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  • Writer's pictureCourtney Tink

Definition: Pseudo-Smart

Pseudo-Smart: Yes you're one of them too!

Pseudo-Smart:

a. [sju-doe-sma-t]

To have a below average to basic understanding of a concept, topic, person, animal etc. but enough information to appear far more knowledgable on said subject.

For example: "She scanned the paper and read the highlights to appear pseudo-smart at the party."


Let me break this down for you: being Pseudo-Smart is something every single one of us experience at one time or another in our lives. It doesn't mean you're dumb or lack anything, it just means that someone is discussing a topic you know very little on. For me it's cars! Throw me poetry, art, literature, celeb-children, abnormal animals or series and I'm your girl (actually could we organise that somebody does actually throw me these things? Yes? No?), but discuss cars and I don't get it. It just doesn't compute (like mathematics) so I asked my grandmother (who knows a lot about cars, she was a stock car racer at some point) for some tips and now I can tell you about spoilers, emission smoke, and a couple other things, but that's it. It's enough for me to join a conversation, hold it for a millisecond and change subjects quickly. It doesn't mean I lack anything, it just means that when interests were being handed out, I just did not get motor vehicles.


I think a nicer way of thinking about Pseudo-Smart would be: preparing yourself for small talk at any given function.


Thoughts?



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