mind.‘ This is in a dictionary, for God's sake.
And, toward the bottom of the entry, as McPhee promised, is a usage note, explaining the fine differences in meaning between words in the penumbra of ’flash’:
‘... Flashing differs from exploding or disploding in not being accompanied with a loud report. To glisten, or glister, is to shine with a soft and fitful luster, as eyes suffused with tears, or flowers wet with dew.’”
Mar 10, 2025
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what words have been inspiring and brightening up the vocab recently babe like say more ;)
Jan 30, 2024
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I think looking up synonyms is a completely valid way to figure out how to express yourself. they can be more than just replacing your thoughts with inserted words, their definitions can be tools of inspiration. thesauruses and dictionaries, physical or online, are great!
intentionally compare what you're trying to express to the definitions. I find this helps clarify and streamline thoughts through deduction, especially when a word isn't quite what you're looking for. you not only naturally gain a better understanding of what you are trying to express, but I often find other paths of interest.
even when I find a word or phrase that resonates, I still continue to search through similar ones, explaining to myself why this specific word fills what others can't. example sentences in dictionaries are a great place for the context of words too!
when writing, or even in conversation, I'll just search "another word for [insert my own word or phrase]".
I think this whole process of searching, reading, and understanding helps those words and phrases stick with you, as you've created like, a whole I Spy process out of it. I also just love rewriting definitions in my own words.
Mar 13, 2025
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Idc if this makes me a cop Words give shape to experience like heat to clay. They make experience coherent and usable. The sincerest part of me believes that when you use a word to its truest function you glimpse the moment of its invention, making you feel something like a lost truth of the past.
Ex: decimate means to reduce something to a tenth of what it was, not to devastate or ruin
Also the best defense to talk fancy and beat the pretentious allegations
Feb 6, 2024
Top Recs from @taterhole
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebody—be it a relative or one of my best friends—was to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too 💌
Feb 23, 2025
May 28, 2025
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I’ve been thinking about how much of social media is centered around curating our self-image. When selfies first became popular, they were dismissed as vain and vapid—a critique often rooted in misogyny—but now, the way we craft our online selves feels more like creating monuments.
We try to signal our individuality, hoping to be seen and understood, but ironically, I think this widens the gap between how others perceive us and who we really are. Instead of fostering connection, it can invite projection and misinterpretation—preconceived notions, prefab labels, and stereotypes. Worse, individuality has become branded and commodified, reducing our identities to products for others to consume.
On most platforms, validation often comes from how well you can curate and present your image—selfies, aesthetic branding, and lifestyle content tend to dominate. High engagement is tied to visibility, not necessarily depth or substance. But I think spaces like PI.FYI show that there’s another way: where connection is built on shared ideas, tastes, and interests rather than surface-level content. It’s refreshing to be part of a community that values thoughts over optics.
By sharing so few images of myself, I’ve found that it gives others room to focus on my ideas and voice. When I do share an image, it feels intentional—something that contributes to the story I want to tell rather than defining it. Sharing less allows me to express who I am beyond appearance.
For women, especially, sharing less can be a radical act in a world where the default is to objectify ourselves. It resists the pressure to center appearance, focusing instead on what truly matters: our thoughts, voices, and authenticity. I’ve posted a handful of pictures of myself in 2,500 posts because I care more about showing who I am than how I look.
In trying to be seen, are we making it harder for others to truly know us? It’s a question worth considering.
Dec 27, 2024