YouTube / iTunes / Spotify / Radio Public / Pocket Casts / Google Podcasts / Breaker / Overcast
Listen to ArtisanEnglish.jp posts & lesson intros here.
WotD: Conundrum
Say the word to yourself – conundrum.
Be sure to say the word in your head, not out loud.
If you’re on a train or at the office and people hear you talking to yourself, they’ll think you have a few screws loose.
I think the word conundrum sounds like some terrifying musical instrument.
It is, however, not a musical instrument.
A conundrum is a problem that’s very difficult to deal with.
It’s the kind of situation you don’t realize you’re getting into until you’re already in it.
Conundrums are like driving your car in a heavy downpour.
Suddenly, you realize there’s some standing water on the road, but it doesn’t look very deep.
You believe you can drive right through it, and then the car’s floating in an instant, and so are you.
Now, you’re in a conundrum.
Should you open the windows before the water prevents the electrical system from working?
Should you open the door?
If you open the door, the water may rush in and sink the car with you in it.
Do you crawl out onto the top of the car, or should you get into the water?
This situation is the definition of a conundrum.
It’s tough to deal with.
If this situation sounds too over-the-top for you, how about this one?
Imagine that one of your co-workers has a nasty body odour (BO) or likes to eat garlicky food for lunch.
The smell is very distracting in the office.
You very much want to say something, but you don’t want to cause a problem.
Your odoriferous (smelly) colleague is great, and you get along with them well.
But, hey, they’re causing the problem, not you.
Should you complain to the boss, go to human resources or say something yourself?
The smell is getting to be too much.
You, my friend, are in a conundrum.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 78.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.