# Cool Words **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 12, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827 "2020-10-12T19:57:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/141 "2021-02-01T13:46:05Z")
I like “esoteric” myself. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/143 "2021-02-01T14:04:36Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I’m fond of the mouth-feel of “moon.” > > > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > > > > [@hogarth](#): > > > > > > Micturition syncope > > > > Hell’s teeth, do I have a story to tell about this > > **Well … ? We’re waiting.** > > > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > > > Kerfuffle > > I saw this once typo’d as “kerfluffle” (with an extra “L”) and I’ll never go back to the original. My bold. (Sorry - cocked up the last attempt at this post.) OK, here’s the thing - I started writing down this whole bizarre story - and it truly is bizarre - with the intention of posting it, but as I got towards the end, I thought to myself: _this all seems a bit…bloggy._ Thing is, it’s just a story - maybe there’s nothing to discuss. And I don’t want to post over a thousand words for it to just sink into the abyss - that would be embarrassing. So here’s what I could do - I’ll finish the story and post it if you promise to read it and reply. Do we have a deal? j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/144 "2021-02-01T16:00:04Z")
(I should clarify, that’s a question for @purplehorseshoe, not the world.) j ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/145 "2021-02-01T17:38:17Z")
Rotundity Oratorical rotundities ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/146 "2021-02-01T18:08:14Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I saw this once typo’d as “kerfluffle” (with an extra “L”) and I’ll never go back to the original Huh, I always thought it was kerfluffle. --hmm. Upon investigation it appears that I’m mostly wrong (yes, that does happen sometimes) but some sites do recognize it as an alternative. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/147 "2021-02-01T18:18:45Z")
Coolerator 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/148 "2021-02-01T23:18:31Z")
I reckon a kerfluffle is when you raise a ruckus about farting or soft pillows. I used to have a cold-weather jacket made of **Berber** cloth. I often thought of the sound of that when I went out into the cold. ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/149 "2021-02-03T03:32:49Z")
palimpsest snarge grawlix absquatulate aposiopesis spifflicate\*\* perseverate \*\* nothing to do with ‘Spaceman Spiff’ from the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, but it should be… ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/150 "2021-02-03T05:36:54Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > transmogrify / transmogrification > > The first I ever saw or heard this word was in Calvin and Hobbes, and for a long time thereafter I hadn’t seen it anywhere else. I didn’t know it was a real word until today, I happened to be reading one of the Wiki pages about Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, and it used the word, quoting some old text about the changes in the translation over the centuries. So it’s not even a new-ish word. I seem to recall in the tenth or twelfth worst episode of the original Star Trek series, Catspaw, Sylvia had a magic wand that was identified as the transmogrifier. And, of course, in an apex episode of Red Dwarf, DNA, the machine on the alien ship did its thing and announced in a deep and sonorous voice, “Transmogrification Complete”. “Sonorous”, now that is a good word. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/151 "2021-02-04T18:30:09Z")
I use set screws often. Never heard them called “grub screws.” Is that a British-ism? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/152 "2021-02-04T18:39:12Z")
Doesn’t _seem_ to be: > **[Set screw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_screw)** > > In American English, a set screw is a screw that is used to secure an object, by pressure and/or friction, within or against another object, such as fixing a pulley or gear to a shaft. A set screw is normally used without a nut (which distinguishes it from a bolt), being screwed instead in a threaded hole drilled in only one of the two objects to be secured. A set screw is often headless and threaded along its entire length, so that it will sit entirely inside that hole; in which case it ma Once ... > Set screw or setscrew in the UK refers to a bolt which is fully threaded, with no smooth shank. These commonly have a hex head, but are also found with socket or screw heads.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_screw#cite_note-leyton-2) This contrasts with usage in the US where a set screw is almost universally a grub screw or small-headed bolt.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_screw#cite_note-aft-1) A fully threaded bolt is commonly called a [cap screw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_screw) in the US.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_screw#cite_note-leyton-2) I also notice that McMaster-Carr recognizes the term: > **[McMaster-Carr](https://www.mcmaster.com/products/grub-screws/)** > > McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day. But [another source](https://www.albanycountyfasteners.com/socket-set-grub-screws-cup-point/656.htm) implies that it is a British term: > A blind set screw (known in the UK as a grub screw, quite possibly from its figurative resemblance to a soil-dwelling grub) > Grub Screws are used in a tapped hole and tightened to hold an exterior object in place within or against another object, via friction between the point or end of the screw and the material that is being fastened. So my exceptionally confident answer is … no idea 😉 ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/153 "2021-02-05T09:26:55Z")
I’m just trying to wrap my head around what the things ARE and how they’re used. I see all these drawings, but have no concept of how it could be used to fasten Thing A to Thing B. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/154 "2021-02-05T13:32:12Z")
There are a couple examples on this page that may give you a better idea: > **[Explaining Hardware: Set Screws - Core77](https://www.core77.com/posts/59362/Explaining-Hardware-Set-Screws)** > > A set screw is a type of fastener designed to pass through one object to connect it to another. For example, when a gear or collar needs to be fastened to a shaft, set screws are the typical solution. In situations where registering the gear or... A very common use is to attach a faucet handle _to_ the valve: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3UCPFENuEio/hqdefault.jpg "How To Tighten Down A Loose Faucet Handle") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UCPFENuEio) ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/155 "2021-02-05T14:47:46Z")
Excellent link! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/156 "2021-02-05T15:01:50Z")
I had heard the term ‘grub screw’ before. I did assume it referred to the type of set screws meant to dig into an interior piece to keep it from moving but according to the links it’s a complete synonym for ‘set screw’ including the smooth and round point types. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/157 "2021-02-05T16:48:29Z")
FWIW, I hate the things. IME they don’t hold very well, and can’t be counted on to hold at all. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/158 "2021-02-05T16:55:07Z")
IME, Loctite is your friend. Just be careful about [which strength to use](https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/us/en/insights/all-insights/blog/difference-between-threadlockers.html). Interestingly, I wouldn’t think to use high-strength threadlocker for most set screw applications (the way they recommend). They tend to be small and strip out easily. Heat and hand tools could require more torque than I’d probably want to apply to remove one. I’ve tended to use [purple](https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/us/en/insights/all-insights/blog/about-purple-threadlocker.html) or [blue](https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/us/en/insights/all-insights/blog/blue-threadlocker-basics.html). YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/159 "2021-02-07T03:21:25Z")
Grease is a good substitute for locktite in many situations. If you can high-torque the bolt or screw, grease on the threads will do what you need done. Sounds kind of counter-intuitive, but it works well, especially if it is a bolt you might have to break loose some time. ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/160 "2021-02-07T04:24:25Z")
Bamboozle I’ve ever on alert for the opportunity to exclaim “I’ve been bamboozled!” ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827/161 "2021-02-07T14:29:50Z")
I applaud your penchant for celebrating every bona fide bamboozling. OTOH, I hope you’re never flimflammed. OhByTheWay: _flimflam_ is a cool word, too 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-words/922827.md?page=9)