Onomatopoeia

tick tock, oink, plink, meow, tinkle, purr, shushing, shushing (skiing)...real onomatopoeia are all weird words and kind of fun words to say.  But there are other words, real words, tangible words that often people find themselves repeating because they either sound so nifty are fun to say or are just plain weird.  Like the word onomatopoeia....that's just plain weird!  I understand the root and all, but the name doesn't conjure that image up for me.  It makes me think of some incurable infection.

doctor~  "I'm sorry ma'am, I hate to be the one to tell you but you have..."
woman (interrupting)~ "oh no! don't tell me it's bubonic plague!"
doctor~ "No ma'am"
woman (sobbing) "oh thank heavens!"
doctor~ "It's worse than that, I fear!"
woman (gasps) "tell me it's not..."
doctor~ "I'm afraid that it is"
simultaneous~ "onomatopoeia!!!"
woman (wailing)

Mourners at the funeral solemnly place the blame with the day she went shushing down the slopes accompanied by the merry tinkle of bangle bracelets, while listening to a sound track of cats meowing and purring in time with the tick tock of a clock.   The only one who would ever know how the woman contracted the deadly onomatopoeia infection was her pet cockroach. The truth lay concealed behind her headboard...it was the chewing gum she was too ashamed to continue keeping on the bedpost over night.  The cockroach saw his chance, ate the gum, promptly contracted the deadly onomatopoeia infection and wiped out the entire apartment complex's roach population.

Other words I find irritating are duty, lugubrious, scissors, studio, apple, bucolic, dog, serendipity, camaraderie, calisthenics, aerobics, donkey, bowel, medicine ball, 'tude (short for attitude) zenith because it reminds me of Judith,(not that there is anything wrong with the name Judith, I just had a nasty run in with a Judith and it scared me until along came Judith Light in Who's the Boss...it kind of dispelled the Judith scare but not entirely...I guess that's more a phobia than a word aversion) pizza pie, supper, there are more...my insanity runs deep.  I try to avoid saying those words.  (yes I am entirely sober)  I don't think I like that word either, sober.

Words I like are diaphanous, cumbersome, nebulous, zephyr, nadir, linoleum, pizza, pie, lemon, Antigone, radio, television, tv, dinner, honey (but I don't really like honey all that much unless I have a sore throat) rhubarb, blueberry, cherry, cat, lion, wolf, hamburger, horse, down, up, down pillow, pillow, ball, bell, glia, pencil, play, pond, pussy willow, willow tree, tree, worm, dirt, grass, plastic, paper, cradle, cuddle, gel, jelly, bread, milk, potato, sunflower, flowers.  Those are all really fun words to say.  I like the way they roll off the tongue, the way the sound when said.  I like words that tend to sound like the beginning of a song, or are lyrical.  What's lyrical to me may certainly be poison to your own ears.

I will try to find a way to work one or more of my favorite words into a conversation.  There are times I sing the "L" is such a lovely letter song because so many favorite words are in there!  Linoleum, lollipop, lemon, lightbulb.  I may have already done something similar with a post about liking the letter "L" but this goes beyond that.  There are entire words I actually will go out of my way to avoid saying.  If I hear one it really annoys me and I find myself looking for a word to cancel the irritating word out.  Wow...I may need therapy after a re-read!  Pity my husband and son!

What are your words of avoidance and words of choice...I know you have them.