2-15-04 Anxious/Eager

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="042d05a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Big Ring Media Team, Inc.</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Big Ring Media Team, Inc."><B>home</B></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="043d2123.jpg"> <div> Click on this link to return to <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Word Watch by Date">Word Watch by Date</A>.</div> <div> Click on this link to go to <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Word Watch by Subject">Word Watch by Subject</A>.</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>2-15-04 Anxious/Eager</I></div> <div> One of the words we see misused most often is “anxious.” Writers use “anxious” when they should use “eager” or something similar. “Anxious” means “filled with anxiety.” So when an advertiser says, “We're anxious for you to try our new XTL Widget,” they mean, “We're eager for you to try our new XTL Widget.” What they're actually saying, however, is, “The thought of you trying our new XTL Widget fills us with anxiety” - probably not the right way to sell widgets.</div> <div> We can be anxious to hear our test results. That thumping noise from under the hood can make us anxious. When it's midnight and the kids aren't home and they haven't called, “anxious” describes how we feel.</div> <div> In other applications, however, “anxious” is often the wrong word. It should be replaced. If “eager” doesn't work as a replacement, try “looking forward to” or “excited about” or “can hardly wait for.”</div> </td> </tr></table></body>