Words communicators would like to hear more often

In an ongoing effort to look on the sunny side of life, we at Ragan Communications asked writers and communicators for words they’d like to see used more often.

Last time we did this, we added some whopping new additions to our workplace vocabulary, such as roborant (an invigorating drug) or slubberdegullion (a slobbering or dirty fellow).

This year’s contributions ranged from other linguistic white whales to more familiar vocabulary that we would do well to use frequently. As always, there is room in the comments for your additions.

Here are some words to use more often:

Yoke

Steve Dempsey, a Dublin-based political consultant who blogs about rare words, offers this colloquialism from Ireland, used for an object whose name eludes you, as whatchamacallit. “People would say, ‘Pass me that yoke over there,’ or ‘What’s the name of that yoke in Back to the Future that makes the car go back in time?'” he says.