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immaculate
ih-MAK-yuh-luht
- 01Understand
- 02Hear
- 03Distinguish
- 04See it used
- 05Choose how it lands
Perfectly clean, neat, or free from fault.
It says something survived close inspection, so it works for a kitchen, a set of records, and an alibi alike.
Clean means nothing is dirty. Immaculate means somebody looked closely and still found nothing to point at.
conversation“He turned up immaculate at seven in the morning, which told me he had not been to bed.”
work“Her paperwork is immaculate, so when she says a file is missing I believe her.”
thought“The plan was immaculate on paper and I had no idea who was going to do any of it.”
You want to renegotiate a supplier's rate in front of the colleague who chose them.
Meaning held still: Keep the praise real while opening the conversation about price.
“The work is immaculate. That is why I want to talk about what it costs and not about who does it.”
It lands as: Makes clear the complaint is not about quality, so nobody has to defend the original choice.
Tradeoff: Strong praise can make the price sound justified, which weakens the case you are about to make.“No complaints about the work at all. The rate is the problem.”
It lands as: Splits the two issues in one line so the meeting stays on money.
Tradeoff: No complaints is thin praise, and the person who chose them may hear it as faint.“They deliver. I still want to see two other quotes.”
It lands as: Keeps the credit short and moves straight to the practical next step.
Tradeoff: The brevity can read as a decision you have already taken privately.Watch for: Immaculate is an absolute. Nothing is slightly immaculate, and spending the word on ordinary tidiness leaves you nothing to say when it is deserved.
First met in The Visitor at Midnight. Saving keeps that example with the word.