Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OFFAL

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"OFFAL" Meaning: This word looks like "off fall" because offal is the bits and pieces that fall off of something. In other words, offal is the waste, the crumbs, or the little leftover pieces of stuff that you don't need. Figuratively, offal is useless stuff, worthless stuff, or garbage. Pronunciation: OFF ull (Depending on where you're from, you could say this exactly like "awful.") Part of speech: Usually an uncountable noun. (Like “milk,” “rice,” and “education,” uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about “some milk,” “the rice,” and “a lot of education,” but you don’t say “a milk,” “three rices,” or “many educations.” Likewise, talk about “the offal,” “such offal,” “a lot of offal,” “no offal,” and so on, but you don't usually say “offals.”) Other forms: You can use it like an adjective, too, and talk about "an offal thing" or "an offal person." But that seems rare. How to use it: Be careful when you call things or people offal--it's like comparing them to the parts of a slaughtered animal that may or may not even get eaten, or, less disgustingly, it's like comparing them to the little crumbly eraser bits that you have to wipe off your paper. So, talk about the offal of society, all the offal cluttering up the Internet or the television networks, political offal, verbal offal, the offal of the self-publishing industry, etc.  If you need a particularly insulting term for someone who accepts or consumes nonsense or garbage, you might use "offal-eater," keeping in mind that it's a very harsh insult (and one that I'd personally avoid.) Pigs and other animals that eat whatever garbage or leftovers we give them are literal offal-eaters, but figurative offal-eaters will accept any moral, cultural, literary, artistic, political, or intellectual trash they're given. It's kind of fun to dig through all the offal in the $5 DVD bargain bin. Some of the titles are hilarious. Some of my friends have the patience to sort through the offal at garage sales. I just don't. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "offal" means when you can explain it without saying "garbage parts" or "useless junk." Think of a radio station, a television network or show, a web site, or a store that you absolutely cannot stand, and fill in the blank: "Maybe I just don't get it, but everything on/in ____ is utter offal to me." Example: "Maybe I just don't get it, but everything on that talk show is utter offal to me, and it's hard to tune it out when it's playing on a waiting room TV." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, we're playing New Word Order! It's a card game that I recently created; it involves figuring out the order in which certain words and phrases entered our language. I'll give you several words and/or phrases, and you'll use your knowledge of history, slang, technology, popular culture, fashion, psychology, etc. to put them into chronological order. I'll post the right answer to each question on the following day. If you like this game, you can download and print it to play with your family and friends. (It's free.) Yesterday's task was to place "Kwanzaa" on this timeline:  Frisbee, 1957 Nanotech, 1987 The po-po, 1994 Answer: Frisbee, 1957 Kwanzaa, 1970 Nanotech, 1987 The po-po, 1994 Today, your new timeline looks like this: Multimedia, 1950 Origami, 1956 Sitcom, 1964 Try to decide where this term belongs on that timeline: "party animal." Special preview of next month's game: In December, we'll be sampling questions from Orijinz, an awesome series of games about words, phrases, and quotes. Click here or on the logo below if you want to go ahead and check them out! A Point Well Made: Eleanor Roosevelt: “I think I have a good deal of my Uncle Theodore in me, because I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on.” 1. The opposite of OFFAL is A. FINEST PORTIONS B. RAREST PIECES C. PRICIEST BITS 2. In a scathing review, it was said that the book will please only the _____ offal of society. A. unspoken B. barbarous C. elite Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B Exploring the archives: Today we're looking at a precise term for talking about things that are just the worst. You know, those things that are so, so bad. Words can't even describe how bad they are. No wait, they can! We can use these: abject, bane, debacle, egregious, lamentable, nadir, nefarious, pandemic, and rancid. Do you feel comfortable using each of these both seriously and jokingly? If not, consider having another look at them.