Words you wish your language had.

limey • Mar 6, 2011 12:25 pm
This game is for anyone, anywhere, but perhaps has a special piquancy for the Amurricans and the Brits here. Who knows?
Anyway, I would like to claim dumpster from our friends stateside for use in Britain - what a great word, so much better than skip, doncherknow?
footfootfoot • Mar 6, 2011 12:34 pm
The alliterative qualities of "dumpster diving" make it the go to word of the month.
bluecuracao • Mar 6, 2011 3:14 pm
I've really liked manky ever since I'd seen it used here on teh cellar. It's like "monkey" and "skanky" had a baby!
HungLikeJesus • Mar 6, 2011 7:58 pm
I think ish should be a word on its own, meaning approximately.

"Drive ish three miles north and turn left."

"A new computer is ish $900."
footfootfoot • Mar 6, 2011 9:27 pm
Who am I? My name is Ish

On my hand I have a dish.

I have this dish to help me wish.

When I wish to make a wish

I wave my hand with a big swish swish.

Then I say, "I wish for fish!"

And I get fish right on my dish.

So...

If you wish to make a wish,

you may swish for fish with my Ish wish dish.
Happy Monkey • Mar 7, 2011 12:12 pm
I've had the phrase "I wish I wish I wish for fish" coming into my head every once in a while for a long time, and was unable to track down the prase. It must be a corrupted version of Seuss!
Sundae • Mar 7, 2011 12:21 pm
I would like a word to describe the situation where food smells so much better than it tastes. It's a very specific kind of anticipation/ disappointment.
Beest • Mar 7, 2011 12:59 pm
French and German have second person plural case and pronoun, but English is lacking, fortunately the southern US has filled this void with "y'all"

Very handy, probably sounds a bit funny when I say it, but then y'all can go whistle dixie.;)
Shawnee123 • Mar 7, 2011 1:02 pm
I wish my work lingo included: JESUS FUCKING CHRIST ARE YOU A FUCKING MORON CAN YOU NOT READ OR WERE YOU TEMPORARILY BLINDED OR MAYBE YOU'RE STILL DRUNK?

edit: and that's for my cow orkers!

Sigh.

But really, when I want to say "that really throws a wrench in the works" I have to make myself say "wrench" because I so like the British (is that the right classification?) word spanner better...as in "Well, that really throws a spanner in the works."
Shawnee123 • Mar 7, 2011 1:03 pm
Beest;715367 wrote:
French and German have second person plural case and pronoun, but English is lacking, fortunately the southern US has filled this void with "y'all"

Very handy, probably sounds a bit funny when I say it, but then all y'all can go whistle dixie.;)


To really bring it up to speed. :D

You need to do a circular motion with your hand (pointer finger), parallel to ground, to indicate "all of you in this immediate area up around here."
monster • Mar 7, 2011 1:05 pm
that's what I thought too :lol:
footfootfoot • Mar 7, 2011 1:12 pm
Shawnee123;715368 wrote:
"Well, that really throws a spanner in the works."


Image
monster • Mar 7, 2011 1:15 pm
ur a tool
Shawnee123 • Mar 7, 2011 1:17 pm
She totally hats you.
jimhelm • Mar 7, 2011 1:20 pm
i like the way his brainbrainbrain works
Pete Zicato • Mar 7, 2011 9:55 pm
Shawnee123;715368 wrote:

But really, when I want to say "that really throws a wrench in the works" I have to make myself say "wrench" because I so like the British (is that the right classification?) word spanner better...as in "Well, that really throws a spanner in the works."

I would go ahead and use 'spanner' if that's what you like.

I've used "Bob's your uncle" at work. I like it better than "there you go".
ZenGum • Mar 7, 2011 10:29 pm
Shawnee123;715369 wrote:
To really bring it up to speed. :D

You need to do a circular motion with your hand (pointer finger), parallel to ground, to indicate "all of you in this immediate area up around here."


Youse guys should copy us!


FTR: Japanese:
Watashi: I / me
Anata: you
Watashi-tachi: We/us
Anata-tachi: Youse, y'awll
limey • Mar 8, 2011 3:12 am
Beest;715367 wrote:
French and German have second person plural case and pronoun, but English is lacking, fortunately the southern US has filled this void with "y'all"

Very handy, probably sounds a bit funny when I say it, but then y'all can go whistle dixie.;)


The Russians also have second person singular and plural, and so do the Scots. "You" and "Youse" - although the latter is considered déclassé.
Now there's a word the English language needs, déclassé!
DanaC • Mar 8, 2011 7:21 am
I use 'youse'. Most of my lot do. Mainly because of my niece Amelia, who used to say it when she was little. We kind of adopted it.

It is used in various parts of the country actually, but as with the Scots, it's not really considered proper.
Undertoad • Mar 8, 2011 1:11 pm
I have thought about this, and here are the Brit words that America needs to start using.


Bin - this can be a free exchange with "dumpster". It's far more elegant than "trashcan" or "garbage can". What I especially like about this one is its migration into a verb ("bin it"), something that only the best words get to do.

Torch - much more colorful than our "flashlight", especially since the light is almost never intended to flash.

Plaster - to avoid the proper noun Band-Aid.
Shawnee123 • Mar 8, 2011 1:16 pm
But your flashlight isn't bursting into flames, either.
Sundae • Mar 8, 2011 1:20 pm
Undertoad;715615 wrote:
Plaster - to avoid the proper noun Band-Aid.

Although remember we use the brand name Hoover where you mean vacuum. In cleaning floor terms of course, not scientific.

Blimey, so complicated.
Where's Brian Cox when you need him?
(probably in bed with Captain Jack Harness. In my dreams)
monster • Mar 8, 2011 1:21 pm
We need a word to describe things which have no word to describe them
Undertoad • Mar 8, 2011 1:24 pm
Hoover is now altogether wrong, since the best vacuums are Dyson and Dyson is a Brit.
glatt • Mar 8, 2011 1:27 pm
The Germans beat both of us with "dust sucker."
Shawnee123 • Mar 8, 2011 1:34 pm
Plaster goes on walls. Or in Paris.

Hoover is like our south calling all soft drinks "Coke."

I got made fun of by a moron from Minnesota years ago for saying that I was going to the grocery. He insisted it was incomplete, without store following it.

What do you guys say?
Sundae • Mar 8, 2011 1:39 pm
Grocery is a section in a supermarket, or is followed by the word store.
I'm sorry, Shaw, the moron was right.

I love that you guys call Polyfilla "Spackle". I've read Patrick Ness. I know what they really are.
Shawnee123 • Mar 8, 2011 1:43 pm
Yeah, but he was still a moron. Must be a local thing.

Grandma asked my ex one year what he wanted for Christmas. He said a new butt 'cause his had a crack in it. Grandma gave him a jar of spackle and a putty knife. :lol:
footfootfoot • Mar 8, 2011 2:23 pm
Shawnee123;715631 wrote:
Plaster goes on walls. Or in Paris.

Hoover is like our south calling all soft drinks "Coke."

I got made fun of by a moron from Minnesota years ago for saying that I was going to the grocery. He insisted it was incomplete, without store following it.

What do you guys say?

A man goes to a supermarket and asks to buy half a head of lettuce. The very young produce assistant tells him that they sell only whole heads of lettuce.. The man persists and asks to see the manager. The boy says he’ll ask his manager about it.
Walking into the back room, the boy said to his manager,
“Some idiot wants to buy half a head of lettuce.”
Just as he finishes his sentence, he turns to find the man standing right behind him, So he added,”And this gentleman would like to buy the other half.”
The manager approves the deal, and the man goes on his way. Later the manager said to the boy, "I was really impressed with how you got yourself out of that situation earlier, where are you from?"
"Minnesota." the boy replied.
"Oh, why did you leave?"
'‘Sir, The only things from Minnesota are hookers and hockey players."
"I'll have you know that my wife is from Minnesota." Said the manager.
"No kidding?" replied the boy. "What team did she play for?"
monster • Mar 8, 2011 2:49 pm
footfootfoot;715645 wrote:
"Oh, why did you leave?"
'‘Sir, The only things from Minnesota are hookers and hockey players."
"I'll have you know that my wife is from Toronto." Said the manager.
"No kidding?" replied the boy. "What team did she play for?"


Did you miss changing a city there? :eyebrow:
Shawnee123 • Mar 8, 2011 2:53 pm
And that's when Shawnee chortled.
footfootfoot • Mar 8, 2011 3:38 pm
monster;715664 wrote:
Did you miss changing a city there? :eyebrow:


It's funnier that way
monster • Mar 8, 2011 3:40 pm
See, I'd have known that if you hadn't missed the post-punch line
Spexxvet • Mar 8, 2011 4:28 pm
Beest;715367 wrote:
French and German have second person plural case and pronoun, but English is lacking, fortunately the southern US has filled this void with "y'all"

And South Philadelphians say "yous", pronounced "yooze"

Sundae Girl;715360 wrote:
I would like a word to describe the situation where food smells so much better than it tastes. It's a very specific kind of anticipation/ disappointment.

Olfactooooey!
Shawnee123 • Mar 8, 2011 4:42 pm
Olfactooey! :lol:
monster • Mar 8, 2011 5:07 pm
you missed two hos
Cloud • Mar 8, 2011 5:37 pm
we need a word for those little whistle novelties that you blow on and they curl out. I suppose we call them something in English, but nothing can beat what they call them in Spanish: "tocasuegra" or, literally, "mother-in-law ticklers"
wolf • Mar 9, 2011 2:33 pm
limey;715542 wrote:
The Russians also have second person singular and plural, and so do the Scots. "You" and "Youse" - although the latter is considered déclassé.
Now there's a word the English language needs, déclassé!


I don't recall there being a large number of Scotsmen in South Philly, but I don't get there much.

monster;715627 wrote:
We need a word to describe things which have no word to describe them


We have one. Sniglet.
Tulip • Mar 10, 2011 12:00 pm
Spexxvet;715688 wrote:
And South Philadelphians say "yous", pronounced "yooze"


Olfactooooey!


From what I know, southerners say "y'all," northeasterners say "yous" or I've seen it written as "youse," and mid-westerners say "you guys." A few years after moving from Hawaii to Texas, I was still using "you guys" for the you plural form. A friend said, there are girls here too.
Tulip • Mar 10, 2011 12:04 pm
Shawnee123;715631 wrote:
Plaster goes on walls. Or in Paris.

Hoover is like our south calling all soft drinks "Coke."

I got made fun of by a moron from Minnesota years ago for saying that I was going to the grocery. He insisted it was incomplete, without store following it.

What do you guys say?


Sorry, I would use the word "store" with it too. But you know what would be interesting? To make a poll, asking southerners. It could be a regional or perhaps a usage in your area.
Tulip • Mar 10, 2011 12:05 pm
Shawnee123;715635 wrote:
Yeah, but he was still a moron. Must be a local thing.

Grandma asked my ex one year what he wanted for Christmas. He said a new butt 'cause his had a crack in it. Grandma gave him a jar of spackle and a putty knife. :lol:


I see where you got your humor from. Your grandma is a funny woman. :)
footfootfoot • Mar 10, 2011 1:01 pm
Tulip;715933 wrote:
From what I know, southerners say "y'all," northeasterners say "yous" or I've seen it written as "youse," and mid-westerners say "you guys." A few years after moving from Hawaii to Texas, I was still using "you guys" for the you plural form. A friend said, there are girls here too.

Guys in the plural form can refer to people in general. Just as Muchachos refers to groups of mixed gender while muchachas refers to groups of women only.
Shawnee123 • Mar 11, 2011 9:01 am
Tulip;715935 wrote:
I see where you got your humor from. Your grandma is a funny woman. :)


Thank you, she was. We lost her the day Princess Diana died. We joked that St Peter was all aflutter about this amazing woman who had showed up at the gates, and LOOK, there's Princess Di too! I bet my grandma cracked a joke or two for her, and they got along famously (if you believe in that sort of thing.)

She was an amazing woman. Independent, strong, funny, loving. I miss her all the time. If I believed in guardian angel types, I would believe in her. When she divorced my grandpa she never remarried, and was perfectly happy living her life on her own terms.
wolf • Mar 11, 2011 11:05 am
I would like more words for snow. I am jealous of the Eskimos. They can have the seal blubber, but I want the words.
monster • Mar 11, 2011 12:23 pm
We need a word to describe the act of screen-spraying caused by the unfortunate interaction of reading humorful things on the interwebs and imbibing beverages both hot and cold
Shawnee123 • Mar 11, 2011 12:26 pm
In the entertainment industry, that's called a "spit take."
DanaC • Mar 11, 2011 2:23 pm
Splaff
Shawnee123 • Mar 11, 2011 2:28 pm
Shawnee123;716149 wrote:
In the entertainment industry, that's called a "spit take."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spit-take
footfootfoot • Mar 11, 2011 3:51 pm
I wish had a word for what people really mean when they say ironic.
ZenGum • Mar 11, 2011 10:09 pm
Monster .... COSMi? CSOMic. COSMing.

As in "That was a COSMic joke, Sheldon, I COSMed all over."
Shawnee123 • Mar 12, 2011 3:28 pm
footfootfoot;716208 wrote:
I wish had a word for what people really mean when they say ironic.


Since it means "made entirely of iron" I say a good word would be a form of wrought, like...rot.
ZenGum • Mar 12, 2011 7:52 pm
I should acknowledge that "totally awesome" works much better with a Californian accent.