Do You Like Words? Prove It!

When copywriter Robert Pirosh landed in Hollywood in 1934, eager to become a screenwriter, he wrote and sent the following letter to all the directors, producers, and studio executives he could think of.

The approach worked, and after securing three interviews he took a job as a junior writer with MGM. Pirosh went on to write for the Marx Brothers, and in 1949 won an Academy Award for his Battleground script.

Dear Sir:

I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, toady. I like solemn, angular, creaky words, such as straitlaced, cantankerous, pecunious, valedictory. I like spurious, black-is-white words, such as mortician, liquidate, tonsorial, demimonde. I like suave “V” words, such as Svengali, svelte, bravura, verve. I like crunchy, brittle, crackly words, such as splinter, grapple, jostle, crusty. I like sullen, crabbed, scowling words, such as skulk, glower, scabby, churl. I like Oh-Heavens, my-gracious, land’s-sake words, such as tricksy, tucker, genteel, horrid. I like elegant, flowery words, such as estivate, peregrinate, elysium, halcyon. I like wormy, squirmy, mealy words, such as crawl, blubber, squeal, drip. I like sniggly, chuckling words, such as cowlick, gurgle, bubble and burp.

I like the word screenwriter better than copywriter, so I decided to quit my job in a New York advertising agency and try my luck in Hollywood, but before taking the plunge I went to Europe for a year of study, contemplation and horsing around.

I have just returned and I still like words.

May I have a few with you?

Robert Pirosh

So, to recap:

Description of Word
Example #1
Example #2
Example #3
Example #4
fat, buttery
ooze
turpitude
glutinous
toady
solemn, angular, creaky
straitlaced
cantankerous
pecunious
valedictory
spurious, black-is-white
mortician
liquidate
tonsorial
demimonde
suave “V”
Svengali
svelte
bravura
verve
crunchy, brittle, crackly
splinter
grapple
jostle
crusty
sullen, crabbed, scowling
skulk
glower
scabby
churl
oh-Heavens, my-gracious, land’s-sake
tricksy
tucker
genteel
horrid
elegant, flowery
estivate
peregrinate
elysium
halcyon
wormy, squirmy, mealy
crawl
blubber
squeal
drip
sniggly, chuckling
cowlick
gurgle
bubble
burp

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