This French neologism was mentioned in an English-language article by Laila Lalami in the Nation (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091214/lalami, 4th page 3rd paragraph). It's a term some French use to describe a recent "wave of young successful Muslims", since beur is a French slang term for a person of Arab origin.
Thanks for saying what I'd been thinking, rolig :)
Maybe the word does get too much traffic in contexts where it's not appropriate--say, in casual speech by people who wanna look smart using fancy-shmancy words--but I've only ever seen it used in sociology papers. I may have felt like the word sums up my general frustration with the implicit norms in mainstream cinema and TV or in political discourse or whatever, but I wouldn't use it except in some specific academic discourse.
Préservatif in French. It's not a strict false friend (not exact same spelling), but I know someone who made a fool of herself once asking if there were condoms in a can of peas.
Well, of course this kind of thing varies enormously by place/region (maybe best to stick to the more abstract terms), but it's no less a good list idea.
Good points...I'm not sure I want to accept all the prefixed words, but then again, the words enlighten and embolden are certainly well-established and distinctive words. Then enliven and awaken, definitely. Thanks to you both!
Seems like all these nonce words I'm tickled by I find through NYT: Miniature ideologue Jonathon Krohn was "the conservative movement's underage graybeard at last weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington."
Wow, it's been ages since I've been to wordie and it runs as fast as an ice cream cone in the summertime.
Discovered this word on somebody's twitter: "Last tweet for the hour: someone needs to send a copy of The GTOs 'Permanent Damage' to @punkybird. I just dreamembered it." (emphasis added)
Wonderful list. I'm not sure why, but I like the expression "gobs of money." Perhaps it's the imagery, like with "wads" or "scads," which are are also probably most often used with money--as people are wont to daydream about such intangible desirable things.
...not to mention when it becomes tangible and the same words apply, heh..albeit less effectively, in my mind.
"A draughtsman or draftsman (the former more often in the UK, the latter more often in the US, and pronounced the same) is a person skilled in drawing, either:
* drawing for artistic purposes, or * technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering."
Funny, seeing the title up on the recent word lists, my thoughts went right to the French partyUnion for a Presidential Majority, which prompted me to take a peak.
But I was delighted anyway, because '-ump' words are round and forceful and a little pompous. Like this nationalist bigwig (who I hope is recognizable =/)
Yeah, I think even though German isn't considered an agglutinative language like Finnish or Turkish, the way it forms nouns is agglutinative. It just refers to how many morphemes you can smash into one lexical unit. Right?
Although you're apparently adding more over time, I'll suggest a couple favorites that are roughly synonymous with junta: coup d'état and putsch. Obvious ones, perhaps, but they are nonetheless goodies.
For American news junkies (news junkies from America, that is) like myself, the BBC news site is great when you wanna be up to date on the latest international rows--and there are no adverts as far as I've seen.
Today, I heard lifeblood and brainchild used on NPR--they might have even been used in the same sentence. Anyway, I think they both sound like loverlysci-fi nonsense.
"...the term derives from vegans, the vegetarians who forsake all animal products, as many freegans also do...Freegans are scavengers of the developed world, living off consumer waste in an effort to minimize their support of corporations and their impact on the planet, and to distance themselves from what they see as out-of-control consumerism."
valse commented on the word beurgeoisie
This French neologism was mentioned in an English-language article by Laila Lalami in the Nation (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091214/lalami, 4th page 3rd paragraph). It's a term some French use to describe a recent "wave of young successful Muslims", since beur is a French slang term for a person of Arab origin.
Dec 6, 2009
valse commented on the list unneutered
I think that should be somnambulist, or am I missing the joke?
Aug 14, 2009
valse commented on the word dilbert
Cleverly used as a verb in the alt-text (mouse over the strip) of this Daisy Owl comic strip, which is hilarious by the way.
Jun 9, 2009
valse commented on the word carrefour
Reminds me of Carrefour the French hypermarket
May 24, 2009
valse commented on the word heteronormative
Thanks for saying what I'd been thinking, rolig :)
Maybe the word does get too much traffic in contexts where it's not appropriate--say, in casual speech by people who wanna look smart using fancy-shmancy words--but I've only ever seen it used in sociology papers. I may have felt like the word sums up my general frustration with the implicit norms in mainstream cinema and TV or in political discourse or whatever, but I wouldn't use it except in some specific academic discourse.
May 4, 2009
valse commented on the list her-words
Elle est touchante, cette liste.
Apr 9, 2009
valse commented on the word samovar
It was a valid point, I was just being sarcastic.
Borrowed words have a way of getting either under- or over-generalized (to make a generalization :p).
Mar 30, 2009
valse commented on the word samovar
funny quotes should be met with a lawl, not pedantry. Well, it's fitting, I hear that Russians have a different brand of humor than most.
Mar 30, 2009
valse commented on the word twitter
I promptly twittered about that youtube vid after seeing it :p
Mar 28, 2009
valse commented on the list false-friends
This is a neat list.
As I'm in a sleep-deprived silly stupor right now, I like to read these as completely random non-sequitur phrases.
Mar 25, 2009
valse commented on the list the-condom-free-preserve
Préservatif in French. It's not a strict false friend (not exact same spelling), but I know someone who made a fool of herself once asking if there were condoms in a can of peas.
Mar 23, 2009
valse commented on the word preservative
Same for préservatif in French--only as funny spoken, though.
Mar 23, 2009
valse commented on the word le petit escargot
How southern Frenchpeople refer to @ --according to Wikipedia :) (scroll down to '"Commercial at" in other languages')
Mar 22, 2009
valse commented on the word @
arobase in French, see le petit escargot
Mar 22, 2009
valse commented on the list a-negation-of-all-human-qualities
altruism? or altruistic acts if you're going for nouns/things.
Mar 22, 2009
valse commented on the list things-you-are-not-allowed-to-question
Well, of course this kind of thing varies enormously by place/region (maybe best to stick to the more abstract terms), but it's no less a good list idea.
Mar 22, 2009
valse commented on the list to-nounen-and-adjectiven
I should've just made this list an open one :p ...er, except I wouldn't want all those pesky participles, as sionnach aptly pointed out.
Mar 19, 2009
valse commented on the list to-nounen-and-adjectiven
Also, interesting to note the color-related words...blacken, redden and whiten. Neither yellowen nor mauven nor purplen are in use yet.
Mar 19, 2009
valse commented on the list to-nounen-and-adjectiven
Good points...I'm not sure I want to accept all the prefixed words, but then again, the words enlighten and embolden are certainly well-established and distinctive words. Then enliven and awaken, definitely. Thanks to you both!
Mar 19, 2009
valse commented on the list to-nounen-and-adjectiven
Are there no polysyllabic words that can fit in this -en form? Mayhap I found me a linguistical rule :D
Mar 19, 2009
valse commented on the word ponzi scheme
see the original Ponzi
Mar 14, 2009
valse commented on the word ponzi scheme
A timely expression.
Mar 14, 2009
valse commented on the list the-list-who-cried-wolof
wonderful list name :) The list itself I find a little puzzling, but I'm curious
Mar 9, 2009
valse commented on the word underage graybeard
Seems like all these nonce words I'm tickled by I find through NYT: Miniature ideologue Jonathon Krohn was "the conservative movement's underage graybeard at last weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington."
Mar 8, 2009
valse commented on the word súrsaðir hrútspungar
I added this to my favorites just so that I would have Asativum's description handy/on record. :) Well done.
Plus, I've got an Icelandic friend who may have an opinion on the matter.
Mar 5, 2009
valse commented on the word dreamember
Wow, it's been ages since I've been to wordie and it runs as fast as an ice cream cone in the summertime.
Discovered this word on somebody's twitter: "Last tweet for the hour: someone needs to send a copy of The GTOs 'Permanent Damage' to @punkybird. I just dreamembered it." (emphasis added)
It might just be an imaginative twitterer's nonce word
Feb 23, 2009
valse commented on the list gma-gma
No, I think you've resuscitated it. =)
Apr 11, 2008
valse commented on the word scrogneugneu
A French interjection I just discovered. Can't be sure I'm pronouncing it right, but it sure looks beautiful.
Oct 12, 2007
valse commented on the word hyperpolyglot
Hmm, I know of Daniel Tammet and the pope. Over 50...that's downright unfathomable.
Sep 2, 2007
valse commented on the word effulgent
There's a great nod to that in the series finale of Angel, Spike recites it at a poetry slam.
Aug 16, 2007
valse commented on the list the-art-science-of-economics
I always hear talk of liquidity, the ebb and flow of money--especially lately, with the stock market taking a dive. Great descriptive word.
Aug 13, 2007
valse commented on the list a-bazillion-imaginary-numbers
Wonderful list. I'm not sure why, but I like the expression "gobs of money." Perhaps it's the imagery, like with "wads" or "scads," which are are also probably most often used with money--as people are wont to daydream about such intangible desirable things.
...not to mention when it becomes tangible and the same words apply, heh..albeit less effectively, in my mind.
Aug 13, 2007
valse commented on the word draughtsman
"A draughtsman or draftsman (the former more often in the UK, the latter more often in the US, and pronounced the same) is a person skilled in drawing, either:
* drawing for artistic purposes, or
* technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering."
-Wikipedia
Aug 3, 2007
valse commented on the word circumflex
When someone flexes their arms, arcing downward in the shape of a circle?
I know, corny. Thought of this earlier and couldn't resist..
Jul 28, 2007
valse commented on the list biblio-words
You forgot bibliotherapy. =]
Jul 12, 2007
valse commented on the list ump
Funny, seeing the title up on the recent word lists, my thoughts went right to the French party Union for a Presidential Majority, which prompted me to take a peak.
But I was delighted anyway, because '-ump' words are round and forceful and a little pompous. Like this nationalist bigwig (who I hope is recognizable =/)
Jul 9, 2007
valse commented on the word agglutination
Yeah, I think even though German isn't considered an agglutinative language like Finnish or Turkish, the way it forms nouns is agglutinative. It just refers to how many morphemes you can smash into one lexical unit. Right?
Jul 1, 2007
valse commented on the list words-that-end-in-dom
geekdom! Fitting, yes.
Jun 27, 2007
valse commented on the word algorithm march
Japan seems to exude this contagious, fun weirdness...
Jun 26, 2007
valse commented on the list the-great-fiction
Although you're apparently adding more over time, I'll suggest a couple favorites that are roughly synonymous with junta: coup d'état and putsch. Obvious ones, perhaps, but they are nonetheless goodies.
Jun 25, 2007
valse commented on the list wot-s-all-this-then
For American news junkies (news junkies from America, that is) like myself, the BBC news site is great when you wanna be up to date on the latest international rows--and there are no adverts as far as I've seen.
Jun 25, 2007
valse commented on the list compounds
Today, I heard lifeblood and brainchild used on NPR--they might have even been used in the same sentence. Anyway, I think they both sound like loverly sci-fi nonsense.
Jun 24, 2007
valse commented on the word bracketeering
Perhaps a UD entry is in order, u ;)
Jun 22, 2007
valse commented on the list be-all-that-you-can-be
It could. But I just find them all so humorously quaint.
Jun 22, 2007
valse commented on the word hobby horse
Seeing bracketerred makes me think of bracketeering, and now I wonder what that might mean and if someone could be indicted for it.
Jun 21, 2007
valse commented on the list stuffie-i-m-taken
for granted, a right at the next street
Jun 21, 2007
valse commented on the list valse-s-words
Glad to hear it.
Jun 21, 2007
valse commented on the list valse-s-words
Please, feel free. =) I stole bedecked (edit: among others) from you (or rather, saw it on the front page after you added it) for my "be-" list.
Jun 21, 2007
valse commented on the word freegan
NYT article, June 21, 2007:
"...the term derives from vegans, the vegetarians who forsake all animal products, as many freegans also do...Freegans are scavengers of the developed world, living off consumer waste in an effort to minimize their support of corporations and their impact on the planet, and to distance themselves from what they see as out-of-control consumerism."
Jun 20, 2007
valse commented on the list stuffie-gimmie
it up, one's all?
Jun 20, 2007