Unequivocal — A Vocabulary Story
Yes or No, Grandma
Siriporn's family had a hundred ways of not saying yes and not saying no.
"Can I have more mango sticky rice?" she asked at Sunday lunch.
"We'll see," said her mum.
"Maybe later," said her dad.
"Ask your grandmother," said her Uncle Somchai, who was already reaching for the dish himself.
Siriporn turned to Grandma, who was the head of the table and the head of the family and the head of the mango sticky rice.
"Grandma," she said, "I would like an unequivocal answer. Yes, or no."
Unequivocal means leaving absolutely no doubt. It also means completely clear and impossible to misinterpret.
Grandma put down her spoon. She had lived for seventy-eight years and nobody had ever asked her for a straight anything. She looked at Siriporn with great interest.
"Well," said Grandma, "it depends."
"That's not unequivocal."
"Then perhaps," said Grandma, "if you have finished your vegetables..."
"Still not a yes."
Uncle Somchai had stopped chewing. Siriporn's cousins had gone quiet. Even the fan on the ceiling seemed to be listening.
Grandma leaned forward. For a long moment she said nothing at all. Then her face creased into a smile so wide it pushed her glasses up.
"Yes," she said, unequivocally. "Two spoons. Not three."
Siriporn held out her bowl before anyone could change their mind. Two spoons of mango sticky rice landed in it, golden and sweet.
"Grandma," said Uncle Somchai, holding out his own bowl, "may I also..."
"No," said Grandma.
That, everyone agreed, was about as unequivocal as it gets.
Word Definition
unequivocal
meaning
leaving absolutely no doubt; completely clear and impossible to misinterpret
synonyms
unambiguous · clear · unmistakable · definite · explicit
antonyms
ambiguous · equivocal · vague
example sentence
The scientist provided unequivocal evidence that the theory was correct.