The Craft of Chewy Words

By Jamie Etheridge

In the beginning, was the word. Slurp.

Two syllables. Sounds like it is written. Onomatopoeic.

Slurp. Sounds dirty. Sounds like a mouthing, a bodily function. A wet sucking sound. A movement. Action.

The slope of the word charms me. The soft gentle glide of S, dipping down into the low lUr before landing with a flat thud against the hard, full stop of P. Splat.

Slurp is a word that never leaves you guessing. There is no ambivalence, the subtext is as clear as...