This post at Organizations and Markets explains the attention grabbing benefits of a certain word.
The basketball coach Bobby Knight once explained why he used this word so often, and he said it was the most versatile word in the English language and then he proceeded to demonstrate the various uses and the different emotions the word could capture from anger, to dismay, to surprise.
Pete, thanks for the link to the Bobby Knight clip. But everyone knows the most versatile word in the English language is "Dude."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A193853
Posted by: Peter G. Klein | June 22, 2007 at 12:08 PM
The Australian equivalent is "mate".
On the topic of colourful words, there was a book about a football fanatic "A Fan's notes" by Fred Exley.
http://www.bookslut.com/features/100books/notes.htm
In one episode the protagonist befriended a girl, maybe the kid sister of a girlfriend, and taught her how to say every word in the book. He described her pleasure in learning to articulate and savour the hithertoo forbidden words. This is a 35 year old memory but it seemed like an innocent and playful thing rather than exploitation with evil intent. But the linked book review suggests I should have read more of the book. That is all I remember apart from the way he spent game days in the bar, suffering with his team and living every second of the game over and over.
Posted by: Rafe Champion | June 23, 2007 at 11:02 PM