Funny Words | Cup of Jo

We typically feature parenting content on Mondays — exhibit A, exhibit B — but something made me laugh so much this weekend, I wanted to share…

In an Instagram reel, comedian Rachael Burke tries to spell the last name “Smith” clearly: “Oh, yes, my last name is S as in stool sample, M as in mmmmm yum yum yum, I as in Ichabod Crane the Headless Horseman…”

Have you ever done this?

I was once blanked on a call and said, “G as in…a word that starts with G?” My friend Jon spells his name, “Jerk Oyster Nerd,” which always gets a good reaction. And a reader named Natasa had a wise idea: “I’m safe with city names.”

As for an embarrassing one? “When calling J.Crew customer service, I said ‘N as in nipple,’” wrote a Cup of Jo reader named Ashley. “I immediately hung up.”

If you’re curious, the NATO Phonetic Radio Communications goes like this: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

Maybe worth memorizing? Although it’s definitely less hilarious. Tell me your random words!

P.S. Annoying words, and what vocab words are you into?

(Top photo from Bridesmaids.)