This section serves to expand your regular vocabulary. What separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls, if you want to equalize things) is v o c a b u l a r y. We cannot stress this point enough. People who have a larger vocabulary have been shown to make more money and get promoted more often.

Z

zaftig

(pronounced ZAHF-tihg)

This unique word comes from German and Yiddish sources meaning juicy and succulent. Applied to a woman, zaftig is an adjective meaning pleasingly plump or having a full, rounded figure. Think it’s too esoteric? Look for it used in the media. It’s been out there lately.

Example: Lucky for the team presenting to win the monumental development project, they had brought Jill, a zaftig redhead who had an aura about her that commanded attention in quite a positive, impressive fashion.

zealot

Anything taken to extremes usually is not a good thing, so if someone calls you a zealot, take heed. The word signifies someone who is zealous (duh!), having a fervent passion or obsession for a person, a cause, or an ideal. In other words, a fanatic. Remember: It’s all about moderation…

Example: Though the firm needed the commercial office project, Debra politely declined the invitation to the interview. The company’s CEO had a reputation as a religious zealot, and if one didn’t share his views, then she knew that the client-designer relationship would be miserable.

zealux

(pronounced ZEH-luks)

This term is a fairly new compound word comprised of the words zealot and luxury. (If you don’t know what zealot means, see the definition entry above.) In other words, a zealux is a breed of person who is passionate about luxury living as it relates to design, products, clothing, travel, and an overall lifestyle experience. As more and more people have become increasingly wealthy in the past five years, the zealux population as grown.

Example: The moment Devon walked in the door of his potential new client’s townhome, he could tell she was a zealux. Prada slippers donning her feet, a fur throw draped across a sofa, and exotic flowers atop multiple surfaces.

Zen

(pronounced ZEHN)

This word permeated pop culture when the philosophical book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" was published in 1974. Zen is actually a branch of Mahayana Buddhism, which developed in China in the sixth century and later spread to Japan. It teaches that meditation and simple, personal reflection is the path to spiritual enlightenment and that preoccupation with material things and selfish desires often create discomfort and mental anguish. Current usage has transformed the word into an adjective describing anything with these qualities.

Example: Justin’s client had a very high-stress job as a neurosurgeon, so he created Zen interiors for her home, providing her a sanctuary that allows her to calm her mind after being on call and performing life and death procedures for hours at a time.