You know I love words! And today, I am exploring ways to describe something out of the ordinary. I realized there’s a whole bunch of words to choose from. “Out of the ordinary” has plenty of friends in the dictionary. There are words like “unusual,” “unique,” “remarkable,” and “exceptional.”

Then there is a whole bunch of words from the letter O itself! Like

• Odd
• Offbeat
• Original
• Off-the-wall
• Off-kilter
• Off-center
• Oddball
• Outlandish
• Off-key
• Off-the-beaten-path

In addition, there is “outstanding,” as well as “outlier!” Each of these words adds a little something special to your sentences, making them stand out from the everyday. Something out of the ordinary!!

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OMG! OGs or Out of the Ordinary! Or Outliers?

First Up, OMG!

OMG!! I think “OMG” might be the OG texting acronym! According to the OED, the abbreviation OMG, for “oh my God” (or gosh, or goodness, or your expression of choice) is old, compared to the texting era.

In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary tracked its earliest recorded use to a letter written in 1917 to Winston Churchill!

I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis—O.M.D. (Oh! My God!)—Shower it on the Admiralty!!

J. A. F. Fisher, Letter 9 September in Memories (1919) v. 78

While it’s not necessarily the very first acronym used in texting or online communication, it certainly has become one of the most widespread and enduring ones, gaining popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the rise of instant messaging and texting. But given its pre-texting existence, it can be considered the OG acronym indeed, don’t you think?

And now if you are wondering what OG is, then let us have a quick look at it.

OGs are Often Outliers: Out of the Ordinary Indeed

“OG” is a slang term that stands for “original gangster.” It originated in the hip-hop culture and was used to refer to someone who is respected or has a high status within a particular group or community, especially in street culture.

However, over time, its usage has expanded beyond its original meaning and is now used to refer to someone who is experienced, authentic, or just generally respected in their field. It is now a sign of high respect, so if someone has referred to you as the OG anything, then consider yourself honored!!

A Bit About Outliers

“Outliers” typically refers to data points that are significantly different from other data points in a dataset. In statistics and data science, they are often considered to be observations that lie outside the overall pattern of a distribution and may have unusual characteristics or behaviors compared to the rest of the data.

In a broader sense, the term “outliers” can also be used in various other contexts, such as in discussions about people, places, or events that are out of the ordinary.

I love Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers: The Story of Success.” In this, the term is used to describe individuals who have achieved extraordinary success despite their circumstances or background, often through a combination of talent, hard work, and unique opportunities.

Not so Ordinary Books!

One Last Word

Other Words for Home

Out of Wonder

Songs and Names Quite Ordinary (A Little Extra-ly So)

One and a Two and I Love You

For NaPoWriMo’s Day 17 prompt and dVerse Poetics conversational poem prompt.

NaPoWriMoPrompt: Write a poem that is inspired by a piece of music, and that shares its title with that piece of music. Need an example? Here’s A. Van Jordan’s “Que Sera Sera” and Adrian Matejka’s “Soave Sia Il Vento.”

dVerse Prompt: Write in the style of Maggie Smith and incorporate conversational mode of address in your poems. Pour out the first thought, the first thing that comes to mind and let the words take you forward.

I picked Tony Brent’s song ‘One and a Two and I Love You‘ for a couple of reasons. First, the letter O, and second, this is one of the first English songs I learnt and while I am not sure how or where my dad learnt this one, I recall him singing it from so so long ago too, right when I was a tot itself.

One and a Two and I Love You
When I hear you,
Anytime and every time I do,
I remember.
The memories, they blast me
Well, come at me gently actually!
I hear my dad singing your lyrics
I hear his voice in you,
And I am all of ten again,
learning the words just a little bit wrong then.
Until I heard you all over again,
all grown up, yet still that child within.
When I hear you, you see
My dad is back with me!
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

Not Ordinary At All

The Indian name(s) from O for you are

• Ojal (meaning vision)
• Om (a symbol and sound considered a sonic representation of the divine in Hinduism and other religions too)

The Bollywood song(s) for you for O

An Older Classic: O Mere Sona re Sona re Sona from Teesri Manzil

A Not so Old (or Maybe Kind of)

And a modern number

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, do let me know if you have read any of the books listed today? Which book would you pick first? Will you attempt a poem today? Do share any book recommendations, poetry you loved or wrote, and of course, all and any thoughts on this post.

I am linking up to A-Z, Blogchatter, UBC, NaPoWriMo

And you can find all my A-Z posts (this year and previous years’ as well) here:

A to Z Challenge Posts