Bon Mots

Don’t get yourself into a snit. Into a what? A snit. Isn’t it fun to say? It’s short. It makes anyone who utters it sound like they have a nasal problem. And when you say it, you almost can’t help but make a face, curling your lip, raising an eyebrow. Merriam Webster says it’s a state of agitation. And according to World Wide Words its origins are hard to trace, but it seems to have first been used by Clare Boothe Luce. She was an editor, playwright, politician, journalist, and diplomat. Whether you agreed with her politics or not, she was clearly a fascinating woman. You can learn a lot from her obituary.  She first used snit in her play, Kiss the Boys Goodbye. And even if she didn’t originate it, she certainly popularized it. That same site reports, “What she based snit on isn’t known, though it’s a splendidly sharp and echoic word that nicely evokes the spitting hissy fit of such a temper tantrum.” Thank you to @angelchrys for suggesting this bon mot.