Elevator Silence

Hi there, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, how are you today?

Great, who’s this?

Good, my name is Bob, and I’m calling from Escondido, California.

Hi, Bob.

Hey there, welcome to the show.

I heard your show a couple of weeks ago and just got hooked on it.

And it started me thinking that there was a word that describes the very awkward silence on an elevator once the door closes, and you’re stuck inside with two, three, four, or a dozen strangers.

And I used to know what that word was, and I’m trying to find out again what the word is.

A dictionary gives you the definition if you have the word, but it doesn’t give you the word if you have the definition.

You need a reverse dictionary. Such things exist.

Yeah.

It wasn’t awkward silence, was it? I mean, that’s kind of obvious.

No, it was one word.

No kidding.

For the awkward silence when the elevator door closes and you’re all sort of looking up at the numbers as they change.

Exactly.

I don’t know about a word for that.

I’ve heard the expression elevator conversation sandwich.

Have you heard that?

Oh, no.

What’s that?

You get on an elevator and there are a couple of other people and you’re sort of like they’re on either side of you and they’re talking over you.

Oh, yeah.

You know, it’s really irritating, I think.

I mean, I think my word for that silence when the elevator door shut would be golden.

You know, until somebody whips out their cell phone or something.

You know, we can make a word for this if you wanted, Bob.

I mean, I have two words here that are real words, just not that common.

One is silentium.

That’s a place in which silence is enforced.

S-I-L-E-N-T-I-U-M.

I like that.

And the other one is obmutescent.

Obmutescent.

It means characterized by persistent silence.

So we could call an elevator in which no one is talking a obmutescent silentium.

Well, I think I like that.

However, maybe some of your listeners do know what that word is.

I heard it, I think, when I was in the eighth or ninth grade in school.

That’s quite a number of years ago.

Is that right?

And it sounds, Bob, that you would prefer that people do talk rather than not.

Oh, sure.

Well, I’ll tell you what we are going to do for you, Bob.

We are going to ask our listeners if they know the word, the one word that describes the awkward silence in an elevator when it’s full of people but no one is talking.

Or maybe you can make one up.

Maybe hi Otis.

You know, like Otis.

Otis the elevator people.

Yeah.

A little, you know, brief period.

That’s terrible but funny.

Thank you.

Bob, we’ll let you know what happens.

Thanks so much.

Thank you, Sarah.

Thanks for calling.

Bye-bye.

Thanks.

Bye-bye.

Enjoy your show.

Bye.

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