# Therapist=The Rapist- Other words like this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320 "2011-07-25T22:41:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/81 "2011-07-28T19:56:20Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > We used to have another poster 'round here: **Nosmo King**. Presumably he didn’t like being told that smoking wasn’t allowed in a specific area. Every time I see a “No Smoking” sign, I think of him. > > Haven’t seen him in yonks. I believe Nosmo got his moniker from Martin Gardner’s terrific book _Aha! Insight_. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/82 "2011-07-28T21:12:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > This one’s not quite as interesting, but I’ve never quite noticed that “unionized” can be parsed in two ways until I read an article that mentioned “unionized ammonia,” and my brain was parsing it as “union-ized” instead of “un-ionized.” Asimov had that as a litmus test to determine if someone was a chemist or not (whether they read the word as un-ionized or as union-ized). ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/83 "2011-07-28T21:17:08Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I believe Nosmo got his moniker from Martin Gardner’s terrific book _Aha! Insight_. I always assumed it was from [this guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Vernon_Watson). > [@](#): > > H. Vernon Watson (1886-1952), better known as his character Nosmo King, was a popular English variety artist. He was touring the music halls before World War I, but he remained relatively obscure until the 1920s, when he shot to fame as Nosmo King. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/84 "2011-07-28T21:17:24Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Asimov had that as a litmus test to determine if someone was a chemist or not (whether they read the word as un-ionized or as union-ized). What if they were a chemist who belonged to a collective workers’ organization? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/85 "2011-07-29T01:17:08Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > I always assumed it was from [this guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Vernon_Watson). Ignorance fought – thanks! (I’ll bet that Gardner got it from Watson). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/86 "2016-11-22T02:06:52Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > …I’ve heard that the Chevy Nova bombed in Spanish-speaking countries because its name No-Va means “doesn’t go.” > > > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > > > [Yes, but no.](http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp)[snopes ref–LB] The Chevy ad is listed among the “not true” in Wiki “[Brand blunder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_blunder)”; some 15 real examples of almost- or quickly rectified true ones around the world (with English- phoneme products as the instigators–a not uncommon Wiki parochialism–is in “[Foreign branding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_branding#Products_renamed_to_avoid_offence).” ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/87 "2016-11-22T02:12:38Z")
Not exactly what the OP was looking for, but related: [http://www.amigone.com/](http://www.amigone.com/) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/88 "2016-11-22T12:19:14Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > I always assumed it was from [this guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Vernon_Watson). I am not old enough to remember the 20s, but I too see No Smoking as Nosmo King. As a teenager I also used to add an ‘I’ in between the words on To Let signs. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/90 "2016-11-22T14:10:14Z")
I know a Deaf woman named Beatrice. Her parents are also Deaf. Most Deaf people don’t have a clue as to how her name is pronounced, and think her name is literally “beat rice.” They sign it that way sometimes, instead of using her name sign. The first time I saw it, I didn’t get what people were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/91 "2016-11-22T15:25:25Z")
> [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](#): > > I’m not sure if this fits in in any way, but my dad had a saying: “There Snow Play Sly Comb” Mairzy doats and goatsy doats and little lambsy divey. A kiddle-ee divey too, wouldn’t you? As a kid I used to use “Burger King” as a verb. “I want to burgerk”, “Okay, let’s go burgerking”. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/92 "2016-11-22T15:43:04Z")
I realize this is a zombie, but the example in the OP can be further extended: psychotherapist – Psycho the Rapist. Kinda like Bozo the Clown, only more psychotic. And rapey. Also, what’s the term for such words? For the case in which you get a new name by dividing another one, I’d suggest ‘hackronym’… ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/93 "2016-11-22T16:43:53Z")
I remember a bit in Letterman years ago, he was showing fake book covers with funny titles and art. One of the gags was a book with a roaring dinosaur on it, to make learning English fun for kids: **The Saurus.** ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/94 "2016-11-22T16:56:48Z")
If you misle someone, they are misled. Also, I was wondering the other day why the concept of surrender or yield includes the preposition “up”. As in, to give up, intransitive, or to give something up. Surely it precedes the western movie expression “stick 'em up”, but I wonder if it originated with a show of empty hands held high. Ngram viewer gives a pretty steady usage of “give up” back to the 17th century. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/95 "2016-11-22T17:04:20Z")
John Oliver pointed out on his show that the pro-Donald Trump website [www.gotrump.com](http://www.gotrump.com) could be parsed as both “Go Trump” and “Got Rump.” ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/96 "2016-11-22T17:26:59Z")
Well, not exactly what the OP is looking for but the original question reminded me of [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB5dmv9WYVY), especially at about the 1:05 mark… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/97 "2016-11-22T17:36:23Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Mairzy doats and goatsy doats and little lambsy divey. A kiddle-ee divey too, wouldn’t you? > > As a kid I used to use “Burger King” as a verb. “I want to burgerk”, “Okay, let’s go burgerking”. I am so going to steal this. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/98 "2016-11-22T18:54:56Z")
> [@ecoaster](#): > > Well, these are all thoroughly amusing, even if some don’t fit the criteria of my original query… > I had a friend in college who believed “Take it for granite” was the right idiom. When I corrected her, we both had a good laugh about it. > > I also had a coworker who told me that a student had written in a paper “From the gecko…” (although the actual expression “From the get-co” is somewhat strange, especially on paper). “From the gecko” obviously refers to how much you can save on auto insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/99 "2016-11-22T19:16:12Z")
The street sign for South Exchange Street in Geneva, NY, reads: S EXCHANGE ST. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/100 "2016-11-22T19:21:06Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Mairzy doats and goatsy doats and little lambsy divey. A kiddle-ee divey too, wouldn’t you? That’s Mares eat oats and DOES eat oats. Goatse is entirely different and I recommend you Google it for further info. Preferrably GIS with safe search off. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320/101 "2016-11-22T19:25:26Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Also, what’s the term for such words? For the case in which you get a new name by dividing another one, I’d suggest ‘hackronym’… At Word Ways magazine, they’re known as **charades**. Someone upthread gave together = to get her, but no one gave the longer version: amiable together = am I able to get her Anyone have any good reverse charades? Such as the three cities: Miami = I maim Fresno = on serf Tulsa = a slut also Naomi = I moan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320.md?page=6)