The "I need a word" game

[wabmester]

Warning: I just got back from a walk, and my mind wanders during walks.

So, words let us share common concepts, but it seems like there are many more shared concepts than there are words to describe them.

A couple of examples:

1) What is a word that says "good effort, but WRONG!"   Like using the cliche "feed a fever, starve a cold" when it's "starve a fever, feed a cold" (and both are meaningless, anyway).    Or getting the lyrics to a song wrong, but finding lyrics that make sense to you.    Or amputating the wrong limb....   These things obviously have a different sense of "wrong" than simply not knowing or guessing incorrectly.

2) What is a word that describes "I know that I'm in your way, and I sense your impatience, but just let me complete this manuever."

Are there words for these things?   Should we make some up?   How about other concepts that need words?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Just during walks?!?

1) Redefine the term "Bushing"? In a less political bend, how about Wingnutting? Successful inarticulation? To Java? Adgering? Active error? Action slips? Description error?

2) I got nothin'. But I have noticed that if you stop moving most people will just walk around you. Otherwise they'll walk into you. Its human chicken.

 

[Nords]

Cool, I love vocabulary games!

Warning: I just got back from a walk, and my mind wanders during walks.

I hope no one had to take a poopy fork to shovel up after that walk...

1.) Misguided, deluded. Or "bad", as in "Oooops, my bad, we'll have that sewn up in a jiffy..."

2.) Chill!

 

[wabmester]

1.)  Misguided

That's not bad, but it has too much of a "good intention" connotation for me.    I'm looking more for "good execution, but wrong result by 180 degrees".    It seems like such a common outcome that there needs to be a word.   Perfectlywrong.

2.)  Chill!

More of a "thanks for your patience."   Maybe this one hasn't reached the threshold for wordness yet.

So, when does word invention happen?    I assume it's sort of an evolutionary thing in which enough people decide they need the new word that it comes into regular usage.   Shouldn't the internet speed up that process?   I want some new words!

 

[Cool Dood]

1. "Ten out of ten points for style, but minus several million for good thinking!" --Zaphod Beeblebrox....
Or, if you need a single word, to duff, v. tr. ... "he duffed it," etc. Actually, I guess there are a million synonyms: bobble, botch, muff, etc., but maybe none gets to exactly what you want...?

2. Better expressed with good facial expression/body language...... just exaggerate your oafishness and make it funny instead of unnerving....... doesn't really need a word.

OK, I'm tired and shouldn't be posting... so forgive any stupidity in this post

 

[REWahoo]

I want some new words!

OK, the first cup of coffee is kicking in...

1) What is a word that says "good effort, but WRONG!"

How about "clogar", short for "close but no cigar"?

In useage: "That Bode Miller Olympic thing wasn't even clogar."

2) What is a word that describes "I know that I'm in your way, and I sense your impatience, but just let me complete this manuever."

How about "hoyfroses", short for "hold your friggin horses!"

In useage: "Hoyfroses you guys! I'll let you have a look through the telescope before she's completely dressed, I promise!"

 

[HFWR]

Authentic frontier jibberish...

 

[azanon]

1) What is a word that says "good effort, but WRONG!"   Like using the cliche "feed a fever, starve a cold" when it's "starve a fever, feed a cold" (and both are meaningless, anyway).    Or getting the lyrics to a song wrong, but finding lyrics that make sense to you.    Or amputating the wrong limb....   These things obviously have a different sense of "wrong" than simply not knowing or guessing incorrectly.

2) What is a word that describes "I know that I'm in your way, and I sense your impatience, but just let me complete this manuever."

1.  Use "valiant" with an appropriate inflection of voice/mild sarcasm.   Meaning one can say the word to both acknowledge the effort, but to also suggest said person failed.  If this is something that has to be proper when written too, then this is a no-go. "ie: That was a valiant effort! (said both nicely with sarcasm (this is possible))"

2.  There's 3 separate things you want to convey on this with one word.  To my knowledge, one doesnt exist.

 

[SteveR]

Too busy to distill this down...but maybe some might fit or start an associated search.  



1.askew, astray, awry, bad, bum, counterfactual, defective, erratic, erring, erroneous, fallacious, faulty, fluffed, goofed, in error, inaccurate, inexact, miscalculated, misconstrued, misfigured, misguided, mishandled, mistaken, not precise, not right, not working, off-target, out, perverse, rotten, sophistical, specious, spurious, ungrounded, unsatisfactory, unsound, unsubstantial, untrue, wide

2. amble, bum, bum around, dally, diddle-daddle, dilly-dally, drag, fool around, fritter away, goof around, goof off, hang about, hang around, hang out, idle, jack around, lag, laze, lazy, loaf, loiter, loll, lounge, mosey, poke, poke along, procrastinate, put off, saunter, screw off, scrounge around, shlep along, sit around, stay, stroll, tarry, toddle, tool, toy, trail, trifle, wait, waste, waste time

 

[Martha]

I use the same expression for both situations: oh, man.

 

[TromboneAl]

In my family we've made up a number of words that save us time:

1. Gots -- this means "I know what you're going to say, you don't have to finish your sentence." This isn't used in an argumentative way, it's used because often we're on the same wavelength, and have the same thoughts.

2. Wik-Wik - means "Who knows, who cares?"

3. Jamaica - means "Just making conversation"

Example:

We see someone leaving their car running while they go into an ice cream place to get an ice cream.

DW: I wonder if they realize...
Me: Gots, Wik-wik
DW: Jamaica

 

[Sheryl]

In my family we've made up a number of words that save us time:

1. Gots -- this means "I know what you're going to say, you don't have to finish your sentence."  This isn't used in an argumentative way, it's used because often we're on the same wavelength, and have the same thoughts.

2. Wik-Wik - means "Who knows, who cares?"   

3. Jamaica - means "Just making conversation"

Our office has a similar one - DKDC - Don't know, don't care. Usually said in response to "how is the construction coming on the Doufus Residence."

 

[Sheryl]

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Protologisms

Here's a whole raft of 'em - didn't have time to see if any would adress Wab's particular needs...

 

[wabmester]

Oh, yeah!   Thanks, Sheryl.   That's what I'm talking about.

sniglets

As I sit at home waiting for a FedEx package, I especially like

Anticiparcellate (an ti si par' sel ate) - v. Waiting until the mailman is several houses down the street before picking up the mail, so as not too appear too anxious.

 

[Cool Dood]

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Protologisms

Heh, that's a good list. I like this one:

etceteric: Of or relating to a person who is like others of his or her kind; not deserving to be named individually; marginal, anonymous, obscure.

 

[Rustic23]

Gumbling - the things you do before you do the things you are suppose to be doing.

Like when it is time to go, DW is doing things that do not appear to be related with getting out the door.... you know gumbling!

 

[HFWR]

My thoughts, stolen from The Who:

"Put in your earplugs, put on your eyeshades, you know where to put the cork..."

My word: SNAFU... Seems to fit most situations...

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Topic split. Threre, that's better. How about a word for that?