This word brings to mind those blown-glass sphere-things that float. I don't know what those sphere-things are actually called, but they should be called baubles.
So I'm looking at the list of recently added words on the Wordie homepage, and all of a sudden I see a bunch of words del español. I think, "Hmm, that's odd. I almost think I just saw all those words half an hour ago. No, that can't be."
It is "octopuses," definitely, not "octopi." The word octopus comes from Greek, not Latin, so the plural suffix -i is inappropriate.
As for the pronunciation of "quixotic," Charles Harrington Elster, author of The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations, sanctions only kwik-SAHT-ik. I will continue to say kwik-SAHT-ik in English and reserve the more Spanishy pronunciation for when I am speaking Spanish.
Due to flagrant overuse, schadenfreude has been depreciated from a twenty-dollar word to a dime a dozen. If only the supply of words could be restricted in the same manner as currency.
This list is funny! I mean, you have some basic vocabulary words, and then you have "white wine" and "Merry Christmas." My favorite, though, is "mama huhu."
There are just some words that make me shudder when I hear them (girth) or see them (echinacea). It's pretty arbitrary, but I consistently dislike certain sounds.
nobody, I could have sworn I put "obese" on my list of funny words. I'll put it there now.
So I spelled this word right for a quiz bowl competition, and the answer key had it spelled "opthalmology." Then the teachers running the competition refused to change the score. No one else contested the answer key because no one else knew how to spell ophthalmology. Please, people. Don't be like my school. Ophthalmos. Logos. Seriously, it's not that hard.
Brave New World is amazing. I've been intending to read Atlas Shrugged, but it requires a huge time commitment, obviously. I haven't even read Fountainhead. Yay for anti-authoritarian politics.
I was just thinking of adding plethora, tantamount, facetious, and ubiquitous to this list before reading these comments! Definitely overused, and not just in speech. It seems that I cannot read the newspaper anymore without having to endure "such-and-such is tantamount to..." followed by some hyperbolic statement.
Comments by alguien
alguien commented on the list what-does-xkcd-mean
Nice! xkcd is freaking amazing.
November 19, 2007
alguien commented on the word literally
http://literally.barelyfitz.com/
May 24, 2007
alguien commented on the list the-feminist-outcry
Do people actually say "ombudsperson"? I have never heard it.
April 18, 2007
alguien commented on the word fizgig
A type of firework that makes a loud hissing sound.
or
A gadding, flirting girl.
April 5, 2007
alguien commented on the list poetrie-fishing-on-the-susquehanna-in-july
My favorite phrase in this poem has to be "trying to manufacture the sensation." I will be overusing that for the next week, I'm sure.
March 29, 2007
alguien commented on the list b-a-href-http-wordie-org-words-poetrie-rel-nofollow-poetrie-a-fishing-on-the-susquehanna-in-july-b
There's no link to this list, so you have to get to it in a roundabout manner. Maybe removing the Wordie-link on Poetrie will fix it?
March 29, 2007
alguien commented on the word zenzizenzizenzic
That is so cool.
March 29, 2007
alguien commented on the word polypopton
I can't find this word anywhere. It's not even on Google. Is it spelled right?
March 29, 2007
alguien commented on the word bauble
This word brings to mind those blown-glass sphere-things that float. I don't know what those sphere-things are actually called, but they should be called baubles.
March 28, 2007
alguien commented on the list poetrie-for-the-anniversary-of-my-death
Wow. That is an amazing poem.
March 28, 2007
alguien commented on the word meritocracy
I can think of many areas of society where a meritocracy is desperately needed.
March 28, 2007
alguien commented on the word swallow
An alarming number of my friends have Monty Python memorized. I have yet to watch it. It sounds boring.
March 28, 2007
alguien commented on the list missed-words
And the list grows longer by the day.
March 28, 2007
alguien commented on the word swallow
Am I missing some kind of pop-culture reference? Probably.
March 28, 2007
alguien commented on the word cervicorn
Branching like antlers. What an obscure word.
March 28, 2007
alguien commented on the word swallow
I don't know. I'm not an ornithologist. I just learn French.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word swallow
The French word for swallow (the bird) is beautiful: hirondelle.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word turpitude
Brings to mind turpentine.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word aquatic
"Aquatic Nocturne" by Sylvia Plath. Very beautiful, not depressing.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word sylph
Really? It doesn't sound like silt+phlegm to you?
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word sylph
Sylph sounds like it should be something disgusting, like the glop at the bottom of a polluted river.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word mnemonics
If I hear one more person pronounce this word as "pneumonic," I'm going to puke.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the list missed-words
So I'm looking at the list of recently added words on the Wordie homepage, and all of a sudden I see a bunch of words del español. I think, "Hmm, that's odd. I almost think I just saw all those words half an hour ago. No, that can't be."
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word meshuga
This is a hilarious word.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word tapir
Or swine-like animals. Same thing.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the list ea-poe
Oh, and quaff.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the list ea-poe
How about nepenthe, tintinnabulation, paean, expostulation?
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word hylopathism
What a cool definition.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word antepenult
This word does not sound nearly as nice as antepenultimate.
March 27, 2007
alguien commented on the word puissant
I definitely agree. And I am disgusted by the English pronunciation of this word. Pyoo-uh-suhnt? Ew.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word quixotic
It is "octopuses," definitely, not "octopi." The word octopus comes from Greek, not Latin, so the plural suffix -i is inappropriate.
As for the pronunciation of "quixotic," Charles Harrington Elster, author of The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations, sanctions only kwik-SAHT-ik. I will continue to say kwik-SAHT-ik in English and reserve the more Spanishy pronunciation for when I am speaking Spanish.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word amanuensis
What an ugly-looking word. That "nuen," in particular, is killing me.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word proparoxytone
"Proparoxytone" is a proparoxytone.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word foo
I use this word too much.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the list •unexpected-pronunciation-now-with-public-access
What about detritus?
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the list linguistics
Not to mention fricative, labiodental, guttural, palatal, alveolar, velar, uvular, pharyngeal. The lexicon of linguistic terms is truly incomprehensible and pretentious. It's as if linguists want to make sure no one outside of linguistics can understand what they're talking about.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word doth
Not a bad word, except when people rhyme it with moth. It does look ugly, though.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word antepenultimate
Which reminded me to add proparoxytone.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word schadenfreude
Due to flagrant overuse, schadenfreude has been depreciated from a twenty-dollar word to a dime a dozen. If only the supply of words could be restricted in the same manner as currency.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the list linguistics
What about assimilation, dissimilation, metathesis, apocope, syncope, palatalization, declension?
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the list chinese-words
This list is funny! I mean, you have some basic vocabulary words, and then you have "white wine" and "Merry Christmas." My favorite, though, is "mama huhu."
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the list they-stumble-off-the-tongue
I simply cannot pronounce rural. Murderer, terrorist, and squirrel are almost as bad.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word douchebaggery
Oh, but sometimes blogular neologisms can be priceless. My favorite is "empowerful," taken from this radical feminist site:
http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2006/08/26/sports-and-corsetry/
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the list if-it-s-not-on-wikipedia-it-doesn-t-exist
You know, you could add these entries to Wikipedia. But that would require research.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the list odd-words-2
Good one. I love Edgar Allan Poe.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the list ugly-words-5
There are just some words that make me shudder when I hear them (girth) or see them (echinacea). It's pretty arbitrary, but I consistently dislike certain sounds.
nobody, I could have sworn I put "obese" on my list of funny words. I'll put it there now.
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the user kasuncho
How did you know who I was?
March 26, 2007
alguien commented on the word diamantiferous
Indeed. I cannot go one day without checking IBtP.
March 1, 2007
alguien commented on the word ophthalmology
So I spelled this word right for a quiz bowl competition, and the answer key had it spelled "opthalmology." Then the teachers running the competition refused to change the score. No one else contested the answer key because no one else knew how to spell ophthalmology. Please, people. Don't be like my school. Ophthalmos. Logos. Seriously, it's not that hard.
February 28, 2007
alguien commented on the word diamantiferous
Oh, look. It's a blamer on Wordie! What a small Internet it is.
February 28, 2007
alguien commented on the word chantepleure
Not a modern English word, I gather.
February 20, 2007
alguien commented on the list overrated-words
Odd. I rarely see or hear deus ex machina.
February 19, 2007
alguien commented on the list books-you-must-read
I love 1984. Trumpet of the Swan was okay, but I preferred Charlotte's Web as a kid, and now my favorite book by EB White is The Elements of Style.
February 18, 2007
alguien commented on the list books-i-must-read
Brave New World is amazing. I've been intending to read Atlas Shrugged, but it requires a huge time commitment, obviously. I haven't even read Fountainhead. Yay for anti-authoritarian politics.
February 18, 2007
alguien commented on the list adjectives-that-used-to-be-people
There's a name for these: eponymous.
February 18, 2007
alguien commented on the list beautiful-words-2
Sorbet? *confused*
February 17, 2007
alguien commented on the user intueri
Could it be? It's Dr. M!
February 17, 2007
alguien commented on the list beautiful-words-2
Thank you, everyone!
(Until I figure out what the etiquette expectations are on Wordie, I will respond to comments on the same page on which they are posted.)
February 17, 2007
alguien commented on the list overrated-words
I was just thinking of adding plethora, tantamount, facetious, and ubiquitous to this list before reading these comments! Definitely overused, and not just in speech. It seems that I cannot read the newspaper anymore without having to endure "such-and-such is tantamount to..." followed by some hyperbolic statement.
February 17, 2007
alguien commented on the word august
A pretty word when used as an adjective. An awkward-sounding word as a proper noun.
February 16, 2007