Word Freaks's topics - tribe.net

Carney Talk

2009-10-30T03:47:18Z

Looking for people that speak Carney?

posted in Word Freaks - 10 replies

Possible origin of the word 'Dildo'

2009-10-25T05:31:10Z

I came across this (http://www.oddee.com/item_96646.aspx) when perusing various pages on the oddee site (which has lots of odd stuff). As far as I can tell there is no conclusive answer to the word's origin, but I quite like this explanation:

Quote-
The word dildo was not actually used until the Renaissance period, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, but one fanciful explanation of its origin was a small elongated loaf of bread flavored with dill, thus “dilldough.”

One writer in the renaissance period referred to the popularity of dildos imported from Italy:
You ladies all of merry England
Who have been to kiss the Duchess' hand,
Pray, did you not lately observe in the show
A noble Italian called Signor Dildo? ...

A rabble of pricks who were welcomed before,
Now finding the porter denied them the door,
Maliciously waited his coming below
And inhumanly fell on Signor Dildo ...

- Unquote

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

Specificity of definition

2009-10-21T15:40:07Z

I am a member of another forum, ; the topic of cheating came up and
some say it is not Justifiable under any circumstances others say it is.
here is my take, "Justifiable" means a good reason or acceptable excuse, where as rationalize" means
a reason or excuse probably good, probably not.
Question, are there terms that would be better than Justify or rationalize, for such
discussions of actions of ambiguous social condonement?
Doesn't need to be cheating, just anything, like killing, lying, theft, cheating "financial",
embezzling, malfisience, or poltical deception?
Thanks, for expanding my proper use and word power.

Randy

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

M.E. = Modern Era? As in B.C. and C.E. ...am I making this up?

2009-10-19T04:45:10Z

I was under the (mistaken?) impression M.E. could be used as a non-religious substitute for A.D.

Y'know, like B.C. Before Christ A.D. After Death at the end of the given calendar year?

Unfortunately, I'm not finding any trace of it's existence outside of my own mind.

: /

posted in Word Freaks - 8 replies

Please Help name our organization

2009-10-19T01:33:23Z

Help name our organization

What is the one obstacle, to getting better laws passed in the U.S.?

Why is it so difficult to improve legislation on financial issues, health issues, credit card gouging, environmental, consumer fraud and on and on?

It is because we allow huge corporations to contribute vast sums, to our politicians election campaigns.

If we want change, in all most any area, we must stop the millions of dollars that corporations are sticking in politicians pockets!

The only way we can accomplish this is to work together to get the law that makes this possible repealed.

If we are willing to give some of our time to this effort, we can get this changed.

So what do you think we should call our organization! Any ideas?

I think we can come up with something more clever then
End corporate funding of politicians. E.C.F.O.P.

Any ideas?

posted in Word Freaks - 6 replies

Did James Joyce choose freak words or not?

2009-09-19T02:10:05Z

--- Buffalo Bill shoots to kill,
Never missed nor he never will.

Ulysses p 608

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

Complements of the day

2009-09-03T10:30:58Z

"Complements of the day"

Someone actually sent me a message on myspace with this as the subject line. I'm guessing he meant "compliments." Now, the question is if I should tell him or just ignore.

posted in Word Freaks - 18 replies

how do you spell...

2009-09-03T10:18:15Z

How do you spell "a" or "ehn"... (Obviously I don't know how to write it so ...)

For example when you ask, "Hey, how was that movie?" and the askee shrugs their shoulders and replies, "Eh", meaning not good, not bad, just so-so, take it or leave it. "Eh."

But it's not "eh" to my ears, it's more like a short a and there's an n in there. Is there a spelling for this that you know or would know when you read it, something that people commonly use? Like the difference between "Yea" and "Yeah" ?

This is for dialogue in a play and we've been arguing about this and can't find anything on the interweb to prove each other wrong. I know I've read this before and recognized it when I saw it, but now I don't remember where.
If anybody has any thoughts and ideas, they are very welcome!

posted in Word Freaks - 7 replies

what'y call a 'quagmire of opportunities'?

2009-08-31T16:26:41Z

it's not an oxymoron, is it? idiom maybe? malapropism?

posted in Word Freaks - 4 replies

Wordspy

2009-08-15T06:40:26Z

http://www.wordspy.com/words/Oprahization.asp

posted in Word Freaks - 2 replies

For those not on the trivia tribe. The following:

2009-08-08T12:24:23Z

Keeled Skimmer,
Common Whitetail,
Migrant Hawker,
Scarce Chaser,
Green Darner,
Downy Emerald,
Blue-eyed Darner,
Roseate Skimmer,
Widow Skimmer,
Great Pondhawk,
Comet Darner,
Banded Pennant,
Somatochlora margarita,
Flame Skimmer,
Glistening Demoiselle,
Common Threadtail,
Pinhey's Whisp,
Black-tailed Bluet,
Salisbury Sprite,
Orange Emperor,
Yellowjack,
Banded Groundling,
Black Percher,
Julia Skimmer,
St. Lucia Widow,
& Jaunty Dropwing are all the common names for different species of dragonfly.

posted in Word Freaks - 4 replies

"finding oneself" abroad

2009-08-04T15:30:13Z

Is it my imagination that during a certain period in American history, people sometimes said they were going to Europe to "find themselves," and that people don't say it anymore, but that it was, in fact, generally with reference to Europe and not to some place else, as in, one wouldn't say one was "going to China to find oneself," but almost always to Europe?

When did people say that?
When did they stop?

A google search shows a few instances (mainly ironic), but only a few.

Where did the phrase originate, anyway?

posted in Word Freaks - 26 replies

Confusing family lines

2009-08-02T21:40:48Z

So, I know that if I marry a man who already has a child the child becomes my step-child.
I know that my mother's mother's mother is my great-grandmother.

What do you call the step-child of a step-child? Is it step-step? Or do you only ever say step once?

Now, what if you need to add a "great" to that to be correct? The children of my sister's step-son would be her step-grandchildren. But I'm the aunt. And that actually makes me a great-aunt, yes?

So, is it step-great aunt? And one of those kids is actually my sister's step-son's step son. So, am I step-great-step aunt? Great-step aunt?

This isn't about whether I like them or not, or how much I like them. This is about understanding the "rules" that are already in place for these kinds of things.

posted in Word Freaks - 2 replies

best bumper sticker

2009-07-29T21:50:51Z

"Who would Jesus bomb?"

posted in Word Freaks - 73 replies

Etymology of Snog

2009-07-13T19:11:59Z

I was startled to find that even the OED does not give an origin for this word. Beyond an approximation of the time of origin (mid-1950's) I can find nothing about the roots of this word anywhere. Any ideas?

posted in Word Freaks - 2 replies

lisp

2009-07-11T01:08:56Z

don't you think
lisp should be spelled

'lithp'

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

swapping prepositions

2009-07-10T05:07:56Z

I enjoy swapping prepositions in sentences for other prepositions to see what happens. My favorite so far is changing "I'm beside myself" to "I'm between myself". Does anyone else do this?

posted in Word Freaks - 6 replies

Article: NY Times mines its data to identify words that readers find abstruse

2009-07-09T20:48:08Z

www.niemanlab.org/2009/06/n...-abstruse/

N.Y. Times mines its data to identify words that readers find abstruse
By Zachary M. Seward / June 11 / 8:08 a.m.
If The New York Times ever strikes you as an abstruse glut of antediluvian perorations, if the newspaper’s profligacy of neologisms and shibboleths ever set off apoplectic paroxysms in you, if it all seems a bit recondite, here’s a reason to be sanguine: The Times has great data on the words that send readers in search of a dictionary.

As you may know, highlighting a word or passage on the Times website calls up a question mark that users can click for a definition and other reference material. (Though the feature was recently improved, it remains a mild annoyance for myself and many others who nervously click and highlight text on webpages.) Anyway, it turns out the Times tracks usage of that feature, and yesterday, deputy news editor Philip Corbett, who oversees the Times style manual, offered reporters a fascinating glimpse into the 50 most frequently looked-up words on nytimes.com in 2009. We obtained the memo and accompanying chart, which offer a nice lesson in how news sites can improve their journalism by studying user behavior.

All of the 25-cent words I used in the lede of this post are on the list. The most confusing to readers, with 7,645 look-ups through May 26, is sui generis, the Latin term roughly meaning “unique” that’s frequently used in legal contexts. The most ironic word is laconic (#4), which means “concise.” The most curious is louche (#3), which means “dubious” or “shady” and, as Corbett observes in his memo, inexplicably found its way into the paper 27 times over 5 months. (A Nexis search reveals that the word is all over the arts pages, and Maureen Dowd is a repeat offender.)

Corbett also notes that some words, like pandemic (#24), appear on the list merely because they are used so often. Along those lines, feckless (#17) and fecklessness (#50) appear to be the favorite confounding words of Times opinion writers. The most looked-up word per instance of usage is saturnine (#5), which Dowd wielded to describe Dick Cheney’s policy on torture.

This is mostly just interesting — quiz: how many of these words can you define? — but it’s also a reminder that news sites are sitting on a wealth of data, from popular search terms to click rates, that can help them adjust to reader preferences. So are Times scribes being asked to rein in their vocabularies? That might be a Sisyphean (#37) task, but no, Corbett merely advised reporters to “avoid the temptation to display our erudition at the reader’s expense.”

After the jump, I’ve taken the original chart of 50 words, which was compiled by director of web analytics James Robinson, and run my own spreadsheet that also calculates look-ups per use. Below that, Corbett’s memo.

For comparison, here are the 25 most-frequently looked-up words on Dictionary.com over a few recent months. There’s no overlap.

And here’s the portion of Corbett’s memo concerning the list:

Big, Fancy Words

We know Times readers are a well-educated group. They expect sophisticated coverage and literate prose. They delight in good writing and don’t shy away from complicated topics.

On the other hand, they probably don’t carry an unabridged dictionary along with the newspaper as they take the subway to work. And they don’t expect a news article to pose the same linguistic challenge as “Finnegans Wake.”

Our choice of words should be thoughtful and precise, and we should never talk down to readers. But how often should even a Times reader come across a word like hagiography or antediluvian or peripatetic, especially before breakfast?

One benefit of reading The Times online is the “look up” function: double-click on any word and a little question mark appears. Click the question mark and you get a definition from the American Heritage Dictionary.

Our colleague James Robinson, the director of Web analytics, shared some intriguing data with me: a list of the words that had been looked up most often by Times readers so far this year.

Before you check out James’s list, a few words of caution. Don’t take the precise ranking or numbers too literally. Obviously, how often a word is looked up depends partly on how much it’s used and how many people are reading that article online. If Tom Friedman uses some moderately unusual word (say, fealty), and I use a real head-scratcher on the same day (say, phlogiston), it’s a good bet that more readers will look up his word.

And remember, I’m not suggesting that we should ban these or any challenging words. Some uses may be perfectly justified. But let’s keep in mind why we’re writing and who’s reading, and under what circumstances. And let’s avoid the temptation to display our erudition at the reader’s expense.

That said, here’s the list. Check it out, then return for a few final comments.

•••

I’ll admit that there were two words on the list that had me thoroughly stumped: sumptuary (“of or regulating expenses or expenditures; specif., seeking to regulate extravagance on religious or moral grounds”) and phlogiston (“an imaginary element formerly believed to cause combustion and to be given off by anything burning”).

Our handling of “phlogiston,” though, showed one way to help readers with a tricky word, even if they don’t click to look it up. It was in a quote in a Science story about physicists who work on Wall Street, and we gave the background before using the word:

But it is not so easy to get new ideas into the economic literature, many quants complain. J. Doyne Farmer, a physicist and professor at the Santa Fe Institute, and the founder and former chief scientist of the Prediction Company, said he was shocked when he started reading finance literature at how backward it was, comparing it to Middle-Ages theories of fire. “They were talking about phlogiston — not the right metaphor,” Dr. Farmer said.

•••

Some entries seem self-referential: it’s no coincidence that a list of obscure and difficult words includes abstruse and recondite, not to mention solipsistic. And while many of these words may look like a foreign language, some actually are: sui generis, bildungsroman and my old friend schadenfreude all make appearances. And some entries just seem baffling: how did we end up using louche 27 times?

•••

Remember, too, that striking and very specific words can become wan and devalued through overuse. Consider apotheosis, which we’ve somehow managed to use 18 times so far this year. It literally means “deification, transformation into a divinity.” An extended meaning is “a glorified ideal.” But in some of our uses it seems to suggest little more than “a pretty good example.” Most recently, we’ve said critics view the Clinton health-care plan as “the apotheosis of liberal, out-of-control bureaucracy-building,” and we’ve described cut-off shorts as “that apotheosis of laissez-faire wear.”

So what do we say if someone really is transformed into a god?

posted in Word Freaks - 2 replies

Bumper Stickers You'd Like to See

2009-07-08T03:13:24Z

Have you ever thought of a phrase that you thought would make a good bumper sticker? It's your time to express yourself!

My two submissions are:

PRAY THERE'S A GOD

~and~

EMBRACE THE WEIRDNESS

posted in Word Freaks - 14 replies

New word

2009-07-08T03:11:12Z

I learned a new word today… abstemious.

Turns out, it's a very fitting word for me to know. I am very abstemious. I used to just call myself "square." Now I can use a bigger word and impress people with my knowledge of words.

w00t.

posted in Word Freaks - 10 replies

Syllables and vowels

2009-06-21T14:51:13Z

The workd RHYTHM is unusual in that it has two syllables and only one vowel, and an uncommon vowel at that. Are there any additional such words?

posted in Word Freaks - 5 replies

Grammar

2009-06-17T13:43:34Z

Is this correct? I find I can't tell anymore.

"The architects have provided the ribbons and the balloons, but few if any of the plans are likely to be carried out."

posted in Word Freaks - 23 replies

words you hate totally

2009-06-16T00:55:32Z

I can not stand the words

cunt or nigger

posted in Word Freaks - 167 replies

Slang word, Cracker?

2009-06-16T00:23:28Z

Does this mean, "cool under fire", but un-cool in the real world. Is a cracker venerable or young? Do they have a hidden ultra-talent? Is it an insult? Whose feelings would it hurt worst, a mailman, or, a person who didn't wear adult diapers?

posted in Word Freaks - 20 replies

A need for speed

2009-06-16T00:12:54Z

In thinking on Elana's "curl: you cant rush it" thread, my contrarian nature had me ask the question "What words require rapidity in their pronuciation?" - rapiditiy being an example

tintinnabulation is another

posted in Word Freaks - 14 replies

curl: you cant rush it...

2009-06-10T05:15:53Z

There's a part in "The English Patient" by Michael Ondaatje where he talks about the word "curl" as something that you have to say slowly... you just can't rush it...
There's something so sensual about the word curl. Got any other good, slow and sensual words?

I like "rust"...

posted in Word Freaks - 16 replies

Creative Help

2009-05-31T05:57:31Z

Thanks for any ideas you can offer.
My mom is organizing a program, and she needs to come up with a name for it.

She lives in North Carolina, and belongs to a Baptist church. Churches where she lives are very segregated. There are Black churches and White churches. Her idea is to have dinner parties, where 2 couples from a Black church and 2 from a White church meet at someone's house and... well... eat dinner together, as a way to get people from different (otherwise segregated) communities in the city to get to know each other. She envisions a whole series of dinners organized every month, with trading partners.

The name she came up with is "Tables for 8."
That has a nice kind of restaurant ring to it, but the whole "table" thing is loaded, and "8" would freak me out - 8 people for dinner?!! I mean, who wants to stress about numbers when the idea is just some people getting together to (hopefully) chill out?

The local Episcopalian church has a similar program with a much sexier name, "Dinners for Sinners."

Can anybody beat that?

posted in Word Freaks - 11 replies

Sayings you enjoy...

2009-05-31T05:11:57Z

'It's like heaven came to you and crawled in your mouth."
..to describe a restaurant. Complete with sexual innuendo.

Which seems to fit well with gourmands for obvious reasons.

posted in Word Freaks - 28 replies

-ery and -ity

2009-05-28T05:29:40Z

Suffixes that I like to append to random words.

Example:

"I'm engaging in a wee bit of philosophical thinkery."

The "-ery" suffix can be appended to many verbs, that is, if you enjoy injecting a little weirdity into your speakery.

posted in Word Freaks - 10 replies

the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks

2009-05-27T20:19:07Z

Some funny stuff here:

Come in for a nice "hot soup"
Waldorf Salad "Contains Walnuts"
"Do Not Use A Cutter To Open" [this box]

http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

Moved back to...???

2009-05-27T20:01:24Z

I cannot wrap my head around this.

When, e.g., it is Tuesday, May 26th, why do we say "the meeting has been 'moved BACK TO' Friday, May 29th?

Why aren't we moving the date FORWARD to the future date? Isn't the future forward and not behind us?

Is this a back to the future thing? LOL!

(duh)

posted in Word Freaks - 9 replies

Graduate? To? From?

2009-05-13T21:04:27Z

It's matriculation time of year, so I thought I'd throw out this timely question:

What's the correct form?

"I graduated high school"
"I graduated from high school?"
I graduated to college?"

I've was taught the first was correct, but I always see "graduated from" in print.

I know context matters. For example, would "to" be correct in the following:

"I graduated to adult diapers."

Or would it be:

"I graduated from pads to diapers. "

posted in Word Freaks - 7 replies

Subduction

2009-05-09T03:21:46Z

No zone required.

That is all.

posted in Word Freaks - 8 replies

Searching for Character-focused writing and photography

2009-05-05T07:43:39Z

Conclave: A Journal of Character is looking for character-driven writing and photography.

Conclave is an annual print journal that focuses on character-driven writing in short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and prose poems. Conclave also includes black and white photographs and excerpts from plays: monologues, scenes, single acts, or one-act plays.

This year Conclave is also awarding the 2009 Conclave Character Prizes in Fiction, Poetry, and Photography. All submissions will be accepted April 1 through July 1, 2009.

For more information, see online submission guidelines at www.conclavejournal.com

Thank you.
Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Editor
Conclave: A Journal of Character
www.conclavejournal .com

posted in Word Freaks - 2 replies

Collaborative storywriting, anyone?

2009-05-03T22:08:47Z

So my friends and I have built an ultramodern, epic and fantastical sort of setting, and put together a forum that people can join to take part in the various stories being played out in this world. The concept is called "play-by-post", or sometimes "collaborative writing". The idea is that you join up and create a character concept that fits into the world. This character would have different specs, different motivations, strengths, weaknesses, personality quirks, and a back-story. You would team up with other members and write stories together, each writing what happens from the point of view of their own character, and reacting to what the other characters do or say. It's a great way to develop character ideas, or just keep your writing skills honed without having to stress about writing a whole freakin' novel.

We're looking for interested members to join our little corner of the interwebbies, get to know us, and have a good time letting our imaginations run wild. Something you'd be into? Toss me a message, or even just sign right up! The forum is here: http://www.empyreanfates.com

You can also come into our chat without signing up and say hi, or post questions to our questions board. We're a small and welcoming group, so any earnest queries will be well-received. Hope to see some of you around!

-Joe

posted in Word Freaks - 2 replies

Dog Eat Dog and/or Odd Man Out

2009-05-03T19:41:02Z

Can the origins of these phrases be traced by anyone here? Maybe an unfair shipyard? You may write a small essay about these expressions too or use them in a sentence.

posted in Word Freaks - 1 reply

The Urban Dictionary

2009-05-02T22:35:25Z

this gave me a good chuckle.....Word Up!

http://www.urbandictionary.com/browse.php?character=A

posted in Word Freaks - 6 replies

Stickle intr. v.~ to argue or contend stubbornly.

2009-04-27T20:06:58Z

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stickle

stick·le (stkl)
intr.v. stick·led, stick·ling, stick·les
1. To argue or contend stubbornly, especially about trivial or petty points.
2. To have or raise objections; scruple.

My new favorite word.
:)

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

Epiphany and the Traditional Plot

2009-04-25T02:14:45Z

A traditional plot demands conflict or otherwise the story would not be worth telling. I despaired at this in school, thinking of centuries of fiction. The Ephiphany is open-ended, and seems to have a lesson, or mood, or characterization. I came to the realization that conflict is not a huge lesson. Take the time to write about the definitions of the Traditional Plot and Epiphany.

posted in Word Freaks - 19 replies

OT: New Tribe

2009-04-20T00:18:50Z

New tribe started for Agnostics: tribes.tribe.net/agnosticsonly

Being certain is stupid, whereas exercising doubt and critical thinking is more intelligent. Agnosticism is simply about being skeptical. Skeptical Atheists are welcome, and we ask that all people be considerate and polite when posting. Labels matter little, it's what's going on between the ears that counts.

True skeptics are skeptical of skeptics, skepticism, and him/herself.

Admitting that you may be wrong shows strength of character. We're only human. The only people who don't make mistakes aren't doing anything at all.

Agnostics may have suspicions about social/scientific/spiritual concepts having more or less validity, but our trick is discussing such topics without an emotional investment in any particular outcome.

So, with an open mind, a warm heart, and a colorful sense of humor, we extend our invitation to anyone inclined towards the Agnostic point of view.

posted in Word Freaks - 0 replies

longest letter groupings, and other such drivel

2009-04-16T23:57:59Z

What is the longest (i.e. most letters) single syllable word in the English language? The best I can come up with is eight letters: sleights, as in sleights of hand. Looking for a single syllable word of nine or more letters.

What is the word in the English language with the longest unbroken string of vowels? I can think of queueing, that contains a string of five. Looking for a word containing six or more vowels in a row.

What word in the English language has the longest string of consonants? Lengths has five. Are there any words with six or more consonants in a row?

posted in Word Freaks - 9 replies

FOUR SYLLABLE WORDS lol

2009-04-15T23:01:01Z

INCREDIBLE -

posted in Word Freaks - 144 replies

Acronyms

2009-04-14T17:31:19Z

anyone else find the obsessive use of acronyms to diminish the humanity of things, the meaning of things?

too much alphabet soup out there..

posted in Word Freaks - 26 replies

MULPTIPLE

2009-04-14T15:22:20Z

Here is an idea,
perhaps we can post words that have multiple meanings.

Polysemy,
To make things more interesting we can include whether the words are Homographs or
contranym

http://www.rinkworks.com/words/contronyms.shtml

:)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7371525/multiple-meaning-words-list

Slang may have to be kept to a minimum tho.

Scissors, heavy, light, sit, Sunny, dance, quarter

Give no quarter (?) money , or escape, or room,??

gum shoe, stamp, date, fly, circular,

:)

Randy
HA HA, even my name is a polysemy.

posted in Word Freaks - 8 replies

Unfortunate misstatements

2009-04-13T18:20:13Z

One of my duties at work in making nameplates for all the employees' cubicles. We have multiple folks who rotate at the reception desk, and someone wanted me to make a nameplate that reflected everybody. So I asked for a list of names. I was included on this email to the manager in charge of reception:

"Cal, do you have the names of all of us that are doing receptionists?"

…does she not realize what that says? Really? I mean, I really don't need a list of all their significant others…

posted in Word Freaks - 8 replies

BEGIN & END w/same letter?

2009-04-11T21:49:46Z

Not sure if it word be too hard to make is A - Z also, If we can great. If not no big deal.

A = anorexia

posted in Word Freaks - 131 replies

TEST YOUR BRAIN - can anybody speak backwards? looking for a challenger........

2009-03-31T18:14:14Z

hi. just found this tribe and i have a longtime skill that i will soon present to the guiness book of world records.

i can say any word in the english language backwards. instantly. if i can spell it i can say it backwards wthout a second thought. i am also a very good speller so stumping me has proven next to impossible. i have done the entire dictionary from z to a when i first descovered this hidden talent(i was fifteen). i am estimating that with 3 people giving me words at the same time that my record will be set at about 60 in a minute. like i said, instantly.

i am looking for anyone else who can do this or got good enough at it to run (speak backwards) a race against myself so i can qualify for the guiness book. ive done this for 15 years and have yet to run into anyone else who can do it. we could very easily speak without being understood by anyone else. i know its a longshot, but hey, why not try and find you?

if you can say these words backwards without actually reading them backwards, please write to me.

priceless
light
energy
creates
progression
within
cultures

now ask someone a word or ten and see how you do.

thanks for your time

posted in Word Freaks - 26 replies

Let's keep this piece of Herculean drivel alive!

2009-03-25T19:42:53Z

How many of you are familiar with the concept of fan fiction? Well, it's as the name suggests. Fans writing fiction. There's a lot of reaally horrible fan fiction out there, especially since Harry Potter came along. Well, I stumbled across what is undoubtedly the worst piece of fan fiction in the history of existence, and probably in its future as well. It is so amazingly bad, so pristine and genuine in its utter lack of sense, meaning, or talent, that it will leave you stunned for hours. And despite it having been forcibly removed, many times over, from any self-respecting fan fiction archive the entire internet over, it can still be found today, lovingly tended to, mused upon, and documented in all its glory, here:

http://myimmortalrehost.webs.com/index.htm

...prepare to laugh for hours. It's epic.

posted in Word Freaks - 1 reply

A MEANING IN SEARCH OF A WORD

2009-03-24T04:36:46Z

we call those who make maps, cartographers. can anyone tell me an existing word in English for those who make calendars? failing that, perhaps we can coin one here...?
on a similar note, i have one more request; i need a word for those who research or study calendrical systems and/or systems of timekeeping. thanks in advance.

posted in Word Freaks - 12 replies

Funny License Plate

2009-03-20T20:23:35Z

This may not actually fit in Word Freaks, but I have to tell somebody because it's just so funny.

On a road trip last week, driving through Kentucky, of all places… the license plate read:
007 GED

Not kidding… I didn't realize you could get a GED for a spy license…

posted in Word Freaks - 2 replies

Does anyone have aversion to the cream/sugar thing in making coffee?

2009-03-20T14:48:53Z

The option of cream, sugar, and room for these in coffee seems like an aversion to me. Also, in old diet books, there is a strange disappointment when it calls for eating tasteless little but some print space spared for coffee details.

posted in Word Freaks - 9 replies

Elocution

2009-03-18T14:26:48Z

Here is a word to consider.

posted in Word Freaks - 12 replies

persnickety

2009-03-15T16:45:55Z

I don't why, but it just sounds funny.

posted in Word Freaks - 1 reply

Environmental tag words & phrases

2009-03-14T05:04:47Z

I'm looking for any and all unique words, phrases and slogans, relating to the "usuals" such as Green, Sustainable energy, Environmental, etc.

If it's a company or group slogan or phrase, you get plus points for knowing the name of that company or organization from which it originated.

Word: Environment
nature, ecosystem, earth, world, surroundings, setting, situation, atmosphere, milieu, environs, location, background, upbringing, circumstances, conditions
(Encarta® World English Dictionary)

Company Slogan/Tag:
'Drive@Earth' (Mitsubishi company slogan for their 2009 launch of the MiEV electric car)

Phrases & Slogans:
He who plants a tree loves others beside himself! (Old English Proverb)
“If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” (Urban Dictionary)

posted in Word Freaks - 25 replies

Cruel to be kind

2009-03-07T00:45:58Z

A new word for some,

epicaricacy
http://www.onelook.com/?w=epicaricacy&ls=a

and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude
schadenfreude.

Randy

posted in Word Freaks - 4 replies

use of the term self-conscious

2009-03-04T06:41:14Z

Last month, I was watching BBC America and noticed an interesting choice of words that has been bothering me ever since. There was a story on the US Presidential Inauguration. There was a comment about the way Americans are always self-conscious in our dealings with our own history. Just a few nights ago, I saw a similar use of the term, but not referring to the US.

I understand the point. There is an unusual perspective since we are a relatively young nation when compared Britain and the rest of Europe. When I lived in Europe, my friends were always so amused at my fascination in walking down streets where great historical figures might have walked, being on the site of significant events, even drinking at a pub that is older than my country.

But, to go back to my original idea, it is the choice of words that seems off to me. In my mind, the connotations of the term self-conscious are about insecurity or lack of confidence. It does not quite fit with the way the word was used on BBC.

At one point, I had thought of a term that I would have used over self-conscious, which has now sadly slipped my mind. The original implication seemed to be something more like overly conscious and aware or something along those lines.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this. Is my interpretation of self-conscious different from the rest of you? Or is there perhaps a difference in how the British use the term?

posted in Word Freaks - 13 replies

Important hyphens

2009-02-28T02:26:47Z

The important hyphens are.........
ready..........

Indo-European
Greco-Roman
Judeo-Christian

Name some other ones please. What is that hypen in there? Or, is it a subtract sign? A subtract sign implies taking something, so is it ancient economics? Elucidate me for awhile.

posted in Word Freaks - 29 replies

Anybody else?

2009-02-27T23:44:39Z

Does anyone else get completely irritated by the tendency of some people – and not only small children – to say "Happy ValentiMes Day"?

It bothers me so much! There's an N in the word, not an M!

posted in Word Freaks - 11 replies

words you really love

2009-02-27T06:24:56Z

Spackle.

I don't know why. It's not the actual material, just the word. It sounds cool and simply does not arise in common conversation often enough!

posted in Word Freaks - 93 replies

speaking of counting...

2009-02-13T06:39:50Z

When I create my own language, it will have built-in conveniences. All numbers will have spellings that force them into alphabetic order (OTTFFSSENT? That's crazy.) All days of the week, will, too (SMTWTFS? Impossible.) Months? I'm sure I can come with something more elegant than JFMAMJJASOND. This will be tremendously useful when organizing computer files and folders by name or date.

I'm not advocating that every number system be forced into strict A,B,C formation; all I'm promising is that viewing files in alphabetical order will be the same as viewing them in chronological order.

posted in Word Freaks - 25 replies

stress and spelling snobbery... interesting article

2009-02-10T17:07:28Z

I found this while surfing and thought I would share....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28900351/

posted in Word Freaks - 10 replies

Slow and Scientific or Fast and Passionate

2009-02-04T22:25:02Z

Which one works for you? Explain.

posted in Word Freaks - 4 replies

Evolution & mutations

2009-02-04T14:51:31Z

What words can you name?

---->
Dear Word Detective: I keep hearing the word "nonplussed" used to mean "not affected" or "unconcerned" in regard to an event that would usually be considered very shocking or upsetting, as in "John was nonplussed and merely smiled when the bat flew into the room." Isn't this usage almost exactly backwards? My dictionary defines "nonplussed" as meaning "utterly perplexed or stymied." Yet every time I've heard the word used lately it's been in the sense of "calm" or "cool as a cucumber." What's up with "nonplussed"? -- Edith Freedle, New York City.
Well, first of all, let me assure that I do, as the politicians say, feel your pain. I, too, have heard the usage of "nonplussed" to mean "unaffected," often, distressingly, on radio and TV news shows. And you are absolutely correct that this usage is just about precisely the opposite of the accepted meaning of "nonplussed," a meaning solidly rooted in the development of the word. Formed directly from the Latin phrase "non plus" (meaning "not more"), "nonplus" first appeared in English around 1582 as a noun meaning "a point at which no more can be done, a dead end." By 1606 we were using "nonplussed" to describe the state of being overwhelmed and exasperated by an event or circumstance that poses an insoluble dilemma or seems intolerable (i.e., "I can't take any more of this"). Therefore, if John were to be truly "nonplussed" when the bat entered the room, he would have to run around in circles waving his arms and shrieking like any normal person, not just sit there looking superior.
So the good news is that you are right, but the bad news is that you are only right for the time being. Like it or not (and believe me, I often don't), popular usage changes language, and the "cool as a cucumber" usage of "nonplussed" shows early signs of becoming the standard definition at some point not far in the future. Such transformations are actually fairly common in English. "Nice," for instance, originally meant "stupid," and at one point in its evolution meant "wanton," nearly the opposite of our modern "nice." Feel free to defend the "freaked out" meaning of "nonplussed," but as a long-term investment, it's probably a bad bet.

---------------*
Randy
*******

posted in Word Freaks - 28 replies

Gym rat

2009-02-03T06:21:56Z

Why "gym rat?"
Isn't going to the gym something good for you, and don't people who spent a lot of time there tend to look like any number of animals other than rodents?
I don't get it.
"Gorilla" I might get, or "cow," or even faithful "dog." But "rat?" Why?

posted in Word Freaks - 16 replies

Which would it be?

2009-02-01T21:12:15Z

"Lies he with a double heart."

or

"Lies him with a double heart?"

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

Hawaiian Language

2009-01-29T23:24:29Z

some lessons...

http://www.geocities.com/~olelo/hltableofcontents.html

such a beautiful language...

little post to honor Obama's Inauguration.

what a wonderful day for America, for humanity, for the whole world!

posted in Word Freaks - 6 replies

Capitalization

2009-01-20T06:52:02Z

Why do 18th century Texts capitalize like this? I thought maybe it was because English is a Germanic language, and German capitalizes Nouns, but evidently, from what I've read, Old English didn't use much Capitalization at all, and it started being used like this only around 1650.

Moreover, not all Nouns are capitalized, I notice, in, say, Moll Flanders or, say, the U.S. Declaration of Indepence, as they would be in German. Some get left out.
Why is this? What were the Rules of Capitalization c. 1700? Were there Any?

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

Comic Relief - New Words Contest

2009-01-17T13:01:37Z

http://www.boiseweekly.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3197

posted in Word Freaks - 0 replies

How can I learn to log-in only once a week?

2009-01-15T22:06:33Z

I never have much material to work with, and I don't have my own computer, yet I find myself here, keeping up with any activity in the Tribes I'm with. Once a week sounds better, so maybe I can save up some intellect for some good blogs. How to cope?

posted in Word Freaks - 1 reply

Learning Ancient Hittite

2009-01-15T10:42:34Z

if you were ever moved to do so....

http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/

also, Latin, Sanskrit, tons of ancient languages....

(free site, from a university)

posted in Word Freaks - 0 replies

Concept Metal Band

2009-01-14T18:10:17Z

So I came to the conclusion the other night, while watching the western Yellowstone Kelly with my dad, that there is an untapped resource of heavy metal material just waiting to be explored in the westerns of yesterday. It happened while the Native Chief mentioned the phrase "The Iron That Kills" in reference to a bullet wound. Call me crazy, but thats an excellent name for a metal band. And not only that, you could crib entire songs from bits and pieces of the bantering dialogue. Anyone else agree?

posted in Word Freaks - 10 replies

The outer limits

2009-01-13T10:29:28Z

I was watching (The Message)
The Outer limits and (larry drake) who plays the role of Robert Vitale
uses a word that I can not catch. He says it means "a message hidden in a message"

The word sounds something like Palibable or palidable but I could not make it out after
a dozen re playings. What is it?

Marlee Matlin is so sexy, I even like that deaf accent she uses.

Randy
---------*

posted in Word Freaks - 2 replies

How do you accent "formidable?"

2009-01-13T03:42:13Z

I grew up putting the accent on the first syllable, as did everybody else. Now, every time I hear the word, the accent is put on the second syllable. Has the pronounciation unofficially changed? If so, why? There are a couple of other words that fit this same comment, but I can't think of them right now.

posted in Word Freaks - 12 replies

Alphabetical order and the word, The

2009-01-13T03:25:26Z

When using alphabetical order, do you suggest I use the in the T section?

posted in Word Freaks - 4 replies

OuLiPogram

2009-01-13T01:07:40Z

Hi. I just joined today...I think I was a member of this tribe a million years ago in another online incarnation. Anyhow, I wanted to share something I wrote that might be of interest to people here. It's a book review of Georges Perec's A Void.

http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=11491#11513

posted in Word Freaks - 0 replies

Clean-limbed

2009-01-12T21:35:52Z

What does it mean to be clean of limb?
I saw this first, I think, in the Bible, then in Walt Whitman, and I went along with it... but now I find it in other places, and have to wonder. Does it just mean you washed your arms and legs... or what?

posted in Word Freaks - 5 replies

semi-continuous?

2009-01-12T18:57:24Z

I was checking out the local weather station and they had one of those cute little question and answer features to try to prevent you from changing the channel at the commercial. Today's question was regarding the term semi-continuous.

Does anyone know is this a technical meteorological term? Is it used in everyday speech?

It just seems to me that something is either continuous or it is not. I cannot imagine referring to something as being partially continuous.

posted in Word Freaks - 8 replies

and counting

2009-01-06T00:39:24Z

I was just reading an article in which the phrase "one year and counting" was used to indicate that something starting today would end in one year. Is this right? I always thought that "one year and counting" meant that a year has already expired and we're continuing to count from there (i.e., a year from now will be two years). Thoughts?

posted in Word Freaks - 7 replies

grammar question

2009-01-05T18:05:34Z

If the answer to something is: Identify and verify it

does the question need to read: how do we handle X?

or does it need to read: what do we do with X?

posted in Word Freaks - 15 replies

Christmas Carol game

2009-01-02T20:43:35Z

I grew up watching every single version of A Christmas Carol that has ever existed. (Trust me, I'm positive I've seen every one made prior to 1990. Since then, I'm not so sure.)

Every one has different versions of the party games played by nephew Fred and his friends. In one of them, I don't remember if it was the George C. Scott or if it was the 1970's version, had the party-goers playing a word game called The Minister's Cat.

The Rules:
You must use this sentence: The minister's cat is a _____________ cat.
You must select an adjective to fill in the blank that starts with the next letter in the alphabet after the person before you. The first person uses an "A" adjective, the next uses a "B" adjective, and so on.
You may use a different article to fit the sentence: a, an or the – if it fits or makes your sentence more interesting. (But it's always THE Minister)

In the movie, there was a time issue, we can't really do that here, so I'm leaving that out.
I'm also allowing any length of adjective – from 1 syllable to, I don't know, 4, 5, 6? As long as it is only a SINGLE word.
You may do more than one in a post, but you may not string all the adjectives into one sentence. Each must have its own sentence.
I'm not going to harp on punctuation. (THIS time) :P

I think that's all the rules… if others present themselves later, I'll add them in.

posted in Word Freaks - 192 replies

I'm looking for words that start with P

2009-01-02T16:51:37Z

Name three in a post. Price, Pennance, Pinnacle.

posted in Word Freaks - 12 replies

OT? - cheap books

2008-12-29T19:05:51Z

If anyone is interested, some incredibly cheap books and music at this site:

http://www.half.ebay.com/

posted in Word Freaks - 1 reply

Hi I'm new here. How do we go about mentioning our work to other members

2008-12-27T11:28:50Z

I've discovered how touchy and reactive people are online so I'm just wondering who out there has an interest in the Maya, or more specifically a novel about the collapse of the Maya in the 9th Century. I would think there would be a ton of interest but I posted a listing about my 2009 Mayan calendar for sale and almost no response. It surprised me, disheartened me might be a better way of putting it. So I'm here to say have a look at my website and read up on my novel. I'm selling calendars of my photographs to support writing my novel. I need to sell 750 copies to have four months to polish and submit. http://2012mayancalendar.org

I'm open to hearing anything you have to say on the subject.

Stacy

posted in Word Freaks - 13 replies

words you always seem to forget

2008-12-15T21:57:41Z

segway: those standing two wheel individual transporters. I can never remember this word.
also- What words can you never remember the definitions for?

posted in Word Freaks - 41 replies

I'm looking for double vowel words that end with U in the vowel part

2008-12-12T18:47:25Z

Some examples are TAUGHT and SOUGHT.

posted in Word Freaks - 22 replies

a new word for me

2008-12-07T23:48:52Z

I just learned a new word from a friend.

concupiscense

Apparently, it is a Catholic or perhaps just general Biblical thing. I tried dictionary.com and they have no listing. When I did a general internet search, I found countless religious websites. We all know how reliable individual websites may be.

Is anyone else familiar with this term?

I believe it is knowledge of sin or carnal knowledge, but I am not certain.

posted in Word Freaks - 14 replies

The Longest One Syllable Words

2008-12-03T17:05:07Z

Yes, I'm just this dull. I often ponder on one syllable words and see how many letters I can squeeze into one. The highest I can ever get is seven:

Schools (7)
Squeeze (7)
Splurge (7)

etc. Please, no names (Schwartz) or onomatopoeias (Swooshed).

This has brought to mind the opposite thought of 'How many syllables can you squeeze into just a few letters?'

Alibi (3 syllables, 5 letters)
Epitome (4 and 7)

posted in Word Freaks - 11 replies

Begins with W ends with O

2008-11-27T23:20:16Z

Can you think of any word that begin with W and end with O?

Woo is the only example I can think of.

Karl

posted in Word Freaks - 8 replies

Best T-shirt

2008-11-25T21:29:53Z

My best: a line of t-shirts bearing only the names of fonts in black: Garamond. Ariel. Times New Roman.
Very chic, but outrageously priced.

posted in Word Freaks - 5 replies

here for your funny

2008-11-25T09:28:56Z

Do you have any good examples of government
or company double speak? They can be really funny sometimes.

Randy

posted in Word Freaks - 26 replies

Scattergories

2008-11-25T05:43:17Z

If you've never played Scattergories or need a refresher – name something for *each* category that starts with your specific letter. You may not repeat the same name or answer within your answers (unless it's your name, which you start with), and you may not repeat a word already used by someone using the same letter. For the purposes of this, you can choose to use your real name or your screen name.
DO NOT SKIP CATEGORIES.

Name: DuckAmuck
Boy's Name: Daniel
Girl's Name: Denise
4-letter word: Darn
Occupation: Dishwasher
Color: Dark purple
Something you wear: Dress
Beverage: Draught beer
Food: Dream Whip
Something Found in a Bathroom: Drain
A Place: Dreamland
Reason for being late: Drama
Something you shout: Damn!
Song Title: (Don't you) Forget About Me
TV Show: Dharma & Greg

posted in Word Freaks - 31 replies

Chicken

2008-11-18T09:49:29Z

So, I'm explaining the Norman invasion to my students.
Normans are the reason you don't eat cows - you eat beef (boeuf).
You don't eat pigs, you eat pork (porc).
You don't eat sheep, you eat mutton (mouton).
And why normal people live in a house (haus) but rich people live in mansions (maisons).
Basically, the ruling class named the dinner dishes, while the working class, out in the barn, named the animals themselves.
So, my students ask, if you don't go home and cook some cow, a pig, or some sheep for dinner, doesn't it seem strange to you that a chicken is a bird, but also a meal?

posted in Word Freaks - 26 replies

Synergistic Stories tribe needs a new moderator

2008-11-16T00:01:24Z

Hello,
that tribe has a fun concept.
The moderator has asked that people pM her to tell her if they would like to be moderator.

Please think about it.

This tribe has many intelligent literary individuals.

Some one shall surface.

I hope its a new face and person.

The stories can be really fun.. but as you peruse that tribe, you may also see that people can make up rules and those rules and the aherence to them .. is in question.

Thank you for considering this.

posted in Word Freaks - 3 replies

have you ever noticed...?

2008-11-12T16:41:47Z

when you learn a new word, all of a sudden you start hearing it everywhere, all the time?
why do you think that is?

posted in Word Freaks - 5 replies

Election night terminology

2008-11-11T15:25:54Z

So… I'm putting this out here because this bugged the crap outta me.

I don't know if anyone else watched CNN, where the lovely and talented Wolf Blitzer again used what seems to be his favorite made-up word: Preject.

I watched CNN 4 years ago, and I heard Blitzer say "preject" then, and I thought, maybe this IS a word and I'm just not familiar with it. So I looked it up, I asked around. NO, it's NOT a word.

Then all last night… Blitzer was making prejections, some states were still too close to preject, according to exit polls, he was prejecting…
I listened very, very carefully to make sure I wasn't just hearing it wrong. I wasn't. The man did not prOject anything all night. He prEjected everything. Even when everyone else, at CNN, at FOX, at MSNBC and the Daily Show were prOjecting things… it drove me freakin' nuts.

So I didn't complain when my husband grabbed the remote and said, "If you're ever going to watch FOX News, tonight's the night."

posted in Word Freaks - 10 replies

Anachronistic dialogue

2008-10-30T03:25:01Z

Ugh. I'm watching an episode of "Swingtown," which isn't a terrible show, but whoever wrote the script did a HORRIBLE job of keeping the dialogue in the 70s.

"No-brainer," "quality time," "HelLO!" and "You KNOW it!" are not 70's jargon. When I hear that kind of mistake, it pulls me out of the show and just makes me start thinking about exactly when such phrases entered our lexicon. "HelLO!" for example, seems like early 90's "Friends" era.

Yes, I watch too much TV. But that's no excuse for such sloppiness.

posted in Word Freaks - 5 replies

Different word game

2008-10-23T20:46:39Z

Any boy can drive, even Fred.

Complete sentences and good grammar, please.
Next sentence should start with the last letter used – in this case "F."

posted in Word Freaks - 41 replies

drinking

2008-10-23T14:59:04Z

so why do we "toast" when drinking with friends?

posted in Word Freaks - 5 replies

English language backwards?

2008-10-19T15:27:14Z

The other day I was looking at a sign that was paper on a glass door. I was behind it so it was backwards and it almost seemed like the German language. Am I crazy? Is there something to this?

posted in Word Freaks - 15 replies

IDIOCRAY

2008-10-17T12:10:28Z

It is realty. yep.

I surched for "termidity" and most people were trying to explain that the seeker was looking
for timidity.

Here are all (ILL ) the posts

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=termidity&start=10&sa=N

What a shame.

Randy
*******.

posted in Word Freaks - 6 replies