kory stamper

In the Flesh: Philadelphia, PA

For all of its problems, I love Philly. It has a good grit-to-culture ratio, excellent restaurants, one of the largest urban parks in America, Ben Franklin impersonators, panhandlers who compliment a girl on her relative fineness before hitting her up for change, the Flyers, and the word “jawn.”

It also happens to be hosting the national TESOL conference next week, and I will be in attendance. If you’re there, do stop by the M-W booth and say, as others have said before you, “Wow, you are so much more [unintentionally unflattering adjective] than I thought!”

New post Monday morning.

11 responses

  1. johnwcowan Avatar
    johnwcowan

    What about intentionally flattering adjectives?

    Reply
    1. korystamper Avatar
      korystamper

      I would posit that any adjective inserted into that particular construction cannot be flattering, intentionally or otherwise. Osservate, leggete con me:

      “Wow, you are so much taller than I thought!”
      “Wow, you are so much smarter than I thought!”
      “Wow, you are so much more carbon-based than I thought!”

      In any event, TESOL attendees are welcome to try and prove me wrong.

      Reply
      1. johnwcowan Avatar
        johnwcowan

        I just discussed this with my wife, and she’s not so sure. She could see telling a male celebrity Wow, you’re so much taller than I thought. I think there may be something here about women being looked down on if they are at any extreme: tall is unflattering for a woman, but so is short. My wife, however, disagrees with me here.

        Reply
  2. C. Elam Avatar
    C. Elam

    “Wow, you are so much more awesome than I thought!”

    How about that one?

    (I wish I was in the area of one of these appearances, but this is the price I pay for living in the middle of nowhere.)

    Reply
  3. Joe Paulson (@JoePaulson2) Avatar
    Joe Paulson (@JoePaulson2)

    “New post Monday morning.”

    What Monday?

    Reply
    1. korystamper Avatar
      korystamper

      A…Monday in the future?

      Sorry, I got swamped with pre-TESOL work and didn’t have time to finish a post. How about this coming Monday?

      Reply
      1. Joe Paulson (@JoePaulson2) Avatar
        Joe Paulson (@JoePaulson2)

        Sounds good.

        Reply
      2. Charming Charlie Avatar
        Charming Charlie

        I don’t pay good money to read this blog so that you can blow its deadlines for your day job, Kory.

        Reply
  4. Mandy Macdonald Avatar
    Mandy Macdonald

    Jawn? what’s that mean?

    Reply
    1. korystamper Avatar
      korystamper

      Oh, “jawn” is a great word. It basically means “thing” and appears in constructions like “Walgreens only sells drugs because it’s a pharmacy jawn,” or “Game of Thrones is that medieval porno jawn” (both of which are things I have actually heard and not just examples I made up).

      Reply
    2. Richard J. Barbalace Avatar
      Richard J. Barbalace

      “What’s that word for somethin’ when you forget that word for somethin’?”
      “Jawn if I know.”

      Reply

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About the author

Sophia Bennett is an art historian and freelance writer with a passion for exploring the intersections between nature, symbolism, and artistic expression. With a background in Renaissance and modern art, Sophia enjoys uncovering the hidden meanings behind iconic works and sharing her insights with art lovers of all levels.

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