I’m quite the fan of word games, puns, and almost anything related to the written or spoken word. The English language is a real minefield for immigrants to navigate and truthfully it’s just as tough for some of us home grown types. Todays quiz will test your knowledge of our language with trivia on words and phrases and how they came to be. As always the answers will be listed below.
- What is the measurement of “one foot’ based on?
- Who invented word “carport”?
- What ails you if your suffering from a bilateral preorbital hematoma?
- What are you afraid of if you have ergophobia?
- In Japan, what automobile part is known as a bakkumira?
- What is the chief symptom of someone suffering from oniomania?
- What is the origin of the word hoax?
- What does Iwo Jima mean in Japanese?
- How did the common airgun become known as a BB gun?
- How did “bloomers”, ladies pantaloons, get their name?
Answers
One third of the length of King Henry I’s arm, Frank Lloyd Wright, A black eye, Work, A rearview mirror, Graying of the hair, Uncontrollable urge to buy things, Its a contraction from hocus pocus, Sulfur Island, From it’s Ball Bearing ammunition, From suffragette Amelia Bloomer.
I’m beginning to think I’m becoming less tolerant these days. I’ve always been opinionated but lately it’s taken an ugly turn. Many people have constantly bitched and complained about the younger generations and their misuse of the English language but I think we should all be bitching and complaining about those complainers. I’m more pissed off and annoyed with the young adults and grownups who, trying to be cool, pickup a lot of this annoying slang. Kids will be kids but adults are supposed to set the example for them. Now it’s the kids setting something less than a good example for the adults.
I thought I’d compile a list of the things I hear every day when I’m out and about mixing and mingling with the great unwashed. The more I hear the more annoyed I get. I had to stop listening because my list was getting way too long. This list is definitely not in the order of annoyance.
“You know what I’m say’in?” – I could just scream every time I effing hear this. And you never hear it just once, it’s used over and over again in the same conversation.
“It’s literally a thousand degrees outside.” – This annoying adult slang. People don’t know what’s literal and what’s figurative. College education be damned.
“24/7/365” – I just hate this.
“Whatever” – Just say what your thinking, say F-You!
“Like” – "So I was, like, going to the store and, like, this guy stops me and, like, starts talking to me in, like, french."
“Whassssup?” – Morons, idiots, and Hip Hop
“Dis” – Do you realize how many people in this country have been killed or beaten because of this word?
“No way! WAY!!” – Thanks to the movie Clueless for this nonsense.
“Just Saying” – Just freaking stupid. I actually caught myself starting to use this and I’m so ashamed.
"My Bad!" – Anyone using this needs a foot buried deep in their ass.
”Sick (meaning cool)” – This is just sick, I think.
WORDS THAT ANNOY
"Snap"
"Tool”
"Awesome"
"Totally"
“Dude (when talking to a woman)”
“Trippin”
“OMG & LOL”
My better-half’s like, you know, whatever and I’m like, no way and she’s like, way! This posting is like, you know, OMG. Have a sick and awesome day. Just Saying!
Here’s an up and coming favorite in use by many of our nine to eleven year olds":
CHILLAXIN
You heard it here first.