“!#@$%” = This could be filthy, NSFW language if it weren’t for Grawlix
September 13, 2013 7:45 AM Subscribe
The only thing worse than a listicle is a VIDEO listicle.
They're words and definitions. WRITE THEM DOWN.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:05 AM on September 13, 2013 [15 favorites]
They're words and definitions. WRITE THEM DOWN.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:05 AM on September 13, 2013 [15 favorites]
The only thing worse than a listicle is a VIDEO listicle.
Normally, I'd agree with you, but...John Green. He just makes me giggle delightedly.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 8:06 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Normally, I'd agree with you, but...John Green. He just makes me giggle delightedly.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 8:06 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
They're words and definitions. WRITE THEM DOWN.
Believe it or not, it is possible to show written words in a video. And, hey, whaddaya know! He did that!
posted by Sys Rq at 8:14 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Believe it or not, it is possible to show written words in a video. And, hey, whaddaya know! He did that!
posted by Sys Rq at 8:14 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I've been pretty much addicted to the John Green stuff for the past month or so now.
posted by Navelgazer at 8:15 AM on September 13, 2013
posted by Navelgazer at 8:15 AM on September 13, 2013
The only thing worse than a listicle is a VIDEO listicle.
I totally agree. I gave up quickly.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:25 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
I totally agree. I gave up quickly.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:25 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
I wonder how much it would cost for John Green to deliver a short, enthusiastically told factoid to me every morning upon awakening.
posted by The Whelk at 8:31 AM on September 13, 2013
posted by The Whelk at 8:31 AM on September 13, 2013
I am clearly an outlier because I find him intensely annoying. Sorry John, if you are reading this. Don't ever read the comments.
posted by kariebookish at 8:34 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by kariebookish at 8:34 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Damn John Green is charming
John Green the Horseman of Sasquatchery or John Green the realtor?
posted by wreckingball at 8:43 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
John Green the Horseman of Sasquatchery or John Green the realtor?
posted by wreckingball at 8:43 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Don't underestimate the Four Horseman of Sasquatchery.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 8:46 AM on September 13, 2013
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 8:46 AM on September 13, 2013
Mod note: Totally okay to just quietly dislike the style of a link and move on to a different thread instead.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:55 AM on September 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:55 AM on September 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
Back when I was at City Pages in Minneapolis, writing weekly theater reviews, I decided I would engage in a little game. Plugging little games into your text is a fine old journalism tradition (I am also a member of the Order of the Occult Hand, another journalism game), and I decided I would have one of my own: Flagrant gadzookery.
At least once per article, I would plug in some ancient, musty word, preferably unused in hundreds of years, or hyperspecialized, or taken from long-lost slang or untranslated foreign languages. I began to scour dictionaries and collections of strange word, compiling the words into my very own dictionary, organized by subject. Under animals, I would have:
acariasis: irritating itching insect infestation
gablocks: spurs used in cockfighting
pedicular: of or pertaining to lice
Under bodies I would have:
alae: the fleshy bulbs on each side of the nose
knevel: moustache
potato trap: the mouth
Under illnesses I would have:
bdellism: use of leeches for blood-letting
gippy tummy: diarrhea
vulnus immedicabile: an incurable wound
And under misbehavior I would have:
animadvert: to inflict punishment
urticate: to sting; to flog with nettles
yerd: beat with a rod
And on like this. Thousands of words in hundreds of categories, all at easy reach in Word files on my computer. And so I did this for years, and my editor tolerated it, slightly -- if he noticed a word, he'd look it up in his Unabridged American Dictionary, and, if it were not there, he'd decided it was too obscure and remove it. And so that became part of the game, and it is the classic part of a journalism game: What can you sneak part your editor.
Unfortunately, he was a pretty alert editor, and so I only managed to sneak through a really balmy word every so often; not enough for readers to catch on to the game, in the same way they caught on to Al Hirshfield sneaking his daughter's name into the swirls of his caricatures.
Oh well. I still have the dictionary. If I wind up with another column, perhaps I will start the game again.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 9:24 AM on September 13, 2013 [6 favorites]
At least once per article, I would plug in some ancient, musty word, preferably unused in hundreds of years, or hyperspecialized, or taken from long-lost slang or untranslated foreign languages. I began to scour dictionaries and collections of strange word, compiling the words into my very own dictionary, organized by subject. Under animals, I would have:
acariasis: irritating itching insect infestation
gablocks: spurs used in cockfighting
pedicular: of or pertaining to lice
Under bodies I would have:
alae: the fleshy bulbs on each side of the nose
knevel: moustache
potato trap: the mouth
Under illnesses I would have:
bdellism: use of leeches for blood-letting
gippy tummy: diarrhea
vulnus immedicabile: an incurable wound
And under misbehavior I would have:
animadvert: to inflict punishment
urticate: to sting; to flog with nettles
yerd: beat with a rod
And on like this. Thousands of words in hundreds of categories, all at easy reach in Word files on my computer. And so I did this for years, and my editor tolerated it, slightly -- if he noticed a word, he'd look it up in his Unabridged American Dictionary, and, if it were not there, he'd decided it was too obscure and remove it. And so that became part of the game, and it is the classic part of a journalism game: What can you sneak part your editor.
Unfortunately, he was a pretty alert editor, and so I only managed to sneak through a really balmy word every so often; not enough for readers to catch on to the game, in the same way they caught on to Al Hirshfield sneaking his daughter's name into the swirls of his caricatures.
Oh well. I still have the dictionary. If I wind up with another column, perhaps I will start the game again.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 9:24 AM on September 13, 2013 [6 favorites]
But this way you can easily hear how to pronounce them.
Not that he's getting any prizes for accuracy of pronunciation.
posted by yoink at 9:25 AM on September 13, 2013
Not that he's getting any prizes for accuracy of pronunciation.
posted by yoink at 9:25 AM on September 13, 2013
Mental Floss has a website and magazine. Thanks to this thread, I found an app for it!
Not affiliated in anyway with Mental floss except as a fan. It is the only magazine I keep past issues. They make great bathroom reading ;)
posted by JujuB at 9:27 AM on September 13, 2013
Not affiliated in anyway with Mental floss except as a fan. It is the only magazine I keep past issues. They make great bathroom reading ;)
posted by JujuB at 9:27 AM on September 13, 2013
What a lovely bit of amusement in my really boring work day!
posted by MissySedai at 10:09 AM on September 13, 2013
posted by MissySedai at 10:09 AM on September 13, 2013
"Marge lets Norah see Sharon's telegram" is my new "Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo."
Sorry, oozy.
posted by The Bellman at 10:15 AM on September 13, 2013
Sorry, oozy.
posted by The Bellman at 10:15 AM on September 13, 2013
What an incredibly annoying person. I'm with leotrotsky on this one.
posted by darksasami at 10:26 AM on September 13, 2013
posted by darksasami at 10:26 AM on September 13, 2013
I thought the wire cage that secures champagne corks was called a muselet? I know there can be more than one word for the same thing, of course, but everything I can find about agraffe is about piano wire.
posted by rhiannonstone at 10:48 AM on September 13, 2013
posted by rhiannonstone at 10:48 AM on September 13, 2013
Urticate, to flog with nettles? This is fascinating, since urticaria is a common medical term for hives. Never thought of it having a verb form. Thanks, Bunny Ultramod!
Sadly, far too many of my favorite words are simply considered archaic now. Oh well, if it does not change and evolve it's not considered a "living" language.
posted by kinnakeet at 11:19 AM on September 13, 2013
Sadly, far too many of my favorite words are simply considered archaic now. Oh well, if it does not change and evolve it's not considered a "living" language.
posted by kinnakeet at 11:19 AM on September 13, 2013
Amazed they felt they had to include 'palindrome'. Also re pronunciation, he mispronounced a few.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 11:23 AM on September 13, 2013
posted by GallonOfAlan at 11:23 AM on September 13, 2013
Amazed they felt they had to include 'palindrome'.
Yeah, that and "tittle." And "murder of crows." Mostly I liked it, but there are a lot of words out there that are legitimately little-known.
posted by psoas at 11:35 AM on September 13, 2013
Yeah, that and "tittle." And "murder of crows." Mostly I liked it, but there are a lot of words out there that are legitimately little-known.
posted by psoas at 11:35 AM on September 13, 2013
He only included palindrome to introduce semordnilap.
And if we are going to raise objections about his pronunciation, can we list the words and the proper pronunciation. Doing so would add value to this thread, which has already been overful with comments that reduce value.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:37 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
And if we are going to raise objections about his pronunciation, can we list the words and the proper pronunciation. Doing so would add value to this thread, which has already been overful with comments that reduce value.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:37 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
The video reared up my aibohphobia and when looking up how that word was spelled, I set off my hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.
Dammit, did it again.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 12:25 PM on September 13, 2013
Dammit, did it again.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 12:25 PM on September 13, 2013
I was too busy being distracted by that impressive wall of shelving. Is there a word for that?
posted by cazoo at 1:02 PM on September 13, 2013
posted by cazoo at 1:02 PM on September 13, 2013
I'm curious about that too. I want to do that to one wall of my apartment.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 1:33 PM on September 13, 2013
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 1:33 PM on September 13, 2013
Zugzwang: 'tsu:ktsva(ng), where (ng) is the voiced velar nasal. Something like "TSOOK-tsvung", if you're unfamiliar with the IPA (which appears not to be taught in school in English-speaking countries?). Have fun with the initial ts!
Whereas John invented an odd new German word that would be spelled "Sacksuäng".
posted by wachhundfisch at 2:18 PM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Whereas John invented an odd new German word that would be spelled "Sacksuäng".
posted by wachhundfisch at 2:18 PM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Good to know!
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 4:13 PM on September 13, 2013
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 4:13 PM on September 13, 2013
And if we are going to raise objections about his pronunciation, can we list the words and the proper pronunciation.
Okay! It's not a word on the list, but it's a word he used: Realtor. It has two syllables. REEL-ter. If that's too hard, just say Real Estate Agent. (Realtor's a trademark anyhow, like Kleenex and Velcro; the National Association of Realtors probably doesn't want you to use it at all.)
posted by Sys Rq at 4:41 PM on September 13, 2013
Okay! It's not a word on the list, but it's a word he used: Realtor. It has two syllables. REEL-ter. If that's too hard, just say Real Estate Agent. (Realtor's a trademark anyhow, like Kleenex and Velcro; the National Association of Realtors probably doesn't want you to use it at all.)
posted by Sys Rq at 4:41 PM on September 13, 2013
Urticate, to flog with nettles? This is fascinating, since urticaria is a common medical term for hives.
And Urticaceae is the plant family to which the nettles belong. (Because they really 'urt, goes the terrible botany joke.)
posted by pemberkins at 5:11 PM on September 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
And Urticaceae is the plant family to which the nettles belong. (Because they really 'urt, goes the terrible botany joke.)
posted by pemberkins at 5:11 PM on September 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
Bunny Ultramod: comments that reduce value.
If there isn't a word to describe this concept, it deserves one. I propose "youtumors".
posted by GrumpyDan at 8:35 PM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
If there isn't a word to describe this concept, it deserves one. I propose "youtumors".
posted by GrumpyDan at 8:35 PM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone.
posted by crossoverman at 10:11 PM on September 13, 2013
posted by crossoverman at 10:11 PM on September 13, 2013
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posted by The Whelk at 7:58 AM on September 13, 2013 [3 favorites]