The Lexicographer's Rules, the weblog of Grant Barrett

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

What Do ‘Refugee,’ ‘Jump the Couch’ and ‘Spokesweasel’ Have in Common?

The Voice of America program “Wordmaster” spoke with me for a segment on the words of the year. (Source Link)

Filed under Personal • Language and Languages • (0) Comments • Permalink

Ugg: How a minnow put the boot into a fashion giant

The word “ugg” as in “ugg boot” is no longer trademarked in Australia. “How did a quintessentially Australian product end up being hijacked by a corporation based in Santa Barbara, California? To understand it, you have to go back 35 years.” (Source Link)

Filed under Language and Languages • (0) Comments • Permalink

E-40? Back 40

All due respect to E-40 for his skills, but he’s trippin on this: “Creative terminology like ‘pop ya collar,’ ‘it’s all good,’ ‘fo’ shezzy, fo’ shizzle’ and ‘what’s up pimpin’’ all came from E-40.” I know that’s just a Warner Bros. press release, but for years he’s been making claims like this. Give it a rest, dude. I can prove at least two of those weren’t invented by you. I’d bet the other two weren’t, either. (Source Link)

Filed under Language and Languages • Quibbling • (0) Comments • Permalink

Copulatin’ Blues

This is the kind of stuff I get to listen to in the making of a slang dictionary: Copulatin’ Blues. The linked site is not quite right as it seems to intermingle songs from volumes one and two of the collection. The “Frankie and Johnny” clip there (from the second volume released in 1984) includes an early use of the word peter meaning “penis.” More than a couple sources claim it’s a Gene Autry recording (this one has the most detail), but it’s difficult to verify.

Filed under Dictionaries and Lexicography • (2) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue

While I do enjoy From Our Own Correspondent, the BBC Radio program I most want to have as a podcast is I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue which is a completely useless and hilarious half-hour of cutting up and nonsense. As it is, I set the computer to automatically record it to MP3 every Monday and then dump it in iTunes which then dumps it on the iPod. Easy enough but harder to share with others.

Filed under Personal • (0) Comments • Permalink

Page 7 of 9 pages « First < 5 6 7 8 9 >

This is the personal weblog of Grant Barrett, editor of the Double-Tongued Dictionary, a collection of words from the fringes of English. More about this site...

Recent Catchwords

mill and fill n. (7/3)
snake run n. (7/2)
hurricane amnesia n. (7/2)
dollar-a-year man n. (7/2)
tranny n. (7/1)
secular adj. (6/30)
commuter trip n. (6/30)
wendy v. (6/30)
double-dekker n. (6/30)
gas-sipper n. (6/29)
nuke the fridge v. phr. (6/29)
mannyhose n. (6/29)
run one’s pockets v. phr. (6/29)
gay-lister n. (6/29)
cross-shopping n. (6/29)
weird stacking n. (6/29)
block busting n. (6/27)
beek n. (6/27)
sweatbox n. (6/26)
bump-out n. (6/26)

The Lexicographer's Rules