I personally don't find it offensive, and think it just sets a dangerous precedent to dictate what kind of lists people can make (because what is offensive is highly subjective).
Japanese term roughly meaning "outside biography", meaning a side story to a main body of work (similar to a spinoff, but the gaiden should never surpass the primary story).
In this season of strange presents from relatives, Dorothy Ferreira got a doozy the other day from her 82-year-old sister in Waterloo, Iowa. It was ugly. It weighed four pounds. There was no receipt in the box.
Inside she found what looked like a gnarled, funkycandle but could actually be a huge hunk of petrifiedwhalevomit worth as much as $18,000.
"I called my sister and asked her, 'What the heck did you send me?' " recalled Ms. Ferreira, 67, who has lived here on the eastern tip of Long Island since 1982. "She said: 'I don't know, but I found it on the beach in Montauk 50 years ago and just kept it around. You're the one who lives by the ocean; ask someone out there what it is.' "
So Ms. Ferreira called the Town of East Hampton's department of natural resources, which dispatched an oldsalt from Montauk named Walter Galcik.
Mr. Galcik, 80, concluded that the mysterious gift might be ambergris, the storied substance created in the intestines of a sperm whale and spewed into the ocean. Also called "whale's pearl" or "floating gold," ambergris is a rare and often valuable ingredient in fine perfumes.
Can anyone name addresses with esplanade or promenade? I originally had them on the list until I realized I've never actually seen a street address with either of those words in it (like the Brooklyn Promenade).
I was trying to stick with words I was pretty sure have appeared in the form of "5th Street" or "Park Avenue". As for the foreign words, I wouldn't mind except that, well, where do I draw the line? And you didn't say rue. ;)
From the Nintendo GameCube game of the same name, an odama is an oversized metal sphere that is used in feudalwarfare exactly like a pinball. It can roll over soldiers and destroy the enemy defense, but will be lost if it slips past the player's bottommost flippers. Compare with katamari.
A Japanese word that roughly translates to clump. With the release of the PlayStation 2 game Katamari Damacy ("clump spirit") the word has taken on a different meaning. In the game, the katamari is rolled around to grab various objects, the size of which are dependent on the circumference of the katamari at the time (the player starts out grabbing coins, pins, and small insects, and by the end of the game they are grabbing buildings, islands, and even planetary bodies). In gamer culture, the word has come to be used in reference to any round ball of assorted junk.
Putting up words started reminding me of pictures I've taken recently, and I briefly thought of linking to them, but instead I ended up making a Wordie Flickr group. I hope that wasn't too presumptuous.
Comments by lampbane
Show previous 200 comments...
lampbane commented on the list erotica
I personally don't find it offensive, and think it just sets a dangerous precedent to dictate what kind of lists people can make (because what is offensive is highly subjective).
December 23, 2006
lampbane commented on the word krampus
"What kind of kinky Christmas spirit is this?"
"Well, it is Germanic in origin."
Dr. Venture & Dr. Orpheus; "A Very Venture Christmas"
December 23, 2006
lampbane commented on the word cabbit
I will not preclude the possibility that in the technologically-advanced future, someone may build one. Not that I think this is a good idea.
December 22, 2006
lampbane commented on the word snozzwanger
Actually, I was thinking of the creatures that hunted the oompa-loompas. What were those again?
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the word d-pad
Short for "directional pad", refering to the cross-shaped button on a video game controller. Uses digital input (limited to up-down-left-right, though a combination may produce a diagonal option).
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the word snozzwanger
Is this from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (aka Willy Wonka)?
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the word cabbit
A cat and rabbit hybrid. Thought to be impossible in the real world (cats cannot breed with rabbits), but sometimes found in anime such as Tenchi Muyo.
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the word itadakimasu
Said before meals in Japan, means "I will receive" but is more often translated as "Let's eat!"
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the user john
I want to see a list of the most popular new words.
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the word bactrian camel
A 'B' has two humps, and so does a Bactrian camel!
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the word dromedary
Remember kids, a 'D' has one hump in it, just like a dromedary!
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the word gaiden
Japanese term roughly meaning "outside biography", meaning a side story to a main body of work (similar to a spinoff, but the gaiden should never surpass the primary story).
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the list chillin-with-the-villains
You seem to have forgotten the baddest of the bad...
Maleficent.
It's in her name!
December 20, 2006
lampbane commented on the word coney
A rabbit. They used to reside on the island of the same name (which is no longer an island, but that's another story).
December 19, 2006
lampbane commented on the word ambergris
From the New York Times, December 18, 2006:
In this season of strange presents from relatives, Dorothy Ferreira got a doozy the other day from her 82-year-old sister in Waterloo, Iowa. It was ugly. It weighed four pounds. There was no receipt in the box.
Inside she found what looked like a gnarled, funky candle but could actually be a huge hunk of petrified whale vomit worth as much as $18,000.
"I called my sister and asked her, 'What the heck did you send me?' " recalled Ms. Ferreira, 67, who has lived here on the eastern tip of Long Island since 1982. "She said: 'I don't know, but I found it on the beach in Montauk 50 years ago and just kept it around. You're the one who lives by the ocean; ask someone out there what it is.' "
So Ms. Ferreira called the Town of East Hampton's department of natural resources, which dispatched an old salt from Montauk named Walter Galcik.
Mr. Galcik, 80, concluded that the mysterious gift might be ambergris, the storied substance created in the intestines of a sperm whale and spewed into the ocean. Also called "whale's pearl" or "floating gold," ambergris is a rare and often valuable ingredient in fine perfumes.
December 18, 2006
lampbane commented on the list a-list-of-mythical-proportions
What about chupacabra, the legendary goat-sucker?
December 18, 2006
lampbane commented on the word newel
"Fixed the newel post!" - Clark Griswold, after finding the newel post at the top of the stairs loose and subsequently sawing it off with a chainsaw.
December 17, 2006
lampbane commented on the word dhampir
Half-human, half-vampire.
December 17, 2006
lampbane commented on the list what-s-that-pokamon-name
Masticate makes far more sense, since it means to chew or gnaw.
December 17, 2006
lampbane commented on the word pebkac
"Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair"
December 17, 2006
lampbane commented on the list where-the-streets-have-a-name
Can anyone name addresses with esplanade or promenade? I originally had them on the list until I realized I've never actually seen a street address with either of those words in it (like the Brooklyn Promenade).
December 16, 2006
lampbane commented on the word patronizzle
"Don't patronizzle me."
December 16, 2006
lampbane commented on the word nogasake
1 part egg nog, 3 parts sake. From the Christmas episode of The Office (US).
December 16, 2006
lampbane commented on the list where-the-streets-have-a-name
Well, you've convinced me. Especially as I live near "Avenue U" (not "U Avenue").
December 15, 2006
lampbane commented on the list where-the-streets-have-a-name
I was trying to stick with words I was pretty sure have appeared in the form of "5th Street" or "Park Avenue". As for the foreign words, I wouldn't mind except that, well, where do I draw the line? And you didn't say rue. ;)
December 15, 2006
lampbane commented on the word anomorada
Jack (Alec Baldwin) uses this word to refer to his current girlfriend, Condoleezza Rice.
December 15, 2006
lampbane commented on the word smokuccino
Made by breaking open a cigarette and emptying the contents into a cup of coffee. As seen on Scrubs.
December 15, 2006
lampbane commented on the word queue
Category: Word Oddities
Answer: Britishism that has one consonant followed by four vowels
Question: What is queue?
(2 out of 3 contestants got it right)
December 15, 2006
lampbane commented on the list words-that-are-also-movies
House (yes, there was a movie, about an evil house)
Poltergeist
Wolf
Airplane
Clerks
Serenity
Secretary
Miracle
Go
Daredevil
Snatch
Blade
Evolution
Magnolia
Stigmata
Election
Alien
Gladiator
December 14, 2006
lampbane commented on the word odama
From the Nintendo GameCube game of the same name, an odama is an oversized metal sphere that is used in feudal warfare exactly like a pinball. It can roll over soldiers and destroy the enemy defense, but will be lost if it slips past the player's bottommost flippers. Compare with katamari.
December 14, 2006
lampbane commented on the word katamari
A Japanese word that roughly translates to clump. With the release of the PlayStation 2 game Katamari Damacy ("clump spirit") the word has taken on a different meaning. In the game, the katamari is rolled around to grab various objects, the size of which are dependent on the circumference of the katamari at the time (the player starts out grabbing coins, pins, and small insects, and by the end of the game they are grabbing buildings, islands, and even planetary bodies). In gamer culture, the word has come to be used in reference to any round ball of assorted junk.
December 14, 2006
lampbane commented on the word brumalia
Ancient Greek solstice festival honoring Dionysus, god of wine (and all that comes from drinking it).
December 14, 2006
lampbane commented on the word korochun
Slavic holiday where it is believed that dark spirits were strongest due to the short day and long night (winter solstice).
December 14, 2006
lampbane commented on the word larentalia
Roman festival in honor of the Lares, deities that protected homes and families.
December 14, 2006
lampbane commented on the word omisoka
New Year's Eve in Japan. Largely spent cleaning in order to prepare for the upcoming year.
December 14, 2006
lampbane commented on the user john
Putting up words started reminding me of pictures I've taken recently, and I briefly thought of linking to them, but instead I ended up making a Wordie Flickr group. I hope that wasn't too presumptuous.
December 14, 2006
lampbane commented on the word blond
One of the few English words with a masculine and feminine form (blonde).
December 13, 2006
lampbane commented on the list mondegreens
clown control to Mao Tse Tung (ground control to Major Tom)
December 13, 2006
lampbane commented on the word egg cream
Seltzer, milk, and syrup. No eggs or cream involved.
December 12, 2006
lampbane commented on the word teh
"She said I was foine, and 'teh sex'... whatever that means." - The Monarch
December 12, 2006
lampbane commented on the word spoony
"You spoony bard!"
December 12, 2006
lampbane commented on the word doglet
A dog that is smaller than most puppies, but is clearly an adult dog. Most likely to resemble a dachshund or Yorkie.
December 11, 2006
lampbane commented on the list colbert-report-neologisms
How about nailology?
December 11, 2006
lampbane commented on the word septmontium
Roman festival of the seven hills of Rome, celebrated on late calendars in December.
December 11, 2006