1518 Beng Spenk

Ya gotta wonder about the English language sometimes—so many words that could have been but aren't. Take the word applause. I heard someone at a meeting the other day say, "Let's give the man an applause." I always thought applause was one of those plural words. Give the man some applause. Does that mean somewhere along the way we lost the singular of it. An applau?
The sound of one hand clapping...
Or think about the words we never got. We have the word "bank." We have the word "bonk." We even have the word "bunk." That was bunk that he was so bonked when he went to the bank.
Admittedly, "bonk" is one of those cartoon words comic book writers put in balloons when their characters hit someone.
But what about the other two vowels? Why don't we have the word benk b-e-n-k- ? Instead of having a bank you put money in and a bank of a river, why didn't we make a different word to avoid confusion? I went to the riverbenk.
Or even bink. We sort of use it in the nickname for a pacifier, the binky. But instead of banking the fire, one could be binking the fire. That way foreigners wouldn't think you have to take your fire to the bank when you want it to smolder.
Similarly, the words spank and spunk are the only variations of the s-p- n-k- family. There is no spenk, spink or sponk. And really, they would make perfectly serviceable words. Spanking a child shouldn't be confused with a spanking new product. How about a sponking new car? Or a spinking clean countertop?
I won't even get into the waste of the think thenk thonk thunk group.
I'm sure you'll thank me.
America, ya gotta love it.