Yahoo! Picks

The Cliché Rotation Project

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:00:37 PST

Clichés are as trite and overused as the dictionary says they are. Still, why be a wet blanket about it? Stand up and fight for your language with The Cliché Rotation Project, a site near and dear to our hearts. We took to it like ducks to water, so much so that we're ready and willing to write a Pick about it. Join us and the Defective Yeti in a battle to replace clichés with new turns on old words. We present just a smattering of our favorites from CRP's new adages, truisms, and metaphorical malapropisms.

The Cliché Rotation Project's Best New Expressions
Rotated Out	Rotated In
Ready and willing	On it like a bonnet
Looks a gift horse in the mouth	Wants birthday cake on Christmas
It's a win-win situation.	Everyone gets ice cream!
More fun than a barrel of monkeys	More fun than 20 yards of bubble wrap
You made your bed, now sleep in it.	You poop it, you scoop it.

Submit your own replacements on the CRP webpage, and let's grease up those rusty clichés.

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Separated by a Common Language

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:00:20 PST

As George Bernard Shaw once wrote, "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." And if you've ever followed one of those "Way Out" signs in the London tube in hopes of discovering something psychedelic, only to find an ordinary exit, you understand what this means. Read this blog and you'll be over the moon (ecstatic) delving into such linguistic differences as mind vs watch, badge vs button, and peanuts vs monkeynuts. And if you plan to do a little shopping while over there, you'll definitely want to review this post on English and American differences in women's clothing terminology. So if some British terms have always looked dodgy (suspicious) to you, don't get knackered (worn out). Just consult this blog and suss out (decipher) their meaning. Cheers. (Bye.)

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My Favorite Word

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 03:00:14 PST

From "antidisestablishmentarianism" to "zaftig," everybody has a favorite word. This site asks why. A sagacious Sheila has a childhood spelling bee to thank for her memorable word. Mr. Bjornson likes "because" just because. Many people like "mellifluous" for multiple reasons. Others enjoy the self-descriptive sound of "onomatopoeia." What's your particular word? Doesn't matter if someone else picked it too; you can still send in your opinion. Just pay attention to the rules -- use pRoPeR capitalization, stop the smileys :-), nix the extraaa vowels, avoid net speak, d00d, and extract the exclamation points. Maybe the management will make an exception for Yahoo!...

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Collect Britain: Accents & Dialects

Sat, 03 Sep 2005 03:00:36 PST

In England alone, an intrepid traveler may overhear hundreds of dialects and accents. What's more extraordinary is how these brogues and drawls have evolved throughout the 20th century. Thanks to the British Library's Sound Archive, you can eavesdrop on English people from across the country without packing your bags. For instance, meet Dick Gilbert. In 1958, when he was 79 years old, he spoke about his experience as a young farm hand. The Sound Archive offers the lexis, phonology, and grammar break-down of Dick's commentary. But more importantly, it allows you to marvel at his voice. With recordings ranging from the 1950s to 1999, the site offers a wealth of samples. Some are downright incomprehensible, some are thoroughly entertaining, but all are fascinating. So listen up; England is speaking to you.

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Modern Language Association Language Map

Thu, 08 Jul 2004 03:00:49 PST

Yes, linguistics can be fun and entertaining. In fact, this site might compel you to learn a new language. You can use the site's map to learn what languages are spoken across the U.S. -- from Gujarathi to Laotian to one of 37 other languages and language groups. Incredibly, the map allows you to zoom in to the county and even ZIP code level. If that's not enough, you can generate interactive maps to compare tongues spoken in different areas of the country. The maps, based on 2000 census data, offer an unparalleled analysis of the prevalence of languages in America. And if you want to know how many Texans talk Thai, the map's data center can supply the answer. We bet that after visiting this site, you'll never again say, "It's all Greek to me."

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Double-Tongued Word Wrester

Fri, 04 Jun 2004 03:00:56 PST

English is like a nation with an open-door policy for languages, one of the few tongues that gladly accepts foreign words and slang into its ranks, creating a mélange, potpourri, and mishmash, if you will, of cross-cultural zingers. Much like an immigration officer, the wordsmith behind this unique slang dictionary tracks borrowed, niche, hybrid, and jargon words as they land on our linguistic shores. From Canadians, we learn to be wary of bed-blockers. Aussies are accepting of mollydookers, while India's babalogs and obesogenic Yanks are not necessarily Japan's puroburemu. And a paleoconservative tip drill should really chillax and enjoy some tasty mangel. Browse words by country of use, and co-opt a few choice phrases for your own conversation.

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BBC: Languages

Wed, 04 Feb 2004 03:00:49 PST

Word has it that we Yanks are linguistically challenged. Luckily, our English-speaking brethren across the Atlantic have devised this Berlitz-like primer to boost anyone's French, German, Italian, and Spanish speaking skills in no time flat. Whether you know very little or ascended to college-level language courses, each of these language courses is geared so you learn at your own pace. For adventurous pupils, there are even Welsh, Gaelic, and Irish tutorials. Affable native speakers like German teacher Andrea Hoffmann walk you through conversation scenarios in which you meet people, get around Berlin, eat out, and go shopping, while Giovanna Vaccaro helps you master the Italian tongue with guided tours of Venice. If all this is just too much choice for the monolingual mind, test the waters with an essential talking phrase book in 34 languages.

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Luciferous Logolepsy

Wed, 16 Jul 2003 03:00:48 PST

That dictionary collecting dust on your bookshelf is actually a living, breathing document that is constantly being refined. Words are added, dropped, and modified as the language continues to evolve. This site shines a light on some of the obscure words that have leapt from our lexicon. Language lovers will love the odor of jumentous, the pace of testudineous, or the amorous feelings of blissom. Many of the words within this copious list of terms might prove difficult to casually work into a conversation, so please don't suffer from onomatophobia. Cachinnate if you will, but don't be renitent in gilravaging the joys of language.

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Speech Accent Archive

Sat, 05 Jul 2003 03:00:00 PST

According to several online resources, there are approximately 6,800 known languages spoken in the 191 countries of the world. This site examines the accents of non-native English speakers who represent some of those languages -- 248 so far. Each speaker reads a paragraph -- a strange little story about a woman named Stella and her trip to the store -- that contains practically all of the sounds of English. From Afrikaans to Zulu, the native speakers come from all four corners of the world, and their accents give a glimpse of different languages around the planet. Where else can you enjoy this unique opportunity to hear hundreds of accents at one time?

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Slang City

Sun, 03 Nov 2002 03:00:59 PST

Do you ever find yourself confused by the language you hear on the street, in movies, and in pop songs? Even if you consider yourself a slang master, you may enjoy the colorful examples used on this site. Real English uses magazine and newspaper ads to explain the double meaning of "queen for a day," the usage of "sappy," and how "stuffed" can be a good thing. Rock & roll is elucidated, and the authors of the site thoughtfully highlight the slang, as well as French and nonsense words, in "Lady Marmalade." The interactive body part page lets you mouse over classical nudes to learn names for the naughty bits. These slang words are even rated on a scale from "kids" (don't use them unless you're in kindergarten) to "okay" (fine in front of your friends, but not grandma) to "bad" (you'll only hear them on cable TV). To learn a few more impolite words, try the random insult generator. This site isn't for the very easily offended, but we think it's an amusing primer on colorful language.

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Lost in Translation

Mon, 28 Oct 2002 02:00:10 PST

When used as intended, an online translator converts one language into another. But when creative people get hold of the technology and tinker around, a translator can create a whole new type of surrealistic joy. The uniqueness of this particular translator is due to the number of translations it performs. By converting text into five different languages and back to English, the site creates a wild pinball-like effect as the text ricochets from one meaning to the next. For example try translating, "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." You'll end up with "Vixen that the brown express jumped in the inactive dog." The larger the passage, the greater the likelihood you'll end up with text that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the original. Cut and paste to your heart's content, and have a blast with this updated linguistic version of the telephone game.

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Idiom Site

Fri, 30 Aug 2002 03:00:00 PST

Want to earn some brownie points with your friends? How about learn some useless but fascinating trivia to spout when you chew the fat? Don't let your cocktail chatter sound dead as a doornail -- get a leg up on everyone else by discovering the origins of sayings like "redneck" and "wag the dog." OK, we'll cut to the chase and tell you we think this site is worth its salt. From the multiple meanings of "dope" which dates dating back to 1807, to the more recent, video-game-inspired phrase "all your base are belong to us," this site catalogs scores of everyday words and phrases. You'll be in like Flynn after you spend a New York minute here.

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Banished Words List

Fri, 01 Feb 2002 12:00:37 PST

It all began on New Year's Day 1976 when Lake Superior State University published the first tongue in cheek Banishment List as a publicity ploy for the school. Since that day, the list of "Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use, and General Uselessness" has become an annual phenomenon. Over the years, thousands of words and phrases have been nominated for inclusion (or exclusion, depending on how you look at it). From At This Point in Time to Yuh know, the site really takes it to the next level.

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