“I just love the word ‘asymptote’. I mean, how many words have ‘m-p-t’ in them?”
– John, after just having used “asymptotically” in a sentence at lunch with Dave

“Um… ’empty’?”
– Dave, John’s best-work-friend (or work-best-friend, or… whetever), after about five seconds of thought

“Okay, other than that one…”
– John, somewhat embarrassed

“Scrumptious?”
– Dave, again after about five seconds of thought

“Okay, okay…”
– John, giving in

“My name is Humpty, pronounced with a Umpty…”
– Dave, singing, refusing to accept my surrender

“Okay, so anyway, as we were saying…”
– John, dragging the conversation back on track

Dave nods to acknowledge that we can continue the conversation and abandon the hunt for “m-p-t” words

“You’re still thinking, aren’t you…”
– John, after another five second pause, exasperated but laughing

“Verklempt?”
– Dave, now laughing as well, secure in his total verbal domination of the moment