Responding to our conversation about a word to denote the exact halfway point between deep depression and euphoria, a listener in Libreville, Gabon, suggests placid. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Halfway Between Depressed and Euphoric”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette. And Grant, the emails and phone calls are still pouring in. Every once in a while, we have a conversation on this show that prompts so much response. And I tell you, it’s like shoveling snow in a blizzard.
Oh, I think I know the call you’re referring to. This is the middle of motion call, right? Yeah, I never expected it to produce so much response. But this was the call from John in Bismarck, North Dakota, and he was looking for a term that specifies the emotion that’s halfway between being deeply depressed and being euphoric.
What is right there at that midpoint? And Grant, I don’t know why, but people responded to that like you wouldn’t believe. So much thought and care was put into these responses. I know we both really appreciate that.
Indeed. And speaking of thought and care, here’s a wonderful one from Amy in Libreville, Gabon. She writes, “My first thought was placid, like a smooth lake without ripples. If you look at the ebb and flow of emotions, you see waves, riding the high waves of elation and crouching under the crushing waves of depression.”
But then as Amy thought about it more in her email, she wasn’t totally sold on the word placid herself. And then she said, maybe the right word is still. She said, “If you look at a lake with no ripples, it is still. If you’re without emotional ripple, you are still. Be still.”
And I just, you know, I was reading that email and it just kind of caught me up short. Be still. And such a basic, simple word that can mean so much. S-T-I-L-L. Still. Halfway between deep depression and complete euphoria. That might be the one.
Although I might say that all the responses together combined, there might be an overlap between all these different words that are perfectly centered on the word still. It could be. I’m going to have to think about that response. That might be the perfect one.
But if you’ve got a response that you want to contribute, by all means send it along to words@waywordradio.org. And we like to talk about words and language, slang and dialect, things the kids and the grandparents say, something that happened when you were arguing about language at work, a funny sign that you saw, something goofy on the internet. Let us know on Twitter @wayword, or call us on the telephone, 877-929-9673, and tell us what you’re thinking.
