This is a man who knows how to RICK.

The title of my recent post "I don't care what people say, Rick and roll are here to stay" uses "Rick and roll" instead of "rock and roll," implying that rick could be used as a verb, as in, "Let's rick and roll!"

This made me think of the classic Wug Test developed by psycholinguist Jean Berko Gleason in 1958, which measures children's acquisition of morphological rules (e.g. ability to form regular plural and past-tense forms of unfamiliar words) through the use of nonsense words and illustrations. The test takes its name from one of its least interesting pseudowords -- wug for a bird-like creature -- but my personal favorite has always been the man who knows how to RICK.

How badass is that? Even if he weren't ricking in the picture, you just have to look at his face to see that this is a man who knows how to rick. He ruck yesterday, too. He probably ricks all the time and doesn't even think twice about it. This guy is cool; and by cool, I mean totally sweet.

Now take a look at these losers who only know how to loodge and spow. Who would you rather hang out with? It's an easy choice, if you ask me.

Look at him. He loodges every day. People don't think anyone will know, but over time it starts to show in your physiognomy. And check out how full of himself that other guy is. He's spown a time or two without spilling his coffee everywhere, and suddenly he thinks he's Salvador frickin Dalí! Don't be these schlubs. Be the man who knows how to rick.

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For those who never took Intro to Linguistics, a quick overview of the Wug Test in all its glory -- with plenty of Jean Berko Gleason's inimitable illustrations! -- can be found in this TEDx talk by Dr. Simon West, with the delightful title "He Is Ricking. He Did The Same Thing Yesterday."