It’s amazing (and disconcerting) how word meanings are so drastically affected by first impressions. I remember the first time I read the chat abbreviation “lol”. “What does that mean?” I thought. “Lots of love maybe?” I have no idea why I thought that per se, but ever since, even though I learned the correct meaning of the abbreviation thirty seconds later, I still hear the phrase “lots of love”.

Sad, I know.

Condone is another of those words with which I got off to a bad start: I initially thought it meant something along the lines of condemn. It sounded similar anyway. It turns out, however, that condone means nearly the exact opposite of condemn.

I still have trouble with condone, having to remind myself every time I hear it that it means the exact opposite of my gut reaction.

And that I do not condone… Or I do.

No, I don’t.