Poor Bridget. The world is a sad, sad place. If you look very closely, you can see one tear at the corner of her eye.  Every fiber of her being is Waxing Lachrymose. This is a term I first heard years and years ago, when I read Wuthering Heights for the first time. Bridget is milking her sorrow for all it’s worth; because it’s raining,she can’t go outside while I work on my edits.

Someone who is Waxing Lachrymose is given to shedding tears. Even just saying it to myself with great emotion is so satisfying. I imagine different scenarios for you to use this great phrase:

You Wax Lachrymose at the office, after the boss dumps a pile of work on your desk.

After a disastrous football game, your son tells his teammates: “Don’t Wax Lachrymose, fellas, we’ll do better next week.”

You say to the shoe salesman, after learning he’s out of your shoe size: “Dang it! I’m going to Wax Lachrymose all over you.”

You get the idea. Imagine how much more intelligent we’d sound if we used this phrase. Instead of road rage, how about if we just roll down the window and yell, “Waxing Lachrymose at you, Sir!”

Bridget doesn’t understand what she’s doing. She doesn’t know the rain (or my editing) won’t last forever.

I challenge you to use this word today in your daily life. Leave me a comment and let me know how it went. Spread the word.