Haven't been here in a few years, but young Lincoln McGrath, just north of age 2, just came out with a hell of a STF, sui generis, that I had to share: "Cracker jack hammer". Tears to my eyes!
"The word Diener is German for servant. In English, it is generally used to describe the person, in the morgue, responsible for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse (though, at some institutions dieners perform the entire dissection at autopsy). It is derived from the German word Leichendiener, which literally means corpse servant."
Yarb, we recently updated our notifications system, I think the notes/comments on personal WotDs were a casualty. Looking into it today. Pro, also looking into the mangled font issue.
What happens to a start-up whose business never materializes? One option is to try to peddle the company based on the value of its human capital–aka the “acqhire.”
“Morris opened a restaurant in Paterson, but then "drifted into the frankfurter peddling business," according to his obituary. (The 1900 census lists his occupation as "Peddler, Frankfurter.")”
Hi Pro, no, absolutely not--I'm sorry I haven't been more responsive. A series of the issues you reported fell into the bermuda triangle zone where they weren't absolute showstoppers, nor were they two minute fixes, so I made a mental note to get to them and have been slow about it.
Though coincidentally, I'm moving some new stuff into production later tonight, including fixes for a handful of the things you've mentioned recently. The mislabeled link when comments appear on word pages is fixed, and most embedded video should start working again too--we upgraded some internal components, and the new versions had stricter embedding policies, which I've adjusted.
Hi marky, tried to respond on your profile but it looks like you've privatized. I'll add the option to delete your pronunciations this week. Been meaning to do it for some time.
“In the continuing controversy surrounding the president's U.S. citizenship, a new fringe group informally known as "Afterbirthers" demanded Monday the authentication of Barack Obama's placenta from his time inside his mother's womb. ”
“Before joining The Times, Mr. Shortz was the editor of Games magazine. He holds the world's only college degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles, which he earned in the Individualized Major Program at Indiana University in 1974.”
Monobina Gupta, who has researched domestic violence for Jagori, a nongovernmental organization, draws a direct link between these killings and the abortion of female fetuses: “The dowry is part of the continuum of gender-based discrimination and violence, beginning with female feticide.”
“Last June, Urban Treatment Associates in Camden hired Mr. Devoureau as a part-time urine monitor; his job was to make sure that people recovering from addiction did not substitute someone else’s urine for their own during regular drug testing.”
As four drummers pounded rhythmically, voodoo priestesses in bright-colored dresses danced in ecstatic circles, dousing the floor with rum and chanting, “Ayibobo!” — the voodoo “amen.”
“There is also the “shabab,” milling groups of youngsters who arrive at the front each day hoping to pitch in, but with scant idea of how. Officially, the shabab are not part of the fight.”
“Rarely does a minute go by without a customer stopping just long enough to pass a dollar bill to Lonnie Loosie, known to the police by his given name, Lonnie Warner, 50. They clench the two “loosies” — as single cigarettes are called — that he thrusts back in return.”
I've been noodling with the homepage tagline pretty regularly, so I'm not exactly sure what "bring back the old one" means. But clearly the current one ain't working, so I just flipped it back to the previous version.
"All the words" seems a bit ambitious. How about "Lots of words"?
“Or, as in a 2009 Wisconsin case of “sextortion,” a boy, pretending to be a girl online, who solicited explicit pictures of boys, which he then used as blackmail to compel those boys to have sex with him.”
“For centuries, each building, called a tulou in Mandarin Chinese, would house an entire clan, virtually a village. Everyone living inside would have the same surname, except for those who had married into the clan. The tulou usually tower four floors and have up to hundreds of rooms that open out onto a vast central courtyard, like the Colosseum.”
“Mr. Perkins, who dropped out of school after the third grade, taught himself the rudiments of blues guitar on a homemade instrument called a diddley bow: a length of wire stretched between nails driven into a wall.”
“It’s a horrible term,” she said, “but E.M.T.’s call the rear-facing seat ‘the orphan seat’ because in a bad car accident, that child is often the only one who survives.”
“Japanese officials subsequently said that the explosion had damaged a doughnut-shaped steel container of water, known as a torus, that surrounds the base of the reactor vessel inside the primary containment building.”
“Tokyo Electric Power said Tuesday that after the explosion at the No. 2 reactor, pressure had dropped in the “suppression pool” — a section at the bottom of the reactor that converts steam to water and is part of the critical function of keeping the nuclear fuel protected.”
“That remedy involves pumping in seawater to cool the fuel rods, then opening vents to release the resulting steam pressure that builds in the container vessel. When the vessel is depressurized, workers can inject more seawater, a process known as “feed and bleed.”
I can't replicate that right-click issue you reported. Are you seeing it just on the homepage, or across the site? And what kind of browser are you using? Does it happen for you with all browsers, or just one?
Hi Quinn--saw your comment on feedback. Happy to help, but could you give me some more details? By suggestion, do you mean a word you added to a list, or a comment? I was just able to add and delete both, including adding and removing multi-word phrases from lists, which had been causing problems earlier.
We'll post more about WotD options soon, but if you've created your own Word of the Day (which you can do from your profile), there's now an option to invite people to subscribe to it. Go to your WotD page (once you've created one it's linked from your profile) and you'll see an 'Invite people to subscribe' link.
A kind of boat: “More than one captain made up his mind then and there that his 'cobble' or his 'mule', as they term the different classes of boats, would remain in the harbour till the storm had passed.”
Hi rz and pro, those bugs should now be fixed--list pagination now starts and one and doesn't go negative, and multi-word phrases (those were the problematic ones) can once again be deleted from lists. Thanks for your patience.
A nonce word along the lines of thingamajobber or whosamajiggy. Earliest citation I can find is here, from 1996, though this dude claims it's from a 1960's episode of I Love Lucy.
Hi H, thanks for your comment about the zeitgeist/community rename. I too was fond of the "Watch Your Language" subtitle, though it revealed an issue with the term 'Zeitgeist' as we used it. Zeitgeist implies the overall spirit of a thing, I think, and would have been more suitable for a page that was strictly about site trends. Our zeitgeist/community page is focused on a smaller subset of that--what people are saying. So while the major motivation for the change was as you suggested--'community' is less cryptic and confusing for new users--I think it's also more accurate. Though we might try to work that subtitle back in, or better yet create a "trends" page and attach it to that.
It's also worth mentioning that I flat-out stole the notion of a 'Zeitgeist' page from my old employer, LibraryThing. I'm generally an unrepentant thief, but I figured, now Tim can have it to himself again :-)
“Such passages are widespread enough in the pages of American periodicals that at least one longtime film publicist, Jeremy Walker, has coined a term of art for them: the documented instance of public eating, or DIPE.”
This one feels a little too close to home (though I think the vector for this disease is now probably facebook and twitter):
“In discussing one of them, he cites the work of Dr. John Ratey, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard who believes people can be physically addicted to e-mail. “Each e-mail you open gives you a little hit of dopamine,” Mr. Chorost writes, “which you associate with satiety. But it’s just a little hit. The effect wears off quickly, leaving you wanting another hit.”
Dr. Ratey, he says, calls this “acquired attention deficit disorder.”
hi p-ro, thanks for asking about the tag comments. No timeframe, but those will actually be coming back--both the old ones, and the ability to add new ones.
Also, thanks for 'dulosis,' I love that :-) Expect some minor upgrades to the personal word of the day stuff soon--like a list of the ones available on Zeitgeist.
Not at the moment, though maybe hopefully eventually*.
Though we're not going to stop anyone from creating extra accounts if they need multiple lists. For instance if you wanted separate WotDs for two separate classes you teach.
Yeah, we snuck that in over the weekend--for those who haven't found it yet it's on your profile, above your lists.
It'll get a little fancier soon, and once people have started creating them we'll start featuring them on Zeitgeist so you can find stuff to subscribe to.
If anyone finds anything wrong or has suggestions, please let me know.
“I haven’t really had a lot of mentors. I’ve had to sort of figure things out for myself, because I’ve had a lot of whatever the opposite of a mentor is. I’ve learned a lot from seeing what didn’t work. There should be a word for that kind of boss — “dismentor” or something.”
“In doing so, they conjure up ghosts — frightening-looking ones, who owe a visual debt to Ms. de Beer’s long fascination with horror films and, lately, to the particularly bloody 1970s Italian subgenre known as giallo.”
“Sharktopus,” the blood-soaked tale of a hybrid shark-octopus developed as a secret military weapon, was one of Syfy’s biggest hits last year. (The monster goes haywire and terrorizes bikini-clad women along Mexican Riviera beaches; 2.5 million people tuned in.)
“And then last fall, not long before her 15th birthday, Daphne found herself in an actual home, reunited with the other orphans stranded after the disaster they all call “goudou-goudou” for the terrible sound of the ground shaking.”
“The remaining market share is divided among about 12 other public exchanges, several electronic trading platforms and vast so-called unlit markets, including those known as dark pools.”
“This superb male group, known as the Trocks, appeared in all of its mallerina glory — that is, man plus ballerina — on Friday in a program of repertory works that included “Les Lac des Cygnes” (“Swan Lake,” Act II), as well as the New York premieres, both staged by Elena Kunikova, of the pas d’action from “Harlequinade” (1997) and “Valpurgeyeva Noch” (or “Walpurgisnacht”) from 2009.”
“I want to be perfectly clear about something before moving along to answer this question: Peter Luger is not a casual restaurant. It is true that you can go there for dinner and see people dining in Giants jerseys and mom jeans, as if the dining room were an airport gate filled with Americans waiting for a delayed flight to Las Vegas. But these people are to be derided and have done much to drag the restaurant down. Peter Luger at its best is a meat church, a restaurant to attend in suit and tie or cocktail wear, the sort of place where maybe you can’t get a reservation on the phone, but where you can always get a table with the help of a firm handshake and perhaps some understanding at the door. Children shouldn’t be in there until they’re 10, at least.”
You're right--that's a bug in the way we ingest Wiktionary data. In certain cases words that should have links to related forms ("toll" in this case) instead mistakenly refer to themselves.
Thanks for bringing it to our attention--we're working on a fix.
Hi Pro, you can reset your password here. The link's not visible when you're logged in (which I should change), but if you're logged out, you can reach it by clicking 'Sign in', and then 'Forgot?'
“One Sunday afternoon, they let me park myself on the couch while people played slot machines — yes, the tenants had purchased two actual casino slot machines — and bolitos, the Dominican numbers lottery.”
I'm looking at adding back the external link icon. Slightly complicated by the large number of external links on the examples, but hopefully will be up this week.
“We paying respect to the dead right now,” Juelz Santana told the Hammerstein Ballroom crowd Friday night, urging a moment of silence for the friends he had lost in recent months. “We gotta get this right.”
Moments before, the screens above him onstage were displaying their photos — G-Baby, D-Train, Classik, Johnny Jerajian, Huddy 6 — while D.R.S.’s threnody “Gangsta Lean” played over the speakers.
“While Mr. Obama was elected on a promise of diplomatic engagement, his strategy toward the North for the past two years, called “strategic patience,” has been to demonstrate that Washington would not engage until the North ceased provocations and demonstrated that it was living up to past commitments to dismantle, and ultimately give up, its nuclear capacity.”
“It is being called the green rush. With more states moving to legalize medical marijuana, the business of growing and dispensing it is booming, even as much of the rest of the economy struggles.”
“Leo Rosten's The Joys of Yiddish uses the word Yinglish and Ameridish to describe new words, or new meanings of existing Yiddish words, created by English-speaking persons with some knowledge of Yiddish.”
Not entirely sure I agree. Judging by the name of the account there's commercial intent, but my main litmus test is the presence of external links in inappropriate places, of which there are none--just in the profile 'website' field, which is kosher.
“While dance fans eagerly await the release next month of “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky’s melodrama about rival ballerinas, here’s a version of “Swan Lake” you won’t see often. It’s not new, but it has lately been making the rounds, wowing some balletomanes and horrifying others.”
Hi Pro, just pushed some changes, including adding back 'Elsewhere on the web' when there are no definitions (was an accident that it had gone missing).
Wish I was going to be in NYC (NWC?) next week. I miss it.
Well, to repine is to be sad, or to yearn. And the phrase "a pox on" is basically used to curse something. So I'll guess that a modern English translation might be "to hell with sadness and yearning."
Though if it's a jaunty little dance number, I'm probably wrong.
“India has relatively few bank branches for a country its size, so many migrants stuff money in their mattresses or send cash home through traditional “hawala,” or hand-to-hand networks.”
The New York Times, Do Believe the Hype, by Thomas L. Friedman, November 2, 2010
“Prosecutors are said to be wary of the outlandish descriptions of sexual activities that Ruby said took place during what she called “bunga-bunga” parties, a term that has now spawned several You Tube spoofs by popular Italian comedians. Ruby has also said she received money and presents from the prime minister.”
Hi Pro, looking into that zeitgeist pronunciations bug. Sorry for my slo mo response lately, but I've got a good excuse -- our second kid was born last Thursday :-)
Hi Hernandez. Digging your words and quotation, but a quick suggestion. If you want, you can create lists of words (there's an orange link to do so at the top right of your profile). Then you can add the words to the list, and comments to the words in the list. One other thing to note is that Wordnik is case sensitive, so 'Riveted' is considered a different word than 'riveted.' People general list the lowercase version unless it's a proper noun.
If you have any questions or suggestions about the site, please let me know (john@wordnik.com). Welcome, and enjoy!
It's a work in progress, and I'll blog about it soon, when we've kicked the can a little farther down the road. But one nice thing you might enjoy now is that lists are finally searchable.
Comments and suggestions welcome as we flesh this out.
“Unlike the psychedelic painter Alex Grey, whose art conveys a true believer’s faith in the reality of an ultimately beneficent divinity accessible by means of “entheogens” — drugs that activate inner gods — and practices like meditation and chanting, Mr. Tomaselli teeters on the agnostic line between belief and skepticism.”
Hi Frank. Just wanted to let you know that Wordnik is case sensitive. While you are absolutely welcome to leave any kind of comment you like on any word, the definitions you're leaving on capitalized words, like Tomtit, are already available on the lowercase versions, like tomtit.
The only external link is in the profile 'Website' field, which is kosher. Despite the commercial overtones I think that's on the right side of the law, today*.
Chris, more as a consideration of community mores than a rule, I think folks would appreciate it if you toned down the promotion. That said, welcome to Wordnik!
*Our definition of spam is mercurial and we reserve the right to be erratic.
Hi jpin, totally digging your comments on your 'words from Greek history and philosophy' list.
One absolutely optional suggestion: many of us choose to add word-specific comments to the words themselves (philippic, for instance), rather than lists containing them.
But by all means, do as you prefer. There are no rules -- everything is permitted :-) Welcome to Wordnik!
Hi Pro, just added Forvo, Shuttercal, and Postcrossing as also-ons, along with a few others like github, Foursquare, and Tumblr. Thanks for the suggestions.
Pro, rz, fbharjo, the number shown for the comment count is fixed (the comments were all there but it had been confusing the tag and comment counts). Pro, we'll add those sites to the also-ons this week (as well as github, foursquare, and a few others), and I'll make sure the words-listed count is inclusive.
PU, made a change that might have fixed your missing button -- can you email me whether or not the issue persists?
update: C_B, if you can read this, it means the problem with editing comments on profiles is fixed :-)
Wow ruzuzu, that was fast -- you noticed the new profile features about 3 minutes after I pushed them :-)
Quick overview: everyone's lists now show a synopsis of all the contributions they've made under their name, much the way they used to. The faux-dating fields are gone from profiles, replaced by an open field for a website, and 'also-on' fields for other social services you may want to link to. 'Recent lookups' now optionally appear on profiles, in the column with other activity like favoriting, etc.
Recent lookups is on by default, but can be hidden entirely -- click 'edit preferences' on your profile page. We can easily make it possible to have lookups visible to you, but nobody else. I didn't include that in this iteration because I didn't want to make it more complex than necessary, but we'll certainly consider it if folks would like that.
Hm, just noticed that there's a problem with the display of comments on lists. Working on the right now. Please let me know (here on by email) if you see any other problems.
“The composer Ben Neill, for example, plays what he calls the mutantrumpet — a trumpet with three bells (instead of one), six valves (instead of three), a trombone slide and an electronic interface that can turn it into a synthesizer controller.”
“The novelists Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner began complaining on Twitter last week that the Times only liked books by "white men from Brooklyn," starting the hashtag on Twitter #Franzenfreude, by means of which people could recommend good and, one supposes, comparatively obscure novels by women.”
“You cannot simply say, as in English, “An animal passed here.” You have to specify, using a different verbal form, whether this was directly experienced (you saw the animal passing), inferred (you saw footprints), conjectured (animals generally pass there that time of day), hearsay or such. If a statement is reported with the incorrect “evidentiality,” it is considered a lie.”
“So yes, we, too, are disappointed not to have seen crazy mean-spirited adults lobbing spittle at each other or smashing Obama pinatas with large sticks and pocket knives. (Who knows what's happening at the after parties now, though!) This rally was America-porn for the elderly in lawn chairs. And it was great, great advertising for Fox News' Glenn Beck show.”
I'm sorry telofy, but before I can upcase you you're going to have to wait a year, just like everyone else.
Uh, kidding :-) We fixed the glitch that was preventing us from doing that earlier, so it's easy now. You should be Telofy. If not, try logging out then back in.
Pro, PU, my apologies for the the embarrassingly long wait, but you've finally been upcased. You may need to log out and back in to see it reflected everywhere. Please let me know if anything's wonky, and thank you for your patience.
Pro, the tweet link should be working correctly now.
“Like all Kinesthetic Astronomy lessons, it teaches basic astronomical concepts through choreographed bodily movements and positions that provide educational sensory experiences.”
“On Tuesday, the British government announced that it would introduce legislation in the fall banning private companies from clamping — the British term for what Americans know as “booting” — or towing any vehicle parked on private land, and limiting the companies to a regulated system of parking tickets.”
“In the Cape Cod town of Wellfleet, Mass., the ancient rite of shellfish gathering (witness the antiquated shell middens found on coasts across the globe) is open to anyone who can plunk down $75 for a seasonal non-residential shell license.”
Been playing around with blekko lately and enjoying it (and not just because Wordnik is their default dictionary :-). The slashtags thing is pretty neat.
Just discovered I have a handful of beta invites available -- if anyone wants one, email me.
Rz, adding to lists etc. should be working now. You might want to first hold down the shift key while reloading the page, which forces the browser to completely reload everything.
The problem was related to the new autocomplete feature on the tags box. Oh, and by the way... there's now autocomplete for tags :-)
“Dr. Haas collaborated with BlackGold Biofuels, a small Philadelphia company that has developed a process for making biodiesel fuel out of a wide range of nonedible, low-value “fog” — the industry shorthand for fats, oils and grease.”
“When the well is static, it’s killed,” said Greg McCormack, program director of the Petroleum Extension Service at the University of Texas, Austin. “But if you remove the pressure, it can become unkilled. Once you put cement in it from the bottom, then it can never be unkilled.”
Hi c_b. There is a Google-powered 'search-most-of-wordnik' feature, which is kind of hidden right now, since we hope to improve upon it in the future. But at the bottom of every page, the far-right footer link is 'search'.
“Their work is based on claims among some Bolivarianólogos, as specialists here on the history of Bolívar are called, that a long-lost letter by Bolívar reveals how he was betrayed by Colombia’s aristocracy.”
“If it only fills the center well pipe, and not the area called the annulus between the inner piping and the outer casing, then a final cementing of the well may have to wait another few weeks.”
Not sure who's making all these accounts, but I'm presuming they're turks, being paid for spam by the bushel. Funny they'd bother to reply, but hey, I guess they're people too.
“We talk about the enemy here, which is different from the enemy downrange, but which is just as deadly,” he said, using the military term used for a combat zone.
Oops -- I'll fix that tonight, p&r. I tidied up the profile sub-pages the other day (adding sort options for lists & favorites, things like that), and must have forgotten the comment links in the process.
“A Metro-North spokesman said the problem was caused when the devices on top of several trains that pull electricity from the overhead lines tore down the wires just west of the Greenwich, Conn., station.
Railroad officials were unsure on Saturday how the devices — known as pantographs — were able to bring down the power lines, but they suspected the recent heat wave might have played a role.”
“Anthony Perrotti, 88, was posing around the room wearing a Triple Cleveland — white tie, white belt, white shoes — and lamenting the hot pink shirt he could have paired it with.”
“In London, Cockney will be replaced by Multicultural London English - a mixture of Cockney, Bangladeshi and West Indian accents - the study shows.
"It will be gone within 30 years," says Prof Kerswill.
The study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, says the accent ,which has been around for more than 500 years, is being replaced in London by a new hybrid language.
The new accent, known in slang terms as Jafaican, is most famously spoken by rap star Dizzee Rascal.”
The comments on a person's profile are paginated, but I forgot to paginate the ones by the person who's profile you're looking at. Thanks for catching that, will do it shortly.
It's been a long time coming, but comments are finally pageable, so you can now scroll back through all comments on words, lists, and people, including words like features with a large number of comments. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and hit the 'more' link.
“Some sleepwalkers will go jogging on the freeway and be killed in traffic, or stroll off the deck of a cruise ship, unaware of their surroundings, he said. He and colleagues even coined the term parasomnia pseudo-suicide, in part because the fatalities are frequently misinterpreted.”
“Hence, Rees’s First Law of Quotation: ‘When in doubt, ascribe all quotations to George Bernard Shaw.’ The law’s first qualification is: ‘Except when they obviously derive from Shakespeare, the Bible or Kipling.’ The corollary is: ‘In time, all humorous remarks will be ascribed to Shaw whether he said them or not.’
Why should this be? People are notoriously lax about quoting and attributing remarks correctly, as witness an analogous process I shall call Churchillian Drift. The Drift is almost indistinguishable from the First Law, but there is a subtle difference. Whereas quotations with an apothegmatic feel are normally ascribed to Shaw, those with a more grandiose or belligerent tone are almost automatically credited to Churchill. All quotations in translation, on the other hand, should be attributed to Goethe (with ‘I think’ obligatory).”
The Vagueness Is All, From Volume 2, Number 2, April 1993 issue of The “Quote... Unquote” Newsletters
“A random list of stuff that the spring 2011 men’s wear shows in Milan suggest that style guys should be on the alert for: pencil thighs shrink-wrapped in jeggings (jeans so tight they look like leggings); scruffy bed head (Bottega Veneta); lug-soled shoes with inset espadrille rope soles (Prada); paper-bag waists (ditto Prada); boat-neck sweaters (ditto ditto); colors from the sorbet bin at the ice cream counter, like watermelon, mango, pistachio (Dsquared) or aqua, mint, almond (Calvin Klein); unlined short-sleeved safari jackets (Gucci); slave chains (Emporio Armani — shout out to Pauly from “Jersey Shore”!); Balenciaga butterfly sunglasses, designed for women but worn by guys, as Snoop Dogg did at the MTV movie awards; Birkenstock style sandals with gladiator straps (Burberry.)”
“Even more archaic is the maritime term “smoking lamp.”
According to a Navy history Web site, this phrase dates to the 16th century, when a lamp was stoked near the ship’s galley to draw tobacco users away from where gunpowder was stored.
The term has survived as a nautical figure of speech.
“The smoking lamp is lit” designates those times and places for smoking; but when a skipper says, “The smoking lamp is out,” it means crush out your cigarettes now.”
According to this dictionary, it's the adverbial form of electrophotomicrography, which means "photographing by electric light objects magnified by the microscope". Apparently it was once considered the longest word in the English language, until pushed aside by pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
“Instead, scientists will try to determine whether the whale had been swimming through oil by using a method known as hindcasting, which looks at how bloated an animal’s body is to calculate how long it has been dead, then retraces patterns in water currents to tell where the body might have drifted from.”
According to Wikipedia a paddywhack is a sheep or cow ligament, which can be dried and used as a dog treat. I presume that's the "give a dog a bone" reference in "This Old Man."
I had thought this had something to do with hitting Irish people. Wrong again.
Comments by john
john commented on the list sweet-tooth-fairy
Haven't been here in a few years, but young Lincoln McGrath, just north of age 2, just came out with a hell of a STF, sui generis, that I had to share: "Cracker jack hammer". Tears to my eyes!
July 9, 2013
john commented on the word diener
"The word Diener is German for servant. In English, it is generally used to describe the person, in the morgue, responsible for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse (though, at some institutions dieners perform the entire dissection at autopsy). It is derived from the German word Leichendiener, which literally means corpse servant."
—Wikipedia
November 22, 2011
john commented on the user Prolagus
:-)
July 22, 2011
john commented on the user ramesh.pidikiti
Hi Ramesh. Does the email have my name on it?
June 23, 2011
john commented on the word municipal bondage
Hat tip to Henry Alford.
June 9, 2011
john commented on the word ankle
First time I've seen 'ankle' used like this, as in 'hobble':
"The company is talented enough to win without cheating (or hiring PR firms to ankle competitors)."
Launch, Has Google been Naughty? Yes. Should the Government Get Involved? No, by Jason Calacanis, May 30, 2011
May 30, 2011
john commented on the word flexify
To make more flexible.
May 26, 2011
john commented on the word typoist
A typo prone typist.
May 24, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Yarb, we recently updated our notifications system, I think the notes/comments on personal WotDs were a casualty. Looking into it today. Pro, also looking into the mangled font issue.
May 20, 2011
john commented on the word acqhire
What happens to a start-up whose business never materializes? One option is to try to peddle the company based on the value of its human capital–aka the “acqhire.”
All Things Digital, Why Buy When You Can Hire? Time Warner Cable Gets a Joost Guy., by Peter Kafka, September 4, 2009
May 18, 2011
john commented on the word hexannual
Occurring every six years.
May 18, 2011
john commented on the word faygeleh
“The word he used was faygeleh, a mild Yiddish pejorative for homosexual. Queer and fairy are close approximations.”
NPR.org, A Party Boy Reflects On Life, Lip Gloss, by Dan Kois, May 16, 2011
May 16, 2011
john commented on the word Peddler, Frankfurter
“Morris opened a restaurant in Paterson, but then "drifted into the frankfurter peddling business," according to his obituary. (The 1900 census lists his occupation as "Peddler, Frankfurter.")”
Word Routes, "Hot Dog": The Untold Story, by Ben Zimmer, May 13, 2011
May 13, 2011
john commented on the list sweet-tooth-fairy-dominoes
War and... Warrant...
update: forgot to add my entry: 'train' after peace :-)
May 11, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
pro, blafferty, will look into those last three reports first thing tomorrow.
re: deleting comments, i can't duplicate that. blafferty, are you experiencing that on all lists, or just that one?
May 9, 2011
john commented on the user Prolagus
Thanks pro--will check out the Twitter link thing tonight.
May 7, 2011
john commented on the word smopple
Hm. Seems like it should be related to a hoople.
May 6, 2011
john commented on the word anent
I'll play--I love tagging projects.
'English preposition' might be gilding the lily, since Wordnik is monolingual.
update: cheatsheet. I'm doing the As & Bs right now.
May 3, 2011
john commented on the user Prolagus
Thanks much for those bug reports, they were super userful--the loop bug and profile link on mobile should be fixed.
May 3, 2011
john commented on the user Prolagus
Just fixed the mobile login issue, I think--let me know if it's still giving you trouble.
May 3, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Looking into it right now Pro, thanks.
May 2, 2011
john commented on the user Prolagus
Hi Pro, no, absolutely not--I'm sorry I haven't been more responsive. A series of the issues you reported fell into the bermuda triangle zone where they weren't absolute showstoppers, nor were they two minute fixes, so I made a mental note to get to them and have been slow about it.
Though coincidentally, I'm moving some new stuff into production later tonight, including fixes for a handful of the things you've mentioned recently. The mislabeled link when comments appear on word pages is fixed, and most embedded video should start working again too--we upgraded some internal components, and the new versions had stricter embedding policies, which I've adjusted.
May 2, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Hi marky, tried to respond on your profile but it looks like you've privatized. I'll add the option to delete your pronunciations this week. Been meaning to do it for some time.
May 2, 2011
john commented on the word birther
See also afterbirther.
April 28, 2011
john commented on the word afterbirther
“In the continuing controversy surrounding the president's U.S. citizenship, a new fringe group informally known as "Afterbirthers" demanded Monday the authentication of Barack Obama's placenta from his time inside his mother's womb. ”
The Onion, Afterbirthers Demand To See Obama's Placenta, April 27, 2011
April 28, 2011
john commented on the word lubency
(Noun) willingness; pleasure
April 26, 2011
john commented on the word enigmatology
“Before joining The Times, Mr. Shortz was the editor of Games magazine. He holds the world's only college degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles, which he earned in the Individualized Major Program at Indiana University in 1974.”
The New York Times, Talk to The Times: Crossword Editor Will Shortz, July 19, 2009
April 26, 2011
john commented on the word feticide
Monobina Gupta, who has researched domestic violence for Jagori, a nongovernmental organization, draws a direct link between these killings and the abortion of female fetuses: “The dowry is part of the continuum of gender-based discrimination and violence, beginning with female feticide.”
The New York Times, A Campaign Against Girls in India, by Nilanjana S. Roy, April 12, 2011
April 13, 2011
john commented on the word fwb
Friends with benefits. Sordid details on UrbanDictionary.
April 12, 2011
john commented on the list fads
Love this list. Had never heard of an antiperm, though I knew immediately what it is.
April 12, 2011
john commented on the word part-time urine monitor
“Last June, Urban Treatment Associates in Camden hired Mr. Devoureau as a part-time urine monitor; his job was to make sure that people recovering from addiction did not substitute someone else’s urine for their own during regular drug testing.”
The New York Times, A Lawsuit’s Unusual Question: Who Is a Man?, by Richard Perez-Pena, April 10, 2011
April 11, 2011
john commented on the word ayibobo
As four drummers pounded rhythmically, voodoo priestesses in bright-colored dresses danced in ecstatic circles, dousing the floor with rum and chanting, “Ayibobo!” — the voodoo “amen.”
The New York Times, Voodoo, an Anchor, Rises Again, by Dan Bilefsky, April 8, 2011
April 11, 2011
john commented on the word numeronym
A number-based word, like Y2K, WWII, W3C, and i18n.
Many more good examples on Wikipedia.
April 10, 2011
john commented on the word shabab
“There is also the “shabab,” milling groups of youngsters who arrive at the front each day hoping to pitch in, but with scant idea of how. Officially, the shabab are not part of the fight.”
The New York Times, Libyan Rebels Don’t Really Add Up to an Army, by C.J. Chivers, April 6, 2011
April 7, 2011
john commented on the word soy
Loving Century def #2. Definitely time to see the term soy-pea come back into vogue.
April 6, 2011
john commented on the word loosies
“Rarely does a minute go by without a customer stopping just long enough to pass a dollar bill to Lonnie Loosie, known to the police by his given name, Lonnie Warner, 50. They clench the two “loosies” — as single cigarettes are called — that he thrusts back in return.”
The New York Times, A Cigarette for 75 Cents, 2 for $1: The Brisk, Shady Sale of ‘Loosies’, by Joseph Goldstein, April 4, 2011
April 6, 2011
john commented on the word flapdoodle
"The stuff on which fools are feigned to be nourished"? Century, rocking it.
April 2, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
I've been noodling with the homepage tagline pretty regularly, so I'm not exactly sure what "bring back the old one" means. But clearly the current one ain't working, so I just flipped it back to the previous version.
"All the words" seems a bit ambitious. How about "Lots of words"?
April 2, 2011
john commented on the word poppysmic
From Ulysses, by James Joyce.
March 27, 2011
john commented on the word candle bearer
In Catholic and Anglican services, an assistant who carries candles during the mass.
March 27, 2011
john commented on the word sextortion
“Or, as in a 2009 Wisconsin case of “sextortion,” a boy, pretending to be a girl online, who solicited explicit pictures of boys, which he then used as blackmail to compel those boys to have sex with him.”
The New York Times, A Girl’s Nude Photo, and Altered Lives, by Jan Hoffman, March 26, 2011
March 27, 2011
john commented on the user mollusque
Hi mollusque, looking into the wotd delete bug right now, will get back to you.
March 25, 2011
john commented on the list obamulate
Sorry A1, but the word is obambulate, not obamulate.
March 24, 2011
john commented on the word obamulate
The real word is obambulate, but this was used by Rush Limbaugh, apparently: "The new word of the day according to Rush is "obamulate", meaning to dither or dilly dally around. LOL! It's a real word!"
March 24, 2011
john commented on the word goat rodeo
“You have banks competing with carriers competing with Apple and Google, and it’s pretty much a goat rodeo until someone sorts it out.”
The New York Times, As Phones Become Wallets, Many Have Hands Out, by Tara Siegel Bernard and Claire Cain Miller, March 23, 2011
March 23, 2011
john commented on the word tolou
“For centuries, each building, called a tulou in Mandarin Chinese, would house an entire clan, virtually a village. Everyone living inside would have the same surname, except for those who had married into the clan. The tulou usually tower four floors and have up to hundreds of rooms that open out onto a vast central courtyard, like the Colosseum.”
The New York Times, Monuments to Clan Life Are Losing Their Appeal, by Edward Wong, March 22, 2011
March 23, 2011
john commented on the word diddley bow
“Mr. Perkins, who dropped out of school after the third grade, taught himself the rudiments of blues guitar on a homemade instrument called a diddley bow: a length of wire stretched between nails driven into a wall.”
The New York Times, Pinetop Perkins, Delta Boogie-Woogie Master, Dies at 97, by Bill Friskics-Warren, March 21, 2011
March 22, 2011
john commented on the word orphan seat
“It’s a horrible term,” she said, “but E.M.T.’s call the rear-facing seat ‘the orphan seat’ because in a bad car accident, that child is often the only one who survives.”
The New York Times, Rear-Facing Car Seats Advised for Older Toddlers, by Madonna Behen, March 21, 2011
March 21, 2011
john commented on the word Super Pumper
See citation on Hyper Rescue Squad.
March 21, 2011
john commented on the word Hyper Rescue Squad
“Key to that success: An elite disaster-response team from Tokyo, the Hyper Rescue Squad, and its massive water cannon known as the Super Pumper.”
The Wall Street Journal, Japan Plant Had Troubled History, by Rebecca Smith, Ben Casselman, and Mitsuro Obe, March 21, 2011
March 21, 2011
john commented on the word beerstorming
Like brainstorming, but with beer. And somehow different from a beerstorm. Coined by Wordnik's very own Robert.
March 18, 2011
john commented on the word gamification
It has to do with whales, I believe. Or legs.
March 18, 2011
john commented on the word torus
“Japanese officials subsequently said that the explosion had damaged a doughnut-shaped steel container of water, known as a torus, that surrounds the base of the reactor vessel inside the primary containment building.”
The New York Times, Workers Strain to Retake Control After Blast and Fire at Japan Plant, by Keith Bradsher and Hiroko Tabuchi, March 15, 2011
March 15, 2011
john commented on the word suppression pool
“Tokyo Electric Power said Tuesday that after the explosion at the No. 2 reactor, pressure had dropped in the “suppression pool” — a section at the bottom of the reactor that converts steam to water and is part of the critical function of keeping the nuclear fuel protected.”
The New York Times, Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise, by Hiroko Tabuchi, David E. Sanger, and Keith Bradsher, March 14, 2011
March 15, 2011
john commented on the word feed and bleed
“That remedy involves pumping in seawater to cool the fuel rods, then opening vents to release the resulting steam pressure that builds in the container vessel. When the vessel is depressurized, workers can inject more seawater, a process known as “feed and bleed.”
The New York Times, New Blast Reported at Nuclear Plant as Japan Struggles to Cool Reactor, by Hiroko Tabuchi and Keith Bradsher, March 14, 2011
March 15, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Hi folks, sorry about that 'unrecognized request' crap, it was a bug I introduced last night. Should be fixed now.
March 10, 2011
john commented on the user chained_bear
Hi c-b!
I can't replicate that right-click issue you reported. Are you seeing it just on the homepage, or across the site? And what kind of browser are you using? Does it happen for you with all browsers, or just one?
March 10, 2011
john commented on the word Fat Tuesday
Just learned that in the UK and Ireland Fat Tuesday is better known as Pancake Day.
March 7, 2011
john commented on the user jennarenn
Jennarenn! So nice to see you again :-)
March 3, 2011
john commented on the user Wordplayer
Hi Quinn--saw your comment on feedback. Happy to help, but could you give me some more details? By suggestion, do you mean a word you added to a list, or a comment? I was just able to add and delete both, including adding and removing multi-word phrases from lists, which had been causing problems earlier.
March 3, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Marky, favs html should be unwacked, thanks for pointing that out.
March 3, 2011
john commented on the word wotd
We'll post more about WotD options soon, but if you've created your own Word of the Day (which you can do from your profile), there's now an option to invite people to subscribe to it. Go to your WotD page (once you've created one it's linked from your profile) and you'll see an 'Invite people to subscribe' link.
March 3, 2011
john commented on the word mule
A kind of boat. See citation from Dracula on cobble.
March 3, 2011
john commented on the word cobble
A kind of boat: “More than one captain made up his mind then and there that his 'cobble' or his 'mule', as they term the different classes of boats, would remain in the harbour till the storm had passed.”
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
March 3, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Thanks folks, just fixed html tagging on profiles. Will look into adding words.
March 2, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Hi rz and pro, those bugs should now be fixed--list pagination now starts and one and doesn't go negative, and multi-word phrases (those were the problematic ones) can once again be deleted from lists. Thanks for your patience.
March 2, 2011
john commented on the user Prolagus
Thanks pro, looking at the bug with removing words from lists.
I'm kind of grateful to the bug though, because otherwise I might have missed your Remarkable Wikipedia categories list, which is frickin' awesome.
February 25, 2011
john commented on the word pain au chocolat
He's using one of those interweb photo services that take the the output from fancy digital cameras and make it look like it came from one of these.
*heads to what he was really looking for, pain a.u chocolate*
February 24, 2011
john commented on the word framistan
A nonce word along the lines of thingamajobber or whosamajiggy. Earliest citation I can find is here, from 1996, though this dude claims it's from a 1960's episode of I Love Lucy.
If anyone knows more, please share.
February 23, 2011
john commented on the word blow
Ladies and Gentleman, I have the pleasure to present on my album... Mr. Dizzy Gillespie!
Blow!
— Stevie Wonder introducing Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet solo on the album cut of "Do I Do"
February 22, 2011
john commented on the word stiver
Anybody have any idea where or what "the stews" are?
February 22, 2011
john commented on the word rompstall
See comment on rigmutton.
February 22, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Sorry about the WOTD list issues, working on it right now.
*update* Adding wotd words is fixed. Tonight and tomorrow I'll be making some more fixes/additions to the wotd stuff.
February 22, 2011
john commented on the user hernesheir
Hi H, thanks for your comment about the zeitgeist/community rename. I too was fond of the "Watch Your Language" subtitle, though it revealed an issue with the term 'Zeitgeist' as we used it. Zeitgeist implies the overall spirit of a thing, I think, and would have been more suitable for a page that was strictly about site trends. Our zeitgeist/community page is focused on a smaller subset of that--what people are saying. So while the major motivation for the change was as you suggested--'community' is less cryptic and confusing for new users--I think it's also more accurate. Though we might try to work that subtitle back in, or better yet create a "trends" page and attach it to that.
It's also worth mentioning that I flat-out stole the notion of a 'Zeitgeist' page from my old employer, LibraryThing. I'm generally an unrepentant thief, but I figured, now Tim can have it to himself again :-)
February 20, 2011
john commented on the user Telofy
Hi T, there was a snafu (affecting just the word anpiel, weirdly) on our end. Should be fixed now.
February 20, 2011
john commented on the word wrong-foot
“As Mann played defense and Richardson cradled the ball with her head up, the women used their feet to grab position and cut.
The term, they explained, was to “wrong-foot” your opponent.”
The New York Times, A Case Against Helmets in Lacrosse, by Alan Schwarz, February 16, 2011
February 17, 2011
john commented on the word DIPE
“Such passages are widespread enough in the pages of American periodicals that at least one longtime film publicist, Jeremy Walker, has coined a term of art for them: the documented instance of public eating, or DIPE.”
The New York Times, For Actresses, Is a Big Appetite Part of the Show?, by Jeff Gordinier, February 15, 2011
February 16, 2011
john commented on the word acquired attention deficit disorder
This one feels a little too close to home (though I think the vector for this disease is now probably facebook and twitter):
“In discussing one of them, he cites the work of Dr. John Ratey, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard who believes people can be physically addicted to e-mail. “Each e-mail you open gives you a little hit of dopamine,” Mr. Chorost writes, “which you associate with satiety. But it’s just a little hit. The effect wears off quickly, leaving you wanting another hit.”
Dr. Ratey, he says, calls this “acquired attention deficit disorder.”
The New York Times, Imagining a World of Total Connectedness, and Its Consequences, by Katherine Bouton, February 14, 2011
February 16, 2011
john commented on the user chained_bear
HI c_b, sorry for the delay on the list paging bug--it's fixed now. Hope all's well.
February 15, 2011
john commented on the user Prolagus
hi p-ro, thanks for asking about the tag comments. No timeframe, but those will actually be coming back--both the old ones, and the ability to add new ones.
Also, thanks for 'dulosis,' I love that :-) Expect some minor upgrades to the personal word of the day stuff soon--like a list of the ones available on Zeitgeist.
February 14, 2011
john commented on the word Wordnik Central
It's actually an elegant fin de siècle train station.
February 13, 2011
john commented on the word tweak this
opps... that was me :-(
just fixed it.
February 12, 2011
john commented on the word Mabrouk
Arabic for "congratulations."
February 11, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Not at the moment, though maybe hopefully eventually*.
Though we're not going to stop anyone from creating extra accounts if they need multiple lists. For instance if you wanted separate WotDs for two separate classes you teach.
* reassuring, huh?
February 8, 2011
john commented on the user feedback
Yeah, we snuck that in over the weekend--for those who haven't found it yet it's on your profile, above your lists.
It'll get a little fancier soon, and once people have started creating them we'll start featuring them on Zeitgeist so you can find stuff to subscribe to.
If anyone finds anything wrong or has suggestions, please let me know.
February 7, 2011
john commented on the user Prolagus
Hi P, thanks for letting me know about the comments bug. Working on it now.
update: should be fixed now. let me know if you see anything wonky, just pushed a bunch of internal changes
February 3, 2011
john commented on the word dismentor
“I haven’t really had a lot of mentors. I’ve had to sort of figure things out for myself, because I’ve had a lot of whatever the opposite of a mentor is. I’ve learned a lot from seeing what didn’t work. There should be a word for that kind of boss — “dismentor” or something.”
The New York Times, Hey, Rock Stars: Take Your Show Someplace Else, by Adam Bryant, January 29, 2011
January 31, 2011
john commented on the word giallo
“In doing so, they conjure up ghosts — frightening-looking ones, who owe a visual debt to Ms. de Beer’s long fascination with horror films and, lately, to the particularly bloody 1970s Italian subgenre known as giallo.”
The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/arts/design/30debeer.html, by Randy Kennedy, January 30, 2011
January 31, 2011
john commented on the word recombobulation
1. Something being put back the way it was, or into proper working order
2. Gathering one's thoughts or composure
—Urban Dictionary
January 30, 2011
john commented on the word magnicide
Pre-emptive assassination by a government, apparently.
January 30, 2011
john commented on the word baracko
What my two and a half year old daughter calls the leader of the free world.
Q: "Who's our awesome president?"
A: "BarackO!"
January 25, 2011
john commented on the word copius
lotsa cops
January 20, 2011
john commented on the word globulate
From Urban Dictionary: "The action of going into a room, becoming disorientated and forgetting where you are and what your original intentions were."
January 20, 2011
john commented on the word pistanthrophobia
Fear of trusting
January 20, 2011
john commented on the word sharktopus
“Sharktopus,” the blood-soaked tale of a hybrid shark-octopus developed as a secret military weapon, was one of Syfy’s biggest hits last year. (The monster goes haywire and terrorizes bikini-clad women along Mexican Riviera beaches; 2.5 million people tuned in.)
The New York Times, The Thing That Ate Saturday Night, by Brooks Barnes, January 14, 2011
January 16, 2011
john commented on the list the-measure-of-man
How about today's word of the day?
January 6, 2011
john commented on the word goudou-goudou
“And then last fall, not long before her 15th birthday, Daphne found herself in an actual home, reunited with the other orphans stranded after the disaster they all call “goudou-goudou” for the terrible sound of the ground shaking.”
The New York Times, A Year Later, Haiti Struggles Back, by Deborah Sontag, January 3, 2011
January 4, 2011
john commented on the word dark pool
See comment on unlit markets
January 2, 2011
john commented on the word unlit markets
“The remaining market share is divided among about 12 other public exchanges, several electronic trading platforms and vast so-called unlit markets, including those known as dark pools.”
The New York Times, The New Speed of Money, Reshaping Markets, by Graham Bowley, January 1, 2011
January 2, 2011
john commented on the list helpful-hints-to-avoid-unit-confusion
oops. right. and cool! i hadn't noticed it either.
December 22, 2010
john commented on the list helpful-hints-to-avoid-unit-confusion
Candide and candida?
December 21, 2010
john commented on the word mallerina
“This superb male group, known as the Trocks, appeared in all of its mallerina glory — that is, man plus ballerina — on Friday in a program of repertory works that included “Les Lac des Cygnes” (“Swan Lake,” Act II), as well as the New York premieres, both staged by Elena Kunikova, of the pas d’action from “Harlequinade” (1997) and “Valpurgeyeva Noch” (or “Walpurgisnacht”) from 2009.”
The New York Times, Part Goofy, Part Glorious, All Man, by Gia Kourlas, December 19, 2010
December 20, 2010
john commented on the word meat church
“I want to be perfectly clear about something before moving along to answer this question: Peter Luger is not a casual restaurant. It is true that you can go there for dinner and see people dining in Giants jerseys and mom jeans, as if the dining room were an airport gate filled with Americans waiting for a delayed flight to Las Vegas. But these people are to be derided and have done much to drag the restaurant down. Peter Luger at its best is a meat church, a restaurant to attend in suit and tie or cocktail wear, the sort of place where maybe you can’t get a reservation on the phone, but where you can always get a table with the help of a firm handshake and perhaps some understanding at the door. Children shouldn’t be in there until they’re 10, at least.”
The New York Times, This Shrine to Steak Deserves a Little More Respect, by Sam Sifton, December 16, 2010
December 17, 2010
john commented on the word tolled
You're right--that's a bug in the way we ingest Wiktionary data. In certain cases words that should have links to related forms ("toll" in this case) instead mistakenly refer to themselves.
Thanks for bringing it to our attention--we're working on a fix.
December 14, 2010
john commented on the user Prolagus
Hi Pro, you can reset your password here. The link's not visible when you're logged in (which I should change), but if you're logged out, you can reach it by clicking 'Sign in', and then 'Forgot?'
December 14, 2010
john commented on the word bolito
“One Sunday afternoon, they let me park myself on the couch while people played slot machines — yes, the tenants had purchased two actual casino slot machines — and bolitos, the Dominican numbers lottery.”
The New York Times, The Worst Bathroom in New York, by Elizabeth Dwoskin, December 8, 2010
December 10, 2010
john commented on the word incardinate
Thanks much for the erudite comment, and in particular to introducing me to the term cacography, with which I hadn't been familiar.
December 8, 2010
john commented on the user Prolagus
Thanks, wurstmeister.
I'm looking at adding back the external link icon. Slightly complicated by the large number of external links on the examples, but hopefully will be up this week.
December 6, 2010
john commented on the word cheeses of Nazareth
don't exactly get the shower curtain connection, but this is brilliant.
December 3, 2010
john commented on the word Hindencheeseburger
Yeah, sorry. Actually so little flavor as to be tasteless.
December 2, 2010
john commented on the word Hindencheeseburger
Exploding with flavor!
December 2, 2010
john commented on the word Elemenope
aka, the Popenope
November 30, 2010
john commented on the word threnody
“We paying respect to the dead right now,” Juelz Santana told the Hammerstein Ballroom crowd Friday night, urging a moment of silence for the friends he had lost in recent months. “We gotta get this right.”
Moments before, the screens above him onstage were displaying their photos — G-Baby, D-Train, Classik, Johnny Jerajian, Huddy 6 — while D.R.S.’s threnody “Gangsta Lean” played over the speakers.
The New York Times, Survivors Celebrate a Family Reunion, by Jon Caramanica, November 28, 2010
November 30, 2010
john commented on the word strategic patience
“While Mr. Obama was elected on a promise of diplomatic engagement, his strategy toward the North for the past two years, called “strategic patience,” has been to demonstrate that Washington would not engage until the North ceased provocations and demonstrated that it was living up to past commitments to dismantle, and ultimately give up, its nuclear capacity.”
The New York Times, U.S. to Send Carrier for Joint Exercises Off Korea, by David E. Sanger, November 23, 2010
November 24, 2010
john commented on the word green rush
“It is being called the green rush. With more states moving to legalize medical marijuana, the business of growing and dispensing it is booming, even as much of the rest of the economy struggles.”
The New York Times, New Trade Group’s Focus Will Be Marijuana Industry, by Dan Frosch, November 22, 2010
November 23, 2010
john commented on the word Yinglish
“Leo Rosten's The Joys of Yiddish uses the word Yinglish and Ameridish to describe new words, or new meanings of existing Yiddish words, created by English-speaking persons with some knowledge of Yiddish.”
—Wikipedia: Yinglish
November 23, 2010
john commented on the list ip-camera-brands
Not entirely sure I agree. Judging by the name of the account there's commercial intent, but my main litmus test is the presence of external links in inappropriate places, of which there are none--just in the profile 'website' field, which is kosher.
November 20, 2010
john commented on the word chocobacochop
chocochops, with bacon.
November 19, 2010
john commented on the word chocochop
Which would make them chocobacochops.
November 19, 2010
john commented on the word balletomane
“While dance fans eagerly await the release next month of “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky’s melodrama about rival ballerinas, here’s a version of “Swan Lake” you won’t see often. It’s not new, but it has lately been making the rounds, wowing some balletomanes and horrifying others.”
The New York Times, When Dancing on Pointe Isn’t Hard Enough, by Stephanie Goodman, November 17, 2010
November 18, 2010
john commented on the word sincerious
Apparently coined by Weird Al's daughter. Weirdly.
November 16, 2010
john commented on the word kael without fail
Is this at all related to the 'fail kale' you sometimes see if Wordnik is over capacity?
November 16, 2010
john commented on the word gynoaromabulia
Jesus, what a gem to stumble on.
November 14, 2010
john commented on the word schadenfreude
There isn't, but I've been meaning to revive that forever, and will soon.
November 11, 2010
john commented on the word Shoeverine
November 7, 2010
john commented on the user Prolagus
Hi Pro, just pushed some changes, including adding back 'Elsewhere on the web' when there are no definitions (was an accident that it had gone missing).
Wish I was going to be in NYC (NWC?) next week. I miss it.
November 5, 2010
john commented on the word pox
Well, to repine is to be sad, or to yearn. And the phrase "a pox on" is basically used to curse something. So I'll guess that a modern English translation might be "to hell with sadness and yearning."
Though if it's a jaunty little dance number, I'm probably wrong.
November 3, 2010
john commented on the word hawala
“India has relatively few bank branches for a country its size, so many migrants stuff money in their mattresses or send cash home through traditional “hawala,” or hand-to-hand networks.”
The New York Times, Do Believe the Hype, by Thomas L. Friedman, November 2, 2010
November 3, 2010
john commented on the word neccopants
Originally mentioned over on necropants.
November 3, 2010
john commented on the word hwæt
Very cool word, thanks!
Reminds me of hwærk, which I believe is Olde English for *hork*.
November 2, 2010
john commented on the word bunga-bunga
“Prosecutors are said to be wary of the outlandish descriptions of sexual activities that Ruby said took place during what she called “bunga-bunga” parties, a term that has now spawned several You Tube spoofs by popular Italian comedians. Ruby has also said she received money and presents from the prime minister.”
The New York Times, Berlusconi Scandal Could Threaten Government, by Elisabetta Povoledo, November 1, 2010
November 2, 2010
john commented on the word necropants
Not nearly as tasty as neccopants.
October 30, 2010
john commented on the word Christmost
The plural of Christmas. Coined five minutes ago by Zeke.
October 30, 2010
john commented on the user Prolagus
Hi Pro, looking into that zeitgeist pronunciations bug. Sorry for my slo mo response lately, but I've got a good excuse -- our second kid was born last Thursday :-)
October 26, 2010
john commented on the user Hernandez
Hi Hernandez. Digging your words and quotation, but a quick suggestion. If you want, you can create lists of words (there's an orange link to do so at the top right of your profile). Then you can add the words to the list, and comments to the words in the list. One other thing to note is that Wordnik is case sensitive, so 'Riveted' is considered a different word than 'riveted.' People general list the lowercase version unless it's a proper noun.
If you have any questions or suggestions about the site, please let me know (john@wordnik.com). Welcome, and enjoy!
October 14, 2010
john commented on the word ruzuculture
(noun) - The breeding, rearing, preservation, feeding, and fattening of fish ruzuzu by artificial means; ruzuzu-culture. See also pisciculture.
October 13, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Hi ruzuzu. Yesterday :-)
It's a work in progress, and I'll blog about it soon, when we've kicked the can a little farther down the road. But one nice thing you might enjoy now is that lists are finally searchable.
Comments and suggestions welcome as we flesh this out.
October 12, 2010
john commented on the word entheogen
“Unlike the psychedelic painter Alex Grey, whose art conveys a true believer’s faith in the reality of an ultimately beneficent divinity accessible by means of “entheogens” — drugs that activate inner gods — and practices like meditation and chanting, Mr. Tomaselli teeters on the agnostic line between belief and skepticism.”
The New York Times, Picturing a Mind-Blowing World Made of Drugs, by Ken Johnson, October 7, 2010
October 9, 2010
john commented on the word hetaerocracy
"Government by paramours," according to Phrontistery.
October 4, 2010
john commented on the word Mexicatesen
Con pupusas*!
* which are Salvadoran, but whatever
October 4, 2010
john commented on the word tom-tom
See also tom tom.
October 1, 2010
john commented on the word Bamm-Bamm
Until 5 minutes ago I had thought his name was 'Bam Bam', but Wikipedia says otherwise.
October 1, 2010
john commented on the word Frank Sinatra has a cold
Boy, I'd forgotten how great Gay Talese is. Thanks Pro.
October 1, 2010
john commented on the word acony bell
The fairest bloom the mountain know
Is not an iris or a wild rose
But the little flower of which i'll tell
Known as the brave acony bell
Just a simple flower so small and plain
With a pearly hue and a little known name
But the yellow birds sing when they see it bloom
For they know that spring is coming soon
— Gillian Welch, "Acony Bell"
September 30, 2010
john commented on the word cold roll
A
September 29, 2010
john commented on the word scientess
A lady scientist.
September 27, 2010
john commented on the word psycotropic
Not so strange. There's no definition because the correct spelling is psychotropic.
September 27, 2010
john commented on the word cyclone shot
Could it have anything to do with The Coney Island Cyclone? It apparently opened in 1927, so the timing might be right.
September 27, 2010
john commented on the user ikos
Hi Frank. Just wanted to let you know that Wordnik is case sensitive. While you are absolutely welcome to leave any kind of comment you like on any word, the definitions you're leaving on capitalized words, like Tomtit, are already available on the lowercase versions, like tomtit.
Welcome to Wordnik!
September 27, 2010
john commented on the word trucks
"Trousers," according to Century? Best random word I've gotten in a while and the first new addition to Pants related words in years. Huzzah!
September 26, 2010
john commented on the word buynetics
*hork*
*smiles proudly at his first-ever hork*
September 23, 2010
john commented on the word Journalist Barbie
aka Pink Slip Barbie
September 23, 2010
john commented on the user nielsencl
The only external link is in the profile 'Website' field, which is kosher. Despite the commercial overtones I think that's on the right side of the law, today*.
Chris, more as a consideration of community mores than a rule, I think folks would appreciate it if you toned down the promotion. That said, welcome to Wordnik!
*Our definition of spam is mercurial and we reserve the right to be erratic.
September 22, 2010
john commented on the list trix--1
There's also this more complete -trix list.
September 20, 2010
john commented on the list trix
How about obstetrix?
September 20, 2010
john commented on the word Padania
“Veneration of the river is central to the group’s murky origin myth, which centers on a vaguely Celtic-inspired separate nation called Padania.”
The New York Times, As Italy Government Totters, a New Power Broker Rises, by Rachel Donadio, September 15, 2010
September 16, 2010
john commented on the user reesetee
Good to hear from your RT, but very sorry to hear of your family situation. Hope thing get better.
September 16, 2010
john commented on the word stagiaire
In French, it's worth noting.
September 15, 2010
john commented on the word iGlove
Loving my new iGlove. #iPhone can now make calls (from yard). http://twitpic.com/2ok3sv
September 15, 2010
john commented on the word drek
"Human dung, feces, manure or excrement; inferior merchandise or work; insincere talk or excessive flattery"
— The Gantseh Megillah Yiddish Glossary
September 15, 2010
john commented on the user jpin
Hi jpin, totally digging your comments on your 'words from Greek history and philosophy' list.
One absolutely optional suggestion: many of us choose to add word-specific comments to the words themselves (philippic, for instance), rather than lists containing them.
But by all means, do as you prefer. There are no rules -- everything is permitted :-) Welcome to Wordnik!
September 13, 2010
john commented on the user uselessness
Sometimes more eager than able, but I try :-)
September 11, 2010
john commented on the user uselessness
Ok, pronunciation pages on profiles should now show up to 1000 pronunciations. That covers all but a few fanatics. I'll add pagination next week.
September 11, 2010
john commented on the user uselessness
The 50 pron limit is a bug, which I'm working on...
September 11, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Thanks Pro, fixed now
September 10, 2010
john commented on the user Prolagus
Hi Pro, just added Forvo, Shuttercal, and Postcrossing as also-ons, along with a few others like github, Foursquare, and Tumblr. Thanks for the suggestions.
September 9, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Sorry about the zeitgeist outage. An evil spammer done it. srsly.
September 8, 2010
john commented on the user yarb
Someone get yarb a microphone, stat!
September 7, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
fbharjo, thanks for reporting those comments page bugs, they should be fixed now.
September 7, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Pro, rz, fbharjo, the number shown for the comment count is fixed (the comments were all there but it had been confusing the tag and comment counts). Pro, we'll add those sites to the also-ons this week (as well as github, foursquare, and a few others), and I'll make sure the words-listed count is inclusive.
PU, made a change that might have fixed your missing button -- can you email me whether or not the issue persists?
update: C_B, if you can read this, it means the problem with editing comments on profiles is fixed :-)
September 5, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Wow ruzuzu, that was fast -- you noticed the new profile features about 3 minutes after I pushed them :-)
Quick overview: everyone's lists now show a synopsis of all the contributions they've made under their name, much the way they used to. The faux-dating fields are gone from profiles, replaced by an open field for a website, and 'also-on' fields for other social services you may want to link to. 'Recent lookups' now optionally appear on profiles, in the column with other activity like favoriting, etc.
Recent lookups is on by default, but can be hidden entirely -- click 'edit preferences' on your profile page. We can easily make it possible to have lookups visible to you, but nobody else. I didn't include that in this iteration because I didn't want to make it more complex than necessary, but we'll certainly consider it if folks would like that.
Hm, just noticed that there's a problem with the display of comments on lists. Working on the right now. Please let me know (here on by email) if you see any other problems.
September 5, 2010
john commented on the word mutantrumpet
“The composer Ben Neill, for example, plays what he calls the mutantrumpet — a trumpet with three bells (instead of one), six valves (instead of three), a trombone slide and an electronic interface that can turn it into a synthesizer controller.”
The New York Times, In the Forest of Instruments, Signs of Evolution, by Allan Kozinn, September 3, 2010
September 4, 2010
john commented on the list down-on-the-farm
Thanks a, corrected.
September 1, 2010
john commented on the word Franzenfreude
“The novelists Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner began complaining on Twitter last week that the Times only liked books by "white men from Brooklyn," starting the hashtag on Twitter #Franzenfreude, by means of which people could recommend good and, one supposes, comparatively obscure novels by women.”
The Awl, Behind the Franzenfreude, by MIchelle Dean, August 26, 2010
August 31, 2010
john commented on the word evidentiality
“You cannot simply say, as in English, “An animal passed here.” You have to specify, using a different verbal form, whether this was directly experienced (you saw the animal passing), inferred (you saw footprints), conjectured (animals generally pass there that time of day), hearsay or such. If a statement is reported with the incorrect “evidentiality,” it is considered a lie.”
The New York Times, Does Your Language Shape How You Think?, by Guy Deutscher, August 26, 2010
August 30, 2010
john commented on the word America-porn
“So yes, we, too, are disappointed not to have seen crazy mean-spirited adults lobbing spittle at each other or smashing Obama pinatas with large sticks and pocket knives. (Who knows what's happening at the after parties now, though!) This rally was America-porn for the elderly in lawn chairs. And it was great, great advertising for Fox News' Glenn Beck show.”
Gawker, Glenn Beck's Rally Restores Honor, Boredom to the Masses, by Jim Newell, August 28, 2010
August 30, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Thanks for the report T, you're right, they've gone missing. Rummaging around in the closet for them right now.
August 26, 2010
john commented on the user Telofy
I'm sorry telofy, but before I can upcase you you're going to have to wait a year, just like everyone else.
Uh, kidding :-) We fixed the glitch that was preventing us from doing that earlier, so it's easy now. You should be Telofy. If not, try logging out then back in.
August 25, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Pro, PU, my apologies for the the embarrassingly long wait, but you've finally been upcased. You may need to log out and back in to see it reflected everywhere. Please let me know if anything's wonky, and thank you for your patience.
Pro, the tweet link should be working correctly now.
August 25, 2010
john commented on the word Kinesthetic Astronomy
“Like all Kinesthetic Astronomy lessons, it teaches basic astronomical concepts through choreographed bodily movements and positions that provide educational sensory experiences.”
Space Science Institute
August 22, 2010
john commented on the word clamp
“On Tuesday, the British government announced that it would introduce legislation in the fall banning private companies from clamping — the British term for what Americans know as “booting” — or towing any vehicle parked on private land, and limiting the companies to a regulated system of parking tickets.”
The New York Times, With a Sit-Down Stand, a Briton Kicks the Boot, by John F. Burns, August 17, 2010
August 18, 2010
john commented on the word midden
“In the Cape Cod town of Wellfleet, Mass., the ancient rite of shellfish gathering (witness the antiquated shell middens found on coasts across the globe) is open to anyone who can plunk down $75 for a seasonal non-residential shell license.”
The New York Times, Shell Shock | Oystering on Cape Cod, by Andy Gensler, August 17, 2010
August 17, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
"I think the returning quote bug is banished again," he said, hopefully.
August 15, 2010
john commented on the word social shutdown
“I think I'm flattered? @paulcarr's social shutdown deleting Facebook, LinkedIn, 4sq, Buzz, Flickr, feels worst about Blippy”
@pud, August 12, 2010
August 14, 2010
john commented on the word blekko
Been playing around with blekko lately and enjoying it (and not just because Wordnik is their default dictionary :-). The slashtags thing is pretty neat.
Just discovered I have a handful of beta invites available -- if anyone wants one, email me.
August 14, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Rz, adding to lists etc. should be working now. You might want to first hold down the shift key while reloading the page, which forces the browser to completely reload everything.
The problem was related to the new autocomplete feature on the tags box. Oh, and by the way... there's now autocomplete for tags :-)
August 14, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Rst: I called that one :-)
Rzz: Working on it.
August 14, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Reesetee, I think that might be related to Twitter's new Fail Whale Everywhere program, which we've signed up for.
Though actually I can't duplicate that bug. Could you email me the browser you're using if it persists?
update: Bug reproduced! Looks like an IE thing. Working on it...
August 14, 2010
john commented on the word fog
“Dr. Haas collaborated with BlackGold Biofuels, a small Philadelphia company that has developed a process for making biodiesel fuel out of a wide range of nonedible, low-value “fog” — the industry shorthand for fats, oils and grease.”
The New York Times, Butter Holds the Secret to the Latest Biodiesel Fuel, by Kenneth Chang, August 9, 2010
August 11, 2010
john commented on the word sideromancy
Stars, or straws?
August 9, 2010
john commented on the word twatbaggery
Verb form: twatbagging. Or maybe just twatting.
August 9, 2010
john commented on the word twatting
“Watch out for the new media monkeys talking about twatting their facebook and checkin themselves out foursquar.”
Tip by Rhys H. about Soho House, on foursquare
August 9, 2010
john commented on the word muffinhood
To receive a muffinhood is to be muffined.
August 8, 2010
john commented on the word thiefhood
See citation on muffinhood.
August 8, 2010
john commented on the user Prolagus
Thanks for the muffinhood :-)
August 8, 2010
john commented on the word muffinhood
Also, where the muffins live. A step down from a knighthood.
August 8, 2010
john commented on the word Wiktionary
We just added Wiktionary as a definition provider on Wordnik. If anyone sees anything wonky with our parse of their data, please let me know.
August 7, 2010
john commented on the word unkill
“When the well is static, it’s killed,” said Greg McCormack, program director of the Petroleum Extension Service at the University of Texas, Austin. “But if you remove the pressure, it can become unkilled. Once you put cement in it from the bottom, then it can never be unkilled.”
The New York Times, BP Begins Pumping Cement Into Well, by Clifford Kraus, August 5, 2010
August 5, 2010
john commented on the user chained_bear
Hi c_b. There is a Google-powered 'search-most-of-wordnik' feature, which is kind of hidden right now, since we hope to improve upon it in the future. But at the bottom of every page, the far-right footer link is 'search'.
I love that thing too!
August 5, 2010
john commented on the word Bolivarianólogos
“Their work is based on claims among some Bolivarianólogos, as specialists here on the history of Bolívar are called, that a long-lost letter by Bolívar reveals how he was betrayed by Colombia’s aristocracy.”
The New York Times, Building a New History by Exhuming Bolívar, by Simon Romero, August 3, 2010
August 4, 2010
john commented on the word annulus
“If it only fills the center well pipe, and not the area called the annulus between the inner piping and the outer casing, then a final cementing of the well may have to wait another few weeks.”
The New York Times, BP Begins ‘Static Kill,’ to Seal Well Permanently, by Cliffor Klaus, August 3, 2010
August 4, 2010
john commented on the user mollusque
Hi mollusque, the 'move' function should be working again, thanks for the report.
August 2, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Hi mollusque, 'sup' and 'sub' tags should be working in comments now :-).
August 1, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
It's down in the footer. Blog content is a bit more static than the other header links, so I thought we'd try separating them.
July 31, 2010
john commented on the word consider a spherical cow in vacuum
I *lerve* this joke, but almost as pleasing is the site of the two ruzuzu lists it fits into :-)
July 23, 2010
john commented on the user mollusque
Hi mollusque -- you can now filter tag pages by a specific user, as long as they have a public profile. Here's the form:
http://www.wordnik.com/tags/food?created_by=john
Sorry for the long delay on this, and please let me know if you see any quirks.
July 23, 2010
john commented on the user mollusque
Hi mollusque, my apologies for the long wait on per-user tag list links. I'm looking into it right now.
July 20, 2010
john commented on the user Prolagus
That's very funny. Sure, I'll leave it.
Not sure who's making all these accounts, but I'm presuming they're turks, being paid for spam by the bushel. Funny they'd bother to reply, but hey, I guess they're people too.
July 18, 2010
john commented on the word fair to midland
I think you mean fair to middling, though you're not the only one who hears it otherwise.
July 16, 2010
john commented on the word downrange
“We talk about the enemy here, which is different from the enemy downrange, but which is just as deadly,” he said, using the military term used for a combat zone.
The New York Times, As a Brigade Returns Safe, Some Meet New Enemies, by Timothy Williams, July 13, 2010
July 14, 2010
john commented on the list cable-ties
I was on autopilot and almost nuked this, but it's awesome, so it got a reprieve. Worms in my ears now, though.
July 14, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Oops -- I'll fix that tonight, p&r. I tidied up the profile sub-pages the other day (adding sort options for lists & favorites, things like that), and must have forgotten the comment links in the process.
July 12, 2010
john commented on the word pantograph
“A Metro-North spokesman said the problem was caused when the devices on top of several trains that pull electricity from the overhead lines tore down the wires just west of the Greenwich, Conn., station.
Railroad officials were unsure on Saturday how the devices — known as pantographs — were able to bring down the power lines, but they suspected the recent heat wave might have played a role.”
The New York Times, Thousands Stranded as New Haven Line Shuts Down, by M. Amedeo Tumolillo and Colin Moynihan, July 10, 2010
July 11, 2010
john commented on the user PossibleUnderscore
Ga, pu, I'm so sorry about this ongoing listing problem. Writing you an email right now to try and address.
July 11, 2010
john commented on the word dectet
An ensemble of ten musicians, according to Wikipedia. A group of nine is a nonet, though some would have it neuftet.
July 11, 2010
john commented on the word Triple Cleveland
“Anthony Perrotti, 88, was posing around the room wearing a Triple Cleveland — white tie, white belt, white shoes — and lamenting the hot pink shirt he could have paired it with.”
The New York Times, Cool Air, if You Can Get to It, by Ariel Kaminer, July 9, 2010
July 10, 2010
john commented on the word Candwich
“Is putting a sandwich in a can and calling it a “Candwich” the next can’t-miss billion-dollar idea?”
The New York Times, Money in the Bank? No, Sandwich in a Can, by Kirk Johnson, July 7, 2010
July 8, 2010
john commented on the word tastevin
“Ah, the tastevin, the shallow silver cup that today largely evokes the image of the supercilious sommelier.”
The New York Times, When the First Sip Is the Sommelier’s, Not Yours, by Eric Asimov, July 6, 2010
July 8, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Sorry rz, must have re-introduced this. Am looking into it this morning.
July 7, 2010
john commented on the word Jafaican
“In London, Cockney will be replaced by Multicultural London English - a mixture of Cockney, Bangladeshi and West Indian accents - the study shows.
"It will be gone within 30 years," says Prof Kerswill.
The study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, says the accent ,which has been around for more than 500 years, is being replaced in London by a new hybrid language.
The new accent, known in slang terms as Jafaican, is most famously spoken by rap star Dizzee Rascal.”
BBC News, Cockney to disappear from London 'within 30 years', July 1, 2010
July 6, 2010
john commented on the word restavek
“Ms. Dumas, her confidante, said that Daphne feared she would be used as a restavek — a child servant.”
The New York Times, Haitian Orphans Have Little but One Another, by Deborah Sontag, July 5, 2010
July 6, 2010
john commented on the user hernesheir
The 'cvcvcvcvcc' bug should be fixed now.
July 5, 2010
john commented on the user hernesheir
That is strange, and I was able to duplicate. Thanks for the reports m & h, I'll look into tonight.
July 4, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Thanks h, that should be fixed now.
July 3, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
The comments on a person's profile are paginated, but I forgot to paginate the ones by the person who's profile you're looking at. Thanks for catching that, will do it shortly.
July 1, 2010
john commented on the list revolting-beverages
I love Clamato! Without it the caesar would not be possible, and I don't want to live in a world without caesars.
But each to their own :-)
July 1, 2010
john commented on the word baby mice wine
There's nothing metaphorical about this, nothing lost in translation. It is literally (so consider yourself warned, link-wise) baby mice, in wine.
July 1, 2010
john commented on the word Zima Gold
Gone but not forgotten. Properly
July 1, 2010
john commented on the word Lobsterita
A drink creation from Red Lobster, as seen on Flickr.
July 1, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
It's been a long time coming, but comments are finally pageable, so you can now scroll back through all comments on words, lists, and people, including words like features with a large number of comments. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and hit the 'more' link.
June 30, 2010
john commented on the word tenderpreneur
“A tenderpreneur is an insider pocketing millions from rigged government tenders for everything from air-conditioners to locomotives.”
The New York Times, The Black and the White of It, by Roger Cohen, June 28, 2010
June 29, 2010
john commented on the word parasomnia pseudo-suicide
“Some sleepwalkers will go jogging on the freeway and be killed in traffic, or stroll off the deck of a cruise ship, unaware of their surroundings, he said. He and colleagues even coined the term parasomnia pseudo-suicide, in part because the fatalities are frequently misinterpreted.”
The New York Times, The Mysteries of Tobias Wong, by Alex Williams, June 25, 2010
June 27, 2010
john commented on the word Churchillian Drift
“Hence, Rees’s First Law of Quotation: ‘When in doubt, ascribe all quotations to George Bernard Shaw.’ The law’s first qualification is: ‘Except when they obviously derive from Shakespeare, the Bible or Kipling.’ The corollary is: ‘In time, all humorous remarks will be ascribed to Shaw whether he said them or not.’
Why should this be? People are notoriously lax about quoting and attributing remarks correctly, as witness an analogous process I shall call Churchillian Drift. The Drift is almost indistinguishable from the First Law, but there is a subtle difference. Whereas quotations with an apothegmatic feel are normally ascribed to Shaw, those with a more grandiose or belligerent tone are almost automatically credited to Churchill. All quotations in translation, on the other hand, should be attributed to Goethe (with ‘I think’ obligatory).”
The Vagueness Is All, From Volume 2, Number 2, April 1993 issue of The “Quote... Unquote” Newsletters
June 26, 2010
john commented on the word BaGOK
Huh. I had thought it was something more like Koo Koo Ka-Chaw.
June 25, 2010
john commented on the word tonsorialist
Otherwise known as a barber.
June 25, 2010
john commented on the word passle
A bunch, a motley crew. Usually spelled passel.
June 25, 2010
john commented on the word jeggings
“A random list of stuff that the spring 2011 men’s wear shows in Milan suggest that style guys should be on the alert for: pencil thighs shrink-wrapped in jeggings (jeans so tight they look like leggings); scruffy bed head (Bottega Veneta); lug-soled shoes with inset espadrille rope soles (Prada); paper-bag waists (ditto Prada); boat-neck sweaters (ditto ditto); colors from the sorbet bin at the ice cream counter, like watermelon, mango, pistachio (Dsquared) or aqua, mint, almond (Calvin Klein); unlined short-sleeved safari jackets (Gucci); slave chains (Emporio Armani — shout out to Pauly from “Jersey Shore”!); Balenciaga butterfly sunglasses, designed for women but worn by guys, as Snoop Dogg did at the MTV movie awards; Birkenstock style sandals with gladiator straps (Burberry.)”
The New York Times, Men: What to Watch (and Watch Out For), by Guy Trebay, June 23, 2010
June 23, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
"I think I fixed the quotes," he said, hopefully.
June 23, 2010
john commented on the word mixoclassical
As seen on mesonoxian.
June 22, 2010
john commented on the word smoking lamp
“Even more archaic is the maritime term “smoking lamp.”
According to a Navy history Web site, this phrase dates to the 16th century, when a lamp was stoked near the ship’s galley to draw tobacco users away from where gunpowder was stored.
The term has survived as a nautical figure of speech.
“The smoking lamp is lit” designates those times and places for smoking; but when a skipper says, “The smoking lamp is out,” it means crush out your cigarettes now.”
The New York Times, Navy Bans Tobacco Use on Its Submarine Fleet, by Thom Shanker, June 20, 2010
June 21, 2010
john commented on the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
You can see scans of the dictionary entry for this here.
June 19, 2010
john commented on the word electrophotomicrographically
According to this dictionary, it's the adverbial form of electrophotomicrography, which means "photographing by electric light objects magnified by the microscope". Apparently it was once considered the longest word in the English language, until pushed aside by pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
June 19, 2010
john commented on the user feedback
Thanks, I'll look into the comment weirdness.
June 18, 2010
john commented on the word hindcast
“Instead, scientists will try to determine whether the whale had been swimming through oil by using a method known as hindcasting, which looks at how bloated an animal’s body is to calculate how long it has been dead, then retraces patterns in water currents to tell where the body might have drifted from.”
The New York Times, Spill May Have Taken Its Largest Victim Yet, by Leslie Kaufman, June 17, 2010
June 18, 2010
john commented on the word dissatisfactory
Brackets on half-bakery, please. That just made my day :-)
June 17, 2010
john commented on the word lilikoi
Better known as the passion fruit.
June 17, 2010
john commented on the word cdonald's theorem
You can see this equation (n^2 + 9 + 9) graphed, and hear the name of the theorem pronounced, here.
June 15, 2010
john commented on the word paddywhack
According to Wikipedia a paddywhack is a sheep or cow ligament, which can be dried and used as a dog treat. I presume that's the "give a dog a bone" reference in "This Old Man."
I had thought this had something to do with hitting Irish people. Wrong again.
June 13, 2010
john commented on the word fructivorous
Means "fruit-eating." An alternate spelling of frugivorous.
June 12, 2010
john commented on the word how to hide the like button
You can find AdBlock Plus (ABP) here.
June 10, 2010
Show 200 more comments...