21 July 2010

i fancy this verb

In these modern times, it seems that any noun can become a verb.  In their infinitive forms, to facebook, to google, to DVR have all worked their way into our current lexicon.  Sometimes our new words are wonderful for providing specificity, sometimes they're wildly unnecessary.    Why do some people need to say "friended" when the perfectly fine "befriended" already exists?  And to DVR something is really just to record it.  Less syllables and less bewildering to those lacking the pricier aspects of modern technology.  (Plus, the Navy has enough darn acronyms to keep up with; I don't need any more in my life!)

But what about perfectly good verbs used in other English-speaking lands?  Why can't we "borrow" some great terms from across the pond, as a way of avoiding confusion?  Case in point: the wordy "fancy" used as a verb.  I'm sure we all remember conversations from our youth that included the following question:  "Do you like him, or do you LIKE like him?"  Or even the rather juvenile, "If you LOVE chicken nuggets so much, then why don't you marry them?"

Both situations could be remedied with the use of "fancy" or even "infatuated with."  Not nearly as serious as love, but a step above like.  And then when you're in your 20's, and it's become just a tad embarrassing to have "a crush on" someone, affirming that you "fancy" this "chap" is probably a "bloody brilliant" idea. 

All that being said, I love my husband, but I fancy some homemade waffles.

4 comments:

  1. My daughter & I have this conversation quite frequently and have decided that us Americans just wanted to be different from Brittan which is also why we drive on the right side of the road..lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. hahaha... I loe the verb fancy! I love the word fancy in general, but I definitely fancy it as a verb :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I believe that Americans generally suffer from a limited and bland vocabulary.

    ReplyDelete
  4. theres an award for you over at my page! http://flipflopcombatboots.blogspot.com/2010/07/awards.html

    ReplyDelete