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. =)

Free Seating

I was wondering, what's a "Free Seating" sign doing here in a food centre? Isn't it universally understood that we can sit at any table that we want at a food centre, without having to be assigned to a table? And so I snapped a picture of it. Haha.

I looked up "free" as an adjective in the Longman Web Dictionary. And wow, there are 19 definitions for "free"! Haha.

free
1. something that is free does not cost you any money
2. not held, tied up, or kept somewhere as a prisoner
3. allowed to do or say whatever you want, or allowed to happen, without being controlled or restricted by anyone or anything
4. if you are free, or have some free time, you have no work, and nothing else that you must do
5. something that is free is available to use because it is not already being used
6. not suffering from something
7. not containing something
8. if something is free of tax, you do not have to pay tax on it
9. used to tell someone that they can do something (feel free)
10. relaxed, friendly, and without many rules (free and easy)
11. someone who lives as they want to rather than in the way that society considers normal (free spirit)
12. to let someone do whatever they want or need to do in a particular situation (give somebody a free hand/rein)
13. used to say that you should not expect to get something good without having to pay for it or make any effort (there's no free lunch)
14. used, usually humorously, to say that you are or should be allowed to do something, after someone has said that you should not do it (it's a free country, British English)
15. to get something without paying for it or working for it, because other people are paying or working for it (get/take a free ride, informal)
16. to be very generous with something (be free with something)
17. to use something that belongs to someone else when you should not (make free with something)
18. something that is free is not held, blocked, or restricted
19. a free chemical substance is not combined with any other substance (technical)

Out of all the 19 definitions, I guess only meanings No. 1 and No. 3 are relevant in this context. Yes, we can also take the sign to mean that we do not have to pay to sit at a table at the food centre. But isn't this "universal knowledge" too? Haha. And yes, the sign can also mean that we have the choice to sit at any table that we want at the food centre. =)

You've Got Mail!

Oops! The comic doesn't seem to be very clear again. Haha. But just click on it for a clearer picture! =)

When the computer told Jason's dad that he'd "got mail", he thought that he had received letters in his mailbox, and so he went out of the house to open his mailbox, but did not find any letters. And so he came back, thinking that the computer had lied to him about receiving new mail, when there weren't any.

The word "mail" is lexically primed for Jason's dad only as letters in the mailbox, and not as email in his inbox. But "mail" is primed for Jason as email, since he was attempting to explain the situation to his dad in the last panel.

I looked "mail" up in Dictionary.com, and found that "email" is listed as one of the meanings too! (Meaning No. 5)

1. letters, packages, etc., that are sent or delivered by means of the postal system: Storms delayed delivery of the mail.
2. a single collection of such letters, packages, etc., as sent or delivered: to open one's mail; to find a bill in the mail; The mail for England was put on the noon plane.
3. Also, mails. the system, usually operated or supervised by the national government, for sending or delivering letters, packages, etc.; postal system: to buy clothes by mail.
4. a train, boat, etc., as a carrier of postal matter.
5. electronic mail; e-mail.

I checked Longman Web Dictionary, and "messages that are sent and received on a computer" is listed as one of the meanings too.

Luckily "mail" is lexically primed for me as email too. Haha. =P

N.E.mation!

Saw this doorknob hanger when I was on the bus on my way to school. The word "N.E.mation" caught my eye, and so I reached up and plucked the doorknob hanger from the bus railing above.

It says "N.E.mation! 4", and "Why I Care about Singapore" below, and so if you look at it, you'll know that it's something to do with National Education, and that "N.E." stands for National Education. If you flip behind, it says that "N.E.mation! 4 is an animation competition for students".

If you say "N.E.mation" fast, linking the "N" and "E" together, and not pronouncing "N" and "E" separately, "N.E.mation" will become "animation"! I find this tagline rather cute and creative. Haha. =)

I did a Google search for "N.E.mation", and all that was churned out was information regarding this particular animation competition. So I guess the word "N.E.mation" is only used exclusively in this case.

Rather creative, ehh? =)