existential
by Paul Niquette

101 Words I Don't Use
Copyright ©2013 by Paul Niquette All rights reserved.

existential adj.
  1. Of, relating to, or dealing with existence.
  2. Based on experience; empirical.
  3. Of or as conceived by existentialism or existentialists: an existential moment of choice.

A perfectly good word, existential is.  Plenty of class.  Gravitas, even.  So why don't I use it?  Beats me. 

Seems that every occasion for its use simply passes me by unnoticed.  Until too late.  Hmm.  Reminds me of what some people call "cab wit" -- that perfect rejoinder you think of just after you step out of the taxicab and slam the door.  For me, then,  existential is a "cab word."  If so, maybe there are others.  I can think of only one...

ciao int. Parting salutation, dialectal variant of Italian schiavo "(your obedient) servant." 

That word strikes me as a sophisticated way to say "goodbye" -- hey, with nonchalance.  An improvement over "s'long" or "see ya later."  And ciao is not smarmy like "have a nice day."

Living in France now, I have taken note of several useful expressions, which bring variability and precision to the verbal task...

à bientôt,
à plus tard,
à tout à l’heure,
 au revoir
bonne journée,
bonne nuit,
bonsoir,
bon voyage
...oh, right, and ciao.  But I always forget to use that last one.  For me it's an existential issue.
 
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