Attention Writers! Can We Make This a No “Veggie” Zone?

Write Like a Grown-up! The Correct Word is “Vegetable.”

So there I was, enjoying a delightful essay about why we all need to reconnect with nature.

Well I was enjoying it.

Until I got to this sentence:

Early spring meant getting veggie seeds going in small containers in the greenhouse.

No! No! No! No! No!

There is no such thing as a “veggie seed.”

There are, of course, vegetable seeds.

What’s wrong with the word “vegetable?”

Vegetable is a great word.

It’s lovely. Timeless. Elegant.

“Veggie” is a silly word, appropriate for use only by toddlers.

A grown-up should be able to say the entire word — “vegetable.” And yet? These days, everyone uses “veggie”!

Even the folks on NPR, who ought to know better.

And every time they do? I want to slap them.

Can you imagine Jane Austen using the word “veggie?”

Toni Morrison?

Ernest Hemingway?

Of course not!

They had the good sense to use a classic word like “vegetable” rather employing a silly little abbreviation.

And yet? Instead of following their lead, far too many contemporary writers have adopted the use of this nefarious word.

Writers! Would you please return to using the word “vegetable” instead of “veggie?” Vegetable is a great word. Why on earth would you want to dumb it down?

I’m on a mission to reverse this sad trend before it’s too late!

Who’s with me?

Writing Coach and editor-for-hire Roz Warren, who writes for everyone from the Funny Times to the New York Times, can help you improve and publish your work. Drop her a line at [email protected]. (That’s Ros with an “s,” not a “z.”)