by Deacon | Jan 16, 2024 | Language Adventures
It is worth noting how none of the AI I checked even attempts to guess the meaning of typeractivity. Where did I find help? The Urban Dictionary, of course. Typeractivity is a word that is slowly gaining acceptance but still puzzles my spell-checker. It is a playful... 
by Deacon | Jan 8, 2024 | Language Adventures
Did you know there are two types of tickling? Knismesis is the soft, feather-like tickling, perhaps what a baby feels when his mother is lightly stroking his cheek or when a ladybug lands on your arm. This tickling often causes someone to have an itching... 
by Deacon | Jan 3, 2024 | Language Adventures
Cyber kidnapping popped up on my feed from numerous sources this morning. Because it instantly caught my eye as a new oxymoron, like fiery ice or wise fool, I took the clickbait and started to read. Cyber relates to computers, information technology, and... 
by Deacon | Dec 27, 2023 | Language Adventures
Searches for Gaslighting According to Cross-Word Solver, gaslighting was the word most searched for its meaning in the United States during 2023. It peaked at a whopping 130,000 searches each month. “The U.S. is struggling with words that have gained in currency... 
by Deacon | Dec 21, 2023 | Language Adventures
Ken: one’s mental perception, one’s knowledge, or one’s understanding The definition of the word ‘ken’ has evolved. It once referred to the distance the eye could see when at sea. If you could see a shoreline, the ship’s captain may say, ‘Land is within our... 
by Deacon | Dec 12, 2023 | Language Adventures
Initially used around 1845 but now antiquated, “snollygoster” was a slang word used to describe a cunning, deceitful individual, typically a politician who would go to any lengths to win an election. Resorting to lying, cheating, stealing, and blackmailing, a...