When some Oxford students heard that Rudyard Kipling, author of "The Jungle Book" and "Kim," earned 10 shillings per word, they sent him 10 shillings and asked for one of his very best words. Kipling replied with one word:
Wondering how best-selling authors of today would respond to a similar query, I sent the following letter to a selected list of celebrity writers and included a crisp, new $1 bill:
"I understand you get $1 for each word you write. Please find enclosed a dollar for one word."
Of the 30 writers queried, 15 responded. The first to do so was syndicated columnist Art Buchwald. On his letterhead stationary he typed the single word:
William F. Buckley responded rapidly with this brief, scribbled reply:
Norman Mailer enclosed two dollars with his letter, then added a short, typed note that read:
"You will get my silver-dollar word. It is:
holyhesh on July 12nd, 2018 at 22:37 UTC »
Turns out Issac Asimov was a massive troll:
PNEUMOCOCCUS
(which is defined as a bacterium that is a causative agent of pneumonia)
RichardStinks on July 12nd, 2018 at 22:09 UTC »
"Thanks" is a really good word and might be one of the best. Works in a lot of situations, can express a lot of feelings through tone, and it's always a good idea to show gratitude.
That's a better bargain than paying 10 shillings for something like "flywheel" or "penultimate."
Edit: Although I agree that the word "fuck" exceeds the amount of variety and usage that the word "thanks" does, I can't imagine getting a letter back from Rudyard Fucking Kipling that just says "Fuck."
nocontroll on July 12nd, 2018 at 21:31 UTC »
How much would a shilling be today? Like a pound? So did he get like 10 euros a word?
I have no idea obviously