A textbook that I once read contained a passage from some famous author (possibly Mark Twain?) that attempted to illustrate the usefulness of jargon by describing how to saddle a horse, or hitch a horse to a wagon (something like that) without using any specialized terminology. It was marvelously long-winded and impossible to follow. Textbook long since discarded, Google-Fu fails; any idea what this might have been?
posted by lordcorvid on Jul 2, 2011 - 3 answers

when should I say 'african american' and when 'black' ? [more inside]
posted by krautland on Nov 16, 2007 - 71 answers

Is there a term to describe instances where a word has a single spelling, but multiple pronunciations based upon the definition needed? Some examples: wound, bass, read, etc. [more inside]
posted by mcsweetie on Oct 17, 2004 - 6 answers

Is there a single-word noun that means "things that relate to blogs/are in the manner of blogs?" If not, any ideas for a made-up one?
posted by Nikolai on Jun 15, 2004 - 28 answers