Affinity - An affinity is a natural attraction to someone or something, or an inherent similarity between things. The nice thing about this word is it sounds like infinity, giving the feeling of a boundless connection.  Like LOVE. ♥ “She had an affinity for him from day one.”

Cosmopolitan - This is an incredibly useful word. It not only represents a person at home almost anywhere in the world, it also refers to a drink and a publication. I love it.  “She was so cosmopolitan she felt comfortable drinking a cosmopolitan while reading her Cosmopolitan on the terrace in Mumbai.”

Eschew – To eschew means to avoid or shun, usually in reference to an idea or concept rather than a solid object. I like the word because it makes me think of chewing something up and spitting it out. A very graphic image of rejecting something that might not be easy to illustrate. “I eschew intolerance at all costs!”

Maven – A maven is an expert, and so much more. A maven has style. And maven rhymes with raven, a mysterious black bird. “She’s the fashion maven everyone wants to know.”

Moxie - My grandmom drank Moxie soda, it was something we always picked up for her when we visited her in Boston, and I thought it was super-cool. I love it when people say I’ve got moxie: determination, initiative or guts. “What a dame! She’s really got moxie!”

Savvy - This word has a lot of moxie, just putting two Vs together like that. Not only that, it can be a noun meaning common sense, an adjective meaning shrewd, a verb ‘to savvy’ meaning to understand, or even an interjection to question if something is understood — see Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Carribean. That is a lot of multi-tasking from one little word, quite savvy. I’m very impressed, savvy?

Fiasco – It means a humiliating and complete failure. And with those vowels smashed together, it sounds like a train wreck to me. When you know the etymology of this word, it’s even better. As it sounds, this word has an Italian background. In Italy, it means a Chianti bottle — the kind with the straw wrapped around it. Apparently if you fail miserably in Italy, you “far fiasco,” perhaps something to do with how much Chianti you’ve had? It makes me think of a silly foreign comedy with a Fiat spinning out at the bottom a hill in some Italian village, and some angry housewife is shaking her fist at the couple that’s just driven through her clothesline!