Extraordinary: For Good or Bad?
The word extraodinary has plagued me for years. How can one word be misused so often and fly under the radar for this long? If you're wondering what i'm talking about, think about the last time you've said the word, and in what context. As you are flipping through the rolodex of comments in your head i'll save you the trouble and give you a couple examples.
"Wow Bob, that's extraodinary!" as Bob shows you his complete collection of mint condition 1967 American League Coke Cap All Stars. Try this one, "Oh that Jessica Simpson has extraodinary breasts" as you unconsciously watch the entire video for the horrifyingly awful "Boots are made for walking" remake. Both sound like reasonable examples for using the word extraodinary.
Lets brake it down into what it is: A prefix of extra, meaning more than usual, and the root ordinary, meaning .. well ordinary or commonplace. More-Common-Than-Usual is not complimentary nor should it be used when describing Jessica Simpson's perfection up top. They are not run of the mill, they are fantastic, but i'm running on another topic. Extrodinary (yes without the A) is how you say it when you are trying to be shocked, but try saying it separate, Extra Ordinary. It has different meaning, and why? "Hey Bob, that complete set of 728 1990 Donruss Baseball Cards is totally Extra-Ordinary." I think everyone I know owns a full set of worthless cards that they still hang on to just in case Pat Combs, Junior Felix, or Todd Zeile pan out. I know I am. But I think I make my point that extraordinary has been used in the wrong context for way too long and I'm going to make it a point to fix it.


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