"vapourous mercantile rhetoric."

I've been talking to the kids about the value of a large vocabulary. Our text claims that the average American uses about 10,000 words and has some familiarity with another 30,000. I called one kid a misanthrope this week and turned around and walked away. When I looked back he was still puzzled. I asked the class if I had complimented him or insulted him. They made some wild guesses.

I need to use your phrase, "vapourous mercantile rhetoric.", also. And I need to put the words from Dad's favorite bumper sticker up on the board, "Eschew Obfuscation".