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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

What are the best (free) online exercises to prepare for the GRE? [more inside]
posted by dead_ on Feb 9, 2007 - 6 answers

I'm at a stage where I need to memorize vocabulary in a foreign language, and I am looking for advice, tips & useful software. [more inside]
posted by anjamu on Feb 24, 2006 - 19 answers

I'm pretty verbose, but I don't think my vocabulary has grown much in years. And I'd like to build it up. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on May 18, 2005 - 23 answers

My friend from school claims that the average American only has about 10,000 words in his/her everyday vocabulary. As an example, he cites USAToday, saying if we were to count the number of distinct words used in that paper, there would only be a few thousand. I would like to check this out. Does anyone know of any software that will do a distinct word count?
posted by bluefly on Nov 17, 2004 - 10 answers