Looking for a word...

Is there already a thread somewhere for this? Is this even the right forum to post a thread like this?

I frequently find myself searching my brain for a particular word, and it's right there, just out of my grasp. And sometimes a thesaurus won't work, because I can't even think of an appropriate synonym for the word.

I thought if we could have a thread for that - where we post our vocabulary problem and let other AWers help get our neurons firing again - then I could sleep a lot better at night.

For example, right now I'm wondering - and this isn't even for any writing I'm working on...

Is there a word for that odd attraction that keeps you popping the bubble wrap? Or clicking on something to watch it do something? I was watching a PBS show called Animusic, and it was just like popping bubble wrap. I was _______________ by it.

I don't mean mesmerized, because that seems to imply a whole lot more intense focus or fascination, whereas this just gives you some kind of mindless satisfaction.

And please tell me that here at AW, at least, I can find kindred souls when it comes to needing to know that exact word!

Thanks.

ltd.

MacAllister said:

What a GREAT idea for a thread. I have dictionaries and thesauri around me all the time, and e-versions on my laptop...and sometimes I still can't find the exact word I want.

But I can feel it there....oh, yes. I can feel it sitting in the back of my brain, hiding in the shadows behind that file cabinet full of useless X-Files trivia...

Click to expand...

Oh, thank GOSH I'm not the only one. My excuse is having had a respectable vocabulary as a kid and dumbing it down. "Awesome" was the only adjective allowed in the eighties. Or maybe it's because I'm old enough to remember the eighties. Hmm.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. I think those are mostly synonyms of mesmerized though, with spiritual connotations and much more "weightiness" to them than the word or phrase I'm thinking of. Especially "spellbound, bewitched, enticed," imho.

Transfixed is pretty close though, isn't it? Mindless allure might be a way to describe it. Entranced? Not sure. Thank you

Glad you like the idea of the thread and I hope it becomes a -- can't think of the word... the kind of place people go... when they need a word but... no one else cares. A haven, maybe? A respite? (Just kidding. Is it any wonder why I haven't gotten that novel finished? ) Anyway, if nothing else, this is kind of fun. (And that's why dh just doesn't try to guess what I might like to do for special occasions.)

ltd.

LOL! This is fun and difficult!!

The Animusic video held the same kind of mindless attraction for her as popping bubble wrap. She was fixated on it, but couldn't determine the exact source of its appeal. Why did it transfix her so? She certainly wasn't enraptured or enthralled by it. What then? She couldn't understand why it was so captivating, but she knew she might become addicted if she didn't turn it off immediately.



Anyone else looking for a word?? We can help!

ltd.

Thanks Carmy. I'll put that in my Favorites folder. I'm sure that will come in handy!

ltd.