10:03 p.m. | 2004-04-19 Tacky Versus Kitschy. We�ve Got A Hung Jury, So You Decide. At the end of the day, I sat down for a quick chat with UnitAssistant (UA). She mentioned that she was going out to dinner at a local place. Initially, only InternOne (IO) and I were having this conversation with UA. Here�s that. (CI:) You�re going to TheLocalPlace? Cool. Have you been there before? (UA:) No. Is it good? (CI:) Yeah� (IO:) Oh, you have to check out the restrooms. I mean, you have to. (CI:) Heh. I forgot about that. (UA:) What? (CI:) It�s a different kind of place� (UA:) I heard it�s tacky. Is it? (CI:) Uh� I don�t think I�d call it tacky; I�d call it "kitschy". (IO:) Yeah, I�d say more kitschy than tacky. (UA:) What�s the difference? (CI:) Um, well, look it up because I can�t really tell you the technical definition. (Editors Note: That�s what law school does to perfectly normal people � they make them split hairs over word definitions. Of course, I�m using the term �perfectly normal people� quite loosely.) Pull your dictionary. (UA:) I don�t have a dictionary. (CI:) What? How do you function without one? (UA:) Normally, I just look it up online but since I�ve turned my computer off, I�ll grab someone else�s. (CI:) (Shaking my head.) Oh, you youngsters. Look it up for goodness sakes. UA pulled a dictionary and, by then, everyone still at work became involved in the conversation. And, everyone had their two cents to throw into the pot. Here�s that. (UA:) Oh, it means tacky. Just like I thought. (OMC:) I can�t wait to tell my wife that; she throws that word around all the time. She�s always about the kitschy. Kitschy shoes and everything. I can�t wait to tell her it actually means tacky. (IO:) I still think kitschy means something else. (CI:) Well, according to the dictionary, it also means �tawdry�. I believe that it�s best just to leave that alone. But, I�m with IO. Kitschy may technically mean �tacky� but I think it�s used differently around here. (OMC:) Tawdry? That�s even better. (UA:) What�s the difference between tacky and tawdry? (CI:) Tawdry has a more illicit connotation. (UA:) Who has the energy to distinguish between tacky, kitschy and tawdry? Please. (NewBoss:) (Joining us.) Tawdry? What�s going on out here? What are you guys talking about? And please, tell me it�s not tawdry. Please. (IO:) We�re talking about the difference between tacky and kitschy, and kitschy has a tawdry angle. (CI:) Well, not so much in this context. UA is going here for dinner and we�re discussing whether or not it�s tacky or kitschy. You�ve been there� what�s your take? (NB:) NOT TAWDRY. Just to make that clear. But, tacky, yeah. Kitschy? Maybe. But not tawdry. That�s more� uh, (CI:) Illicit? (NB:) Yeah. Lets not talk about that. The really truly sick thing about this conversation is that what I�ve relayed to you is only a really tiny portion of this discussion. We also argued about the spelling of kitschy, it�s origin and exactly how it�s pronounced in German. And, of course, we argued about the quality of food, the service and, even the presentation of their selections. Throw a bunch of opinionated folks together and, well, that�s what happens. Even after UA left, the discussion went on and on. What I really love about UA is that she always informs us that we�re crazy when we start splitting verbiage hairs and get all word smithy. She gets that odd smile and walks off shaking her head. She�s smart. Very smart. your thoughts? seed flower