Yet Another Shortcoming of the English Language

I have a bone to pick with English. I sould probably begin by conceding that it works pretty well. Many people speak it, and for the most part we understand each other well enough to function in our own country, and as a global society of English speakers. Though I suppose some would argue about how well we function.
Anyway, my topic today is the phrase, "least favorite." It probably sounds familiar to you. Ordinarily, you would use this phrase to describe something that is the opposite of your favorite. Maybe you are discussing flavors of ice cream. Your favorite might be rocky road, or burnt almond fudge. Your least favorite, though, would probably be that green tea ice cream you bought out of curiosity, opened eagerly after putting away the other groceries, spooned anxiously toward your already salivating mouth, then discarded after disgust and disappointment. That is your least favorite.
But think about those words. Your least favorite. Although it is least among your favorites, it is still making that list. Yes, the same list that begins with rocky road. Surely, green tea comes at the end, being your least favorite, but it is not taken off of the list. It is not put on an anti-favorite list. It is just your least favorite.
English has no other way of describing this relationship. You can't just say, "Which flavor is most repulsive? Which revolts you the most? Which flavor is highest on the scale labeled odious, heinous, abominable, reprehensible, disgusting, loathesome, or nauseating?" And why don't these convey what we want to convey? Because the opposite question would be asking which flavor is least repulsive. No one wants to know what flavor is least repulsive. They want to know which is your favorite.
Favor indicates personal preference. You have chosen your favorites. You are invested in them. Other descriptive terms feel objective, distant, cold in comparison. Sure, cake batter ice cream is "good," or "yummy" even, but it is not "favorite."
So what is the opposite of "favorite"? Certainly not "least favorite." Clearly, our language is letting us down. We need to be able to express our own personal dislike for things succinctly. As a complaint filled society, constantly gratifying ourselves and critiquing those products or services we consume which do not gratify completely or rapidly enough, how can we have failed to fill this gap in our collective lexicon?
I once heard someone at my school discussing a classmate that she found particularly annoying. These were her words: "He is my worst, my absolute worst!"
The delivery is important, as her emotion conveyed exactly the kind of assertion that I am discussing here. I hope the written form brings you the feeling I had when I heard her say this (Speaking of which, my feelings were first amused, then almost joyous. Not that I had ever thought this particular problem through before, but as soon as the solution arrived, I recognized its absence in my life up to that point. How very gratifying.). So perhaps this formulation fits the bill. After all, another person can't be your worst the same way that something you have created or performed can be ("That's my worst film yet," or "that is the worst lobster you have ever made me."). The phrase makes no sense if preference isn't involved. If someone or something is your worst but you are not responsible for its quality, then non-favorite status is implicit.
I don't think I will adopt the saying. I feel this would somehow cheapen the phrase, or jinx any possibility it might have of creeping into common use. Not that this is likely, but one can always hope. Keep your ears open.

janaemadsen (May 16, 2008 at 7:52 PM)  

Ice cream is always a favorite though. hmm....
I like the phrase "my worst" or you could just say "the worst."

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