Is there a word that describes a situation where you *technically* have free will, but don't REALLY have the option to choose otherwise? [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon on Nov 18, 2009 - 27 answers

Is there a term which people use to explain why people behave badly/differently in unfamiliar surroundings? For example, tourists behaving badly on vacations.
posted by arcticwoman on Nov 5, 2009 - 20 answers

HelpMeThinkOfThisWordFilter: Jesus was ______ by two thieves while being crucified. [more inside]
posted by Lutoslawski on Oct 21, 2009 - 27 answers

Help figure out this modifier of the word "mentality", which may be phonetically similar to "sinded". [more inside]
posted by Roach on Oct 18, 2009 - 21 answers

I'm looking for controlled vocabularies to describe photographic images. [more inside]
posted by pahool on Oct 6, 2009 - 6 answers

Is there a good adverbial form of the word 'smellable'? [more inside]
posted by voronoi on Sep 29, 2009 - 25 answers

Holy vocabulary crisis, Batman! My thirty-something brain has gone soft and I forgot a word I used to know. Can you help? [more inside]
posted by foxy_hedgehog on Sep 27, 2009 - 17 answers

What is the name for the little notch at the bottom of one's neck between the clavicles? That is, the area directly under the 12 in this picture?
posted by ubiquity on Sep 4, 2009 - 15 answers

lexiconFilter: what are some words that sound really gross even as you are saying them? [more inside]
posted by violetk on Aug 14, 2009 - 94 answers

What is the term for the depiction in art of the sun's rays shining through or behind clouds? This phenomenon. Sometimes believed to be a form of theophany. Wikipedia has an article about it, but I can't remember the name to look it up. Thank you.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese on Jul 30, 2009 - 14 answers

vocab-filter: Is there a vocabulary word or term to describe a service or an act of generosity that is ceased by its maintainers because a small, select group broke the rules ? [more inside]
posted by fizzix on Jul 5, 2009 - 28 answers

Help me remember an adjective meaning extremely gifted, normally applied to a child. It's not anything obvious. :( [more inside]
posted by mllrstvn on Jun 16, 2009 - 12 answers

What are the most common 20% of words in any language? [more inside]
posted by jinatrix on Jun 14, 2009 - 12 answers

For some reason, I have always thought that one common name for a "pacifier" or "dummy" was "duddy" (I am not a native English speaker). Is this word used anywhere? Is the spelling correct? I can't find really any reference to it on the web.
posted by rom1 on May 25, 2009 - 24 answers

My grandmother had a stroke and I'm looking for lists of practical words to put on flashcards for her. [more inside]
posted by hypervenom on May 16, 2009 - 13 answers

Is there a better word for this notion than "futurism?" [more inside]
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur on Apr 28, 2009 - 18 answers

ESL Textbook Recommendations, anyone? [more inside]
posted by sdis on Apr 4, 2009 - 3 answers

If you're old enough to remember NES and SEGA, What words do you think of when you reflect on your youthful gaming? [more inside]
posted by SinisterPurpose on Apr 3, 2009 - 112 answers

Having trouble making out a word in this narration: "An odious (?) collection of moves?" MP3 link (@ 0:10) [more inside]
posted by hobbes on Mar 31, 2009 - 13 answers

Good examples of intercultural communications based on ideograms or common concepts? [more inside]
posted by Bio11 on Feb 22, 2009 - 13 answers

There is a Greek word which describes a preference for voyeurism over participation in sexual activities. What is it? (It may involve small boys.)
posted by Tufa on Feb 18, 2009 - 3 answers

Describe 'legalese' in a word. [more inside]
posted by xanthippe on Jan 25, 2009 - 37 answers

Vocabularyfilter: I am looking for some near-synonyms for "binary" and "analog" but without the techie sheen those both have. [more inside]
posted by ricochet biscuit on Jan 8, 2009 - 23 answers

What is the proper way of dealing with people who habitually use homophobic language (i.e. "that's so gay/queer," "Romo the homo," "faggoty") etc. but aren't really bigots? [more inside]
posted by AlbatrossJones on Dec 22, 2008 - 45 answers

What are the five impressive words? Does anybody know the other two impressive words? My mum caught the end of a radio show, yesterday, where they mentioned five words that, when included in your active vocabulary, make a huge difference to how learned you sound. She only heard the last three... [more inside]
posted by surenoproblem on Sep 16, 2008 - 22 answers

How is fureai pronounced?
posted by coizero on Sep 10, 2008 - 11 answers

What's your favorite "word of the day" site? I'd like to sign up for some as part of my GRE prep.
posted by anonymous78 on Aug 7, 2008 - 13 answers

What do you call a long, thin sandwich, and where do you live? [more inside]
posted by ChasFile on Jul 8, 2008 - 140 answers

Complicated Excel formula question involving text-search and Japanese characters. Can you help? [more inside]
posted by Vorteks on May 27, 2008 - 2 answers

What are some interesting, uncommon "vocabulary" words that you use regularly or semi-regularly? [more inside]
posted by Metroid Baby on Apr 22, 2008 - 91 answers

The word "pictured" means to imagine the way something looks. Is there a similar single word for imagining the way something sounds? How about in languages other than English?
posted by footnote on Apr 6, 2008 - 11 answers

As part of a demo my professor brought out some wire cutters and said as an aside "we won't use the other name for them, because that's not a nice thing to be saying". What's this other name?
posted by Ogre Lawless on Apr 1, 2008 - 19 answers

Title of a specific member of a design team [more inside]
posted by tabubilgirl on Mar 16, 2008 - 22 answers

I'm looking for a program to help me revise foreign-language vocabulary. [more inside]
posted by Coventry on Feb 2, 2008 - 8 answers

Is there a word for: expecting to feel grief or ache of conscience and then not feeling it? [more inside]
posted by coizero on Jan 23, 2008 - 22 answers

If toes and fingers are digits, and arms and legs are appendages (limbs, extremities), what's the general anatomical term for hands and feet?
posted by gottabefunky on Dec 17, 2007 - 14 answers

What's the word for a propeller beanie? [more inside]
posted by Grundlebug on Dec 14, 2007 - 13 answers

Seeking a word: Is there a term other than "euphemism" for couching an insult in fancy-sounding words, so your insult sounds less harsh to the inattentive ear? [more inside]
posted by LobsterMitten on Dec 12, 2007 - 63 answers

I am looking for a specific poster, and any information about where I could find one would be greatly appreciated. It's a poster with colorful illustrations or photographs of equipment found in a radio station (mics, headphones, midis, volume control, etc.) and all the vocabulary is in French. I know such a thing may be impossible to find, but I need to try.
posted by comfortinsound on Dec 6, 2007 - 0 answers

What are some cool Words of the Week for my kids' bookshop? [more inside]
posted by featherboa on Dec 6, 2007 - 26 answers

How can I increase my descriptive vocabulary, particularly for the purpose of tagging photos? [more inside]
posted by hoverboards don't work on water on Nov 21, 2007 - 13 answers

What's a good word for 'a spatially or geographically incongruous person/event/object', as an analogue to anachronism, which is 'temporally incongruous'? (New words okay) [more inside]
posted by onalark on Oct 30, 2007 - 18 answers

Aerodrome/Airport, Vale/Valley: Today I ran into both these sets of words. The dictionary thinks that they are used interchangeably, but friends have gone to great lengths to give detailed (and entertainingly contradictory) distinctions between each member of these pairs. So now I ask the hivemind: How DO these words differ? When IS each more appropriate than the other?
posted by tabubilgirl on Oct 7, 2007 - 14 answers

Flashcard program for OSX with Palm integration? [more inside]
posted by djgh on Aug 28, 2007 - 2 answers

I need a word! [more inside]
posted by tabubilgirl on Aug 19, 2007 - 35 answers

Index card quest! I'm looking for a very particular kind I've seen in the past: a small (smaller than standard 3"-by-5", like 2"-by-1"!), possibly pastel-colored set of cards that come on a single, small binder ring (not spiral-bound!) and are enclosed in a plastic cover (not a fabric one!), almost certainly with a snap. [more inside]
posted by mdonley on Aug 4, 2007 - 12 answers

Have you ever learned a new word, or heard a famous quote or something and for the next few weeks you see or hear this new thing again, sometimes repeatedly? Is there a name for that?
posted by OpinioNate on May 21, 2007 - 19 answers

Is there any good software/Firefox add-on/other system to drill myself in vocabulary for a standardized test? [more inside]
posted by EnormousTalkingOnion on Apr 29, 2007 - 6 answers

And I will hug him and squeeze him and call him George! Somewhere I read that there was a specific word in some language to describe the feeling of restraining overwhelming affection because the urge to hug and squeeze with all one's might could actually harm the subject, e.g. puppies, infants, petite girlfriends. I've searched all over with no luck. Ring any bells?
posted by Tubes on Apr 23, 2007 - 27 answers

Vocabulary filter: if items 1,2,3,4 together bring about A, then 1,2,3,4 can be called the "prerequisites" of A. If any one or more of 1,2,3,4 bring about A, but not necessarily all, what name would I use for 1,2,3,4 ? [more inside]
posted by Mozai on Apr 5, 2007 - 24 answers