Monosyllabic Memory

An interesting thing came up in my composition class recently. We were asked to write a paragraph describing our earliest memory using only monosyllabic words. Before we began we discussed how people often choose polysyllabic words to make themselves appear more intelligent, especially in writing. But do simple words mean a simple mind or a simple story? Yours to judge, I suppose, but once we had finished the exercise none of my classmates would say so.

Here's what I wrote:

The sand box was hot and smelled like the cat had peed there. We ate fruit in the sun and got grit in our mouths. Mike looked at me and held out the wet pit from his peach. "Here," he said and dropped it in the pile at my feet. The juice and sand made mud. "Gross." He laughed. We had been there all day. Dad came home and Mike ran to him, but I stayed in the box and kicked sand on the pit. I knew he would be mad. It was too late in the day for snacks.

This was a challenge, but limiting myself to one syllable I was force to choose every word carefully - something writers should do anyway. I also found it inspiring in its limitation (being someone who can't work with too many choices and who is guilty of using intellectual language) and I plan on using it to create something new.

N'importe Quoi

"N'importe quoi" is one of my favourite French expressions. I use it daily, often to the confusion of my friends and colleagues. It is an incredibly versatile saying and has no real English equivalent, likely why I like it so much. It is the idiosyncratic places between language that get me excited, and pretty much the reason why I want to learn more and more. When I searched online for a translation and definition for NPQ I was not surprised to find several:

Literally/Directly: No importance what.

Also: Whatever, Gibberish, Nonsense, Anything, Any old thing, Bullshit, Outrageous, Blantantly false.

Examples:

Ce magasin vend tout et n'importe quoi.
This store sells anything and everything.

N'écoute pas Philippe - il dit n'importe quoi.
Don't listen to Philippe - he's talking nonsense.

Claire: Va te faire foutre!
Jean-Paul: N'importe quoi!

Claire: Go fuck yourself!
Jean-Paul: Whatever!

Claire: J'ai recu un C sur mon essai.
Jean-Paul: C'est n'importe quoi, ça!

Claire: I got a C on my essay.
Jean-Paul: That's bullshit!


I'd love to see n'importe quoi used by the masses. Please spread it around and enjoy!