Quagmire – now not only is it a terrific word to say, it’s terribly delightful to use! I’m constantly referring to sticky-situations as being caught in a quagmire. Sure, quagmire has been given a rather off-beat reputation thanks to a certain adult cartoon character, who’s something of a demented sex-addicted pervert (though, really, isn’t that the whole cartoon’s modus operandi?). I prefer to think of quagmire as either a bit of a sticky wicket (pun so not intended – get your mind out of the gutter!) or a miry marshland.
“My words in her mind: cold polished stones sinking through a quagmire.” – James Joyce
A quagmire infers a certain lushness to an entanglement that seems to seep all about while leaving a bit of a mess and yet it’s often one that despite seeming to have no end, and even a bit of hopelessness tinging it’s being, can bring about a triumphant ending. Just like with quicksand, you have to relax and allow yourself to fully feel the situation and follow your inner voice and sense of knowing in order to rise above the quagmire.
What do you think of the word quagmire? Do you feel it needs to take back a more useful, pleasing place in our vocabularies?
Namaste ~ Ella
* Just a quick note – Word Nerd Index so you can easily locate or check out all the Word Nerd words in one place!
** If there’s a word you’d like to see added to the Word Nerd roster, please feel free to drop me a line or suggest it in the comments – I love feedback and recommendations!
Lawhimsy 