I think it's fair to say that, like most people, my vocabulary has expanded since I came to college. Of course a lot of that comes from hours of endless reading and deciding to be an English major - we're pretty into words - but I would be lying to you if I said that's the only way I've improved upon my lexicon.
My vocabulary has changed because of things that happen to me both inside and outside the classroom. All the computer crashes, days where the hot water runs out and homework forgotten until the wee hours of the morning have dramatically expanded my, shall we say, more colorful language. In fact, if you hung around my room when my printer is in one of its stubborn phases, you'd be party to a stream of expletives strong enough to make even the hardiest sailor blush. Don't let that picture of me in the sundress fool you. I might look innocent enough, but I know how to command some choice vocab when I want to.
Lately, though, I've found that the usual four-letter words are not enough. It's not that I need something stronger, it's just that the typical run-of-the-mill curse words are not as all encompassing as I would like. So I've created my own word: blurgh.
Aside from the obvious benefit that we can print it in the paper since it isn't a real word, blurgh has numerous other advantages.
For starters, it is totally versatile. It can be used for completely mundane instances or for the eruption of utter chaos. I can easily say, "Blurgh I stubbed my toe," or, "Blurgh I just spent four hours in Clemons writing on the wrong topic!" True, the inflection is a little bit different for each one, but neither instance is a gross under- or overuse of blurgh.
Blurgh also covers all styles of complaint. It can be said as a short outburst, or lengthened into a long tragic moan such as "bluuuuuuuuuuuuuurgh it is far too early to get out of bed."
I think my favorite part about blurgh is that it's onomatopoetic. It doesn't just relay something unpleasant, it actually sounds bad. It's like the noise you make when you fall flat on your back and have all the wind knocked out of you.
Clearly blurgh is a word for all seasons, but I think the real reason I've become so attached to it is because it is representative of the college experience. Like college, blurgh is all about adaptation. You make it fit wherever you need it.
Just coming to school is a big change, and every year of college is filled with constant adjustments. Some of these adaptations will be trivial, like the weeks when you don't have time to get groceries so you live on weird combinations of salad dressing and frozen vegetables. But some of them are big, like when you don't get into that dream program you applied to, or you do get in and then you don't have to time to do anything else.
No matter what the situation is, you just have to make it work or you won't make it. So when the words you usually rely on aren't enough, you improvise. That's what blurgh is all about.
Katie's column runs weekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at k.mcnally@cavalierdaily.com.
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