Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor penchant for long and complicated words is well-known. On Sunday, he had an odd request from author Chetan Bhagat who asked the Thiruvananthapuram Member of Parliament (MP) to praise him using his characteristic "big words". Much to the delight of Bhagat, Tharoor obliged in no time and used the choicest of words -- "sesquipedalian" to "limpid perspicacity" -- making many users on social media scramble for their dictionary.
It all started after 64-year-old Tharoor took to Twitter and praised Bhagat for his article in the Times of India, titled "The youth need to shut their phones and ask about the economy". The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram termed Bhagat's opinion piece as "superb" and one with a "clear message".
"Superb piece by @chetan_bhagat on all that ails our country & what we should do about it. Chetan''s great virtue is the simplicity and directness of his writing. His message is clear & I hope his fans in the government act on it (sic)," tweeted Tharoor, a best-selling author himself.
Pleasantly surprised by the lavish praise from Tharoor, Bhagat requested the Congress leader to use "big words" to praise him.
"Ok I still can't get over this. The @ShashiTharoor has praised @chetanbhagat. I am floating. Just one request sir, next time can you use some big words to praise me, like ones that only you can do. Superb is nice but a big one would really make my day! (sic)" Bhagat tweeted.
Ok I still can’t get over this. The @ShashiTharoor has praised @chetanbhagat. I am floating.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) September 13, 2020
Just one request sir, next time can you use some big words to praise me, like ones that only you can do. Superb is nice but a big one would really make my day! https://t.co/UuRBwxEMYJ
Soon the diplomat-turned-politician replied, "Sure, @chetan_bhagat! It's clear you are not sesquipedalian nor given to rodomontade. Your ideas are unembellished with tortuous convolutions & expressed without ostentation. I appreciate the limpid perspicacity of today's column (sic)."
Sure, @chetan_bhagat! It’s clear you are not sesquipedalian nor given to rodomontade. Your ideas are unembellished with tortuous convolutions & expressed without ostentation. I appreciate the limpid perspicacity of today’s column. https://t.co/GI3mbnlion
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 13, 2020
The entertaining Twitter exchange gave way to a flurry of memes and hilarious tweets.
"Google is also unable to translate," tweeted one user. "Enjoyed this Shashi Tharoor. Chetan Bhagat can write another book titled 'The 4th Mistake of My Life'," another user added.
Many also asked if the Congress MP was talking for or against Chetan Bhagat.
Reading this gave me an existential crisis. https://t.co/fqcFCK9U94
— Nihal (@nihaleyy) September 13, 2020
I'm gonna use hetabhayint, tugsomuly and yulvshubhamigya in this tweet. These tough words mean nothing but my friends name hidden in them.@Abhayss121 @ThePrakharShukl @Nalayak_Beta_ https://t.co/gvakjzhSBK
— बेरोजगार Akshat Gupta (@akshatg8391) September 13, 2020
Can you please translate in English ? https://t.co/as3Ot2gUSz
— Rahul Choudhury (@Rahulchoudhury_) September 13, 2020
when I've to lenthen my essays https://t.co/GqyiwJJNef
— (@moon_pixie_) September 13, 2020
Oxford university press : https://t.co/aw7ylNosFp pic.twitter.com/DaRzzpvHWZ
— Abdul Quadir (@___iykwim___) September 13, 2020
Stupendous, exhilarating, bodacious & ostentatious riposte @ShashiTharoor @chetan_bhagat https://t.co/z82yefSZMJ
— Rahul Tiwari (@rahulraj712) September 13, 2020
For the unversed, 'sesquipedalian' means a word being polysyllabic, 'rodomontade' is boastful, 'convolutions' means complex, 'ostentation' means being pretentious, 'limpid' is clear and 'perspicacity' is to be shrewd.
In 2017, Tharoor’s tweet, with words like "exasperating farrago of distortions", made headlines and became the buzz word of the Internet. His latest book, aptly titled "Tharoorosaurus", is a collection of 53 such words, one from every letter of the alphabet
With PTI inputs