Word of the Month: Intimidate

W. Smith

Our word of the month for November is one we all know. As a verb “intimidate” can mean to make timid or fearful; to frighten; to coerce or inhibit by an overt or implied threat. Related words include “menace, terrify, spook, terrorize, threaten, harass, demoralize, force, disconcert.”

One might ask whether someone’s action can make someone else timid. I tend to think so because everyone’s psyche includes at least a speck of timidity that can be exploited. Besides, intimidate is based on Latin timidus, meaning, of course, timid and timor, meaning fear.

Other synonyms are cow, browbeat, bully – basically, words that mean to frighten into submission. I noticed that one of my favorite magazines recently had this statement on the cover, “There are no bullies – just children who bully, and you can help them.” I like that, and it might even be true for children, but some adults are bullies — and I suspect that we can agree that bullies can intimidate through blustering, domineering, or threatening behavior.

In my family we use a variation of our word. It’s “intimidator,” and we use the word in only one context. We are not a particularly fearful family, but when we’re on a freeway and a particularly large vehicle (maybe a Hummer, Escalade or Land Rover, for example) positions itself close to our car rear, we make sure our driver is aware of the intimidator behind us.

Why these drivers wield their weight so close I really don’t understand. Perhaps because they can is one answer. And another thought is that they like to intimidate. They have the might, the power, and enjoy using it to intimidate. I can hear some readers saying this writer is probably someone who drives below the speed limit. But my speed doesn’t seem to be a factor. I confess, though, that I do keep in mind the evidently forgotten guideline that a driver should have, for every 10 mph of speed, one car length as a gap between his car and the car in front of him or her. Can you tell that I feel intimidated in my 3000-pound car when a behemoth tailgates me? In fact, the tailing vehicle doesn’t have to be oversized, as evidenced by my stress level last week when a police officer was nearly kissing my rear as we drove 65 mph.

I’m told that some animals try to intimidate by exposing their teeth. If you pass me on I-10 and I’m making a grimacing face (or a familiar gesture of displeasure), please check your speed and car gap. And bear in mind that I feel very large.

Please submit your thoughts to [email protected]. Or send along your own special word with some comments that shed light on it to the same email.