When two people reach a verbal impasse, they’re forced to exchange words. This ritual dates to the days of wampum, when chiefs from warring tribes chose not to deal in barter, but rather, rhetoric. Centuries later, the so-called word exchange is one fraught, especially for those caught up in the daily torture of playing Wordle.
Those who confuse word exchanges with casual conversation are in for a big surprise. There’s a way to do this. You can’t use just any words in a formal exchange of this magnitude. Especially with crowds forming around each party. It often turns into a duel of wits. You have your word, they have theirs. Now, you could try and exchange it at the same time, or with the help of a third party to keep things civilized.
Most people find that cursing, swearing, or a strung together barrage of insults works quite well. What most people fail to recognize is that in a proper word exchange you are giving the word to the other person. So while you might think that using a four-letter word helps your cause, it’s literally fuel for their attack. This is why during the toughest exchanges between two worthy adversaries, the exchange quickly degenerates into a guttural display of grunts and primitive gestures. Syllables are diminished along with brain cells.
How does it typically end? Like a game of cricket, it can go on for days, with nearly as much fanfare. But one party, beaten and crestfallen, tends to haul off and hit the other person. Which usually ends the exchange. At least until the authorities arrive on the scene demanding a verbal statement.
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