I have always been fascinated with learning new words. After many years in academe, following many years in university, I don’t run into many new words. So when I taught, I treasured hearing new contemporary words. Sometimes, the words weren’t new to me, just to my students. I remember years ago telling my community college students  to “holler” if they needed help. One student said, “Did you just say “holler?” He thought I was very up to date, while I had been using that word since at least 1955!

I use words which are strange to my grandchildren, but they think they are very old-fashioned, not excitingly new. I say things like “neato,” “kiddo,” “cool beans,” and “way to go,” placing my vocabulary back in the “olden days.”

So imagine my delight when reading another blog I enjoy I encountered the word “woke.” Now I have seen it a couple of times in the past week. What a great addition to the lexicon. It says so much in four letters. It sums up what I often want to say to people and seems to be the timely equivalent to the archaic,”what hay truck did you just roll off of?”

Thanks to my international diverse younger blog friends who are enriching my vocabulary. “Thanks a heap.”