My Cool Excuse for Using Cool

I got hooked on using the word cool in my web pages, early in my web surfing experience. One of the first pages I read used the term and used the term profusely. (Unfortunately, I lost the URL, reminding me that sometimes paper is better than charged particles on a hard drive.) After thinking about it, I agreed that all of this World Wide Web stuff was indeed cool. In fact, it was cool at many levels. Go ahead and read the definition below. I got it from Penn State's Webster server and I believe it to be fairly up to date.

Now that I think about, there is really no excuse for me to use this evil word. I think that the more technical experience I gain, the worse my vocabulary gets. Excessive use of cool is just a symptom of my sickness. Slowly, my SAT English is being replaced with computer jargon. Liberal Arts majors will soon think of me as another international student. This is not very cool at all.

There is no excuse, I just do it anyway.

1cool \'ku, umlautl\ adj
[ME col, fr. OE co^-l; akin to OHG kuoli cool, OE ceald cold]
(bef. 12c)
1: moderately cold: lacking in warmth
2a: marked by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control 
2b: lacking ardor or friendliness 
2c of jazz: marked by restrained emotion and the frequent use of counterpoint
2d: free from tensions or violence 
3 -- used as an intensive 
4: marked by deliberate effrontery or lack of due respect or discretion
     
5: facilitating or suggesting relief from heat 
6a of a color: producing an impression of being cool; specif: of
     a hue in the range violet through blue to green
6b of a musical tone: relatively lacking in timbre or resonance
7 slang: very good: EXCELLENT
8: employing understatement and a minimum of detail to convey information
     and usu. requiring the listener, viewer, or reader to complete
     the message    -- compare HOT 10
-- cool-ish \'ku, umlaut-lish\ adj 
-- cool-ly also cooly \-'ku, umlautl-(l)e^-\ adv 
-- cool-ness \'ku, umlautl-nes\ n 
syn COOL, COMPOSED, COLLECTED, UNRUFFLED, IMPERTURBABLE, NONCHALANT
     mean free from agitation or excitement. COOL may imply calmness,
     deliberateness, or dispassionateness; COMPOSED implies freedom
     from agitation as a result of self-discipline or a sedate disposition;
     COLLECTED implies a concentration of mind that eliminates
     distractions esp. in moments of crisis; UNRUFFLED suggests apparent
     serenity and poise in the face of setbacks or in the midst of
     excitement; IMPERTURBABLE implies coolness or assurance even under
     severe provocation; NONCHALANT stresses an easy coolness of
     manner or casualness that suggests indifference or unconcern.  

2cool vi
(bef. 12c)
1: to become cool: lose heat or warmth  -- sometimes used with off or down
2: to lose ardor or passion 
~ vt
1: to make cool: impart a feeling of coolness to  -- often used with off or down 
2a: to moderate the heat, excitement, or force of: CALM 
2b: to slow or lessen the growth or activity of -- usu. used with off
     or down 
-- cool it: to calm down: go easy    
-- cool one's heels: to wait or be kept waiting for a long time esp.
     from or as if from disdain or discourtesy 

3cool n
(15c)
1: a cool time, place, or situation 
2a: a lack of excitement or enthusiasm: INDIFFERENCE 
2b: SELF-CONFIDENCE, SOPHISTICATION 
3: POISE, COMPOSURE  

4cool adv
(1951)
:in a casual and nonchalant manner