Yo Momma-Has a Tremendous Vocabulary

SAT. What a horrible word. The lost hours that stupid test took from me will never be replaced, and the sheer embarrassment I felt looking at my math score will stay with me for the rest of my life.

By Jess

The English part of that standardized bullshit was easier for me than the mind numbing numbers sections, but a little thing called vocabulary kept me from getting a top score. Learning words that people don’t use on a daily basis wasn’t ever something I cared to do, but had I only known a few more nerdy terms, I could have hit the language jackpot.

Classless Education, a “collective of comedy writers and educators” have decided I’m not the only one who could use some vocab help. The group recently put out a book called The Yo Momma Vocabulary Builder, an “irreverent, educational” paperback that attempts to teach the finer points of language with some of the oldest jokes in the book.

“Your Momma’s so emaciated,” one sample joke goes, “she can hula hoop in a fruit loop!” The entry also includes the word origin, how to say it, and an explanation for today’s times. “Emaciated isn’t just skinny, it’s too skinny, unhealthy looking, skeletal. Think Olsen twins, supermodels, Gollum from Lord of the Rings, and Ally McBeal.”

Besides the fact that no one remembers—or cares about—Ally McBeal anymore, The Yo Mamma Vocabulary Builder sounds like an amusing way to learn bigger, better words. Will the majority of the jokes in there most likely be lame? Sure, but leafing through a Thesaurus is lamer.

…And listening to a tutor with giant coke glasses explain the meaning of pallid on a Friday night is even worse. My junior year in high school can attest to that.