h a l f b a k e r yBirth of a Notion.
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Dictionaries were an item everybody needed to buy before
the internet replaced them.
To bring in some revenue, I suggest a lottery / contest to
name un-named items.
The only one that comes to mind is those boards at
amusement parks with the faces cut out that you put your
face in to take
pictures so it looks like you've got a dinosaur
body or something. That's an example but I'm sure there are
lots of things out there that don't have a name.
Costs $5 to enter, winner of the "Name That Thing" contest
has the name officially codified into the English language as
the official name of that item, has it entered into all
dictionaries and wins $50,000 or
something.
UPDATE: Max informs me that those carnival things are
called "Gilbert Boards" after the guy who invented them,
but that's not the point. I'm sure there's other un-named
stuff out there. For instance the link below lists:
Profanitype: symbols used by cartoonists to replace swear
words (*#!$#@^&*)
I think "profanigrams" would also work.
Sniglets
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sniglet
Here's a comedian's work on naming un-named stuff. [doctorremulac3, Dec 12 2016]
The Meaning of Liff
https://en.wikipedi...The_Meaning_of_Liff
This book will change your life. [tatterdemalion, Dec 12 2016]
Machine Name Name Supply
Machine_20Name_20Name_20Supply
[tatterdemalion, Dec 12 2016]
Fake Word Generator
http://www.feldarkr...words/#.Vf95WPSZYZA
I buy all my prescriptions here. [tatterdemalion, Dec 12 2016]
Grawlixes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grawlixes
// symbols used by cartoonists to replace swear words (*#!$#@^&*) // [notexactly, Apr 22 2018]
Another random word generator
http://fourteenminutes.com/fun/words/
This is the one I usually use. [notexactly, Apr 22 2018]
[link]
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Washing machines are sometimes called "washers". Not
much more clever but it gets the job done. |
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Things that toast bread are called toasters. Boxes that
freeze things are called freezers implying that not a lot of
creativity went into naming these. Not sure why they're
not called "toasting machines" or
"freezing machines". |
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Vacuum cleaners are interesting in that they tell how they
get the job done. The freezer version would be "Freon
pump freezer". Mop is both the verb and noun which you
don't see a lot. "I wanted some toast, so I put the bread in
the toast." |
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I thought Gilbert boards were the ones with two holes for two people to put their faces in. I'm pretty sure the single-hole ones were around before Gilbert came up with his version |
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// Even those future people manage quite fine just calling it a cloaking device. |
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Another missed "Dennis" opportunity. |
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[Ian Tindale] you have explored this concept before from a different perspective. "Bibiter" is still available I believe. |
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Thanks Tatt, that word generator is pretty cool. One was
"Bevent". Bevential really needs a meaning attached to it.
Beautiful word, full of wordly goodness. |
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Despite the popular market for vacuum cleaners, I
have yet to come across a dirty vacuum. |
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That shows how effective they are. |
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