Word Power

When asked to describe his performance in a recent rough start against the Yankees, Curt Schilling -- a man never found speechless -- selected the word "Craptastic."

I immediately found the need to incorporate it into my conversations.

Q: "How're you doing?"

A: (with a smile) "Craptastic."


Q: "Hey, you wanna go see Shrek the Third?"

A: "I heard it was craptastic."



And: "My chances of getting my first novel published are craptastic."



Like Curt, I reserve the right to make up my own words when necessary. For instance, I conjure up images of famous people as a descriptive aid:
Instead of finding a word meaning "a complex mix of earnest and creepy" I might say: "Sorry, I don't mean to go all Anthony Perkins on you."

Or I use variations on Yiddish: Instead of trying to describe an unidentified bunch of glop, I might say, "What is all this shmutz?"

It's fun and if Shakespeare made up words, why can't I? It's a free country. And after all, isn't that why we're fighting that craptastic war in Iraq?