From Wiktionary: 1. Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature. 2. Chaotic, disordered, confused; also, incoherent, rambling.
Anybody have a meaning? I've looked it up everywhere I can think of; Google doesn't even come up with anything besides this page and a few others saying "this website doesn't contain this word".
From a legendarily bad English-to-Chinese-to-English translation of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith"; this was the name used for the force better known as, you know, the Force.
Anybody know why so many people are tweeting that "heeem" is not a word? Not to be an elitist bibliophile, but I'm pretty sure nobody was saying it was.
A kind of puppet; according to World Wide Words, this is the proper term for "a wooden puppet whose legs and arms were connected only loosely to its body. It was suspended by a single string connected to the head. By jerking the string you could make the puppet flail about in amusing and ridiculous ways." The term is also used as a more colorful way to refer to a politician as a puppet.
French for "distant princess", the term refers mainly to love interests in stories of knights-errant, generally rich, beautiful, and largely perfect; knights in these stories were known to fall in love with a women (almost invariably a princess) they have never met nor seen, but merely have heard described as being very beautiful, and they then embark on quests or vow oaths or enter tournaments in their honor or any number of other plot-driving knightly deeds. In this respect, they may be considered a form of MacGuffin: the story's characters' actions revolve around attaining them, but they have no other affect.
I think it may have actually been coined by the Simpsons, making it one of several words from the show that have wound up entering the language ("d'oh", "cromulent", "embiggen", "unpossible", and Nelson's laugh). Has anybody heard it in a source earlier than that?
Is anybody aware of "tiny" meaning something in gang slang? I was looking at that bizarre list from the FBI of all the known gangs active in the United States, and I kept seeing things like "Tiny Papi Squad" and "Tiny Rascal Gangsters" (and others I didn't write down because they weren't so bizarre)--often enough that it seems like it must mean something.
This word was coined on the series "Will & Grace" by the character Jack during a game of Scrabble. He claimed it was a synonym for "spritz", saying that when he got up every morning he "spramped" his face with water.
As we see from the quotes, though, there is another definition; it's some sort of amorphous, arhythmic music played mostly on rock instruments, I think. I've heard some of Captain Beefheart's stuff described with it. Based on the word, you can probably guess what it sounds like.
For most of my life I pronounced it "ta-BUR-na-cull" and "DEB-a-cull" and didn't believe people when they corrected me with "TA-bur-NACK-l" and "duh-BAHK-l".
If you want to see a hideous, hideous picture of one, take a look at Wikipedia. The term is a corruption for 'jeune d'Anvers', or 'young girl from Antwerp', but I can't figure out why they would call this that, unless Antwerp girls were TERRIFYINGLY HIDEOUS.
Not actual words, but thanks to a company that makes them in the shapes of sports equipment, the store where I work occasionally calls them "snow drives," "skate drives," and "surf drives."
I found this awesome word on World Wide Words, and he says it goes back at least to 1992. No real record of its inception exists, but I'm guessing it's just a sniglet meaning "nitpicky, minute, pointless" such as "I want to add just one nitnoid detail" or "I like Facebook but people keep adding these stupid nitnoid comments like 'LOL' and 'OMG me too!'"
Comments by durvin
Durvin commented on the word diasticutis
Apparently means "buttocks"; appears in Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God".
September 16, 2015
Durvin commented on the word Inchoate
From Wiktionary: 1. Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature. 2. Chaotic, disordered, confused; also, incoherent, rambling.
April 26, 2015
Durvin commented on the word shimmybrindles
Anybody have a meaning? I've looked it up everywhere I can think of; Google doesn't even come up with anything besides this page and a few others saying "this website doesn't contain this word".
April 12, 2015
Durvin commented on the list frivolous-units-of-measurement
Foot-candle: a measurement of light intensity.
March 30, 2015
Durvin commented on the word the Wish Power
From a legendarily bad English-to-Chinese-to-English translation of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith"; this was the name used for the force better known as, you know, the Force.
March 14, 2015
Durvin commented on the list i-put-a-spell-on-you
I've got a list going of all the mystical-forces directed by your charm-crystals and mojo-hands.
March 14, 2015
Durvin commented on the list the-measure-of-man
Beardsecond: the length a beard grows in a second.
December 12, 2014
Durvin commented on the list fishful-thinking
desquamation: to remove scales, such as from a fish.
November 20, 2014
Durvin commented on the word bubblyjock
From "The American Slang Dictionary" by James Maitland, 1891: "Bubbly Jock (Scotch), a turkey, from the noise it makes."
November 11, 2014
Durvin commented on the list outcasts
Anybody know why so many people are tweeting that "heeem" is not a word? Not to be an elitist bibliophile, but I'm pretty sure nobody was saying it was.
September 17, 2014
Durvin commented on the word quockerwodger
A kind of puppet; according to World Wide Words, this is the proper term for "a wooden puppet whose legs and arms were connected only loosely to its body. It was suspended by a single string connected to the head. By jerking the string you could make the puppet flail about in amusing and ridiculous ways." The term is also used as a more colorful way to refer to a politician as a puppet.
August 10, 2014
Durvin commented on the word Slopperydozafanoondapuck
Comes from "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood"; it was an interjection used by King Friday to mean "what a difference one person can make".
July 31, 2014
Durvin commented on the word princess lointaine
French for "distant princess", the term refers mainly to love interests in stories of knights-errant, generally rich, beautiful, and largely perfect; knights in these stories were known to fall in love with a women (almost invariably a princess) they have never met nor seen, but merely have heard described as being very beautiful, and they then embark on quests or vow oaths or enter tournaments in their honor or any number of other plot-driving knightly deeds. In this respect, they may be considered a form of MacGuffin: the story's characters' actions revolve around attaining them, but they have no other affect.
March 22, 2014
Durvin commented on the list who-hid-the-keys
My first thought: cat. Not everybody considers them people, I guess.
December 27, 2013
Durvin commented on the word ridonkulous
With the spelling "redonkulous", it appears in "The BFG" by Roald Dahl, from 1982.
October 3, 2013
Durvin commented on the word redonkulous
I don't know that this is where the popular usage comes from, but this is used by "The BFG", written back in 1982.
October 3, 2013
Durvin commented on the word yogibogeybox
A word coined by James Joyce, meaning the apparatus used by a spiritualist.
January 23, 2013
Durvin commented on the list states-of-mind-from-absurdistan-to-zion
Suggestion: Ubekibekibekistanstan.
December 28, 2012
Durvin commented on the word yoink
I think it may have actually been coined by the Simpsons, making it one of several words from the show that have wound up entering the language ("d'oh", "cromulent", "embiggen", "unpossible", and Nelson's laugh). Has anybody heard it in a source earlier than that?
December 5, 2012
Durvin commented on the word tiny
Is anybody aware of "tiny" meaning something in gang slang? I was looking at that bizarre list from the FBI of all the known gangs active in the United States, and I kept seeing things like "Tiny Papi Squad" and "Tiny Rascal Gangsters" (and others I didn't write down because they weren't so bizarre)--often enough that it seems like it must mean something.
October 2, 2012
Durvin commented on the word honey bucket
This may have been a term of endearment at some point, but as it is also a brand name of portable toilets, users may want to consider another.
May 14, 2012
Durvin commented on the word spramp
This word was coined on the series "Will & Grace" by the character Jack during a game of Scrabble. He claimed it was a synonym for "spritz", saying that when he got up every morning he "spramped" his face with water.
May 14, 2012
Durvin commented on the word homina-homina
An interjection used to indicate a dazed state, often due to viewing an especially attractive person.
March 23, 2012
Durvin commented on the word squonk
As we see from the quotes, though, there is another definition; it's some sort of amorphous, arhythmic music played mostly on rock instruments, I think. I've heard some of Captain Beefheart's stuff described with it. Based on the word, you can probably guess what it sounds like.
March 7, 2012
Durvin commented on the word urpflanze
"ur" meaning original, primal, and "pflanze" meaning plant.
October 6, 2010
Durvin commented on the list awkward-sounding-words
For most of my life I pronounced it "ta-BUR-na-cull" and "DEB-a-cull" and didn't believe people when they corrected me with "TA-bur-NACK-l" and "duh-BAHK-l".
October 6, 2010
Durvin commented on the word jenny haniver
If you want to see a hideous, hideous picture of one, take a look at Wikipedia. The term is a corruption for 'jeune d'Anvers', or 'young girl from Antwerp', but I can't figure out why they would call this that, unless Antwerp girls were TERRIFYINGLY HIDEOUS.
October 6, 2010
Durvin commented on the list usb-flash-thumb-memory-drive-key-disk-sticks
Not actual words, but thanks to a company that makes them in the shapes of sports equipment, the store where I work occasionally calls them "snow drives," "skate drives," and "surf drives."
October 6, 2010
Durvin commented on the word gadzooks
I had always heard the 'hooks' were just old slang for 'hands.'
October 6, 2010
Durvin commented on the word spooniness
I'm just glad to see there's a reason why one of the Final Fantasy games translated an insult as "you spoony bard!"
August 23, 2010
Durvin commented on the word nitnoid
I found this awesome word on World Wide Words, and he says it goes back at least to 1992. No real record of its inception exists, but I'm guessing it's just a sniglet meaning "nitpicky, minute, pointless" such as "I want to add just one nitnoid detail" or "I like Facebook but people keep adding these stupid nitnoid comments like 'LOL' and 'OMG me too!'"
August 23, 2010