A list by gangerh.
About
Know what you want to describe but can't locate a word for it? Let the collective power of Wordies help you. Expect to be amazed at the wit and wisdom that over 10,000 minds can bring to your word search. Simply enter your description in the box and click the comment button. You should receive word as soon as one is identified or madeuped. (Much gratitude to Asativum for this solution).
Telofy I may be mistaken, but I think I knew at one point a word for the rhetorical figure where you facetiously disagree with a completely inconsequential aspect of an argument in order to signal that you do agree with its main point.
“They forgot the part where during her concert X throws up a little in her mouth when she notices Y in the audience.” “Unlikely. Stages are usually so brightly lit that you can hardly see the audience.”
I hope I’m not just imagining it, in which case we’d have to make one up.
Also hi again, everyone! May 1, 2013
ruzuzu I think pareidolia works for what I was looking for, but apophenia is fantastic! Thank you! Mar 18, 2013
fbharjo pareidolia perhaps OR
:(: apophenia may be it ;): Mar 18, 2013
ruzuzu What's the word for looking at random pattern and thinking you can see faces in it? Mar 18, 2013
ruzuzu Thanks, hh. Imagine my surprise when I clicked on cryptomnesia and saw that I'd favorited it ages ago, then forgot all about it. Jan 14, 2013
hernesheir At one time I called one of those folks my major professor, ruzuzu. Perhaps amnesioplagiarist. But see cryptomnesia and it's examples. Jan 14, 2013
ruzuzu Is there a word for people who listen to you describe something you've read, tell you that it's completely unbelievable, then repeat it back to you (nearly verbatim, with no attribution) sometime within the next week? Jan 14, 2013
gangerh No, that's great, zu and thanks.
(afterthought) Unless we want to call them 'syllabbs' or 'syllababbs'.
Jun 12, 2012
ruzuzu I was reading through the wikiarti about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbreviation and saw "syllabic abbreviations." Is that good enough, or do we need something madeupical? Jun 12, 2012
gangerh Can anyone tell me what's the word for this kind of contraction? Example: when the word goopoo is derived from 'good idea, poor planning/execution'. Is it a figure of speech of some kind? Jun 12, 2012
gangerh unhappenned? Apr 19, 2012
robotic fbharjo, What if it was a person suffering from something, rather, a people suffering from the effects of something that happened to them, that caused that effect (meaning "never to have existed"). I don't mean hypochondriac. In a very broad sense imagine that it happened to a race of people like black people, or jews .
Apr 18, 2012
fbharjo unbegotten Apr 17, 2012
robotic If you were to describe that state or condition of something that means "never to have existed" what word would you use. Exclude the word nonexistent. Apr 17, 2012
ruzuzu On Apr 16, 2012, robotic commented on the user robotic:
"Can I find a word with the meaning only? It means never to have existed. And I don't mean the word "non-existent"."
Apr 16, 2012
KeithLyons Hi, Wordplayer left a comment on your profile:
"Maybe the word you're looking for is gerontophobia. It means "fear of the elderly" and this fear can quickly lead to rejection."
No.
This isn't what is meant by "rejecting the old".
You're talking about rejecting old people, fear of the aged.
While "rejecting the old" is a wider, richer, more generous term.
"Rejecting the old" can mean rejecting a style from the 1990s, can mean rejecting an old word, can mean rejecting anything that's aged; not merely human.
For example, in the USA for a long time there has been the tendency to rip down the old stuff -- like Grand Central station in NYCity, like the early 60s attempt to flood the whole Grand Canyon -- and make something new. Because what's old doesn't make it. It's the new, the next good thing pushing into the future, the latest model, the perennial faith in progress, in improvement, in youth & modernization, that counts.
No?
This is what I'm after for a word that entails “rejecting the old”.
Possible?
Thank you!
Keith Lyons.
Possible?
So where is the word for "rejecting the old"?
thank you!
Keith Lyons.
Mar 4, 2012
gangerh autospawnophobia leaps to mind, frogapplause. Mar 1, 2012
frogapplause I need help!! I am desperately searching for a word to mean: fear of one's own comic strip characters.
Suggestion so far: autoeffigiaphobia Feb 29, 2012
ruzuzu That arguing for the sake of argument thing sounds familiar--like it's one of the fallacies--ignoratio elenchi, maybe? Feb 29, 2012
retorick The word tendentious is used to describe something (an account, document, depiction, Wikipedia article, etc.) that's biased. What adjective refers to a topic that's highly subject to such bias, even though it could be presented in a balanced way? Feb 29, 2012
retorick I'm still wondering about a word to denote the adoption of an ostensibly defensible position, but more to annoy than because one really believes in it. Surely there is such a word? Feb 29, 2012
retorick I'd accept iconoclastic as a good candidate for "rejecting the old." Feb 29, 2012
ruzuzu jamais vu?
presque vu?
Feb 27, 2012
leaden Déjà maid? Feb 27, 2012
ruzuzu Oroboros: see semantic satiation. Feb 27, 2012
oroboros How about a word for the feeling or sensation when seeing a common word where it suddenly seems strange and unaccountable? Had that happen once with the word maid! Gotta be one of them déjà-type words, me thinks. Feb 27, 2012
takchess perhaps iconoclastic
http://www.wordnik.com/words/iconoclastic Feb 27, 2012
marky anti-establishment Feb 27, 2012
KeithLyons Dear All @ wordnik,
Would anyone out there know of one word which means "rejecting the old"?
By which, I do not mean ageism in its AARP sense. But being against that which comes from the past -- be it a building, a way of dress, older concepts, habits, customs -- or
history itself. Thank you: Keith Lyons @ wordnik.
history itself
Feb 26, 2012 Feb 27, 2012
Tyanna Ooh, and there's the word my brilliant friend has often used to simply and immediately negate and dismiss anything said prior, "regardless". I.e. (as a relatively apolitical example, but you could probably relate this to politics as well) you have historically acted like an ass/bitch many times and have done and said many hurtful things over the years; regardless, you're beautiful and I will always love you. There, all better, huh? :-) Feb 26, 2012
Greendragon I like buttered lollocks for mouse fuzz, existential risk management for measuring the old thing's usefulness, and lichen for rock lovers. Feb 26, 2012
retorick A word for "rejecting the old"? Good question. We have misoneism and the evidently synonymous misocainia for rejecting the new. It seems there should be something for a similar attitude with regard to the customary, or traditional. Starting with the same "mis(o)-" prefix, one might look for something related to the Greek "ethos." ('misethism"?) However, Google appears to be ignorant of such a word.
A "real word" that comes to mind is "progressivism." However, that seems to have a political connotation, doesn't it? Perhaps an exploration of its synonyms? Feb 26, 2012
retorick There must be a word for this: the supporting of a thing that is, in fact, putatively meritorious, but largely because it will offend someone one finds annoying. Feb 26, 2012
Tyanna I like transcend for that, as defined by wordnik...giving the impression you are moving above and beyond the past, as opposed to regression, or moving forward with no particular direction :-) Feb 26, 2012
fbharjo metanoia, perhaps in the sense it means to throw out the old and to rebuild Feb 26, 2012
ruzuzu Here's another question: "Would anyone out there know of one word which means "rejecting the old"?
By which, I do not mean ageism in its AARP sense. But being against that which comes from the past -- be it a building, a way of dress, older concepts, habits, customs -- or
history itself."
-- from KeithLyons Feb 26, 2012
ruzuzu "When you think someone - say a family member - is saying something just plain stupid, what's a less offensive yet honest word to use?"
--From the user jrkelly on the jrkelly profile page, Jan 3, 2012.
Jan 3, 2012
gangerh meaningless? Dec 10, 2011
ruzuzu Is there a word for being "lost for word?" Dec 10, 2011
ruzuzu Also see comments on lost for word. Nov 24, 2011
bourbonmots re tastealike: homogustic? Jun 26, 2011
hernesheir pyalgia Jun 15, 2011
ruzuzu What's it called when you emphasize something by spacing out the letters l i k e t h i s? Jun 15, 2011
mollusque I would have thought synosmic, but that turns out to have different meaning. May 26, 2011
ruzuzu And "smellalike?" May 25, 2011
pterodactyl Perhaps we should coin "tastealike", by analogy to "lookalike"? May 25, 2011
ruzuzu Is there a word for tastes that are like other tastes (cherry and almond, lemongrass and lemons) or smells that are like other smells (bergamot and monarda, bananas and Lysol)? I think of them as something like puns. May 25, 2011
blafferty Blameshifting? Weaselry? Haunt writing? May 12, 2011
ruzuzu Is there a word for the sort of misattribution that happens when you write something and intentionally ascribe it to someone else? Sockpuppetry? Libel?
Signed, Abraham Lincoln May 11, 2011
blafferty Ha, I've heard that before! May 7, 2011
Prolagus I think we are on the right track with nonce word.
By the way, my S.O. read my question and said that we have a different concept of "fun". May 7, 2011
blafferty Following drosselmeier's links on his Mountweazels list makes me think maybe nonce word would fit the bill ... ? May 7, 2011
sionnach My first thought was "dord", but the thought process underlying the parallelism is different. Along the lines of "inadvertent inaccuracy versus deliberate inaccuracy designed to ferret out copyright cheaters". May 6, 2011
Prolagus I think an example could be names for hypothesized inventions that in the end were never made, or rejected names for the iPad... Any other idea? May 6, 2011
ruzuzu That's tricky, Pro. My first thought was ghost word, but paper streets could exist someday, right? So maybe x = that list of words of the future May 6, 2011
Prolagus paper street : trap street = x : mountweazel
x = ? May 6, 2011
fbharjo Please claim limpetuous if you wish, Blafferty. Apr 29, 2011
reesetee Mr. Limpet. Loved that guy. :-) Apr 29, 2011
blafferty Hm, limpetuous may be mistaken for a reference to the mollusk/que, good point. ... Or Don Knotts ...
Loved that movie when I was a kid, btw. Apr 29, 2011
frogapplause Ah, the Incredible Mr. Limpet!
link Apr 29, 2011
blafferty fbharjo, do you want to claim limpetuous? I would like to add it to my profile. :) Apr 29, 2011
blafferty Rock hound is admittedly a good one. Maybe by the very nature of it there should not be a fancy word? Apr 29, 2011
ruzuzu rock hound? Apr 29, 2011
fbharjo I am a rooter (cheer) for rocks too. Apr 29, 2011
blafferty True that. Apr 29, 2011
reesetee Oh, but this is Wordnik. If Wordieniks can't invent a madeupical word, no one can. Apr 29, 2011
blafferty It is just for fun, but it's surprising if there actually isn't one - seems like there's a word for everything else that can be loved! Apr 29, 2011
fbharjo lapidousical?? Apr 28, 2011
bilby lapidancer Apr 28, 2011
frogapplause If this is a serious request (and not just for fun), perhaps you should ask chelster.
Apr 28, 2011
fbharjo facet.. faucet..facetless .. faucetless???...faceless... persona denied??? Apr 28, 2011
frogapplause Perhaps a lapidarist or a lapidist (an expert on precious stones and the art of cutting and engraving them) is too specific. Apr 28, 2011
fbharjo stone atoned?.............in harmony's way?....saxatone??......rock-a-way??... Apr 28, 2011
blafferty Limpetuous, haha.
Stoner might, alas, be taken the wrong way. Apr 28, 2011
frogapplause I know a psychopharmacist (a PharmD with certification in psychoactive drugs) whose name is Dr. Stoner. Apr 28, 2011
bilby stoner Apr 28, 2011
fbharjo limpeteous??...allochthonous??...saxatile??...petricolous??... Apr 28, 2011
blafferty Although it does sound alarmingly like pedophile ... Apr 28, 2011
blafferty *shares love* Here's some for you, and you.
Wouldn't be the first time I was compared with a plant. Apr 28, 2011
reesetee How about petrophile? "In biology, thriving on rocks or in rocky habitats." Sure, it describes plants, but can't we all share the love? Apr 28, 2011
blafferty Looking for a word for the love of stone or a lover of stone. You'd think lithophilia/lithophile, but apparently not. Apr 28, 2011
gangerh Not the best place to come to if you're seeking a word for yourself for Identify the Wordienik!! - you just might be recognised. Apr 21, 2011
bilby vicarious nostalgia Apr 18, 2011
Telofy Sehnsucht, in German, is a longing and yearning mostly for someone or somewhere, but possibly also for somewhen. Nostalgia, then, is a specific kind of Sehnsucht, I think. Here are a few bilingual examples. Apr 18, 2011
yarb No, I don't think it does. But there are certainly two distinct kinds of nostalgia: a personal one, and a more communal one, perhaps harking back to a supposed golden age, a traditional culture or just an earlier way of life, all of which could date from hundreds or thousands of years ago. This I suppose is what benw is trying to identify.
For example, I sometimes feel a pang of nostalgia for the Cretaceous. Apr 18, 2011
ruzuzu Well that's a good point, yarb--does nostalgia have to mean only memories of your own happier times? Apr 18, 2011
yarb benw - interesting. I don't know the answer but I'll say this: nostalgia ain't what it used to be. Apr 18, 2011
yarb Thanks for pristinity, moll - another good offering, but to me at least pristine implies not only unbroken, virgin, but also perfectly clean and uncontaminated. In the end I just went with unbrokenness - it was not important anyway, just a lame comment on a blog. Apr 18, 2011
ruzuzu I had such bad luck with yarb's question that I'm a bit gun-shy, but how about "Sehnsucht" (also listed as sehnsucht)? Apr 18, 2011
benw Looking for a word (preferably technical) to describe a peculiar feeling: nostalgia for an era or time you couldn't possibly have experienced. Apr 18, 2011
mollusque Not even slightly.
How about pristinity? Apr 16, 2011
yarb Is that a slight, moll?
Thanks, integrity is the best suggestion yet. It's slightly diluted by its ethical connotation, which I would say is dominant, but it might be as close as I'm going to get. Apr 15, 2011
mollusque How about integrity, yarb? Apr 15, 2011
ruzuzu Or found words.... Apr 15, 2011
fbharjo Should there be a 'lost in word' list? Apr 15, 2011
ruzuzu And PossibleUnderscore, I have no idea... but I'll keep looking. Apr 15, 2011
ruzuzu In the meantime... bilby, those inflatable things might be called "sky guys" or "fly guys" or "sky dancers."
edit: or even "fly tube guys" Apr 15, 2011
yarb That sounds like just the tool I need for raking the pebbles from my brook! Apr 15, 2011
ruzuzu Oh! Noun.... Right. Sorry. I was a bit distracted by "A rake with long teeth for raking pebbles from brooks." Apr 15, 2011
yarb I appreciate your efforts ruzuzu, ineffectual as they are. Apr 15, 2011
yarb ??
CD has a bunch of adjectival and verbal senses listed under "noun" - but it's not a noun. And anyway, by far the stronger meaning is "healthy, fit, sprightly". Apr 15, 2011
ruzuzu hale? Apr 15, 2011
yarb Nah, I need a noun. Like "unbrokenness", but not so awkward. Apr 15, 2011
ruzuzu Ummm... virgin? Apr 15, 2011
yarb Is there an abstract noun meaning "the state of being intact, of being not yet broken"? Basically, "intactness"?
"Wholeness" and "completeness" won't do, because they connote quantity. Apr 15, 2011
bilby The site that hosts that graphic calls it a raver. Hmmmm.
"On the way to work this morning I was startled by a raver outside the antique shop."
Not sure... Apr 14, 2011
fbharjo for sail?? forsooth?? Apr 14, 2011
bilby
http://www.pennanthouse.com.au/assets/images/banners/Ani-Raver.gif">
Apr 14, 2011
PossibleUnderscore If italic means (according to Century Dictionary): '(lowercase or cap.) Of Italian origin: designating a style of printingtypes the lines of which slope toward the right', then what's the name given to writing that slopes to the left? Mar 29, 2011
bilby Is there a word for a young animal leaving its nest/burrow/pouch/parental care once it is mature enough to do so?
As in, "Young plonkagees usully xxxxx at the age of ten months and may live up to fifteen years in the wild." Even fledge (in the case of birds) doesn't really fit. Mar 23, 2011
sionnach Continuing on the them of impressive words, there is something about the word bulbul that is very appealing. Or the sound that nightingales traditionally make - jugjug. But perhaps these ruminations already exist in the comments for philomelian.
Then there's the word Banba, an old designation for Ireland. Seems relatively unremarkable, until you consider that its genitive singular form is Banban, which confers on it a kind of lurking charm, all the more impressive for being initially hidden.
But perhaps I am babbling. Mar 23, 2011
yarb Fair enough. Excellent service, thank you Mr P! Mar 22, 2011
Prolagus If you want something of Latin origins, interfraternal would be the way to go - and it would not have strict gender specificity. Mar 22, 2011
yarb Is there an adjective expressing "between siblings"? E.g. using "inter-", like internecine?
I'd rather it was gender nonspecific, i.e. not using "frater-" or "soror-". Mar 22, 2011
mollusque And dubya. I collect those too, along with the letters. And Words about words.
Come to think of it, all my lists are of perfect words. I don't list misspellings, which are the only imperfect words. Mar 9, 2011
ruzuzu Well... and what about special words that describe letters of the alphabet, such as em and en? And the word alphabet? And abecedarian? Those are impressive somehow. Mar 9, 2011
ruzuzu Definitely 142,857. What about Mersenne primes? Or palindromic primes? Mar 9, 2011
mollusque How about parental, paternal, prenatal which are related though not synonymous.
Of course I've been collected "perfect" words for years: panvocalics. Mar 9, 2011
Prolagus 142,857? Mar 8, 2011
sionnach I think that having an anagram that uses all the letters and gives the same meaning as the original word is pretty special. Even if one doesn't feel such a word is worthy of the designation "perfect", maybe it deserves a lesser designation, e.g. "impressive". What numbers might be considered impressive? Mar 8, 2011
mollusque An anagram with the same meaning is possible: enraged and angered. But grenade, grandee and derange are also anagrams, which detracts from the "perfection".
Perhaps a word that has one and only anagram for each letter in the word could be said to be perfect: emit, item, mite, time. But what happens if Nepalese meti (a transgender person) is adopted into English? Would the set no longer be perfect? Mar 8, 2011
sionnach # 21 days ago mollusque said
No, because words don't have factors. The words that can be formed by the letters within a word aren't essential properties of the word.
# 21 days ago Prolagus said
From marco_nj's profile:
In mathematics, a perfect number is defined as a positive integer which is the sum of its proper positive divisors, that is, the sum of the positive divisors excluding the number itself. Is there a linguistic equivalent?
Mollusque is, of course, technically correct here. Words don't have factors. Nonetheless, is it wise to discard the whole idea, which seems at the very least to have the germ of an interesting question, out of hand?
I am reminded of the delightful chapter in Hofstadter's "Le Ton Beau de Marot" in which he takes the initially unpromising question of how one might play chess on a board with hexagonal "squares" and develops it in a way that turns out to be extremely intellectually satisfying.
Is there a re-interpretation of the definition of "perfection" that makes sense, even if only by distant analogy? I am reminded of the idea of kangaroo words, where a particular word contains a shorter word with the same meaning (the joey). Extending this idea, one might imagine a perfect word to be defined as one whose letters can be anagrammed into a word or phrase with the same meaning as the original word (excluding the trivial case). I can't think of a good example offhand, but I'm sure somebody can.
Mar 8, 2011
ruzuzu 23 days ago on Dan337's profile, Dan337 said:
"Is there a word that describes a phrase or word that, when all of its voiced consonants are replaced with their respective unvoiced counterparts and conversely, continues to be a bona fide phrase or word? For example, “bat” (/bæt/) and “pad” (/pæd/) become one another under this transformation; as do (the General American pronunciations of) “dog” (/dɔɡ/) and “talk” (/tɔk/).
If not, what would be a good neologism to describe this?" Mar 8, 2011
bilby Sound of chip bag opening? Read background. Mar 4, 2011
Wordplayer Never mind! I found it! heterodyne!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster#Communication_misunderstandings Feb 17, 2011
Wordplayer I once heard a word that described the interference in radio communications when two air traffic controllers both use the radio at the same time. I heard it while watching a show on the "Pan-am and KLM" disaster. I think it began with an h.
Please help! Feb 15, 2011
mollusque No, because words don't have factors. The words that can be formed by the letters within a word aren't essential properties of the word. Feb 15, 2011
Prolagus From marco_nj's profile:
Feb 15, 2011chained_bear ... Cheetoism? Feb 1, 2011
reesetee I don't think that word should even be invented. Jan 28, 2011
bilby Is there a word for the local University's spankingly spiffing new sports centre having junk food machines installed before the building's even open? Because I'm speechless. Jan 27, 2011
ruzuzu Yes! That's it exactly. Thanks, qroqqa. Jan 27, 2011
qroqqa Is it contrapposto you're after? That at least is close. Jan 27, 2011
ruzuzu I think the off-center part is key--it makes the sculpture more dynamic or something. Jan 27, 2011
mollusque Egyptian style has left leg forward, but the torso isn't off-center. Jan 27, 2011
ruzuzu I've been trying to remember the word (or words) to describe the style of sculpture where the subject's leg is thrust forward a bit... or the torso is off-center. I want to say Donatello used it.
Edited: I inserted a hyphen into off-center. (I hope nobody besides mollusque notices.) Jan 27, 2011
ruzuzu It was a dark and stormy night. . . . Nov 7, 2010
hernesheir A suggestion for the novel title: "Uh, Well Yeah, I Knew That".
Nov 7, 2010
reesetee I think we should turn this page into a stream-of-consciousness novel. Is there a word for that? Nov 7, 2010
ruzuzu Those make me think of weep and suppurate. What's flowing slowly? Is it pus? Suppurate's good for pus. :-) Nov 5, 2010
fbharjo exude or seep are verb forms of ooze. Do either fulfill your needs? Nov 5, 2010
marky that's it.. thanks ruzuzu. You've solved the mystery (in my head) .. lol :D Nov 5, 2010
ruzuzu I'd say something more like coochie coochie coo, unless the child is an eggman or a walrus. If the child's name is Charo, I think it's okay to leave off the "coo." Nov 5, 2010
marky is it "goo goo g'joo" , "ku ku ka choo" or "koo koo kachoo"? when you're tickling a baby? Nov 5, 2010
milosrdenstvi FB -- how about as verb? Nov 2, 2010
chained_bear Keyboard plaque sounds like exactly what it is. Nov 2, 2010
ruzuzu hand salsa?
Hahork!
Thanks, sionnach. Nov 2, 2010
fbharjo lentic is a good word for flowing slowly Nov 2, 2010
sionnach ruzuzu asked: Okay, I remembered. Is there a name for the gunk that builds up on my mousepad and inside my computer's mouse?
Two terms I've heard in this general context are hand salsa and keyboard plaque.
In heating and air-conditioning ducts the relevant term is baffle jelly Nov 2, 2010
milosrdenstvi Is there a good word for flowing slowly that isn't as earthy as ooze? Nov 2, 2010
PossibleUnderscore That's it!
Thank-you. Nov 2, 2010
PossibleUnderscore Obituary? Nov 2, 2010
PossibleUnderscore What do you call that section in the newpaper dedicated to births, deaths and marriages?
I think it might start with 'A' but I'm not sure. Nov 2, 2010
ruzuzu about 2 hours ago, on jamesmc's profile, jamesmc said
“what is the word, a techical term in speech, that means having the ability to always come up with the right word while speaking?” Oct 28, 2010
yarb In that situation, I think you want three words: take the lane - but if it really must be one, a simple bugger is probably your best bet.
Bilby, door is well established as a verb in that context.
I wear a helmet because I like the variety of light-attachment options it gives me. I currently have five blinking away up there (eight in total). Oct 22, 2010
bilby Dunno, but I might as well say that I have noted cyclists here using door as a verb, e.g. "I avoid Brunswick Road now, I was doored there twice last year." Oct 22, 2010
ruzuzu Is there a word for when you're feeling really dumb because even though you harangue your coworkers about how they never wear bicycle helmets, you had decided that you didn't really need one this morning and you're riding your bicycle as far to the right as possible to avoid getting hit by that truck that's menacing you but never seems to want to actually pass you and then suddenly you realize you have to avoid running into a car door that's being opened right in front of you?
All I could come up with this morning was hello. Oct 22, 2010
Prolagus If there is none, I would recommend pomace. Sep 26, 2010
mollusque Other than "non-virgin", is there a gender-neutral, non-derogatory word that is the opposite of "virgin" ? Sep 26, 2010
fbharjo see Bilby's comment and image below: turbillion (or perhaps rev veer (revere))
Sep 24, 2010
mercy That's so cool! You could fly it by a family member and see what they think. I can only think of one other -ate, but it has less to do with the body: lucubrate. Sep 17, 2010
Weatherwax Hm--impinguate might be the one. I do think it ended in -ate. It was a family joke; someone would push back from the table and say, "let us absquatulate before we . . ."
Yep. We were not that funny. Sep 17, 2010
mercy Maybe impinguate or, less likely, but more fun: steatopygous? Sep 17, 2010
Weatherwax No . . . I think it was a preposterous latinate kind of thing. Sep 17, 2010
Prolagus Anything to do with tallow? Sep 17, 2010
Weatherwax I once knew a twenty-dollar word meaning "to gain weight" or "to become fat." It wasn't "saginate." Any help would be appreciated . . . it's been driving me crazy for years.
Sep 17, 2010
ruzuzu What about Kelvin-Helmholtz instability? Sep 17, 2010
mollusque contrails? Sep 17, 2010
bilby How about a word for cloud-like formations created by wind turbines when they mix warm sea air with colder air from above?
http://greenopolis.com/files/images/wf3_0.jpg">
Sep 17, 2010
gangerh superfrenzitechtocomer Sep 14, 2010
bilby Alvin Toffler. Sep 14, 2010
milosrdenstvi I think there is an extant word for someone who is overly excited about the future or technological achievement. Can anyone think of one or make one up whose intent is clearly realised? Sep 13, 2010
ruzuzu Dontcry just suggested Hahork. Sep 2, 2010
ruzuzu Is there a word that somehow expresses a combination of "ha ha ha" and "ew, gross?" For example, what should I say to yarb's geese-meeting-747 comment on jet-bugled? Sep 2, 2010
PossibleUnderscore patient(s)? Jun 4, 2010
yarb I think the closest is sufferer - but I agree there's a gap there. Depends on the context I suppose.
On another note, I recently remembered what the name is for the pointing hand symbol I queried four months ago. It's a manicule. Jun 4, 2010
ruzuzu invalid? Jun 4, 2010
milosrdenstvi Is there a word simply for "someone who is sick"? I'm thinking I may just be excessively tired at 2 in the morning, but my mind is running through sick person, convalescent, patient, sufferer, sicko, victim, none of which quite fit...I can think of plenty of unhealthy or unwell adjectives to modify sick people, and many nouns from which someone can be ill, but nothing just to describe the person himself...who do doctors cure? Jun 4, 2010
milosrdenstvi Well, one of whichbe's words is godge. It has that nice gritty feeling to it, and evokes something that gets lodged in places. May 27, 2010
ruzuzu Hmmm. I like grud, with its combination of grime and crud (and with the added benefit of having the grrrr sound from finger). May 27, 2010
Prolagus If it has no name, I suggest that we take one of whichbe's "Words of the future" (Part 1, Part 2) and start using it. May 27, 2010
ruzuzu You're the best, prolagus. Okay, I remembered. Is there a name for the gunk that builds up on my mousepad and inside my computer's mouse? Once I had wondered whether I could use the name of that combination of dirt, sweat, and olive oil that Roman wrestlers would scrape off with strigils, but when I called the reference desk at my local library to find out what that stuff was called, the librarian said, "Oh, I know exactly the word you're looking for. It's smegma, isn't it?" I did not laugh, and eventually we found the word gloios, but I still think it's not quite right. May 27, 2010
Prolagus That's what this list is for: let's help ruzuzu find out what she wanted to ask.
Also: next time you can't remember what this list is called, just come here and ask. May 27, 2010
ruzuzu Oh! Thank you, Pro! Just today I was trying to remember what this list was called. There was a word I was looking for... although I can't remember what it was I wanted.... May 27, 2010
bilby Its pos'sible. Feb 12, 2010
mollusque Could I request an Apostrophe Flying Squid Squad instead? Feb 12, 2010
bilby Expect the Apostrophe Flying Squad to arrest you very soon, moll :-( Feb 12, 2010
mollusque PossibleUnderscore, is q.v. what you're looking for?
Edit: "your" changed to "you're". Feb 12, 2010
Prolagus Unicode.org uses both index and fist, but calls fist the "typographic term".
Edit: The Unicode link doesn't work. Copy and paste this: http://unicode.org/charts/charindex.html Feb 12, 2010
yarb Well, thanks everyone. I was really hoping it would have a better name than index, fist or hand, though. Feb 12, 2010
ruzuzu I looked up Possible's suggestion of fists, and it directed me to index, where the American Heritage Dictionary has "A character (☞) used in printing to call attention to a particular paragraph or section. Also called fist, hand. " Feb 12, 2010
frogapplause Does pointing your finger at someone mean anything in particular for an Italian? Feb 12, 2010
Prolagus frogapplause, it's rude to point. ;-) Feb 12, 2010
frogapplause
I'd like to know what the pointing hand symbol is called as well! Feb 12, 2010
dontcry I just call it a pointing finger dingbat. Feb 11, 2010
PossibleUnderscore Fists (I think).
(Thanks ruzu.) Feb 11, 2010
yarb What is the name of the "pointing hand" symbol you see in old books? Feb 11, 2010
ruzuzu Hey, Possible... there's always re. It's not actually an abbreviation, but it is nice and 2-lettery. Feb 11, 2010
PossibleUnderscore Is there an abbreviation for: 'refer to', in a similar way as cf. is 'compare with', or 'confer' and eg. is 'example'? Feb 11, 2010
bilby
http://www.pantstopoverty.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/festivalofcolours.jpg">
Jan 25, 2010
reesetee P.S. Chained, I think you should bracket this:
Either way, there are pants involved. Jan 23, 2010
reesetee So this is pantsful, then. Jan 23, 2010
chained_bear Bilby, do you mean pants, which is a good thing? or pantsed, which is a bad thing?
Either way, there are pants involved. Jan 22, 2010
Prolagus See also threemorrow. Jan 22, 2010
reesetee There is a word for putting off doing something until the day after tomorrow: perendinate. :-) Jan 22, 2010
bilby Back on YOW we had a discussion about this. I can't remember where, and because the search here is so pants I won't be able to find it either. Apparently it wasn't on aftermorrow.
Edit: there're some suggestions on nudiustertian. Jan 22, 2010
PossibleUnderscore Heh. Very funny. Jan 22, 2010
bilby Sunday. Jan 22, 2010
PossibleUnderscore If nudiustertian is the word for the day before yesterday, what is the word for the day after tomorrow? Jan 22, 2010
shwetank so what is the most appropriate word for heights of stupidity.. Jan 20, 2010
gangerh Are there actually names given to types of co-incidences?
gleng might be one, PU. Jan 19, 2010
dontcry Yes! I'll have to pronunciate for the full effect. Jan 18, 2010
gangerh Twilight Zone, 'score. Jan 18, 2010
PossibleUnderscore ??? Jan 18, 2010
gangerh Hah, 'cry. Your comment has only just clicked with me! (Dawned on me?)
Spooky. (:-{ Jan 18, 2010
PossibleUnderscore Are there actually names given to types of co-incidences? Jan 12, 2010
dontcry do, do, do, do
do, do, do, do Jan 12, 2010
bilby gangerhkinesis Jan 12, 2010
gangerh You know when you do something like push a button or flick a switch and at exactly that moment something else goes off? An example is you turn on a light and the doorbell rings. Or, as just happened to me, I tapped the glidepad on my laptop to close a window, and the alarm clock on the other side of the room went off. Does anyoone know of a word for this specific type of co-incidence? Jan 12, 2010
Jubjub Wow. I sort of feel like I'm a part of CSI:Wordnik :) Jan 6, 2010
mollusque I hadn't come across autopod Jubjub, but judging from results in Google books, it's used almost as frequently as autopodium. Pro: does autopod qualify as colloquial? Gangerh: snort! Jan 6, 2010
Jubjub Looks like it can be abbreviated as autopod as well. Jan 5, 2010
Prolagus autopodium deserves to become Word of the day. Jan 5, 2010
ruzuzu Wow. Mollusque, thank you for being totally awesome, and Prolagus thank you for looking for this word in the first place. You two just made my day. Jan 5, 2010
Prolagus Mollusque! autopodium is the word I was looking for in the first place! thank you!
And based on your comments, it seems to me there is no colloquial term for it... Jan 5, 2010
mollusque Paws up for autopodium (illustrated here). Jan 5, 2010
gangerh Unit of measure? ;-) Jan 5, 2010
PossibleUnderscore I don't think there is a specific word......? Jan 4, 2010
yarb I would use extremity, although that could include nose and ears as well. Jan 4, 2010
ruzuzu Hm. Extremities? Jan 4, 2010
Prolagus I thought appendage referred to a limb, doesn't it? Jan 4, 2010
ruzuzu Appendage? Jan 4, 2010
Prolagus What's the generic term that refers to a hand or foot (the way sibling refers to a brother or sister)? Jan 4, 2010
Telofy Thank you all, that helps. Oct 12, 2009
gangerh Brilliant, 'cry. Inadquacy it is then! Oct 12, 2009
mollusque Chagrin? Oct 12, 2009
dontcry If I caused someone else to be disappointed in me, I would have feelings of guilt or inadquacy.
Oct 12, 2009
Telofy Hi and help! I need a word to describe the feeling you have when someone else is disappointed in you.
Thanks a bunch! Oct 11, 2009
nobyeni Maybe a pro vu? May 4, 2009
gangerh So deja vu is the experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before. Does anyone know of a word for the experience of that previous occurrence? May 4, 2009
plethora That's it. Thanks! Mar 30, 2009
vanishedone That would be the Power of Wordie. Mar 29, 2009
plethora A while back, someone came up with a word or phrase to describe the times when you google a word looking for citations, only to have the Wordie page come up as one of the first results. Can anyone remember what that term was and where it was written? Mar 29, 2009
reesetee Good advice. :-) Mar 24, 2009
chained_bear It's okay, you'll get back in the swing. The key is NOT to think that you missed something. :) Because even if you did, you'll find it sooner or later anyway and it will be one of those lovely pearls that makes your day. Mar 22, 2009
reesetee Sounds like Wordierexia to me. Mar 21, 2009
frindley Exactly! It's the strangest feeling. As if I've hopped on a bicycle and found I've forgotten how to ride it. I hope my experience will prove to be more like ice-skating: a few laps around the rink and I'll have found my groove again. Is there a word? Will ponder. Mar 21, 2009
Prolagus Is there a name for what I'm currently experiencing? After a week without Wordie, I can't really join your discussions, nor I can fully enjoy them. Like there's something missing. Mar 21, 2009
sarra I'm not sure if there's a word for this, but does anyone know why it's common practice in many TV shows and films to play something from a half-second to a second or two of dialogue before the camera switches to the speaker? Jan 18, 2009
plethora @bilby:
Airbrushing? Jan 10, 2009
garyth123 Well Edina is the poetical name for Edinburgh. But what do you call a palindrome at the level of words? Jan 10, 2009
gangerh Well, frogapplause, 'twas 3 months ago but how about hair today, shone tomorrow? Jan 10, 2009
gangerh OK. What is a fancy way of saying an Edinburgh barber shop? Eruditely, please. Jan 10, 2009
garyth123 Yes I spotted that ambiguity a bit later but no I was just looking for an alternative for barber shop. Jan 9, 2009
gangerh I thought, garyth123, you were looking more specifically for a word for an 'Edinburgh barber shop'! Jan 9, 2009
reesetee Good! In that case, welcome! Jan 9, 2009
garyth123 Yes I'm on Flickr but that wasn't my Flickr account with the barber shop photo. And I just recently added Wordie to my groups (I'm a sucker for this kind of thing). Jan 9, 2009
reesetee You're welcome. That your Flickr account, garyth? You may want to join the Wordie group there, if you haven't already. :-) Jan 9, 2009
garyth123 And thanks gangerh for providing this list. Jan 9, 2009
garyth123 Ah yes so I see tonsorialist. Thank you reesetee. Jan 9, 2009
reesetee I always like to go to the tonsorialist's. Jan 9, 2009
garyth123 No, I was thinking something more erudite sounding. Jan 9, 2009
rolig Hair stylist's? Jan 9, 2009
garyth123 What is a fancy way of saying a barber shop? Jan 9, 2009
gangerh Ha! Waisting away? Dec 8, 2008
bilby Is there are a word for this kind of photoshopping? Dec 8, 2008
bilby I suppose I wasn't just referring to US politics, as we have a similar kind of situation with regards to the Senate in Australia. For example, in the November 2007 election the Australian Democrat party failed to win any seats. Nevertheless, their Senators elected in 2005 still had to serve out their 3-year term until mid-2008. So from November 2007 until July 2008 we had a Senate that was ... what? The Democrats in the Senate at that time were quite legitimate. They weren't exactly lame ducks either as there was no technical requirement or even tradition that they accede to the mandate of the 'new' Senate.
Dec 1, 2008
chained_bear The incumbent *is* the lame duck. The president-elect is something else entirely. Dec 1, 2008
Prolagus I thought the one in 2004 was 'shame duck period'. Nov 29, 2008
gangerh And 'game duck period' when it was Ford? Nov 29, 2008
gangerh And when it was Reagan was it 'fame duck period'? Nov 29, 2008
gangerh Indeed, if Hillary had succeeded would it have been 'dame duck period'? Nov 29, 2008
gangerh Of course, last election wasn't it 'same duck period'? Nov 29, 2008
gangerh Not lame duck elect period, then? Nov 29, 2008
bilby Thanks. I'm not entirely happy though, as lame duck works well with reference to the encumbent, though less effectively for the incoming president.
* "Obama appeared on television frequently during the lame duck period." Nov 29, 2008
chained_bear It's called the lame duck period. It used to be longer, to account for vote-counting as well as the transition period, and inaugurations before ... I want to say 1936... took place on March 4, not January 20. Took them that long to move it up to January.
See this Wiki article.
p.s. despite what the article says, though the amendment passed in 1933, the next inauguration in which it took effect was in 1937 (1936 being the election year).
p.p.s. this explanation is more entertaining. Nov 28, 2008
bilby How about a word for this odd overlap period you have in U.S. politics, after the presidential election and before the swearing-in? It's almost as if you have 2 presidents. There's the one who's nominally still in power, gaily playing his sideshow to pennyrollers, and another (in-waiting) who most are listening to but who has no hands on the levers. Interregnum is a wonderful word but doesn't quite fit. Nov 28, 2008
frogapplause Bald men toss their heads too. Probably to position their heads for maximum shine. Sep 29, 2008
Prolagus I don't know if there's a word, but it's especially unbhairable when men do it. Sep 29, 2008
bilby Is there a word for that funny, sort of pointlessly self-indulgent head toss that actors do in shampoo commercials? Sep 29, 2008
Prolagus Forget? Unusual name for toes. But I like it.
See a forget of toes. Sep 29, 2008
mollusque A forget, listed as a noun in OED2. Sep 29, 2008
gangerh So, we have names for our fingers. But what do we call our middle three toes? Sep 29, 2008
gangerh I have one of those, Shevek, and as soon as I remember what it's called let me know. Sep 28, 2008
shevek What is the opposite of a memory? Sep 28, 2008
gangerh Just thinking inside the box, and there it was, bilby. Sep 4, 2008
bilby Transitape! How did you find that?! Sep 4, 2008
gangerh bits of blue holding tape
Generic - transitape.
Brands - Transticky, Bluestick, Stayputty.
Discontinued brand - Stickaround (apparently consumers found it too difficult to remove). Sep 4, 2008
bilby Appliances that come new in boxes - uhh, microwave, fridge, printer, that sort of thing - often have little bits of blue tape inside them. The tape is there to hold moving parts in place while the appliance is in transit. When you set up the appliance part of the job is to remove all the bits of blue holding tape. But we can't call them bits of blue holding tape forever! *wails* What are they called? Sep 4, 2008
sakhalinskii "Your outrageous retort has disabled my ability to form basic plurals." Jul 31, 2008
plethora Whistle. Jul 31, 2008
chained_bear I always say in a peremptory manner, "Yes?!" Because really all they need to hear is a noise indicating there's a sentient being in there. Probably pooping.
I have always thought a ripper fart on command would do the trick very nicely, also. Jul 30, 2008
Prolagus And of course, yes we have no bananas. May 3, 2008
reesetee Or how about this: "HEY! Get away from me!"
Then there's this: "Why do you hate freedom?" May 3, 2008
trivet Random surprised noises also work quite well, I've found. May 2, 2008
Prolagus So, you never felt the need for a formal code for this kind of event?
(Sorry, gangerh, for showering your email address with notifications) May 2, 2008
dontcry Prego! May 2, 2008
pterodactyl Pro, I usually hear occupied, just a minute, or there's someone in here. But if you want to, you could continue to say occupato -- I bet most Americans would understand it. May 2, 2008
Prolagus Of course from now on I will say you're pooping on my head. Thank you for destroying my social life. :-) May 2, 2008
dontcry Pro, you say one of these: sorry, occupied, just a minute, or my favorite you're pooping on my head. I think there's an Italian phrase for that, but my head's all persimmony right now. May 2, 2008
Prolagus OK, it's my turn.
I need help with English and this is particularly hard to ask to anyone.
You are in a public toilet, but you forgot to lock the door. What do you say when someone from outside puts his/her hand on the handle?
In Italy we say occupato (busy, occupied).
...I fear one day this piece of information could become useful... May 2, 2008
seanahan There have been similar attempts at this kind of thing before, but not in a public manner, What's the word for that?. Apr 25, 2008
sionnach If it had been a different kind of cereal, fruit loop the loop might have been a possibility. Apr 22, 2008
asativum Here's one found in the wild: antiaurosemantonym
You can see it lurking at the top of pulchritude, contributed by logophile, and not far from its tentative definition: a word that sounds unlike its meaning. There's even a reference to skipvia's list on the subject. Apr 22, 2008
plethora I keep reading ricocereal as "rice-o-cereal" on the comments feed on the homepage and thinking "What has that got to do with anything??" Yes, I'm very smart. Apr 20, 2008
asativum Hey, I like the simplicity of cereal pinball. But ricocereal has a great ring to it too -- maybe it's the technical term?
But what's the term for something serendipitous that I couldn't have done better if I had tried?
Apr 20, 2008
bilby I think I'm looking for the cereal pinball. Does it make a satisfying splong sound? Apr 19, 2008
Prolagus Are you looking for a word that describes
1) the cereal pinball
2) the food pinball
3) the whole phenomenon
or
4) other (please specify)? Apr 19, 2008
mollusque How about ricocereal? Apr 19, 2008
gangerh At breakfast recently I put my spoon into my bowl of Sugar Puffs and one Sugar Puff, on contact with the spoon, catapulted out of the bowl, flew across the table, rebounded off the teapot with a (very satisfying) ping and finally came to rest beside the butter dish. Something I couldn't have done trying.
There must be a word that describes this kind of phenomenon. All contributions gratefully received, as they say.
Apr 19, 2008
gangerh Know what you want to describe but can't locate a word for it? Let the collective power of Wordies help you. Expect to be amazed at the wit and wisdom that over 7000 minds can bring to your word search. Simply enter your description in the box and click the comment button. You should receive word as soon as one is identified or madeuped. (Much gratitude to Asativum for this solution). Apr 19, 2008