Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nomenclature

what's so different about them?!

chicago2penn — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:22:40 -0800

Why is basil considered to be an herb, but spinach is a vegetable? i was cooking, and saw them side-by-side, and got to thinking. here's my basic line of thought...

1) basil (and most other herbs) are leafs.
2) spinach is a leaf.
3) basil=herb. spinach=veggie.
4) WTF!!!

thanks.

Why is Sudan frequently referred to with an article, as in the Sudan?

christhelongtimelurker — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:16:15 -0800

Why is Sudan frequently referred to with an article, as in the Sudan?

I have to ask,

aubilenon — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:48:05 -0800

"I'd like to welcome you to Dallas-Fort Worth" "I would say that's correct" What is this linguistic construct called? "I need to apologize" "I should say so!" "I'd like to thank you for flying Air Aubilenon"

All these sentences express a sentiment only by saying the speaker wants that sentiment expressed. What's it's called when you do that?

(I guess "I do declare, I've never been so full in my life!" is sort of the opposite?)

Bonus question: why do airlines use it so much?

Snow Chunk Nomenclature

Tube — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:36:49 -0800

What do you call those chunks of snow that accumulate on automobile fenders behind the wheels? I wonder if there are regional or colloquial names for these chunks. I can't remember that aspect of my Montana childhood clearly enough to recall if this phenomenon had a name, slang or otherwise.

de Medici or de' Medici? Apostrophe or no?

otio — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:43:05 -0800

Anyone know the reason why in some sources de Medici (as in Catherine, Marie, Lorenzo) takes an apostrophe like so: de' Medici. Wikipedia uses this form, for example. Newspapers don't seem to bother with the apostrophe.

Is there a name for the stains left on sidewalks by fallen leaves?

j.edwards — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:22:08 -0800

Is there a name for the stains left on sidewalks by fallen leaves? (I'm looking for something more specific than "leaf stain," any language is fine.)

You don't know what you've got til you realize you never had it.

bingo — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 08:47:27 -0800

I often hear people describing "lost revenue" when they mean "revenue that we expected to earn, but didn't." To me, this is an important distinction: if you never had something, you can't lose it. Is there an alternate term to describe what I'm talking about? "Missed revenue," perhaps?

You know, because it hits the master of the race. Right? Hello?

ulotrichous — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 15:12:14 -0800

Have you ever seen the blue spiny shell that locks on to the leader in Mario Kart referred to as a 'Master Shell'? It's usually called a 'Blue Shell' or a 'Spiny Shell' in the manuals, but I feel certain that I saw it called a 'Master Shell' in an early manual somewhere for a Mario game that may not have been in the Kart series. I've always called it a Master Shell, but google has no knowledge of anyone calling it that (other than me). I figure on something such as this, google is pretty definitive; is it possible that there is something that was once written in a videogame manual that google is not aware of?

Obviously, this is an extremely important question. Have you ever heard it called a 'Master Shell', or did I just make it up?

Does this thing have commonly accepted name?

pax digita — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 09:30:48 -0800

I want to buy something but I can't think what to call it to search for it! It's usually used to cinch rucksack laces or shoelaces closed.

It's often barrel shaped and about 1.5 cm (a little more than half an inch) long, usu. made of plastic, and typically cylindrical, with a spring holding tension on an internal retaining plate and holes on either side of the curved wall. Sometimes the gadget isn't cylindrical and the holes are side-by-side.

You push on the ends with thumb & forefinger to press in a button that allow the laces to slide freely through the holes, and when you release the button, the retainer clamps the laces firmly.

I've tried "lace clamp," "barrel clamp," etc. and I'm getting nowhere. I've been to a sports superstore, a camping/hunting/fishing superstore, and a couple of big-box retailers -- all without success. I remember being in a camping store once where they had a huge fishbowl of these gadgets for 25 cents each.

Why Bankok 54, etc?

Morrigan — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 06:39:50 -0800

Why do many Asian restaurants and markets have a number in their names, for example, Pho 24 or Bankok 54? It doesn't seem to be related to the addresses of the establishments, at least not in the cases around my neighborhood.

Thee ing _s

mookieproof — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 10:54:33 -0800

Why are there so many (relatively speaking) bands with names that begin with Thee? And who started it?

How should I refer to my mom's boyfriend?

fricative — Thu, 25 Nov 2004 19:53:29 -0800

In conversation, how should I refer to my mom's boyfriend? (MI) He and my mom became an item 'round about the time my parents separated in 2001. She and I moved into his house, and they are, by all accounts, going to be together for as long as they live. However, for a few different reasons, they're never going to get married. So I can't call him my stepdad. Saying "my mom's boyfriend" over and over in various stories is getting REALLY tedious, besides the fact that "boyfriend" sounds like a really high-schoolish title for someone in his forties. 'Partner' sounds silly to me AND them -- makes them sound like they own a business together. 'Lover' is just too creepy. Is there any other word I could use? Or should I just call him my stepdad, even though it's never going to be legal?

Racist-ist? Bigot-ophobe?

the biscuit man — Tue, 15 Jun 2004 18:32:32 -0800

Is there a term for a person who is prejudiced against racists or bigots? And is the term a non sequitur?

Coffee, Please!

sgt.serenity — Tue, 30 Mar 2004 05:30:38 -0800

How to order a normal coffee...... all i want when i go to a cafe is a coffee with milk , maybe i'm a bit daft but when i just ask for 'a coffee' im asked to supply some sort of thesis on which kind of coffee i'd like.
Is it an espresso , is it a capucino , is the milk warm , is the milk semi skimmed etc etc .
Please can anybody supply me with the correct expression for a standard coffee with normal full fat milk so i dont have to be quizzed ever again.
I've probably found my own answer here but i'd appreciate a concise term that i can use.

Is there a term for small, decorative Flash photo displays?

planetkyoto — Mon, 09 Feb 2004 02:04:28 -0800

Is there a generally-accepted (or your-office-accepted) term for the type of decorative Flash movie with photos that fade in and out and white or black lines that drift back and forth? Here's an example (turn down your speakers) from a thread that was posted recently on MeFi. The genre seems to be ubiquitous enough to have its own moniker, but I don't want to lump it in under "Flashturbation" because the file sizes are typically small and it seems to be a reasonable if cliche way to present a series of images.

Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nomenclature

what's so different about them?!

Why is Sudan frequently referred to with an article, as in the Sudan?

I have to ask,

Snow Chunk Nomenclature

de Medici or de' Medici? Apostrophe or no?

Is there a name for the stains left on sidewalks by fallen leaves?

You don't know what you've got til you realize you never had it.

You know, because it hits the master of the race. Right? Hello?

Does this thing have commonly accepted name?

Why Bankok 54, etc?

Thee ____ing _____s

How should I refer to my mom's boyfriend?

Racist-ist? Bigot-ophobe?

Coffee, Please!

Is there a term for small, decorative Flash photo displays?

Thee ing _s