Cottonseed
Cottonseed.
Recently we had some guests in our home, and there were two of us who were a little older than the others. I kept noticing that the other older gentleman and I kept having difficulty remembering names and other words.
The solution suddenly came to me: cottonseeds.
Cottonseeds?
Well, it doesn't have to be “cottonseeds.” “Cottonseeds” is just what I came up with at the moment.
Okay, I'll explain.
Older people…well, I guess anyone…should be allowed to choose another word for the word they can't remember.
Any word---well, maybe not “any” word; you'll probably need to avoid vulgar words---don't act as though you don't know any---“any” word will do.
Let's say you can't think of President Biden's name. Just say “cottonseed.” For example, “Cottonseed had a press conference today.” You have relieved yourself of the responsibility of remembering his name and placed the responsibility of deciphering what you are trying to say to your listener.
One more example using “cottonseed.” Using the first example sentence, “Joe Biden had a cottonseed conference today.”
As I said, you can choose from thousands of words to act as your verbal twelfth man.
Off the top of my head (where I store some of my stranger stuff), I suggest “buzzard,” “honey,” “forest,” and “karma.” There are absolutely thousands of words available to substitute for the word you can't remember.
Let's do one more example: “Mary Jane is going to the store to purchase a bicycle,” but you can't remember the word “bicycle.” Thus the new sentence would be, “Mary Jane is going to the store to purchase karma.” Now it's in the listener's court.
Years ago while talking to a friend on the telephone, I got hung up on a word. I couldn't remember it, and I kept expecting my friend to say the word I was looking for. She didn't and I chastised her for not helping. She thought it was hilarious. I wish she were still here so I could show her that I've found a solution for my lack of mental agility.
If you have a problem remembering words from time to time, try my solution. If your listener doesn't beat you to a pulp, you may be on to something useful.
enough