sparple, to deflect attention from one thing by making a big deal of something else entirely bâi làn, Chinese slang, let it rot Schadenfreude, German, Schaden(Damage) + Freude(Fun) ohne Ecken und Kanten, German, without corners and edges zugzwang, chess, when you must move but it would be better to not do anything secretary, literally means … Continue reading Words & Phrases, 2023
Tag: words
Carefulwords.com
[Carefulwords.com] is intended as word reference for inspiration. So far, I have added synonyms (perhaps too many) and historical quotations. I intend to curate these over time, when I have time. Reminded me about how important the reference tools you use can shape how you write and think. See Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) on … Continue reading Carefulwords.com
Words & Phrases, 2022
no fixed address, homeless asphodel, Greek land of the dead bioreactor meat food's comforting inner cuddle pay-triots, money-grubbing grifters exploiting a nationalist cause the death of nuance axolotls, Mexican salamander mononymous moral holiday the holiday from history call of the void, wanting to jump from a high place, hit a guard rail det stora oväsendet, … Continue reading Words & Phrases, 2022
Words & Phrases, 2021
disaster voyeurismStakhanovites, model workers who produced higher than expectationsuniversity, a synthesis of two words: "unity" and "diversity."collimination, adjusting the line of sight of a telescopemuhaha, evil laughIsekai, an anime genre of going to another world and having adventuresZugzwang, worse position than if opponent's turn to play(R)azi Party, portmanteau of (R) Republican and Nazi Partymad-eyed, staring … Continue reading Words & Phrases, 2021
StoryWrangling.org
"StoryWrangler instrument reflects our first step towards wrestling the day’s events into coherence. It is an approximate daily leaderboard for language popularity around the globe......Half of a billion messages are posted to Twitter every day! Written on post-it notes, they would wrap around the Earth’s equator in a neon hug full of politics, pop music, … Continue reading StoryWrangling.org
Words & Phrases, 2019
When I come across an interesting word or phrase during the course of the year, I make a note of it. Previous years: 2018, 2017, 2016. entropy bats lastnonspecific effectshadal zone, depth of 20,000kaka felota, floating shit, Belterparrhesia, uninhibited thought, free expressiontwenty-four hour water…clue-poor, but rich in opinion.skidmark skydjellabasfakelore…scholar magicians of the ZoneMexican saying: "The … Continue reading Words & Phrases, 2019
Words We Don’t Have
"Language and culture are inextricably linked. The words that exist (or that we make) form our language, and hence, are definitive of our culture. This place explores words that are unique to dialects or non-English languages, with an aim to examine what these words might illuminate about their cultures (and ours)."—WordsWeDontHave.com
Judgment vs. Judgmental
I was thinking about the differences between the noun judgment, "[t]he act or process of judging; the formation of an opinion after consideration or deliberation," and its adjective judgmental, "[i]nclined to make judgments." The adjectival form, by being inclined to make judgements, seems to suggest more opinionated based on prejudices rather than inclined to form … Continue reading Judgment vs. Judgmental
The ‘H’ in ‘Jesus H. Christ’ — Grammarphobia
"The most likely suggestion is that it comes from a monogram made of the first three letters of the Greek name for Jesus. In Greek, “Jesus” is ΙΗΣΟΥΣ in uppercase letters and Ἰησοῦς in lower. The first three letters (iota, eta, and sigma) form a monogram, or graphic symbol, written as either IHS or IHC … Continue reading The ‘H’ in ‘Jesus H. Christ’ — Grammarphobia
You’re Probably Using the Wrong Dictionary
"I don’t want you to conclude that it’s just a matter of aesthetics. Yes, Webster’s [1913] definitions are prettier. But they are also better. In fact they’re so much better that to use another dictionary is to keep yourself forever at arm’s length from the actual language.Recall that the New Oxford, for the word 'fustian,' … Continue reading You’re Probably Using the Wrong Dictionary
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