11 nouns that should also be verbs
As writers and editors, PR pros and marketers, many of us are the experts and enforcers of proper usage and grammar at our organizations. The punctuation police. The guardians of the style guide.
But sometimes even the rule-makers like to break the rules.
Below is a list of nouns that I wish were verbs. Now, I know that you know that using nouns as verbs is generally frowned upon in formal English. But even Shakespeare indulged in this practice.
- “Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle.”
Richard II - “Within my mouth you have enjailed my tongue.”
Richard II - “I’ll unhair thy head.”
Antony and Cleopatra
And of course, Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes.
“Verbing weirds language.”
Here’s my list . . .
1. Aha — to impress or overwhelm. (Also ah ha)
“Our CEO was aha-ed when he saw how much money we cut from the advertising budget.”
2. Bluescreen — to lose your train of thought in the middle of a sentence; to forget something just told to you.
“I bluescreened on the client’s name just as I was introducing her to my boss.”
3. Gandalf — to make an unexpected comeback; to return in triumph.
“After working two years at one of our competitors, Stefanie was re-hired and Gandalfed her way into a VP position.”
4. Halloween — the activities undertaken to prepare for October 31.
“I don’t want to decorate too early and over-Halloween everything.”
5. Houdini — to stealthily sneak out of or get out of an undesired task.
“I need to Houdini my way out of this meeting.”
6. Manbun — to make a mistake in the styling of one’s hair.
“I went to a new barber and he totally manbunned my hair.”
7. Paprika — to add spice to something unnecessarily; spice for the sake of spice.
“Sherry paprikaed perfectly good copy with jargon and lazy verbs.”
8. SEO —to do all the things required for search engine optimization.
“Be sure to SEO that post as you add it to the website”
9. Trouser —to steal and conceal something in one’s pants.
“Robert trousered the cash from the concession stand.”
10. Wine — to provide someone with a glass, bottle, or box of wine.
“Wine me . . . it’s been a long day.” (If beer can be a verb, so can wine.)
11. Zombie — to stay awake long enough to complete one activity.
“After staying up all night studying, Emilia zombied her way through the exam.”
How about it, readers? Which nouns would you like to use as verbs?
