A Certain Something

This is just a blithering blog blindly betwixt a barren bowl of brainy boredom and a brash and bashful blathering. Which is to say I'm kind of sleepy and so unable to resist the urge to type things on the Internets as usual, it happens. Click here to finish reading this mess...

This struck me as funny. Possibly hilarious, actually, but due to the deep shame acquired by admitting that I found it hilarious, I'll stick with "funny". What I'm saying here is that I'm the only person in the world this will really amuse, don't associate my mental inanity with my compatriots, whom I assure you are entirely upstanding citizens, with strong roots in the community.

Allow me to tell you a story. This story is not necessarily true. Though I'm of the opinion that it is not only likely, but also unsurprisingly so.

One day there was a person, he or she was French. Or, perhaps, if not French, at least possessed of some knowledge of a language that one could not be maligned for calling French.

This person, whom we'll call Marie, was speaking to someone else.

Marie: He's *so* awesome.
Someone Else: Totally.
Marie: I can't even describe it. He's just like, oh-my-god, I don't even know. There's just something about him. A certain something!

Now, reader, you could be forgiven for finding no great kernel of literary genius in Marie's words. Nor in mine, for that matter. Marie was, quite honestly, unable to due proper, poetical justice to her subject (we'll call him Louis).

Now here's where the magic happens. At some point in the future, Someone Elser is speaking to Someone Evenmore Elser. Listen closely, and (more importantly) read the following:

Someone Elser: He's *so* awesome.
Someone Evenmore Elser: Totally.
Someone Elser: I can't even describe it. He's just like, oh-my-god, I don't even know. There's just something about him. A certain je ne c'est quoi!

See? Look! Crazy right? Here's another similar duo, having much the same conversation. But, whoa, this time with class! Style! Lookit them purty words! Someone Elser pulled off a bit of a verbal ballet there in the end eh? All, just by swapping "a certain something" for "a certain je ne c'est quoi!"

So, thinking of myself as somewhat of a good word person, I recently used this same phrase. A phrase that, I might add for the slower among you, is IN FRENCH. French, by the way, being ANOTHER LANGUAGE ENTIRELY. What does this mean? It means I'm smart. Plus also fancy.

So today I realized I didn't actually know what the phrase meant. I was pretty sure it meant, oh I dunno, inner light. Or maybe the Autobot Matrx of Leadership; Optimus Prime totally has a certain je ne c'est quoi. I'll admit that as I looked the phrase up, I became slightly apprehensive, frowning at its individual, worrisome parts making up the phrase.

So. Yeah. Je ne c'est quoi apparently means "A certain something". By now, I imagine you saw that coming. Or you knew that going in, and you just came here to laugh at my French inabilities.

Fair enough.