Hoogly

I always wanted a word that would express repugnance, disagreement, even mild disgust in the face of something obtuse or just plain wrong. There are not many words out there (for Christians!) with which to do this and being a fan of words I determined to create my own. One of my pre-requisites was that this word would have good onomatopoeic qualities about it.

You will find that my word “hoogly” fits all of these characteristics wonderfully!

Things to which you would cry “hoogly” are ideas or statements that are goofy, silly, inane, absurd or just plain dumb. Interjecting a “hoogly” while discussing these kinds of things gives the speaker a fine sense of satisfaction as the guttural, yet razor-sharp declaration flows from the mouth.

So, you may be talking about some false theology that follows no rhyme or reason... and in the midst of your description ask a rhetorical question that requires a negative answer. Rather than allow the listener to fill in the blank, you do it for him. “Hoogly!”

Your kids may watch a movie that is full of some self-esteem whacko nonsense about their innocent inner-person. You just look at them seriously and calmly say, “Hoogly.”

You may be in a discussion with someone wherein they make grandiose claims about something they know nothing about. You dead-eye them and utter, “Hoogly.”

In case you are worried, I have done some research and it appears that hoogly has no untoward meaning associated with it in any language. There is a Hoogly River in India, a Hoogly district and even some Hoogly temples... but these are geographical identifications (sometimes spelled Hooghly, although I much prefer my own spelling).

Other than that, the word is used as a surname (that must be painful in Junior School!), a ship’s name(no less painful - "On the good ship, 'Hoo-oo-gly!") and in combination to form the far less superior expression, “hoogly-boogly” (the meaning of which is beyond me).

So, I now offer my word to the world. Please be sure to use it correctly and with the proper pronunciation. If you are having trouble with the latter, it is something like “Who Glee.” You will find this word a ready friend in those times of utter exasperation. Use it economically, and it will become a secret and disarming weapon in the battle for Truth!