WTNTBUMO: "Curses and Blast!"

Well alright, these WTNTBUMO entries are going to have a bit of an "old British" -ness about them, but that's just how it's gonna be, ok?

"Curses and Blast." I can't think of a better way to exclaim frustration, anger, or general displeasure over a situation while at the same time exhibiting a level of...well, a level of something.

"Curses and blast! Foiled again! Now my evil plan involving mutated prawns and a giant spatula will never see the light of day!"

The two words also work separately. "Curses! I appear to be on fire!" "Blast! My arm's come off! Would you pick it up for me? There's a good lad."

I seem to remember a scene in one of the original Star Wars movies in which Luke Skywalker says "Blast!" to express frustration at something, but I can't remember exactly where it is in the movie. I remember thinking it was an awkward line, but then again, we are talking about the Star Wars movies...not known for their natural-sounding dialogue. Ahem. I'll just point out again that any director who makes Samuel L. Jackson act like a piece of wood needs to seriously rethink some stuff...

But I digress. The point is that "Curses and Blast!" is a great exclamation, and you should use it more.

New Feature: Words That Need To Be Used More Often

In the same spirit as my "English Usage That Annoys Me" (EUTAM) series, I present Words That Need To Be Used More Often (WTNTBUMO). Ok, the acronyms are a bit out of control...

Today's entry: Whilst.

Wiktionary thinks it sounds "pedantic or pompous." I don't know. I just like it.

I mean, which sounds better:

I am eating a sandwich while driving my hovercraft around the lake, or

I am eating a sandwich whilst driving my hovercraft around the lake?

Whilst. Use it wisely, and often. Let's bring it back.