A young person of my acquaintance used this word frequently when she was about six years old. At dinner with friends--mostly adults except for this child--I was talking to someone else, but suddenly there was a noticeable silence to my left. I thought some awfully tactless thing must have come out of her mouth, but it turns out someone had asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she said "A paleontologist." The stunned silence was because none of the adults knew what a paleontologist is and didn't want to admit it in front of the six-year-old.
That's funny, karmic--I wanted to be an astronomer for many years, until I discovered that I needed to know a lot of math. ;-)
I've always always wanted to be one but am not good enough at science. When I was little I learned how to spell it to impress adults and teachers.
At the time I was living in the South, actually, but the conversation took place elsewhere.
Unless you were in the South, where a paleontologist is considered a tool of Satan.
The Best Paleontologist Story Ever. :-)
I love this story.
A young person of my acquaintance used this word frequently when she was about six years old. At dinner with friends--mostly adults except for this child--I was talking to someone else, but suddenly there was a noticeable silence to my left. I thought some awfully tactless thing must have come out of her mouth, but it turns out someone had asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she said "A paleontologist." The stunned silence was because none of the adults knew what a paleontologist is and didn't want to admit it in front of the six-year-old.
This is the first big word I remember learning as a little kid.