.Version 1.0, 20 June 2025 (cover photo credit).
This effort was occasioned by the remorseless efficiency of a single sentence from an anonymous writer (trust me: you’d be, too) in an information release that came my way a few months ago.
“Enjoy crafted cocktails and a curated wine selection at the In Confidence speakeasy at Hotel Fort Des Moines.”
Knitting needles, meet eyeballs. Allow me to translate this pile of steaming dreck:
“I’ve no desire whatever to drink cocktails or wine at a delusional and otherwise purely pedestrian Des Moines hotel bar.”
Meanwhile, The Devil’s Dictionary is a “satirical dictionary written by American journalist Ambrose Bierce, consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions,” dating to 125 years ago or thereabouts. It originally was called A Cynic’s Word Book.
Whether they’re over-used, badly-used or merely used-and-abused, these are the words and terms deserving of satire in food and drink. I’ll provide periodic updates, and suggestions are welcome.
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!!! … when used as default punctuation, exclamation marks inform the reader that someone pretending to write doesn’t know how to use words properly. ......
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