With some words you don't need a dictionary, thesaurus or any paraphernalia like that because everybody just knows what you mean. Don't they? Surely they do. Surely that word is exactly what it sounds like, isn't it? What else could it be?

Well, it's a word that sounds a bit metallic, like stainless steel or something shiny. Equally, it could be a sparkly light, a flash or a flasher or simply something that's just broken. Then again there is the possibility that it's an atmosphere or sort of aura, either very expensive indeed, or something like a dark and dingy corner that someone is trying to give a bit of a lift. Looking at it another way perhaps it's the way a person talks, sort of show business like. Instead of saying that someone is talking with a plum in their mouth, which sounds all mushy and sloshy, it could be said that they are talking with diamonds or glitter in their mouth. That sounds more up-to-date, more like the word I'm talking about.

Perhaps I need to look that word up, after-all I don't want to look like a complete idiot now do I? Funny thing though; I just can't find it. It's not in the dictionary on my computer and it's not in any dictionary I've got at my disposal right now. Maybe it's an American word - it sounds a bit like an American word. No, I've altered the dictionary on my computer and I still can't find the confounded word. Oh my goodness, possibly it isn't a word at all; might well be that it doesn't mean what I think it means. Surely I ought not to use a word if I don't really know what it means, lest, in 20 years time it can't be read.

Now I'm being stupid, paranoid or something. It's just got to be a true word because I've heard it on the BBC, in a news bulletin, or documentary type thing, and, I've read it in the newspaper. Come to think of it, I haven't heard that word for sometime now. Even the BBC gets things wrong occasionally, so they could have been wrong. Maybe, somebody has told them, complained about its use, so they've stopped using it.

Peculiar though, how a word can come to life and then disappear just as quickly. Just like a flash. I wonder why?

The thing is, should I risk using that word now? Well, I can not really call it a word if it's not officially a word, but I'll have to, because what else can I call it for goodness sake?

Umm, I'm sure it's me being daft, it must be a word, it's probably one of those new words or perhaps an old word that is now defunct rather than dead. You know like kafuffle or should that be kerfuffle.

Actually, I don't know why I'm hesitating. What does it matter if it is a word or not because as I have already said, the first time I heard it I knew exactly what it meant.

But truly now, because I'm still not sure, can anyone out there tell me - 'ought one use the word 'b-l-i-n-g'?