Saturday, December 4, 2010

A Class Act




A few days ago I asked my wife if she noticed that over the last few years I had become a classy guy. The “are you kidding” expression gave away her answer so I went on to point out some obvious clues she must have missed.

“Do you recall the two week search in every store for my favorite shampoo? I finally found it and it’s now labeled ‘classic.’”

“So?”

“Well, I’m wearing classic fit jeans, classic tennis shoes, classic button down shirts and classic briefs. In other words, I’m a classic from head to toe.”

With a look of pity, she says, “Classy and classic are not the same thing – go look it up.”

So I turned to my classic Webster hardback dictionary, the one with the onion skin pages, and read that classy means “of high quality, stylish, elegant”. That’s exactly what I was talking about.

Then I read that classic, among other things, means “an article, as of clothing, unchanging in style.” I guess that means I’m reliable.

I go back to my wife, now walking with a bit more swagger, and tell her what I found in Webster.

She patiently explains that classic really means old, out of date, unchanging and in a rut. “They only continue producing the stuff you like because you won’t give up.”

“ OK, I’m going to go out and buy some faded jeans with pre-made holes, a silk muscle shirt and some ‘new age’ boxer shorts – then we’ll see who’s classy.”

Her last comment on the subject was, “That’s scary. Maybe you should just stay with the classic look.”

I consider that a win.

A. Reader

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