No, we don’t mean your words go into the garbage. On the contrary, a tipsy vocabulary may enrich your communications. In the right case, soused language can be spot-on.
Drunk
Getting sloshed has been part of the human experience almost for as long as there have been humans. This explains the hundreds of words we have to describe a process or condition almost everyone can relate to.
- “As intoxicating as counsel’s argument may appear, the evidence does not support it.”
- “We must not imbibe from the fiction-as-fact bottle.”
- “If the city council continues to act like hammered bar-flies, the citizens will be the ones with the hangovers.”
- “This theory has as much credibility as a boozer’s excuses for forgotten behavior on the morning after.” (Okay, that one may be over the top, but you get the idea.)
You may have never handled a case involving alcoholic beverages, but the metaphor can be useful in any circumstance. When you want to emphasize the outlandishness of your opponent’s position, inebriated terminology may help make your point in memorable fashion.
Not Drunk
On the other hand, some events can instantly clear a juiced-up stupor.
- “The statistics on the lack of diversity among the defendant’s hires are sobering.”
- “This landlord has apparently fallen off the equal-access wagon.”
- “Abstinence can be a good thing, but not from regulatory compliance.”
You Can Indulge
Don’t get so carried away your argument loses credibility or appears unreasoned. Just as with IRL spirits, use alcohol-related words moderately. But there’s no reason to take the pledge.
Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com
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