# Words you've learned from song lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665 "2007-08-31T20:23:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ass\_For\_A\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Ass\_For\_A\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ass_For_A_Hat)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/21 "2007-09-02T03:31:24Z")
[Eiderdown](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eiderdown) from Pink Floyd’s _A Pillow Of Winds_. Was this word in another Floyd song as well? ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/22 "2007-09-02T03:51:40Z")
psilocybin – from "I’m In Touch With Your World by The Cars ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/23 "2007-09-02T03:58:35Z")
[QUOTE=Ass For A Hat] [Eiderdown](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eiderdown) from Pink Floyd’s _A Pillow Of Winds_. Was this word in another Floyd song as well? [/QUOTE] Yes, in “Flaming” from their first album. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/24 "2007-09-02T20:45:11Z")
My ghetto vocabulary is almost exclusively from rap songs. Where would I be now without the likes of: ‘back’ ‘hollah’ ‘krunk’ ‘badunk-a-dunk’ ‘cronic’ How could I describe my world of rollin’ wit hommies whilst sippin’ on gin an juice? ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/25 "2007-09-03T01:31:56Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] [Iridescent](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/iridescent)- from George Harrison’s [Cloud Nine](http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/1164/cloud_nine.html) [/QUOTE] Incidentally, I consider that to be one of the most beautiful words in the language. To answer the OP, I learned “trolling” and “striper” from Billy Joel’s Downeaster Alexa. Previously I had thought that trolling only meant screwing around on message boards 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/26 "2007-09-03T03:18:19Z")
“septuagenarians” New Age Girl, by Dead Eye Dick, from Dumb and Dumber soundtrack ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/27 "2007-09-03T03:35:46Z")
**DudleyGarrett** Darn you, I was going to mention “gavotte”. ☹ Another word from a Carly Simon lyric - _eiderdown_. (“After the Storm”) That makes three songs using that rather obscure word. ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/28 "2007-09-03T05:38:00Z")
Both from Tom Lehrer’s Alma _Her lovers were many and varied From the day she began her **beguine** _ and _Gus died, and her tear drops were **copious** She cried all the way to the altar_ ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/29 "2007-09-03T06:41:02Z")
[Undine](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=undine) from **Blue Oyster Cult** [Sericulture](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sericulture) from **The Human League** ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/30 "2007-09-03T09:45:25Z")
Not me, but my brother- “travesty” -“The Wall” from Kansas’s LEFTOVERTURE. I’m sure he knew the word, but that song triggered his frequent use of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/31 "2007-09-03T20:26:15Z")
[QUOTE=Ellis Aponte Jr.] [QUOTE=Ass For A Hat] Eiderdown from Pink Floyd’s A Pillow Of Winds. Was this word in another Floyd song as well? [/QUOTE] Yes, in “Flaming” from their first album. [/QUOTE] They also use that word in “Julia Dream”, which was originally a b-side but later appeared on Relics. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word used outside of those three songs. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/32 "2007-09-04T14:48:03Z")
[Galliards](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=galliard) from **Jethro Tull** ’s _Songs From The Wood_ (now thanks to the SCA, I can do them!) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/33 "2007-09-04T15:50:45Z")
**Proselytized** (I’m sure I spelled it wrong) from Blood Sweat & Tears “I Can’t Quit Her” ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/34 "2007-09-04T16:02:52Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] Greg Graffin, I’m looking at you. [/QUOTE] The boys of Bad Religion also need to step up to the plate for: enthalpic (Graffin, “The World Won’t Stop”) anechoic (Graffin, “Delirium of Disorder”) grandiloquent (Bentley, “The Positive Aspect of Negative Thinking”) …and probably a slew more that I can’t think of right now. When I was 19, that shit blew the top of my head clean off. 😃 ---
**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:** [September 4, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/35 "2007-09-04T16:31:21Z")
_Nonchalant_, from the Stones’ “Backstreet Girl” ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/36 "2007-09-04T19:19:57Z")
[QUOTE=JKellyMap] _Nonchalant_, from the Stones’ “Backstreet Girl” [/QUOTE] Now that you mention it, I actually learned that word from yet another TMBG song, “She’s an Angel”. Contrary to how it may appear, TMBG is not the source of my _entire_ vocabulary. 😃 LilShieste ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/37 "2007-09-04T19:31:23Z")
[QUOTE=LilShieste] Contrary to how it may appear, TMBG is not the source of my _entire_ vocabulary. 😃 [/QUOTE] You knew **monotreme** and **allotheria** before hearing _Mammal_? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/38 "2007-09-04T19:44:38Z")
[QUOTE=Mbossa] They also use that word in “Julia Dream”, which was originally a b-side but later appeared on Relics. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word used outside of those three songs. [/QUOTE] A non-Pink Floyd song that uses “eiderdown” is Roxy Music’s “Mother of Pearl.” I learned **cyclothymic** from King Crimson’s “Three of a Perfect Pair.” ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/39 "2007-09-04T19:48:26Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] You knew **monotreme** and **allotheria** before hearing _Mammal_? [/QUOTE] You know, you’re not helping my case here… Oh well, why fight it: **Argonauts**. “After killing Jason off, and countless screaming _Argonauts_.” - Birdhouse in Your Soul, by They Might Be Giants LilShieste ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665/40 "2007-09-04T20:50:10Z")
[Politesse](http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/politesse) – from the Stones, \*\*Sympathy for the Devil \*\* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-learned-from-song-lyrics/417665.md?page=3)