# Concepts that need a name **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282 "2006-10-20T21:10:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/21 "2006-10-22T11:32:08Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] “And/or” has three possibilities “X”, “X and Y”, or “Y”. In real life I find that it’s much more likely that I want a phrase that means “X” or “X and Y”, but excludes the third option. In other words X is a given, but Y is optional. “Who’s coming to the party?” I say: “Me and/or Bob.” Where actually I mean “Me, and Bob might accompany me too.” Any suggestions? [/QUOTE] How about ‘possibly’? So your response would be, “Me, and possibly Bob.” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/22 "2006-10-22T12:00:51Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] If a green Volvo drives by, a second green Volvo may be the next car more often than chance would predict. In a restaurant, you walk by some tables. At the first table they are having ribs. At the next table they are more likely having ribs than any other dish. In the first example some business that uses green Volvos have just let their salesmen loose. In the second example, the place has good ribs. There seems to be no word for this repeating of stuff at a level that seems to make a mish-mash of pure chance analysis. [/QUOTE] How about “intervening variables”? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/23 "2006-10-22T12:03:54Z")
[QUOTE=dwc1970] While we’re at it, let’s see about getting a gender-neutral pronoun to refer to someone in the third person. The awkward “he/she” and “his/her” constructions are bothersome, and substituting “they” and “their”, while more convenient, is gramatically incorrect. [/QUOTE] If singular “they” is good enough for Shakespeare, it’s good enough for me. In any case, my favourite find in this thread so far is “niblings,” for nieces and nephews. Someone asked about aunts and uncles; unfortunately “ancles” is already taken. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/24 "2006-10-22T14:31:47Z")
A word for “reading” a book when you actually listened to it on tape/cd. I feel totally awkward saying _I read the fifth Harry Potter book_ when I actually listened to it on cd. Unfortunately, _I listened to the fifth Harry Potter book_ is equally as bad. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/25 "2006-10-22T14:44:58Z")
[QUOTE=TimeWinder] When I can’t easily rewrite to get rid of the pronoun altogether, I tend to use “they” or “their,” and fewer and fewer people call me on it. Cecil said (in 1988) it will be accepted in formal writing in a few generations; I’d claim that in many cases it’s acceptable today. [/QUOTE] Not in any prose that needs to get past me. Rewrite it any way you want (going plural often works), but rewrite it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/26 "2006-10-22T15:39:17Z")
what do you call a “godchild” when neither of you is religious? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/27 "2006-10-22T16:05:32Z")
[QUOTE=Ol’Gaffer] A word for “reading” a book when you actually listened to it on tape/cd. I feel totally awkward saying _I read the fifth Harry Potter book_ when I actually listened to it on cd. Unfortunately, _I listened to the fifth Harry Potter book_ is equally as bad. [/QUOTE] Audi-bibe! (Combination of audio and “biblio”) Making up words is fun. ---
**Author:** ![Lilairen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lilairen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilairen)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/28 "2006-10-22T17:01:24Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] If singular “they” is good enough for Shakespeare, it’s good enough for me. [/QUOTE] My personal suspicion is that the ranting and railing about singular “they” is pretty much the same as happened when singular “you” came in. Downfall of civilisation, not on my watch, etc. etc., and I bet most people don’t know that ‘you’ was originally a plural form anymore … (I’m glad you like “niblings”.) ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/29 "2006-10-22T23:46:30Z")
[QUOTE=Lobelia Overhill] what do you call a “godchild” when neither of you is religious? [/QUOTE] How do you get to be a godparent without at least one of you being religious? Isn’t it a religious office (in the case of a Christian, the sponsor at the baptism)? ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/30 "2006-10-23T00:18:08Z")
[QUOTE=cazzle] Perverse? Contrary? [/QUOTE] Hey, I’m a pervert! ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/31 "2006-10-23T12:35:22Z")
The right of the person who brings the food to nosh a little from the bag while driing home. You know, eat a couple french fries or whatever. Actually I do have a proposed word for this: Nibblage. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282/32 "2006-10-23T22:52:47Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] How do you get to be a godparent without at least one of you being religious? Isn’t it a religious office (in the case of a Christian, the sponsor at the baptism)? [/QUOTE] That’s why I said “godchild” and not Godchild… My friend is of no religious affiliation, and I’ve given up all hope, so what do I call her child - who, had we all been of the appropriate Religion, would have been my Godchild? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concepts-that-need-a-name/377282.md?page=1)