Perrr-fect

“Hi, I’m Jessika, and I’ll be taking care of you. What can I get for you?”

I’d like water and the tuna poke bowl.

“Perrrrfect.”

“Would you like wasabi on the side?”

Yes, please.

“Perrrrfect.”

At some point, did the meaning of the word perfect get quietly rewritten? What if I had said no, I do not in fact want the wasabi on the side? Would that also be Perrrrfect?

I know it’s just a breezy stand-in for okay, but I wonder, given the actual meaning of the word perfect, is it also approval?

Merriam-Webster.com, tells us that perfect is an adjective, a verb, and even a noun. And okay is also a noun, so technically it is a legit substitution. Still, even after a few years of hearing perfect used this way, my brain reverts to the original definition. Perfect, to me means flawless.

The perfect word to describe a perfect moment.

The perfect place to watch a perfect sunset.

So, when the server responded Perrrrfect to my wasabi preference, my mind translated it as: flawless choice.

As I ponder this particular words variation, it occurs to me this is a generational shift in real time. The next generation is re-defining words and their meanings, based on their life experiences, as they see things. They are leaving their mark on our language, altering the very meaning of words, as every generation does.

And honestly, that is how it should be.

It is, in fact, perfect.