“Fine” … what’s in a word?
I thought for a while this morning that I’m not crazy about the word “fine.” There are so many different ways to use the word. At first glance it seemed to me that many of them have negative connotations.
“Fine … I’ll do it!”
This usage is akin to saying “whatever”, “you’re annoying me’, or “I’ll do it to get you off my back.” You really didn’t want to do it or there wouldn’t have been resistance in the first place.
“You did fine!”
Okay. So it wasn’t the greatest. You didn’t do anything wrong, but you sure as hell could have done a lot better. Yes, your voice was shaking, you said “um” and “uh” a lot and you didn’t really get to the heart of the matter, but “you did fine!”
“I’m fine.”
If this isn’t the most over-used cop-out, I don’t know what is. No, you’re not. I can tell by your silence, body language and affect that you’re far from just ‘fine.’ I know, I know. Sometimes you don’t feel that you can “go there”. You might lose it. You might say something “wrong”. Believe me, I understand.
“You’re walking a fine line.”
WARNING! DANGER! You’re in a touchy situation. Proceed with caution.
However, these aren’t the only ways this word can be used, are they?
“What a fine day!”
This conjures up images of abundant sunshine, a light breeze, shimmering water, bursts of color, laughter, singing birds … absolute gloriousness!
“Fine china/dining/furniture/art.”
Along with this comes an image of craftsmen, chefs, artisans and artists utilizing tools of the trade, their own hands, high quality products and innate creativity to fashion beautiful things. There is a sense of sophistication and appreciation when ‘fine’ is used in this manner.
“Girl! You lookin’ FINE!!!”
This one has the capacity to result in a boost of self-esteem, while simultaneously producing a blush of self-consciousness.
“What a fine boy!”
He’s a good kid, with a good head on his shoulders, very kind and responsible. And of course, not too bad to look at either!
“Fine tendrils.”
I see the delicate seed stems of a dandelion at the end/beginning of its cycle. I see the wispy fingers of a sea anemone slowly waving back and forth on the floor of the ocean. I see wisps of hair dancing in the wind around a beautiful, smiling face. I see the fragile legs of a dragonfly supporting the segmented body and the translucent, multihued wings.
So why the dichotomy surrounding this fine word?
On one hand it is associated with beauty, sophistication, goodness and pleasantry. On the other hand it is linked to irritation, mediocrity, shutting down, and danger.
Either way, ‘fine’ is a word that tends to evoke a visceral reaction — a reaction that can span from one end of the spectrum to the other, from tightening of the chest to opening of the heart.
It turns out that one’s feeling toward this word depends upon both the context in which it is used and the emotional state in which one resides at any given moment.
In any case, I wish for you a ‘fine’ day in the most heart opening kind of way!
Thank you to Tracey Pharoah for her ‘fine’, intuitive editing, guidance and assistance!!
