Sunday, December 23, 2007

YOU'LL NEVER NEED ANOTHER REFERENCE BOOK

Have you ever heard someone referred to as a gemoke? I had no idea when I was asked what it was. Google in short order told me. It's origin was USAF. There is also another reference on jamoke.

I have referred in my blog to a blivet. I knew what it had meant in WWII but was happy to see that its use has been made more politically correct and can now mean an intractable problem.

There is an urban dictionary to which you can (free) subscribe for a daily word in your email.
Wikipedia is another excellent resource. Searching may require a bit of patience, but after all, so did finding the right book and looking up things in the past.

We are not even confined to the United States English. Check for UK slang to be looked up.

Try for Australian slang. Just don't talk about your fanny. Do you need to check on the meaning of foreign phrases? Try babel fish. There is seemingly no end to the amount of information you can find and learn. There is even a site for new words.

For people with cell phones there is a whole new language called cellspeak. With a bit of adventurous spirit, you can really expand your horizons in so many ways previously unavailable.

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