Existentially Challenged

This brings to mind a point that was brought up in class, which is that of how expressions are constantly changing, and the trend of using "something-challenged" to describe a certain characteristic. For instance, we can have "vertically challenged" to describe someone who is rather short, "mentally challenged" for someone who does not seem to be very bright.

And now we have "existentially challenged"! To describe someone who's dead. Or having difficulty being or remaining in existence. (http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Existentially_challenged)

And "gangster" is referred to as a member of the non-legal community. But why can't we just say "gangster", for simplicity's sake?

Putting Zing into Teaching

So, what does "zing" mean? Once again, I haven't come across this word before. Perhaps it says a lot about my lexical priming. Haha. Anyway, according to the article, it means "injecting new zest into the education sector".

How does Dictionary.com define "zing"? It says:

zing:
–noun
1. vitality, animation, or zest.
2. a quality or characteristic that excites the interest, enthusiasm, etc.: a tourist town with lots of zing.
3. a sharp singing or whining noise, as of a bullet passing through the air.

I was curious about the origin of the word, and so here it is, also from Dictionary.com:

Word Origin & History
zing
1911, "high pitched sound," 1918, of echoic origin. Slang meaning "energy, zest" is attested from 1918. Zinger "cruel quip" first attested 1970.

What does Merriam-Webster Online say about "zing"?

zing:
1. a shrill humming noise
2. a : an enjoyably exciting or stimulating quality : zest b : a sharply piquant flavor

I had thought "zing" to be something from the Chinese culture. Sounds like something related to Traditional Chinese Medicine. HAHA.

Manthropology: The Study of Ants??

If anthropology is the study of man, then is the study of ants called manthropology? Something interesting. I haven't thought of it before! HAHA.

Couldn't find any results for "manthropology" in Dictionary.com, Longman Web Dictionary, or Merriam-Webster Online. =(

I searched for "manthropology" in Google, and here are the results, among many others:

1. 14 Oct 2009 ... In his book Manthropology: The Science of the Inadequate Modern Male, anthropologist Peter McAllister writes, "As a class we are in fact the ...

2. Booktopia has Manthropology: The Secret Science of Modern Male Inadequacy by Peter McAllister. The ISBN of this book, CD, DVD or cassette is 0733623913 and ...

3. 22 Oct 2009 ... Twitter Trackbacks for Manthropology isn't exactly science « Gender Across Borders [genderacrossborders.com] on Topsy.com ...

4. Manthropology is a book that claims that ancient man was better, faster, stronger and smarter than any man today.

Wow. The word "manthropology" actually does exist! Haha. =)

Would you like a humturduckenan for dinner?

I was really amused by the word "humturduckenan"! Apparently it's a duck stuffed into a chicken, stuffed into a turkey, inhaled by a human.

Do you think there'll be dictionary results for "humturduckenan"?

There are no results in Dictionary.com. Neither are there any in Longman Web Dictionary. None in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary too. Is it just a word that's been randomly made up?

But I did get some results in Google!

1. 17 Dec 2008 ... Lightning Round. More on Meat Eaters Live a Lie · Vegan.com: Humturduckenan; Brain Worms · Team Vegan Philly Runs Marathon ...

2. 29 May 2009 ... Humturduckenan. A Humturducken is... A Duck stuffed into a Chicken; Stuffed into a Turkey; Inhaled by a Human. You can only get them around ...

3. Sounds yummy...not! Humturduckenan HeeHee A dish best served cold. Karl_db Moderator Username: Karl_db Post Number: 7913 ...

Sounds like a weird dish. Yuck. Haha.

Bloopers

The little boy had heard his grandma wrongly, and combined "blue purse" into "bloopers". This explains why he's looking high and low, when his grandma's blue purse is just on the sofa!

I was thinking, is there such a word as "bloopers"? I haven't come across the word before.

This is from Dictionary.com:

blooper:
1. Informal. an embarrassing mistake, as one spoken over the radio or TV.
2. Radio. a receiving set that generates from its antenna radio-frequency signals that interfere with other nearby receivers.
3. Also, bloop. Baseball.
a. Also called looper. a fly ball that carries just beyond the infield.
b. a pitched ball with backspin, describing a high arc in flight.

This is from Longman Web Dictionary:

blooper:
1. an embarrassing mistake that you make in front of other people [= bloomer British English]
2. a ball in baseball that is high and slow and easy to catch or hit

This is from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

blooper:
/blup(r)/ noun (NAmE) an embarrassing mistake that you make in public

So I guess you can't send someone to look for your bloopers and bring them back for you! =P

Soft Opening

Universal Studios! =D

Saw this advertisement while browsing through the newspapers. I was wondering, what does "soft opening" mean? If there's "soft opening", is there "hard opening" too? Haha.

Dictionary.com didn't have any results when I typed in "soft opening". Neither did Longman Web Dictionary. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary only gave me the entries for "soft".

And so I did a Google search for "soft opening".

I found this! A "Travel Industry Dictionary"! (http://www.travel-industry-dictionary.com/soft-opening.html)

It says that "soft opening" is:

"A period of time when a new hotel, which may not be fully complete, is open for business but has not formally announced its opening. Also used of rides and attractions at theme parks."

Ahh I see.. And so it's used here for the opening of Universal Studios.

I found this on Wikipedia too:

"It is often suggested that an organization not have a Grand Opening the very first day it opens its doors unless that organization is a well established already. Often an organization will have a "soft opening" first. In a "soft opening," the establishment begins to operate without a lot of attention. This allows the organization to become more organized the first few weeks or months before the more publicized Grand Opening, and gives the management and staff a chance to become familiar with the daily operations of their inventory, accounting, and customer service requirements. Once the institution is organized and ready to receive more clients, it will then sponsor a Grand Opening event." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_opening)

This contrasts "Soft Opening" with "Grand Opening", where "Soft Opening" precedes "Grand Opening".

So much for my "hard opening". There probably isn't a term called "hard opening". Haha. =P

Referee vs Umpire

Zoe (the little girl in the comic) probably understands the characteristics of "knowing all the rules" and "making sure that everybody plays fair" as those belonging to a teacher, since she's still attending school at her young age, and the person whom she comes in contact with frequently and who has these characteristics is her teacher.

After reading this comic strip, I realise that perhaps I'm not very sure of the difference between a referee and an umpire too! Haha. And so I go to the dictionary! =P

This is what Dictionary.com says:

referee:
1. one to whom something is referred, esp. for decision or settlement; arbitrator.
2. (in certain games and sports) a judge having functions fixed by the rules of the game or sport; umpire.
3. an authority who evaluates scientific, technical, or scholarly papers, grant proposals, or the like for the publication or funding institution to which they have been submitted.
4. Law. a person selected by a court to take testimony in a case and return it to the court with recommendations as to the decision.

Ehh? So "referee" can mean "umpire" too? (according to Meaning 2 above) But if this is so, why did the dad shout "The umpire!" when the mum said "The referee"?

Let us look at what "umpire" means then, again from Dictionary.com:

umpire:
1. Sports A person appointed to rule on plays, especially in baseball.
2. A person appointed to settle a dispute that mediators have been unable to resolve; an arbitrator. See Synonyms at judge.

Hmm.. This time, "umpire" doesn't have "referee" as one of its meanings. Perhaps "umpire" is used specifically in baseball (according to Meaning 1 above).

Let me check another source! Longman Web Dictionary:

referee:
1. someone who makes sure that the rules of a sport such as football, basketball, or boxing, are followed [↪ umpire]
2. British EnglishBE someone who provides information about you when you are trying to get a job
3. someone who is asked to settle a disagreement
4. someone who judges an article or research idea before it is published or money is provided for it

umpire:
the person who makes sure that the players obey the rules in sports such as tennis, baseball, and cricket [↪ referee]

Oh! I think I see the difference now! "Referee" is used in sports such as football, basketball, and boxing, while "umpire" is used in sports such as tennis, baseball, and cricket! So "umpire" should be used in this particular comic strip.

Hmm.. Every sport/activity has its own set of lexical items. And probably "umpire" is more lexically primed for the dad than for the mum. =)

Your Gateway to Professional Success!

Came across this advertisement while I was browsing through the newspapers. The word "gateway" caught my eye. How would you usually use "gateway"? To me, "gateway" brings to mind an error message that I sometimes see when I try to access a webpage, something like "Bad Gateway". "Gateway" also means a passage, or a path, which gives you access to some other place.

According to Dictionary.com, "gateway" means:

1. An opening or a structure framing an opening, such as an arch, that may be closed by a gate.

2. Something that serves as an entrance or a means of access: a gateway to success; the gateway to the West.

3. Software or hardware that enables communication between computer networks that use different communications protocols. Also called router.


Does "gateway" collocate with "professional success"? Meaning 2 above seems to suggest this collocation.

I looked up "gateway" in Longman Web Dictionary too, and here are the results:

1. [countable] the opening in a fence, wall etc that can be closed by a gate

2. gateway to something
a) a place, especially a city, that you can go through in order to reach another much bigger place:
St. Louis is the gateway to the West.
b) a way of achieving something:
To me a home in the country is a gateway to happiness.

3. [countable] a way of connecting two computer networks

So if you want to use "gateway" as the second meaning above, it can either be in the literal or metaphorical sense. It can refer to either a "gateway" to a specific place, or you can say "gateway to success", "gateway to happiness", and many more. =)

What's a Manicorn?

After reading the comic, I was wondering, what on earth is "manicorn"? I was thinking it might have something to do with "unicorn". "Manicorn" is obviously lexically primed for the two sisters, but not their mother, since their mother appeared puzzled at the word "manicorn". The sisters understand "manicorn" as the elusive, perfect male, and they live near rainbows. Haha.

There were no results for "manicorn" in Dictionary.com. But there are results for "manicorn" in Urban Dictionary! Here are some meanings given:

1. a mythical male creature who is successful (read: pursuing his passion and can pay his electric bills/rent), funny, chivalrous, masculine (read: not chauvinistic), adventurous, artistic (read: not suicidal).

2. The elusive perfect male. He can be found at bars, but not singing karaoke drunk while making out with your best friend. He is sensitive to your needs and is a caring man who will put your needs first. He will talk about feelings with you and will never cheat on you ever.

3. A half-man, half-beast creature, with an unholy horn on his head.

Sounds like the elusive, perfect male? Not really, I guess. Haha. =P

I'm Tired...

What do the words "I'm tired" mean to you?

This brings to mind the Cobweb Theory that we have learnt in class, where words in the mind are linked together in a gigantic multi-dimensional cobweb, in which every item is attached to scores of others, according to Aitchison. This illustrates one of the various theories surrounding the mental lexicon.

For the mum, the words "I'm tired" are associated with the events that have occurred in the day, and the household chores that she has done. However, for the dad, when he says "I'm tired", it just means that he wants to sleep, and he goes to sleep right away. This may be because of the different gender roles played by the mum and the dad. Being a mother, she's worried about her children, and her mind revolves around her household chores and all things related to her children. On the other hand, the dad may have just returned home from a long day's work, he's tired, and he just goes to sleep.

Perhaps this shows that the mental lexicon operates differently for males and females. Haha.

No Touting!

I snapped this picture in a food centre. I was thinking, why aren't we allowed to "tout" in a food centre? Perhaps the word "tout" isn't really lexically primed for me. Haha. And so, I decided to look the word up.

According to Dictionary.com, "touting" means to "solicit business, employment, votes, or the like, importunately". It can also be used in horse racing, "to act as a tout". I guess "tout" refers to the first meaning, in this sense. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary also gave me something similar, "to try to persuade people to buy your goods or services, especially by going to them and asking them directly". Perhaps a food centre is meant for the customers to have their meals in peace, and so others are not allowed to solicit business in a food centre.

Guess what? I found another "No Touting" sign in a food centre too, using Google Images! But I have no idea where this is found. Haha. =)

Running Out The Hose

No, I don't think there's anything seriously wrong with this sign.

But I was just thinking, why is it "running out the hose"? I guess perhaps it refers to the act of rolling out the hose, since the hose must be pretty long. But why "run out", and not "roll out", or something else?

I checked "run out" in Dictionary.com, and the results are below:

run out:

1. to terminate; expire

2. to become used up

3. to drive out; expel

I guess none of the above meanings of "run out" apply in this case. I checked Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary too, and the results are somewhat similar.

Then I typed "running out the hose" in Google, and it gave me these, among many others:

1. running out a length of hose...

2. running out dutch rolled hose...

3. running out the main hose line...

4. open valve before running out hose...

Hmm.. I guess "run out" does collocate with "hose" then. =)