Yahoo! Picks - bringing you the best of the Web since 1995

add to my yahoo! View RSS Feed 

 

by Gordon Hurd
Sat, March 04, 2006, 3:00 am PST

So William Levin has a BlOG. This BlOG is all about handwritten signs on which an uppercase "L" has been replaced with a lowercase "l." Just a tiny lITTlE annoying phenomenon? Nay, it's a plague of improper penmanship, UNlEASHED upon innocent sign-readers. And Lowercase L serves a heroic duty, saving hapless citizens from buying APPlES and helping people navigate through a WORlD where things may be open or they may be ClOSED -- a PlACE some call HEll! After reading through this site and seeing the pictorial evidence, we're confident you'll see just how serious this epidemic is. We SAlUTE you, Mr. lEVIN, and WElCOME your SOlEMN mission.

P.S. Our bold blogger also hosts an online comic strip about a Jewish robot named Shabot 6000, but that's another story altogether.

by Molly McCall
Fri, January 06, 2006, 3:00 am PST

At long last, Merriam-Webster has flung open the doors of its prestigious dictionary and invited the world in. And in it came, faster than you could say "nebulocity." With the Open Dictionary now accepting submissions, amateur wordsmiths of all stripes can disclose brand-spanking-new words that have never seen the light of publication. As you can imagine, this daring move sets the stage for an array of morbish or craptastic terms. And we couldn't be happier. If not for this bold linguistic experiment, we never would have known what a badonkadonk is. Feeling a little timid about submitting your own secret utterance? Never fear; this is a kindly environment (and the guardians at the Merriam-Webster gate have set up a few filters), so you won't come off looking like a dipstick or a vidiot.

Filed under: Words, Reference

Thu, September 08, 2005, 3:00 am PDT

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!...

Filed under: Words, Languages

by Molly McCall
Tue, August 09, 2005, 3:00 am PDT

When Ryan Jones instant messaged with some young people and couldn't understand a "thing they were typing," it made him mad -- and inspired him to create the Internet Slang Dictionary and Translator. The site, a resource for those who find themselves befuddled or enraged by what masquerades as language on the Web today, offers translations, a dictionary, a "Website Validator," and a "Guide to Netspeak." So when you walk in the room and catch your child feverishly typing "p911," you won't be in the dark. And when you're joking with a friend who suddenly writes, "c|n>k," you'll be able to laugh knowingly and shoot back, "lawlz!"

Filed under: Words, Internet, Reference, The Web

Fri, April 22, 2005, 3:00 am PDT

For those with a sense of humor, puns can be fun, even playful. However, there can come a point where puns go too far, daring to embark on a frightening frontier known as... British storefronts! Witness Shop Horror in all its ghastly glory. A self-described collection of "the best of the worst in British shop names," it showcases puns that find a hideously beautiful home on placards throughout the nation. While a few may be a feast for the eyes, some are not appealing at all, while others are simply flat out junk. Wok This Way? Oh man. Well, whether they're enjoyed or endured, you at least have to give them brief props for creativity. OK, that's enough. Please, cut it out. Stop! Oh, when will this witty wordplay ever end?

Filed under: Names, Words, Humor


Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy