the bird is more than the word

there are some posts that i just very excited about when the topic is something i learned that just blows my mind (papapa oo maomao). such is the case for how pidgin, the IM client that combines AIM, MSN, Yahoo, google talk, and others, got its name.

gerundification

[comic source http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/2475.html]

jerk and jounce

this may get a little technical. i have to share some new words that i always wondered about: what do you call a change in acceleration over time?

lycanthropy

in honor of new moon premiering tonight,  here is a post about werewolves :-D

i use 'alright' alot...

my sister solicited a post about "alright" vs. "all right." this seemed a similar issue to "alot" vs "a lot," and i knew already that "alot" was not a word. the bottom line is that "alright" is technically not a word either, but people generally use "alright" and "alot" enough that they are perfectly acceptable in casual conversation (many popular song titles feature the word "alright"), though it would be best to avoid them in anything formal.

at 58,139.53 words per pound, this dictionary is the best kind of dense

99.9% of the time i have no need for a physical dictionary. google polls dozens of online dictionaries to put quick definitions at your fingertips, and you don't even need to know alphabetical order!

but when the internet is down, or you have a family of hardcore scrabble/bananagrams enthusiasts, a hard dictionary is essential- and the bigger the better. you hate to have someone challenge your obscure word that you know is real only to be stymied by an inadequate source.

my mom found this giant gem of a resource at goodwill for $6.99 marked down from its original 1996 price tag of $100. this behemoth contains 300,000 entries on 2,256 pages and has settled many arguments over the existence of seeming nonsense words.

intro to pronunciation

/lɪŋˈɡwɪstə.risɪs/
everytime i see a pronunciation guide i am amazed that anyone can decipher it

nat'lnauts

i like yahoo answers. it seems that every instance of "d'yaver wonder why..." has already been asked an answered.

my question was "what is the difference between an astronaut and a cosmonaut?" has been answered dozens of times:

Their nationality:
The difference is merely nominal to differenciate [sic] the space explorers of either side of the iron curtain (Space Race was one of the most remarkable chapters of the Cold War). Thus, Astronauts (In greek 'Navigators of the stars') were those coming from the USA alignment, and Cosmonauts ('Navigators of the universe') were the ones from the Soviet bloc.

i also learned that chinese spacefolk are called taikonauts.

[Difference between cosmonaut and astronaut? via Yahoo Answers]

pachedermata

i have heard the word "pachederm" (pronounced like PACK-uh-derm) used in reference to elephants, but i never questioned where this word came from or whether it applies to just elephants. i considered it analogous to canine, feline, bovine, etc. for relating to dogs, cats, cows, etc. it turns out the latin word "pachedermata" means "thick-skinned" and applies to elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses! they all are thick skinned.