If Robert Browning had seen the ! warning here before including this word (unaware of its actual meaning) in his poem "Pippa Passes", people wouldn't have sniggered behind his back nearly so much ever since.
The fish who becomes a girl in the movie of the same name.
"Ponyo's name is an onomatopoeia, based on Miyazaki's idea of what a 'soft, squishy softness' sounds like when touched." -- from an online movie review in the Eagle Tribune, August 16.
Like "filk", this word began as a typo that stuck, in this case as an irreverent variant for "newsgroup" on Usenet. The post originating the word was made in 1988. As Usenet has faded into the background, so has this word.
FOAF: "friend of a friend". Used in Jan Harold Brunvand's books on urban folklore as the claimed subject of many "true" legends; nowadays "foaf" also refers to a Linked Data convention for describing relationships between persons.
In the sense of "deviating from social norms/groupthink", modern usage may well derive from the word's use in The Prisoner (1967 TV series), particularly the episode "A Change of Mind".
It'd be nice to note the "born from an artificial womb" sense, as used in science fiction like Huxley's _Brave New World_, or more recently, Scalzi's Old Man's War series.
Comments by ockerblo
ockerblo commented on the word timesink
You're soaking in one now. (But such an entertaining one...)
August 27, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word twats
If Robert Browning had seen the ! warning here before including this word (unaware of its actual meaning) in his poem "Pippa Passes", people wouldn't have sniggered behind his back nearly so much ever since.
August 27, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word Governator
Nickname for California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who famously played the Terminator in a series of movies before becoming governor.
August 27, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word Ponyo
The fish who becomes a girl in the movie of the same name.
"Ponyo's name is an onomatopoeia, based on Miyazaki's idea of what a 'soft, squishy softness' sounds like when touched." -- from an online movie review in the Eagle Tribune, August 16.
August 27, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word Totoro
The giant forest spirit from the Miyazaki animated film "My neighbor Totoro" was named after a mispronunciation of the Japanese word "tororu" (troll).
August 27, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word pocketa
A famous onomatopoetic word that figures in James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".
August 27, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word newsfroup
Like "filk", this word began as a typo that stuck, in this case as an irreverent variant for "newsgroup" on Usenet. The post originating the word was made in 1988. As Usenet has faded into the background, so has this word.
August 27, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word foaf
FOAF: "friend of a friend". Used in Jan Harold Brunvand's books on urban folklore as the claimed subject of many "true" legends; nowadays "foaf" also refers to a Linked Data convention for describing relationships between persons.
August 27, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word coffee-like
In the sense of "deviating from social norms/groupthink", modern usage may well derive from the word's use in The Prisoner (1967 TV series), particularly the episode "A Change of Mind".
June 29, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word Mscontributions
Ben Zimmer reports on this word being used as a substitute for "Miss" or "Mrs." in a 1901 article of the Springfield Republican:
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/1895/
June 24, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word Mscontributions
Ben Zimmer reports on this word being used as a substitute for "Miss" or "Mrs." in a 1901 article of the Springfield Republican:
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/1895/
June 24, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word wsdl
Short for Web Services Description Language:
see http://www.w3.org/TR/wsdl
March 24, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word Xenu
From confidential Scientology lore; also sometimes rendered "Xemu". See
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/OTIII/ for more on the word and its spelling variants.
March 24, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word shmoo
From Li'l Abner. See
http://www.lil-abner.com/shmoo.html
March 24, 2009
ockerblo commented on the word decanting
-ing form of "decant", which you have.
It'd be nice to note the "born from an artificial womb" sense, as used in science fiction like Huxley's _Brave New World_, or more recently, Scalzi's Old Man's War series.
March 24, 2009