Friday, January 28, 2011
Incredible
Incredible, defined as something too extraordinary and improbable to be believed by Webster’s Dictionary. The word incredible is often used to describe significant events. An exciting game or difficult act may be described as “incredible.” Jimmer Fredette’s performance against San Diego State could aptly be labeled as incredible. I think it is most appropriately used to describe any act or event that would be, for the majority of people, impossible to perform. Shooting a half-court shot in a collegiate game, catching a football against your helmet in the Super Bowl, sinking a must-make fifty foot putt in a professional golf tournament would all be considered incredible. The word rings through you with a charge. If the incredible event is in your favor, you might stand up and leap for joy. But there is a reverse side to this word in many situations. A particular event may have been incredible for one team and its supporters, but how does the other team feel? It can be like a dagger to the heart, capable of causing immense despair. If one of my competitors in the pool has an incredible swim, I may finish my race with a feeling of agony. When I think of incredible as it relates to me, I have memories of fantastic swim races, great test scores, and wonderful moments with family and friends. If the word incredible had a smell, it would be that of a homemade meal. A Thanksgiving dinner – juicy turkey, freshly mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots covered in a brown sugar sauce – is the perfect smell that, in my mind, correlates with the word incredible. The texture of incredible should be that of crème brulée. A smooth crème with a little bit of the roughness of the burnt cream on top is the most similar to the texture of word incredible. That is why the word incredible, though used too often and sometimes inappropriately, is my favorite. When I use the word incredible to describe something that I did or witnessed, it is likely that I will remember the event the rest of my life.
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Upon reading your description of what incredible would smell like, I obtained an angry hunger. Thank you for that. And way to appeal to the senses! Incredible is an above average word, you're right.
ReplyDeleteI love the crème brulée analogy; I can definitely picture that. I think it's insightful of you to note that not everyone feels incredible when something incredible happens; so often we forget that things are always double-sided. Great descriptions.
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