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