Decrepit - Creaking Along

I like Reggie from Chesterfield, Va., a 6-foot-5-inch, Lincoln Town Car-driving gent who called in this past weekend on Car Talk, the automotive-themed radio program on NPR. It wasn't Reggie's jovial voice punctuated by a slight Southern twang or that he's gotten a highly commendable 432,000 miles out of his 1995 Town Car. No, it was his use of decrepit.

Reggie called the show to mull aloud whether to take advantage of the "Cash for Clunkers" program or keep the car and its lifetime warranty on a complete engine replacement, labor charges included. One disadvantage to ditching the car would be finding a comparably roomy vehicle for his expansive frame. As he put it, his commute to work covers 65 miles each way and "within an hour I have to be able to stretch my left leg out because I'm old and decrepit and it cramps up really bad."

Reggie could have called his body worn-out, run-down or beat-up; he could have described himself as rickety or infirm, done-in or burned-out. But decrepit is a mighty fine term. Its Latin root crepāre means "to crack, creak, or rattle," according to the OED. Decrepit describes the state of being worn out or infirm because of age, long use, or neglect.

The term's noun form is quite a hoot, too: decrepitude. It sounds like being worn out but with conviction. It conveys more than a little creaky or shaky; it sounds like a roof ready to collapse in on itself if just one more splat of bird poop lands on it.

Maybe decrepit would be a more applicable descriptive for a car with more than 400,000 miles on its odometer. But Reggie clearly was attached to the old vehicle, praising the smooth ride it delivered compared to a more contemporary Navigator. When connected to age or long use, decrepit can sometimes convey a sense of endearment.

The Velveteen Rabbit eventually became decrepit with age and play in the classic children's book. But as the Skin Horse told him, "Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."