Have you noticed the trend toward snazzier, jacked-up weather words? This week, we were told a “bomb cyclone” hit New York City with the most snow it’s had in more than five years.
Not to minimize the troubles of our East Coast brothers and sisters, but think about it. We’re only talking five years here, not ten or twenty or fifty. Nevertheless, we were informed—with utter certainty—this (snow storm) was a “bomb cyclone.”
In 2019, experts labeled the extreme cold we experienced in the Midwest a “Polar Vortex.” But in decades past, we simply called this a “cold snap.”
In the emerging world of weird weather words, you’ll also encounter reports of a “Flash drought” or “Heatpocalypse.” Other relative newcomers include “Firenado,” “Derecho,” or “Heat Dome.”
While it’s true that today’s meteorologists have a larger suite of tools and a more refined capacity to analyze and label data, it’s tough to deny the penchant for newer, glitzier terms.
But there’s a problem with using inflated language. When we inject common words with the steroid of excess, a predictable addiction is sure to follow. Eventually, these hyped-up terms are no longer sufficiently hyped. And the language junkies of our culture will require something weirder and wilder.
Unsurprisingly, the Word of God has something to say about inflated speech. In Matthew 5:37, Jesus warned, “But make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin.”
Maybe it’s time we did a self-assessment of our speech patterns. Are we guilty of exaggeration, manipulation or inflation? Do we inject oversized adjectives and adverbs in our conversations to create emotional responses that outscale the truth?
Hear Jesus again: “Make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin.”
Honest words may not be snazzy, but there’s something remarkably refreshing about them in an age of linguistic distortion: truth.
