It's important to use the right words when you want to get your point across. Often, they're the only means of communication available to us.
But expressing nuanced thoughts and feelings through language can be difficult. So let's try to learn from the best!
There's a subreddit called r/OddlySpecific and as the name suggests, its 1.2 million members are dedicated to collecting distinct, precise phrases that strangely make perfect sense.
So continue scrolling to check the best ones they spotted and fire up our first publication on this awesome online community for more.
This post may include affiliate links.
Adult Books vs. Kids' Books
Kids books for the win!!!! Can I get some YA novel recommendations with decent plots and non-depressing endings???
Aita?
If you want your speeches to have a stronger impact, American author, columnist, keynote speaker, and former journalist and news anchor Carmine Gallo suggests replacing long words with short ones. "In his groundbreaking book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel economist Daniel Kahneman writes, 'If you care about being thought credible and intelligent, do not use complex language where simpler language will do.' Effective leaders speak in simple language — and simple means short," Gallo explained.
He said this is especially true during a crisis, when attention spans are flagging and noise levels are high. "People are being bombarded by information, some of which is misleading or false. The clearer and more concise you are, the better your chances of getting your message across and persuading people to act on it."
Billionaires Are Boring
Exactly! I knew a very wealthy family with a 14,000 sq ft home and no roller skates to take advantage of it!
Quite A Lesson Indeed
Upvoted for having the perfectly appropriate user name 😁
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I actually did this. Clicked it, popped up glowing, waited til it went grey, wondered if it was still hot...like a dumbass i touched it...sucked my finger in agony for ten minutes until parents returned, asked me why I was so quiet? What's the matter?...Nuffin!
Push it in, when it pops out, hold the glowing part to your fingertip. You'll still not know what it's for, but it will hurt like hell.
After 45 years, I'm still hearing about what I did in my mums Leyland after she went to supermarket and left me unsupervised...
what did you do? if you feel like sharing. it must have been crazy if they're still talking about after 45 years...
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They haven't been standard in cars here in the US for ages. My last two cars had the socket, which I used to plug a charger into, but if you wanted the lighter and an ashtray, that was an extra option.
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This is probably the fist time I'm thankful my parents smoked in the car, so I didn't need to find out myself what this device was supposed to do.
Hi. Young person who is too afraid to try anything new here. What is this?
Many comments above already explain what it is. So I won't repeat. But I'd suggest you watch the movie Mr Bean's holiday to see this in action. Specifically the scene where he purposely touch it in order to stay awake while driving long distance.
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Cigarette lighter. No longer standard, you have to pay a lot for one. Most companies put USB ports where they used to be
I had already my driver's license for some years, when I touched it on purpose... 🙄🤦
It's one of the things we should thank millennials for ruining, like paper napkins and ironing.
It's one of those things we should thank millenials for ruining... like paper napkins, or ironing.
I remember when my mom tried to teach me not to play with that when I already knew what it did and how it worked. I saw the cigarette symbol on it and when I pushed it In and took it out I saw it was red hot and I immediately insinuated that it must be hot af so I didn't touch it lol.
I burnt my self so many times.(for those who don’t know, it’s a cigarette lighter)
No but they did work for a while after you turned it off
Load More Replies..."As you think about how to share your next message, remember that language influenced by the Anglo-Saxon period has been used by many great leaders," Gallo highlighted.
Winston Churchill once said, "The shorter words of a language are usually the more ancient. Their meaning is more ingrained in the national character and they appeal to greater force."
In a memo titled Brevity, Churchill urged government administrators to replace long "woolly phrases" with single conversational words, pointing out that brevity equals clarity and that directness makes things easier to understand.
Brad Bad
Oh Mom
Gay Rights!
Brain
Next, Gallo thinks you should search for analogies. "Neuroscientists have found that our brains process the world by associating the new or unknown with something familiar. When presented with a novel idea, our brains don't ask, 'What is it?' They ask, 'What is it like?'"
"Analogies answer that question. They serve as mental shortcuts that help us understand complex events. Leaders who are great communicators in a crisis are skilled at finding analogies, because they have to persuade people to act quickly."
This Reply
Rata2ie
Even Average Sounds Extraordinary During Victorian Times
I Can Feel The Hatred In His Words
The human brain is wired for storytelling. In his best-selling book Sapiens, historian Yuval Noah Harari argues that it was only through stories that our species was able to take over the world.
Our advanced language skills — specifically, our ability to connect with one another through narrative — allowed us to cooperate in ways other species simply could not.
It Took Me Longer Than 66 Years
Angry Avocado
Uuh... Fox Title?
Humble Living As A Gnome
I didn't know that this was what I wanted from life until I read it here.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health, is widely admired for his straight, persuasive talk. CNN has even called him “a public force” who translates complex medical information into everyday language.
"You don’t want to impress people and razzle-dazzle them with your knowledge," Fauci said. "You just want them to understand what you’re talking about."
The Jeans Discount Is The Cherry On Top
This Will Be A Reality One Day
An Interesting Title
When You Get Flashbacks Of Working Retail
Meanwhile in other countries someone gets praised as a „normal“ or a „peoples person“ for not being born into money/ power.
Because of that, Fauci often limits himself to just three key points. For instance, in an April 5 appearance on Face the Nation, he said the country would be able to relax social-distancing guidelines only when three things were in place: "the ability to test, isolate, and do contact tracing."
Fauci also pointed out that Americans must continue to “physically separate” from one another by doing three things: staying six feet apart, limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people, and avoiding mass interactions, such as in restaurants, bars, and theaters.
Words are powerful, and the more mindful you are with them, the more they can offer you.
Not A Squirrel!
Keith should try bringing $5 with him to buy lunch instead of bringing his lunch. That is sure to keep the squirrels away
Rbdbdjddn
Road Trips Are So Nostalgic
Pemmaphobia (Cake Phobia)
Smoke
My pointed this out to my dad and he said my grandad (RIP) pointed that out to his (Christian) teacher and got detention for saying that lol
20-20-20 Noted
🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳
Sheeranphobia, An Interesting Disease
Oh Cool
Just last month I saw a bird in the garden and thought...you know, I should get one of those books that bird watchers use.
Whale Sounds
Found On Meirl
Eminems More Positive Cousin
Help Wanted
Wanted, small child. Or possibly a few in case this goes wrong.
I Have Never Made A Doctor's Appointment By Myself
Weird Way To Describe It But I Get The Idea
Driver Carries Only
Sushi No Like Tiktok
The Fact That This Is Not An Exaggeration Makes It Even Better. British Football Chants Are Fun
Same in Greece. And it varies from remarks for opponents' moms to seggsual insults to the team
Living His Best Life
I Can't Say As Though I Disagree
Ok, Josh
As teens my friends and I would steal a few carved pumpkins off porches late Halloween night each year. We would write the address of the house they came from and put it in a Ziploc bag inside the pumpkins then put the pumpkins in a deep freezer. On the night before Thanksgiving we would then take them back to their porches and leave them. We would hear kids talking about it at school wondering about it. Good times!
Connor
That is an insult to Honda Accords. At least a Honda Accord will usually get you there.
No Time To Bleed!
He Got A Real Good Point Tho
Interesting Quiz Options
Exactly! And you know which answer is for which, it's so obvious. Plus, only a small minority of people actually act like a stereotypical introvert/extrovert.
Vegas Ain't Ready For Them
I Also Feel This Way A Bit
I Dont *look* Like A R*pist Or Serial Killer
I live at night, I unfortunately cannot tell you the number of women I’ve seen looking scared to even be out or on public transports. I feel sorry and angry at the world at the same time.
Don’t Steel My Food?
Proud Tesla Employee
Twenty Years Is Too Long
Factual?!
He's Striving For Perfection
I Should Try That Once
Jon Bon Pony
We’re Gonna Need A Map For This One
We All Have Our Secrets
That Must Suck
Alternatively, what if you got the non-human parts of both? Would you be a bull with a fish tail but have a human brain/intelligence? That would be hilarious ngl
Guy Was Told
I Wouldn't Be Able To Afford A House Anyway, But Might Give A Try?
I Would Like To Read Her Essay, Think She's Onto Something
Does not make sense, as 50% of all those things on earth were snapped away with the people they inhabited.
Ah, A Redditor's Dream
him, the embodiment of a neckbeard, smelling like his 3rd stepmother's basement, mountain dew, and taco bell, drawing erotic fanart of lolis.
Stop Doing Weird Things
Special Kind Of Relationship
Coworker on the first day I met her: "---and that concludes the precise description of how I gave birth to my daughter eight years ago, broken down by minute!" Me, trying desperately to will the chair I'm sitting on to dematerialize and take me with it to sweet, sweet nonexistence: "Oh cool"
So He’s Working On This Character
Specific On Multiple Levels
The Future We Asked For
But raccoon as a funny hat, could be. Especially in your grandpas old closet.
Free Oats
Very Specific Insult
I Would Be Down
Having Diarrhea Isn’t Really The Same As Anaphylactic Shock
Ok this is so true! My friend is allergic to peanuts, he's really over-cautious. My dad is gluten intolerant, he refuses to eat bread. My friend is lactose intolerant and one time in year 8 she bought an entire tub of ice cream and used the lid as a spoon whilst waiting for her dad. She didn't come into school the next day lol
Dk Why But It Makes Sense In My Head And I Hate It
I Like Aquarium Gravel Too
Lamp
A Very Specific Removal Process
I would think the sight of a diamond saw coming towards their genitalia would either a) cause it to instantly shrink, or b) cause them to pass out from fear & making their blood pressure drop enough to get it off, lol!!
A Shape I See
What A Dream
Everyone Wants A Goth B****
Wamen
Happy Father's Day!
Hmmmm
You Know I've Gotta Make Em Now
I Am Intrigued
Spinach
Monke
Corpses. They can spread disease and are a sign of danger, we're afraid of corpses.
What Do You Believe As A Child
I Don’t Buy Gift Cards At All
Couldn't Be Me
That's What Good Dads Do
Errr... Okay?
Thats One Hell Of A Drug
Poor Walter
This Belongs Here
If you have your own chair, bounce away, but when my boyfriend bounces his as we are sharing the same part of the couch, it makes my butt vibrate and I spill my snacks.
Oddly Specific Serial Killer
"Hello, police? I'd like to report someone that you should run a background check on because I'm 100% sure you're gonna find something"
Not Really Tho
He's Straight Okay
Clapped
Hmm
Oddly Specific
Can't Say I Have
Do They Believe In Nessie Too?
What Happened In Egypt, Stays In Egypt
Deuteronomy 25:11-12
Concrete Is The Cookie Dough
This is the best explanation I have ever read about concrete and cement.
Olympic Specific
So Ron Swanson has a second secret identity in addition to Duke Silver ?
I Will Not Fight
Its Not That Spicy... (?)
War-B***h
Ok Then
I Can Smell The Creep Coming Off Of This Dude
Hmm
Thought I'd start the discussion...but I really don't know what to say! Mind blown slightly by all these weirdo things. BP gets odder by the day.....
I have a very important question, how many times did Keith lose his lunch to a squirrel before it was decided that a hungry librarian is bad?
Thought I'd start the discussion...but I really don't know what to say! Mind blown slightly by all these weirdo things. BP gets odder by the day.....
I have a very important question, how many times did Keith lose his lunch to a squirrel before it was decided that a hungry librarian is bad?
