Sunday Rest: toxic. Word Not To Use Today Unless You Really Mean It.

Want to inflict a shrapnel wound on a sentence?

Then toxic is the word for you.

Ah, you may say, but isn't it a good thing that a word which describes something poisonous (or disastrous in the case of financial assets) packs such a punch?

Yes, it is, but the trouble is that toxic is beginning to pop up all over the place. An unpleasant person is now quite commonly called toxic, and so is a political message which reflects badly on a politician or party. 

At this rate toxic will soon be as weak and useless an idea as a de-tox.

And until then, frankly, it's giving unpleasant people and politicians an importance they seldom deserve.

Sunday Rest: toxic. Word Not To Use Today Unless You Really Mean It. This word comes from the Latin toxicus, from toxicum, poison, from toxon pharmakon, poison used on arrows.