I invented a new word
without intending anything.
My student spied it lurking in the geometry.
The word was obuste,
pronounced “o-boost,”
adjective.
To expose such a word
in a classroom setting
was obtuse
of me since obuste
connotes the adult
and not school appropriate.
As in typical meaning 1 …
something bodacious
yet at the same time busted.
Ex: “Monsieur, was your dalliance
with the Comtesse
satisfyingly obuste?”
Or typical meaning 2 ...
something irritatingly obvious
to all of us.
Ex: “Isn’t the fact
that we don’t want to study math
this late in the spring perfectly obuste to you too?
No matter.
The students loved it.
Even the quietest,
a girl who raised her hand ever so politely
to respond that yes, the two interior angles
were both obuste.
Obtuse

Illustration by Allen B. Thangkhiew
Posted On: July 5, 2025
