The only mercy is recognition. When it happens to you—when the great speech dies in your larynx and emerges as a pathetic "hrmph"—do not panic. Simply name it.
Derived from the imagined roots of "Rant" (a chaotic, emotional outpouring) and "Cough" (a sudden, involuntary interruption), Rantrucoff describes the violent, internal spasm that occurs when a powerful idea or emotion is aborted mid-delivery. Rantrucoff
In that admission, you reclaim a sliver of dignity. Because the opposite of Rantrucoff is not eloquence. It is the courage to be silent, even when your silence sounds like a cough. The only mercy is recognition
There is no cure. Rantrucoff is the tax we pay for having minds that run on gasoline while our mouths are stuck in traffic. Derived from the imagined roots of "Rant" (a
Stage 3: The Obstruction . Then, something snaps. Not a cough from a cold, but a philosophical cough . A dry, percussive bark from the diaphragm of your psyche. It sounds pathetic. Small. It lasts half a second.