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The Apple-Picker

13:08 / 30.10.02

I really like that Jade. I'm going to put that on a shirt, though wouldn't the example be better reserved for some construction, mood, noun and verb accordance instead of spelling? I still believe that I will die valianty in my devotion to the subjunctive.

13:18 / 30.10.02

Apple: Adopt, adapt, improve. Grammartyrdom will set you free

13:20 / 30.10.02

...and I to the correctly spelled adverb.

What about a word for the bittersweet bubble of satisfaction derived by a pedant in correcting an error he or she knows to be an obvious oversight?

ONLY NICE THINGS

13:23 / 30.10.02

Grammartyrdom is clearly my lot in this world. I remember trying for about twenty minutes once to explain to somebody why saying "that's for he and I" made him sound like a fucking moron, beofre concluding that, since he *was* a fucking moron it would probably be for the best were he to display it often and clearly. Like a lighthouse.

ONLY NICE THINGS

13:25 / 30.10.02

"pedonism"?

Oh, and how about

"solepcism"

To describe the action of somebody's highly idiosyncratic approach to grammar, syntax, word usage and word order making it appear that they are deliberately setting out to offend and insult, when in fact they are just semi-literate?

13:25 / 30.10.02

What about a word for the bittersweet bubble of satisfaction derived by a pedant in correcting an error he or she knows to be an obvious oversight?

Ecrection?
Superipoverty?

13:55 / 30.10.02

And also, this will be our first year celebrating Winterval --which was devised as a compromise between the Jewish and the Christian elements of our household, after last year's un-Christmas debacle (as reported on Barbelith, actually) that was caused by the Jewish element thinking that it was no big deal not to celebrate anything and the Christian element belatedly realizing that it was a very big deal indeed and locking herself in the bathroom to have hysterics.

And Festivus was already taken.

So, Winterval --and help yourself, it's an open-source holiday. Starts with the winter solstice and ends with New Year's Day.

16:01 / 12.11.02

Protubeerance - The belly you get for a higher-than-average consumption of beer.

Idiocyncrasy - The sui generis behavior of an idiot. As in: "When I'm trying to have a telephone conversation and there's too much noise in the line, I usually blow for a while in my receiver, to unclog the inside of the phone line".

16:28 / 12.11.02

Curiously though, that would sometimes fix the problem on an old analogue line. The little spikes of current caused by the loud blowing noise can cause a poor switch connection to close properly. Personally, I used to slap the handset, because blowing into a phone is weird and unhygienic. :-)

I guess that's the definition of an idiot, though, getting there through aping intelligent behaviour despite massive stupidity. We don't notice the other kind because Darwin generally takes care of them.

How about changing it to people who shout into their all-digital mobile phones, even when it's obvious their call's disconnected?

the garden gnome

16:36 / 12.11.02

I can't believe ms. apple didn't use hugeantic; although they are her favorite band, it is of ginormous gross display that it is left out of this fine thread!

band = Huge Antics

gross display of memory lapse due to selective purposefulness = hugeantic

14:07 / 19.11.02

Thanks for the suggestions for 'morning reboot'; they didn't quite hit the mark for me, but I'm grateful for the mention of 'aubade', which I had to look up and is worth knowing.

Can anyone come up with something for these:

- A very vague half-memory conjured up by a very vague half-smell. A sort of Proustian moment that's gone off half-cocked, so that instead of a specific smell transporting you back to a very specific time and place, you're left sniffing about all over the f***ing shop, unable to settle on one smell or one event. ("Is that soap bubbles or mum's perfume? Bathtime or 'dressing up'? Dressing up in mum's bubbles?")

- The act of agreeing with someone after initial doubt, even though you either don't understand their explanation or, worse, are doubly sure they are wrong, simply because they put their explanation across in that super confident, friendly but superior way that says "oh, I can see why you might be confused, but once I've told you this you'll be in no doubt whatsoever that it's the truth and I won't have to explain it again, for you'll see the undeniability of it as clearly as if I were sliding a peg into the hole from which it was cut. I'm so confident of this that, as I'm speaking, I'm gently putting a pen in your hand and making it sign a contract between the two of us that states that, if you doubt my correctness on this matter any further, I will be perfectly justified in losing my patience and calling you a simpleton." So you say "Aaaah, right, I've got you, yes, of course," and they bugger off smiling the smile of a great teacher who derives immense satisfaction from even the tiniest act of education. It's not until you're halfway through giving the same explanation to someone else that you realise that they really were talking a load of old cock in a hat.

14:16 / 19.11.02

- A very vague half-memory conjured up by a very vague half-smell. A sort of Proustian moment that's gone off half-cocked, so that instead of a specific smell transporting you back to a very specific time and place, you're left sniffing about all over the f***ing shop, unable to settle on one smell or one event. ("Is that soap bubbles or mum's perfume? Bathtime or 'dressing up'? Dressing up in mum's bubbles?")

Deja poo?

14:41 / 19.11.02

Perfect! Well done. Other suggestions still welcome, mind.

16:38 / 26.11.02

Pepsi Max - Initial panic when you realise you have fucked up totally leading into the acceptance that there's nothing you can do about.

Having felt it many a time, may I suggest shoctoic?... characterised by the utterance "ahfukkit".

19:35 / 26.11.02

Haus:
I remember trying for about twenty minutes once to explain to somebody why saying "that's for he and I" made him sound like a fucking moron, beofre concluding that, since he *was* a fucking moron it would probably be for the best were he to display it often and clearly.

Haus, dear, have you read The Catcher in the Rye, by any chance?

Saveloy, it's not a precise match but you may be interested in telepathetic, the act of being lame from a distance, say while lying to your creditors or posting to discussion groups.

Now, a word for the feeling of frustration and embarrassment felt when forced to work on some group project someone utterly and obviously inferior to yourself.

What a gorgeous thread. How did I miss it?

10:55 / 21.06.05

I'd like a word or phrase for the following:

- reading a sentence over and over again, mechanically, without taking any more of it in than you did the first time. The words go up into your eyes but, no matter how determined you are to read it "properly, this time" you cannot remember a single one of them. The reading equivalent of a stuck record or skippity CD.

Usually a sign that you've become bored of the book, or are preoccupied with some other thought.

paranoidwriter waves hello

11:01 / 21.06.05

I was thinking maybe "Word-blind" for a while, but I suppose this is when you can't actually see the words anymore. Hmm... How about "Temporary Dyspraxia"?

Whisky Priestess

11:31 / 21.06.05

Although I'm fairly certain I've posted this in some other thread, I quite like blandiose (adj.)

Definition: fundamentally mediocre and uninteresting but possessed of a spurious and specious air of grandeur/importance.

Applicable to: certain BB contestants, much modern public architecture, politicians' speeches.

Example: "Did you hear Ruth Kelly talking about primary schools? Totally blandiose - it sounded meaningful but I don't think she actually said anything."

Also fuckstruck (adj.)

Like lovestruck, but more so. The condition of being in a sexual daze - can last anything from a few minutes to a few months, but generally refers to couples in new relationships.

Example:
"Where's Mike?"
"Oh, haven't seen him for weeks and when I did he was banging on about his new girlfriend and wouldn't shut up. He's completely fuckstruck."

13:21 / 21.06.05

Dearest Saveloy

May I ask that you kindly refrain from asking about the word or phrase for repeatedly reading the same sentence when it is likely people will soon be sitting in the park during their lunch-hour, reading.

The result of asking such a thing means that the people in question will in fact be unable to read for the allotted hour, and will instead find themselves reading the same sentence over and over again, whilst trying to think of the word or phrase for reading the same sentence over and over again.

Yours, suffering from sentence imprisonment,

Lula.

Whisky Priestess

13:29 / 21.06.05

Saveloy:

Logamnesia or Literamnesia, perhaps?

13:39 / 21.06.05

Imagining it as the current not quite reaching the bulb - Litresistance?

13:44 / 21.06.05

paranoidwriter:

"How about "Temporary Dyspraxia"?"

Hmm... I'm not sure. The meaning of the sentence is being lost due to inattention, rather than clumsiness. I wonder if attention deficiency thingummy isn't nearer to the thing being described? Or even OCD?

Lula:

"sentence imprisonment"

Ha ha, yes! I like that. "I sentence you to 50 words, to be read repeatedly until such time as you admit defeat and go and make a cup of tea, or watch telly or something." I like the 'enslaved by compulsion' angle, too.

Whisky Priestess:

"Logamnesia or Literamnesia, perhaps?"

Ooh, those a good'uns, too. Maybe needs tweaking a bit to cover the fact that it's *instant* amnesia, rather than long term. 'Instant Literamnesia', mebbe?

13:55 / 21.06.05

Smoothly:

"current not quite reaching the bulb

Dang, the analogy is spot on. The equipment is all set up, you're turning the crank like billy-o but the filament remains dull. Yes, I think Litresistance is very close indeed. Can we replace 'lit' with something else, though? It could too easily be misconstrued as meaning "all literature".

14:00 / 21.06.05

'Accute litresistance'? As opposed to chronic?

Withiel: DALI'S ROTTWEILER

14:34 / 21.06.05

Grilthrock - a physical manifestation of patriarchal oppression.

As in: It becomes quite clear that Mr Brocklehurst is a grilthrock of the first degree

I think I and some friends actually managed to convince some poor soul that it was actually a real word, as well.

01:10 / 23.12.05

One for Christmas.
Verb: to stuffer.
1. To feel ill due to overindulgence (esp. food), "I've eaten way too much I am stuffering." or "I've made a five course meal prepare to stuffer".

Mon Oncle Ignatius

09:31 / 23.12.05

Either Mono or the child F came up with Hangry - being irritable for lack of food.

La petite F has also invented Questiful - asking lots of questions to find out how the world works (eg "Why is the sky blue? Why is the sea green?")

10:27 / 23.12.05

Not mine, but the creation of a friend.

Ninjasitic Nothing to do with ninjas, it's when you can't really find the energy to make a decision about going out in the evening. But you will still go out if someone comes up with a suggestion.

Palicious A feeling off well-being and warm happiness attained around week three of a 6 month holiday in Australia when you realise you have no need to work, and more than enough money to sustain your laid-back lifestyle. Possibly involving a beach, but not necessarily.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

14:36 / 23.12.05

Idiosynchronicity- that awkwardness-inducing moment when your conversational partner suddenly comes out with the very stupid comment that, while not in a million years expecting them to say, you were just thinking how funny it'd be if they missed the point entirely and said THAT.

17:20 / 23.12.05

Misserbating- when someone is wallowing in their own misery to such an extent that they almost seem to like it. See also: spanking the angst.

17:45 / 25.12.05

neolojizm (noun).

It's a combination of the words neologism and jizm, and is pronounced like "neolo-jizz" (jizm is a slang word that roughly means semen). A neolojizm is a made up word that was really fun to create, but that, in most circumstances, is utterly worthless. Rather like semen. The act of creating it is fun, but once it's created, you're likely to wash it down the drain. A neolojizm only rarely turns out to be a useful word, analogous to how the production of semen only rarely leads to the creation of a child. The word neolojizm is actually an example of a neolojizm.

14:31 / 14.03.07

Plutoed

According to Bill Brownstein, in the Montreal Gazette, The American Dialect Society (ADS - in case you were wondering), has voted "plutoed" as the Word of the Year for 2006.

He goes on to say that the group's linguists consider "to pluto", an acceptable verb, as in: to demote or devalue someone or something. Hence the creation of "plutoed".

Ex

14:51 / 14.03.07

Shelfish (adj.)

Applied to a student who hides a library book in the wrong place to keep peers from finding it; the shelfish person will then come back and pick it up later.

15:01 / 14.03.07

Referred from; "Barwinism"

Barwinian:

a person who believes in the theory of inebriation.

16:39 / 14.03.07

Shelfish (adj.)

Applied to a student who hides a library book in the wrong place to keep peers from finding it; the shelfish person will then come back and pick it up later.

Fantastic. Also applies to magazine racks when you're 20p short.

Yes, I am a shelfish bastard.

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