Diligent

It’s an onomotopaeier or whatever, but nobody knows it. It trudges along. It takes work. It’s harsh. It’s trite. There’s no flourish at the end, but it finishes with that nice, decisive “t.” And as compliments go, it’s one of my favorites, because there’s always the lurking suspicion that it’s backhanded — “He’s not the sharpest.” “No — but he’s diligent….”

Henry Quinn