Definition: Incredibly adorable
Sample usage: "Those shoes are as incredorable as four puppies playing with a baby sloth."
Popularity: It's clumsy, but it might be necessary. Everything has been "adorbs" for a while now. An intensifier gives the word extra punch. If you just said, "Those shoes are adorable," the other person might think: "Just adorable? What's wrong with them?" This removes any chance of the shoes not getting their full measure of respect.
JAMES LILEKS
Heard a new word or phrase you want us to dissect? Let us know at word@startribune.com. See more at startribune.com/word.
More From Star Tribune
More From Variety
Variety
Yuen: Why do people forgive? It's messy, complex and 'the best form of self-interest'
Forgiving may seem syrupy or saintly, but it's much more complicated, says a journalist now touring the Midwest.
World
From pop to politics, what to know as Sweden prepares for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
It's springtime in Europe — time for the annual blossoming of spectacle and sound known as the Eurovision Song Contest.
Variety
Writer Leonardo Padura chronicles life in Cuba as his detective 'alter ego' solves gripping crimes
His novels recount gruesome murders, thefts, scams, bribes and humiliating secrets. But those are not even the most important themes in the stories told by award-winning Cuban writer Leonardo Padura.
Variety
New federal rule bars transgender school bathroom bans, but it likely isn't the final word
A new rule from President Joe Biden's administration blocking blanket policies to keep transgender students from using school bathrooms that align with their gender identity could conflict with laws in Republican-controlled states.
Variety
With graduation near, colleges seek to balance safety and students' right to protest Gaza war
The University of Michigan is informing students of the rules for upcoming graduation ceremonies: Banners and flags are not allowed. Protests are OK but in designated areas away from the cap-and-gown festivities.
