The word “nice” is a dreadful cliché and often used to fill in awkward blanks in sentences, it is used as a lukewarm, noncommittal, and unconcerned interjection. The correct definition of “nice” is: agreeable, satisfactory, good-natured, or scrupulous. Some common misuses of this word are “That is a nice shirt”, “She seemed nice”, “It is a nice day”.
If someone comments on something you have or are wearing at a certain time and calls it “nice” you may well just have been insulted to your face! Slapped with a glove! Summoned to a chess game of the most dangerous nature! The term nice has the overall effect of eluding complimenting your article of possession at all, they have committed to vagueness, they have done the unthinkable, they have committed to the noncommittal. The alleged complimenter has not assessed the article of clothing or the possessed item of interest worthy of respectful contemplation or kind notice. Hence the offender has become bored and has dubbed it simply and unceremoniously “nice”.
If someone carelessly comments on a person and says he or she is believed to be “nice” you may as well walk away without another word. The person in question may be agreeable, good-natured and scrupulous but how “nice” a correct sum up of that? We may describe someone as being “dastardly, vicious, unthankful, scheming, rude, and unhelpful”, or we may describe them as being simply “bad”. We may describe a girl we admire as being “beautiful, virtuous, kind, sweet-tempered, compassionate, enrapturing, wise and witty”. Or simply and unceremoniously dub her “nice”. Unless you wish to cause the very english language to shrivel up and die in your mouth, for the sake of beautiful words, create meaning in what you say!
When someone says “It is a nice day” do they mean the day is a beautiful one? Do they mean it is a day to be nice on? Do they mean it is a day that promises niceties during it’s duration? As G.K Chesterton’s Father Brown once said, “People always answer what people mean, not what they say.” When a day is christened “nice” it is only supposed to be taken to mean that the speaker means to enjoy it and perhaps even do great things in it. But if we were to take the simple phrase “it is a nice day” at it’s literal meaning then we would have a very hard time indeed understanding each other.
In conclusion, to sum up, to call an end to, and to name “finis”: The little word called “nice” is over used and constantly put into places that are not it’s own. For the sake of clarity, meaning, entertainment, and sanity, I plead with you to use nice language. Which means, in short, to been scrupulous in your choice of words, create an agreeable and satisfactory communication, ad be good-natured in your distribution of vocabulary.
Have a nice day 🙂
Coffee and Cellos 