Sorry for the slight derail here, but I have to share this. I have a small book by Douglas Adams called the Meaning of Liff.
Its premise is that there are plenty of English place names languishing in obscurity that could be put to good use naming unnamed things.
A few examples (the first quite apt):
AINDERBY QUERNHOW (n.)
One who continually bemoans the ‘loss’ of the word ‘gay’ to the English language, even though they had never used the word in any context at all until they started complaining that they couldn’t use it any more.
BANFF (adj.)
Pertaining to, or descriptive of, that kind of facial expression which is impossible to achieve except when having a passport photograph taken.
SYMOND’S YAT (n.)
The little spoonful inside the lid of a recently opened boiled egg.
An excellent little book to keep in the loo for those longer visits.
I like words. The more the better. Bring 'em on, folks!
If I had to pick one, though it would either be “cromulent” or “unique”. The latter just means “rare” now, so we might as well revert to one-of-a-kind. I can’t imagine anyone ever saying: “That’s very one-of-a-kind.”
If you know people who really do say that, I think you need to bash them round the head repeatedly with whatever it is you’ve just taken out of the freezer.
A leg of lamb, as a preference.
It means, after we beat you bloody with the frozen item, you’re going to have scabs, and they’re going to itch, only you’re going to “itch it” instead of scratch it, 'cause you’re a moron.
(General you, not you you.)
I’m sorry, but I absolutely adore the word discombobulated. Not because it sounds all “big and important” and show-offy, but because it sounds like exactly what it is. I also love the related sniglet " discombebopulate"
" discombebopulate- a. (v.) To be in a state of confusion as a result of loud car music, thereby causing one to lower the car stereo volume in order to better read a an address number on a house or building, or to pay a toll. "
I hear people saying “inflammable” and “flammable” are the same thing, and they are not!
Flammable means something can catch fire and burn. Inflammable means…um…yeah, they are the same.
Okay; how about “perhaps” and good old “maybe”. Eh? Which one do we dump?
Nothing personal, but a SDMB search for posts containing “gullible” and “dictionary” returns over 1400 results, and most of them (going by the one sentence excerpts shown) are variations of this joke.
