I have a rich vocabulary and I like using it. Is that so bad?

According to one of my closest Wharton buddies, yes. “As soon as you pass the SAT exam, you should get rid of those words. First, you sound arrogant. Second, when use words people don’t know, you make them uncomfortable.”

I brought a departmental meeting to a halt once when I congratulated a team member for keeping our website project on schedule. I said it was a “Herculean effort.” Years and years ago I was ridiculed for the torrid sales for Jell-O Cheesecake Snacks. And I have a detractor who hates when things are “amiss.”

“No one talks that way,” he says.

Another time I used the word didactic. Truth is, I knew didactic was big when I said it. But as I began, “I’m not trying to be didactic here,” I couldn’t think of a lesser synonym.

T. Hardy challenged me. “If Joe Hage is that smart, he can think of another way to say it.” The best I could come up with was pedantic, but I don’t think that helped my case very much.

Days later, I had another didactic moment. I began, “I’m not trying to be …” and I stopped. I tried to think of an inoffensive synonym.

It seemed like a long time.

Then I gave up and said, “I’m not trying to be all teacher-y here….”

I’m pretty sure no one was offended.

Except me.

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