Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Mon, Mar 08 2004
Things That Have Names And Things That Don't
I've been educating myself with The Jargon Dictionary. I knew so few of these terms that I feel almost enlightened now. I've been trying to figure out if we have a word for the reverse of this type of jargon, in which the technical term is used to describe an everyday occurrence. For instance, I've heard the term "broken record" all my life, and the term is often used to describe someone who talks about the same issue over and over. Do we have a term for that type of usage?
And while I'm at it, does anyone have a word to describe what happens when you hold a piece of bread in your hand and take a bite of it with the intention of taking a tiny bite, but you end up instead with the big piece of bread hanging from your mouth and just a tiny piece still gripped by your fingers? (I'll bet the French have a word for it. They gave us "deja vu" and "je ne sais quoi".) This action isn't the same as "biting off more than you can chew", because your first focus is on the fact that the bit of food in your hand should be the larger portion.
And just in case you wondered what that spot between your upper lip and your nose is called, take a look at these pictures, which show measurements of the philtrum.
So why do we have palms and soles but only "tops of feet" and "backs of hands"?
posted at: 14:25 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
I've been educating myself with The Jargon Dictionary. I knew so few of these terms that I feel almost enlightened now. I've been trying to figure out if we have a word for the reverse of this type of jargon, in which the technical term is used to describe an everyday occurrence. For instance, I've heard the term "broken record" all my life, and the term is often used to describe someone who talks about the same issue over and over. Do we have a term for that type of usage?
And while I'm at it, does anyone have a word to describe what happens when you hold a piece of bread in your hand and take a bite of it with the intention of taking a tiny bite, but you end up instead with the big piece of bread hanging from your mouth and just a tiny piece still gripped by your fingers? (I'll bet the French have a word for it. They gave us "deja vu" and "je ne sais quoi".) This action isn't the same as "biting off more than you can chew", because your first focus is on the fact that the bit of food in your hand should be the larger portion.
And just in case you wondered what that spot between your upper lip and your nose is called, take a look at these pictures, which show measurements of the philtrum.
So why do we have palms and soles but only "tops of feet" and "backs of hands"?
posted at: 14:25 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
