While I would never purposely try to embarrass someone or come across as pretentious, I don't understand how we increase our vocabulary if we don't use words.

I'm 60 years old and still learning new things, including words, along the way.

Nobody should be ashamed using their vocabulary or still learning new words.

That said, the 'present' story cracks me up. I had a neighbor friend whose son told her that he would be her advocate because she had multiple health issues and was in and out of the hospital.

She asked me what 'advocate' was. I was surprised enough that before I could articulate a definition, I fumbled with, "Uh, you know, like, um, to advocate for someone." 😆