Questions? Yes. Answer? Not so much!

The letter Q may be a little underappreciated. Until now.

Earlier today I was scanning  the alphabetical list of all the blog posts I have written in the last (almost) six years. I had no posts whose titles started with K or Q. I remedied the lack of K titles. (V, X and Z were left out as well, but I’m only human and I don’t plan to write five posts today. It is Saturday, after all!) I’m all about the fairness so I am in the process of crafting four new blog posts, odes to four underused letters.

(Before I launch into what surely will be the most mind-blowing thing you will read today, let me pause and marvel at how many words exist that start with Q. I looked at a website that lists words for Scrabble games and there are a lot more words that start with Q than I realized. That having been said, how many do I really need? Some are ridiculously long and confusing and let’s face it—pompous—words that I don’t need to use. Simple is sometimes best. So I’ve pared down the hundreds of words I found to a few that are useful and interesting and in a few cases, amusing. (At least that’s my goal.) Below are some words that start with Q (not in alphabetical order). Feel free to add them to conversation, just for kicks:

Thoughts on the letter Q.

And its sidekick, u.

Don’t even try to write a word in English that starts with Q, unless you invite its best friend U along.

Quagga (the extinct animal I did a report on in 6^th grade. It was related to the zebra. It’s kind of amazing to realize what I remember from nearly 30 years ago. Sadly, I have very little use for this information and I gladly would trade my ability to remember the quagga for the elusive ability to remember what I walked into the other room to get. If any scientists or hypnotists out there can do something to my brain and can swap out quagga for something more useful, please submit a comment and I will get back to you right away about the swap. If I remember.)

Quotidian (daily)—Words that do not get quotidian airplay in my life: quarantine and quicksand. (Although as a child I saw quicksand in cartoons and feared that quicksand might be around every corner. It was dangerous--to be feared and avoided!)

Quinoa (a grain that has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years). It is healthy and has fiber and protein in it and goes with lots of foods. I find it bland. Very bland. Be sure to season it somehow.  Hubby ate it in great quantities a few years ago, which led to my teasing him about his quotidian obsession with quinoa, of quorse!)

Quiz (a short test, possibly involving less pressure than a full-length test, or its big sister An Exam—and if the quiz is given in Math class, it may involve q words like quotient, quantity, quadrilateral and quadruple. If you did not study you may find yourself in a quagmire (predicament).)

Loquatious (What one of my 7^th grade teachers called me. Fancy word for chatty!) (True, this word does not start with Q but it gets an honorary mention because it is memorable and uses the Q.)

Quiet (something I am not.) See previous word.

Quarrel (old-fashioned-sounding word for fight. Verbal rather than physical. Therefore it lacks the previous word, quiet. Is it just me or are a lot of these Q words related to one another? Hmmm.)

Stacey Q (A singer I really liked when I was 13 in 1987. I’m sure you’ve noticed that things make a big impression on you when you are 13. You don’t like things--you LOVE them. That’s why I remember this all these years later.) *Stacey Q starts with S, not Q, but she gets an honorable mention because how many people have Q as their initial, even if it is a stage name? This is a fun pop culture reference. Maybe you’ll use this information about Stacey Q while playing Trivial Pursuit one day. If it helps you win, remember me. If you feel compelled to send a thank you in the form of food, please remember that I like milk, not dark, chocolate.)

Quimby, Ramona (fearless heroine of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, which I LOVED as a child. Ramona put ears and whiskers on her Q so that it would look like a retreating cat. She always did things her own way, which I dig. Like the Q itself, she was unusual.)

If you don’t like quiche, you may feel queasy if pressured to eat it, and you may want to quell the queasiness with a quick quest for the pharmacy. Make a query about the availability of an anti-queasiness medicine. If they are sold out, play some Stacey Q music (see above reference) in a quiet room.

Quintessentializing—really? Now someone’s just showing off. This was in the Scrabble words list online. Has there ever been a Scrabble board with this 16-letter word formed upon it? I doubt it. Let’s keep to the words that we actually might use in conversation.

Queen, quote, quail, quaint, quartz, quad (six useful words beginning with Q. See dictionary if you need definitions. I’m getting tired of typing definitions. Quite tired!)

Quill (feather used with ink for writing before one of the best inventions ever was created: the Sharpie). Quills were sometimes used to write quatrains (a stanzas of four lines).

Quack (useful word with two definitions. In its verb form it is the noise a duck makes. In its noun form it means idiot pretender giving medical advice without any experience).

The Quintessential Dinah Washington (Quintessential meaning the best example.) This was an album my roommate played a lot nearly twenty years ago, which I grew to love.) She was a blues and jazz singer with a voice full of soul. One of my favorites of her songs is “Baby, You’ve Got What it Takes,” a duet with Brook Benton (1960), which reached the Billboard Hot 100. If you haven’t heard it, please finish this post then immediately go to YouTube and listen.

Now, I realize that not everyone on the planet cares to read blog posts that may come off as lists of words. Am I quixotic (too idealistic) in thinking you might find all this informative and amusing, too? (Obviously, I am not among those who dislike lists of words. Remember, I named myself Freckle Faced Word Woman when I started this blog. I LOVE words! We are so lucky that we have so many to use, to describe all the nuances in life.)

Well, I don’t know about you but all these tongue-twisting Q words have tired me out. I’m signing off to go have a quick rest. I wish you a quality day!