Ah, poor old J. Sometimes I feel that it gets a poor deal. It’s not one of the most obvious letters in the alphabet. It’s not as vital as vowels or as rampant as those tough Ts, Ps or Ns.
Looking at my Oxford English Dictionary, J has one of the smallest sections: a mere 12 pages compared to almost 80 pages for C and a stonking 100 pages for S.
I groan if I get a J in Scrabble. I struggle to think of any words with a J in them. Although, in J’s defence it does give you 8 points so even when I play something pitiful like JAM, it’s not too shabby.
It’s such an unassuming letter that for today’s A-Z Challenge, I’m embarrassed to admit, I almost forgot about J altogether and went straight to K.
So, to make up for my thoughtlessness, let’s big it up for J. Yay for J! I’ve read the entire J section (no, it didn’t take long) and just look at all the awesome words J has given us:
Jabberwocky – a piece of nonsensical writing, especially for comic effect.
Jactitation – the offence of falsely claiming to be a person’s wife or husband. Come on, we’ve all done it…
Jacuzzi – lying in a bath with friends?? Who doesn’t love that? (Me! I just find it too weird.)
Jalopy – a dilapidated old car. Love that word, I’m going to start using it today!
Jankers – punishment for defaulters. Another word that should come back into every day usage.
Jeremiad – a doleful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes. I can jeremiad with the best of them! (not sure I quite know how to use that one…)
Josser – a fool. Ooh, I like that! Sounds more polite than tosser so I can use it in refined company. If I find any.
And from the slightly more edgy Urban Dictionary:
Job – a futile effort for financial independence, social acceptance and personal happiness.
Job Talker – someone who only talks about and has nothing better to talk about than their job. We all know someone like that!
Juggersnot – a huge impending sneeze you know you can’t prevent.
Joke Poach – when a joke is said quietly to a friend and that friend repeats it loud enough for the entire room to laugh.
JFGI – Just Fucking Google it. When some asks a really stupid question.
And, to top it off, it’s actually the first letter of my first name…how on earth did I forget about it?????
BARBED WORDS 