# The False Word Origin/Meanings Game! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 15, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887 "2004-12-15T00:42:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/1 "2004-12-15T00:42:00Z")
Well, I hope I’m obeying the rules on game posting. There didn’t seem to be too many, but I’ll understand if this thread is too big a drain on your resources. At any rate, I’ve got an idea for a game and I’d like to see what the Straight Dope’s brightest can do with it. Here’s the idea: I’ll start out with a word, for example, **botulism**. The task is then to make up a false origin and thus, meaning for that word. You then leave another word for the next poster to play off. Keep in mind that words such as “Orange” or “Run” will be nearly impossible to play, so maybe there’ll be a two syllable rule or something. But, let’s just see how it goes: Botulism - From the prefix “bot-”, meaning “like a robot” and the suffix “-ism”, meaning “belief in.” Botulism is the quasi-religious belief that people can become robots. Related words: Trekkies. Next word: **Magnetic** ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/2 "2004-12-15T01:01:08Z")
> [@Sunshine and Smiles](#): > > Next word: **Magnetic** Magnetic - from the Greek word **Mugnum** meaning very large or powerful and the root word **net** meaning to capture. **Magnetic** means a person or object able to attract a large number of followers for reasons not readily apparent i.e. Jennifer Aniston. Next word - Ergonomic. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/3 "2004-12-15T01:28:20Z")
_Ergonomic_ – pertaining to energy-based economies. Next word: Chiropodist ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/4 "2004-12-15T01:33:43Z")
Ergonomic : As you well know erg is a vast dessert ares of sand dunes, whilst ono is related to the sin of Onan and needs no further explanation. Ergonomics is thus the art of masturbation using sand or sandpaper instead of lubricant. So what prey tell is the origin of the word pontification ? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/5 "2004-12-15T01:35:37Z")
Chiropodist, is North Yorkshire dielect form of Cheer-up-odist, which is a member of such professions as Clown, Prostitute or comedian, whose job involves cheering up otherwise sad people. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/6 "2004-12-15T01:42:23Z")
Pontification refers to something the the Pope, and only the Pope, can do. Next word - Somnambulism ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/7 "2004-12-15T01:47:13Z")
Oh yeah, and Pontification comes from the original Latin, pontifex magnanamous blatherus ---
**Author:** ![Typically\_Sunday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Typically\_Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typically_Sunday)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/8 "2004-12-15T02:20:49Z")
Somnambulism: From the prefix som-, meaning quite a bit, and nambu, a large yet little known waterbird that lives primarily in the South Pacific. Therefore, somnambulism is the practice of collecting avian life. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/9 "2004-12-15T02:30:08Z")
I want to play! Leave a word for the next person, **Typically Sunday**! ---
**Author:** ![Typically\_Sunday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Typically\_Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typically_Sunday)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/10 "2004-12-15T02:32:45Z")
D’oh! :smack: Next word is ambidextrous. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/11 "2004-12-15T02:58:55Z")
From the Moldavian “ambid-,” meanining “doing a circuit,” and the Greek “extr-” meaning “beyond,” it means thinking circularly, but outside the box. [sub]Harrumph. This is harder than I thought.[/sub] Next word: Insouciance. ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/12 "2004-12-15T03:25:43Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Next word: Insouciance. Actually a compound word derived from slang. Ins: comes from ‘Insurance’ ouc: from ‘ouch’ iance: in a state of being Hence, ‘insouciance’ refers to the shocked expression on the face of a person receiving a bill for medical or financial services and realizing how little of this is covered by their insurance. Next word: extraneous ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/13 "2004-12-15T03:41:12Z")
> [@Khiadra](#): > > Actually a compound word derived from slang. > > Ins: comes from ‘Insurance’ > ouc: from ‘ouch’ > iance: in a state of being > > Hence, ‘insouciance’ refers to the shocked expression on the face of a person receiving a bill for medical or financial services and realizing how little of this is covered by their insurance. > > Next word: extraneous “Extra” meaning “a substantial and possibly overlarge helping of” and “Neo” as in the character played by Keanu Reeves, this word essentially means “Keanu Reeves overexposure.” Usage: “Matrix:Revolutions was an extraneous movie.” Transubstantiation. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/14 "2004-12-15T03:44:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Next word: **extraneous** - Desiring extreme novelty, from Latin _extra_ and _neo_. Next word: intolerable ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/15 "2004-12-15T03:46:34Z")
Sorry, folks. I should have previewed. ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/16 "2004-12-15T04:53:06Z")
> [@rjk](#): > > Sorry, folks. I should have previewed. Don’t let that stop you! Transubstantiation is still up for grabs! ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/17 "2004-12-15T05:13:30Z")
**Transubstantiation** = **trans** port + **sub** way + **stan** d + **-ation** = remaining in a standing position while traveling in a subway car. Let’s go with rjk’s **intolerable** for the next one. ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/18 "2004-12-15T05:21:34Z")
**intolerable** (pronounced int-oh-lay-rab-ble) Root words: int - short for integer ole - short for object linking and embedding (nerd term) rable - peasant folk We can therefore conclude that intolerable is a derogatory term mocking a number of peasant folk for their lack of understanding of the IT world. 😃 My word: **dichotomy** ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/19 "2004-12-15T05:29:25Z")
From “di,” two, and “chot,” corruption of “cot,” meaning “the practice of sleeping in two beds despite being married; see Ozzie and Harriet.” Next word: Mortification ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887/20 "2004-12-15T05:43:53Z")
> [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > My word: **dichotomy** _dic_ – from **dick** , slang for the penis _hot_ – from the “very attractive” slang sense of the word _omy_ – from the phrase **Oh my!** , used to express wonderment From these components, we derive two related but somewhat contradictory meanings: **dichotomy** can refer either to a penis that excites admiration, or a stimulus (such as a beautiful nude woman) that causes the penis to become erect. Oops, on preview I see that **Ace309** has given _dichotomy_ an alternate meaning, so I’ll define **mortification** as “the feeling of stunned disbelief elicited by the realization that Mort Walker’s _Beetle Bailey_ is still being granted a place on hundreds of daily newspapers’ comic pages”. How about **vacillation**? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-false-word-origin-meanings-game/279887.md?page=2)