Woodlayson's Word of Whenever

syllogism: n. a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion (as in "every virtue is laudable; kindness is a virtue; therefore kindness is laudable")

The term can also be used more broadly to mean "deductive reasoning" or "a good argument", but to anyone who knows the intent of the word, using it thus may seem like ignorant misuse rather than intentional license.

Here's the thing. This word can backfire on you. It's one of those words that, while sounding real smart-like, can also come off as arrogant and elitist unless used seemlessly and appropriately in conversation. This can make it a difficult word to practice, unless of course you don't care what other people think, which you shouldn't...unless you really are arrogant and elitist, in which case you should listen to some damn criticism once in a while.

Anyway, the fun thing about this word is not so much using it as using it. How many opportunities are you really going to get to say the word "syllogism"? Not nearly as many as you'll get to actually form one as an argument. And that, friends, will make you sound smart without the unwanted side-effects. As a bonus, trying to come up with excuses to form syllogisms will actually get you thinking more analytically, if you cultivate the habit.