I’ve found that growing your vocabulary can irritate. So try some new vocabulary item out, without explanation, on someone you are eager to inflame and watch the reaction. “You know Michelle; it was plangent and skookum watching your performance. You have a talent for fatuous redundancy in your art.”
It hardly matters that you might be complimenting her on something. But the manner of saying it fans the fires.
To achieve being annoying like this, you need some assistance. Unfortunately, a dictionary will not do. So instead, I use word prompts on the WordPress Blog and a screensaver that picks words out to flash on your monitor with their definition every day.
If you have a mission to annoy, there also has to be some repetitive element. Use the words in conversation with people you dislike, remember to be skookum ( excellent and impressive), don’t omit a bit being plangent (loud and resounding), and of course, always be repetitive.
Remember, success is the culmination of many small things done well. Have Fun.
Sounds like fun.
Lol. I had a student once, whose sole mission was surely to annoy me in this way.
I’ve had a couple of middle school students that did the same.
You didn’t teach school around Seattle did you? LOL.
Anita
Probably my cousin.
In eighth grade, I bought a thesaurus and adopted a new word every day and wow, did I succeed in annoying every person in my vicinity! I still laugh about it and still remember the first word choice: connoisseur.
Very effective technique!
‘Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do’–my all-time favorite saying.
Clever…