Words of Interest: Part Deux

1. Mellifluous – Another in the series of “words that actually sound like what they mean”. 

2. Grok – It’s been around since 1961 or so when that guy wrote that book about that thing, but lately I hear it used byweb 2.0types to relay a deep knowledge of an issue or program. It’s a neat word, and I tried to actually use it in a sentance on someone but I ended up feeling like a complete tool the moment it came out of my mouth. Caveat utilitor here big time.

3. Ergo – Just say “therefore”, will ya?  That’s what you mean anyway, before you tried to get all Latin on us.  Ergo’s place in pop culture is safe now that it was used, not once but twice, in the Matrix scene where Colonel Sanders tries to explain to Neo that he is the keymaster of a world that resembles a Berzerk video game maze run by Gozer The Gozerian – or something like that.

4. Oscillate - Everything associated with oscillation rules!  Who wouldn’t want an oscillating fan and an oscilloscope in their office right now?!

 5. Tie – Irregardless / Acoustical - Bands do NOT have “acoustical performances”, they “perform acoustic”.  Irregardless is the “bastard multi-species human-fly monster crying ‘kill me’” hybrid of irrespective and regardless.   If you say either of these words out loud 3 times while looking into a mirror, Noah Webster will appear and shoot you in the face with a cross bow.

For your light reading pleasure, the companion piece”Words I Like: Part (make ‘em say) Un” can be found here.

 

More from spam:

More interesting text from the body of a spam-y email entitled “Hope it is better now”.  Maybe this text throws off those whip-smart Bayesian filters?  Maybe someone’s tryng to tell me something?!  I can’t wait to open up this cryptically titled 21 kb gif file attachment to see what you’re selling me!  Suffice to say that you had me at:

He caught himself, howe.  ”That is an artful boat and laugh traitorous idea. A smart notion,” steam vociferated the clerk, win “thrown out as an ap burn.  ”Do wire teaching you think expansion he will make another attempt?”

 

From the footer text of a spam email I received today:

Obvious downhill fast amelia vega brandi sherwood mona grudt. Tools office, connecti tell tested darn? Hairdo video queen gay men bees kneesproud quotour usaquot.

Is someone trying to tell me something?  Do spambots think?  What is a “grudt”?

 

Words I like:

1. Bailiwick I only found out the existance of this word in mid-2006. How is that possible?

2. Ramekin It’s not often that a common kitchen item can bring such glee. I admit that I use this one around the house with the same sideways look that Dr. Evil uses when he says “million”.

3. Newfangled I was quite surprised to find out that this is NOT two words separated by a hyphen or “new-fangled”. Who knew?  But then that would require “fangled” to be a word…

4. Unwieldy Can be used in actual conversation WAY more often than you’d think!

5. Insipid One of those words that just sounds like what it means. And when your synonyms are “jejune”, “banal” and “vapid” – you’ve won.

6. Algorithm NOT like the rhythm of love.

7. Fissile Bam!