What is the name of the phenomenon where words lose their original meaning once they take on an off-color meaning? For instance isn't it queer that nobody describes themselves as "gay" anymore unless they are homosexual or are deliberately being provocative? [more inside]
posted by cross_impact on Nov 28, 2009 - 15 answers

Is there a word for a person who has been subpoenaed? If two people are subpoenaed, they are called co-...? They're not co-defendants. Is there an equivalent?
posted by streetdreams on Nov 19, 2009 - 14 answers

I bookmarked a site years ago that was all about people listing their favorite words - sort of like "delicious" but for word nerds. Does anyone have a clue what this is? thanks
posted by debu on Nov 15, 2009 - 7 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

I'm looking for a somewhat poetic word or phrase (in any language) that describes "a good thing that's happening too soon" or "a good thing that happened before I was ready for it" or something like that. [more inside]
posted by ferociouskitty on Nov 3, 2009 - 12 answers

I always hate my voicemail / answering machine message. I feel really lame whenever I say any of the little scripts I have heard or thought up. NEW VOICEMAIL MESSAGE SCRIPTS please! All ideas welcome, from simple to funny to irreverant. (Or even pre-recorded messages I could download, good songs, anything!)
posted by nomnomnom on Oct 16, 2009 - 52 answers

Grammarians: Is it OK to take liberties with the word "win" when publicizing a contest or draw? [more inside]
posted by wackybrit on Oct 5, 2009 - 15 answers

Is there a word for wondering if there's a word for things? I do that a lot. [more inside]
posted by penciltopper on Sep 29, 2009 - 6 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

"I don't see my feelings changing anytime soon" - What does that mean, exactly? [more inside]
posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey on Sep 22, 2009 - 46 answers

Giving a speech filter: IS there any online service or program that you can put in a block of text and it will tell approximately you how long it'll take to read it out loud? [more inside]
posted by rileyray3000 on Sep 10, 2009 - 13 answers

Does a comprehensive etymological dictionary exist that crosses languages? [more inside]
posted by Tchad on Sep 3, 2009 - 11 answers

What's the word for the response, or phrase, or comeback, that you wish you had only thought of at the time?
posted by swlabr on Aug 31, 2009 - 11 answers

I have lots of questions about an email FW: I have received many, many times. [more inside]
posted by doublehappy on Aug 16, 2009 - 25 answers

How do I become a better Scrabble player? [more inside]
posted by anastasiav on Aug 14, 2009 - 24 answers

Please hope me with a bash scripting problem. Involves: command substitution and word splitting. [more inside]
posted by sbutler on Aug 11, 2009 - 11 answers

Give me your best I.T. related words, phrases, and aphorisms. I have worked in a variety of companies, all of which seem to have some interesting lingo and vernacular. I am not looking for stuff like 'cookie', and 'firewall'. More along the lines of: 'Going Dark' - when developers grab a requirements document and disappear for months, 'Snowflake' - a server that has been modified to the point of being unique, fragile, and unrepeatable. Phrases would include things like 'The problem is between the chair and the keyboard', 'XYZ consulting is just a body shop', or 'Those legacy systems are sunsetting'. Help me collect colorful I.T. lingo and proverbs.
posted by jasondigitized on Jul 23, 2009 - 71 answers

Romeo & Juliet: I seem to remember a portion in the play where someone exhorts "wit" to help them out, or says they're running out of wit—but I can never find it when look through the stuff. Is it just a false memory, or maybe something mentioned very much in passing? [more inside]
posted by Non Prosequitur on Jul 9, 2009 - 8 answers

"Pea green pink Irish Catholic" - what, if anything, does this phrase mean and/or refer to? [more inside]
posted by MaudB on Jun 24, 2009 - 17 answers

Was relating a couple mnemonics to a friend, words or common abbreviations that are spelled by using the first letters of a group of things. Those that came to mind: HOMES for the Great Lakes, A PAIL for types of wounds and ETC for people who attend religious services on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Possibly shoddy Google-fu leaves me unable to find more (not the ROY G BIV variety), but here's hoping the Hive Mind can share some.
posted by ambient2 on Jun 2, 2009 - 40 answers

I'm a storyteller learning a story about a game that uses a Gebeta board. The game is similar to Mancala. I need to know how to pronounce the word "Gebeta", so I can be true to the story and its origins. Any ideas?
posted by hdh on May 23, 2009 - 2 answers

Is there a term for words that seem like they should be antonyms but are actually synonymous? For example: Caregiver & Caretaker. [more inside]
posted by Saxon Kane on May 17, 2009 - 17 answers

Is there a word or term for someone who exaggerates things? Is there a word for someone who craves/needs sympathy? [more inside]
posted by mooreeasyvibe on May 13, 2009 - 53 answers

SongFilter: My Superintendent Father-in-Law is putting together a program for his school's "Right to Read" Week and asked if I could help come up with some songs that incorporate "Words". I've come up with some, but I need some more help! [more inside]
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith on May 1, 2009 - 31 answers

I love slang and colloquialisms. Where can I go to pick up more? [more inside]
posted by god particle on Apr 28, 2009 - 9 answers

My boss has asked me to sort out the etymology of the words "Ponos" (Greek for Labor ?) and "Poena" (Latin for Sorrow?). The question is which came first, and are they related as it seems? Also, would those rough definitions be close to accurate?
posted by willnot on Apr 28, 2009 - 5 answers

TattooFilter. Looking for a poetic version of the phrase "Nothing you do not need." [more inside]
posted by anthropoid on Apr 11, 2009 - 32 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

Which are the 100 most important words for travellers? [more inside]
posted by Black Spring on Mar 24, 2009 - 41 answers

Does anyone know the game "kawanoo" or "Quano" (sp)? It is a complicated rock paper scissor type game that uses hand gestures along with words (african)? [more inside]
posted by Black_Umbrella on Feb 27, 2009 - 1 answer

Can you help out with some (easy) wordplay? [more inside]
posted by BorgLove on Feb 23, 2009 - 30 answers

Why do we say "female child" or "male child," but reverse the word order for "adult female" and "adult male?"
posted by arcticwoman on Feb 15, 2009 - 19 answers

Where does the phrase "wakka wakka," used to punctuate a joke routine, come from? [more inside]
posted by gleuschk on Feb 10, 2009 - 5 answers

What is pelbin? [more inside]
posted by nomad on Jan 20, 2009 - 27 answers

Why are they "words" in English, but "root with suffixes" in Inuit? [more inside]
posted by Flunkie on Jan 15, 2009 - 15 answers

Does anybody know if people react more strongly to certain personal pronouns than others? [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Jan 15, 2009 - 8 answers

I need a script that will extract from a dictionary all words that contain a certain set of letters. e.g: "a", "b", e" should return "abe", "babe", "a" etc. I know this is trivial in perl: however I want the biggest dictionary I can get my hands on, not just the default on linux. So I guess my question has two parts: can you please point me to this script and also point me to the biggest free dictionary in one or all of these scripts: roman, cyrillic, greek. This possibly has been implemented as a website. Which website?
posted by pita on Jan 14, 2009 - 26 answers

How can I get sweatpants with custom words across the butt? [more inside]
posted by grobstein on Jan 8, 2009 - 16 answers

Is there some linguistic or cultural explanation for mistakenly calling Firefox FoxFire? [more inside]
posted by odinsdream on Jan 7, 2009 - 31 answers

This is my question. There are many like it, but this one is mine. [more inside]
posted by als129 on Dec 17, 2008 - 18 answers

Addressing a girl as 'fair'. Flirting or just a figure of speech? [more inside]
posted by Emilyisnow on Dec 17, 2008 - 38 answers

As a result of my poor vocabulary, I use the term 'as a result', 'therefore,' and other like words far too often. Help me state my conclusions with eloquence! [more inside]
posted by mrgreyisyelling on Dec 3, 2008 - 26 answers

Is the English language stagnating or do dictionaries just suck? [more inside]
posted by Ookseer on Dec 1, 2008 - 19 answers

Hi, I just learned a new word. And for the first time, I can't find a definition for it on Google (The Horror! The Horror!) I will wager that there is someone reading this who knows all about it. The word is "econological." [more inside]
posted by foxy_hedgehog on Nov 28, 2008 - 12 answers

What does the word "pegamoid" mean? Context inside. [more inside]
posted by crossoverman on Nov 12, 2008 - 2 answers

Can anyone point me in the direction of a grandiloquent thesaurus? [more inside]
posted by iivix on Nov 11, 2008 - 8 answers

What's it called where you take a group of letters and make words out of them? (Not anagram!) [more inside]
posted by 47triple2 on Nov 8, 2008 - 9 answers

Is there a word (maybe in German?) that means, "feeling like you are exactly who you want to be"? [more inside]
posted by fiercecupcake on Nov 8, 2008 - 17 answers

Does this word exist? Definition: a concept that is either so large and/or complex that you cannot even wrap your mind around it, specifically in the sense that the idea/concept/whatever-are-discussing essentially can't "fit" in your brain. I believe it is a many-syllabled German word that is used in English similar to how English speakers use the terms "zeitgest" or "doppelganger". [more inside]
posted by acehigh on Oct 26, 2008 - 24 answers

What is the origin of the phrase "[you] damn kids get off my lawn!" [more inside]
posted by epersonae on Oct 17, 2008 - 21 answers