The word "no"

Did you know the “no” is absolutely the worst word in the English language? Genocide, “strategery”, misogynist, ain’t, they all have nothing on the horriblelessness (not that’s not a real word either, thanks) of “no”.

“No” said mundanely as “No, thank you, I do not like soy sauce in my pancakes” can cause ten minutes of uncontrollable outrage. “No” when said in the context of “No, stop climbing on the table and pulling on the chandelier” is guaranteed to cause a screech so filled with outrage that the polar ice caps melt and Al Gore’s head becomes a giant pumpkin.

A baby who is perfectly happy one second can turn into the most profane, non-verbal, denizen of Hell when confronted with “no”. Holy water itself cannot tame a 17 month old Ian in the throws of a “no” tantrum.

Conversely, grinning your chipped tooth grin at your Mamma and frantically shaking your head “no” while balanced precariously on the edge of Daddy’s keyboard is the most hilarious situation ever contrived. Just don’t tell him “no” when you pull him down from his latest perch.