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48 Names for Things You Didn't Know Had Names - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep. 26)
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View count: | 2,939,961 |
Likes: | 30,575 |
Comments: | 3,618 |
Duration: | 07:04 |
Uploaded: | 2013-09-11 |
Last sync: | 2024-09-03 09:30 |
A weekly show where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information. This week, John looks at the names of 48 things you might not have known had names such as a "tittle", "scroop" or "contronym".
Mental Floss Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mf_video
Select Images and Footage provided by Shutterstock: www.shutterstock.com
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Website: http://www.mentalfloss.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mental_floss
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Mental Floss Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mf_video
Select Images and Footage provided by Shutterstock: www.shutterstock.com
----
Website: http://www.mentalfloss.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mental_floss
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mentalflossmagazine
Store: http://store.mentalfloss.com/ (enter promo code: "YoutubeFlossers" for 15% off!)
Hi, I'm John Green. Welcome to my salon, this is Mental Floss on YouTube.
1. And this is my glabella - the area between my eyebrows.
And that is just the first of many things that you may not have known had names, until today.
[Opening Credits]
2. Do you love the smell of rain? That clean greenish aroma when rain drops hit dry ground? That's petrichor from the Greek "Petra" meaning stone and "ichor" meaning the blood of the gods and goddesses. The term was coined by two Australian researchers in 1964 and really became a word in 2011 when it popped up in a Doctor Who episode. (Aside) Hey there TARDIS.
3. When I get that itching and tingling sensation, that means my foot's asleep - Paresthesia.
4. Dysania means having difficulty getting out of bed in the morning but in my house, we call that Monday and also other days.
5. Doctors are notorious for "Griffonage" or illegible handwriting.
6. The area between your shoulder blades that you can never scratch is called the acnestis.
7. Palindromes are words or phrases that read the same way forward or backward. Like "Mom" or "Taco Cat" or the sentence "Marge lets Norah see Sharons telegram"
8. But a Semordnilap reads one way forward, "stressed" and another way backward, "desserts". Other examples include diaper, parts and of course, semordnilap itself.
9. Aphthongs are silent letters in words like "knight" or "fight" or "Django". This might be something that you already "knew". By the way, never forget 6 miles of canoeing, one micromort.
10. If your house has a neatly manicured front lawn and an overgrown mess in the back, you've got yourself a "Lawn Mullet". That's not really a word, but we're into it.
11. Your "Googleganger" is the person with your name who shows up in Google search results when you Google yourself. Like, for me, there is a John Green who's known as one of the "Four Horsemen of Sasquatchery". Then there's John Green the realtor who has JohnGreen.com - my mortal enemy - and of course John Green with the moustache.
12. Fans of the television program 'Phineas and Ferb' which is to say humans, all know that those plastic or metal things at the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
13. But you might not know that the metal thing that holds your eraser to the end of your pencil is called a "Ferrule" - not the wild cat kind, obviously.
14. When you're playing chess and every possible move is to your disadvantage, the situation is called a Zugzwang. Which by the way, sometimes also happens when you're playing Connect Four. Zombie Fairy is in a bit of a Zugzwang right now because if she goes over here, she's going to get attacked by Troll Face, over here by a pirate and up here, a bunch of dogs.
15. Scroop is the rustling swooshy sound that ballgowns make. More generally, its the sound produced by the movement of silk.
16. That thing you use to dot a lower case i is called a Tittle.
17. The plastic table-like item found in the middle of a pizza box is called a box tent and was patented in 1983. Pro Tip: Most people in the biz now call it a Pizza Saver. How do I know so much about Pizza? You gotta have a forte in this world.
18. Kummerspeck is a German word that refers to excess weight gained from emotional over-eating. Its literal translation? Grief Bacon. That's another 25 cents towards the staff pork chop party.
19. If you're packing on the Kummerspeck, you might be feeling crapulous. Though it sounds like a word invented by a middle-schooler in the 1990's, crapulous dates back to the 1530's when it was used to describe that gross nauseated feeling that you get from eating or drinking too much.
20. The small triangular bump on the inside corner of each eye is called the caruncula.
21. The depressed area of skin under your nose and above your upper lip is called the philtrum
22. And niddick is the technical term for the nape of your neck.
23. Obsessive nose picking is called Rhinotillexomania.
24. Peladophobia is the fear of bald people. It is most frequently suffered by balding people. Don't worry James Madison, you die before you go bald.
25. Pentheraphobia is the fear of your Mother-in-Law which I don't have. I would tell you if I did. I don't. I promise, I don't. No, what are you talking about, I do not. No. No. She's awesome. She really is awesome actually.
26. Arachibutyraphobia is a real mouthful of a word that means the fear of Peanut Butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
27. Scandiknavery means deceit or trickery by Scandinavians. Like so many 20th Century words, we have James Joyce to thank for that one, and of course, the deceitful Scandinavians.
28. The indent on the bottom of wine bottle is called a Punt.
29. An agraffe is the wire cage that keeps the cork in a bottle of Champagne.
30. Barm is the foam on a beer.
31. Encounter too many punts, agraffes and barns in one night and you'll have the Zings or a peppy name for a hangover.
32. Some people have started calling the cardboard sleeve that comes wrapped around your coffee a zarf. I'm now going to be one of those people.
33. The string of typographical symbols that comic strips use to indicate profanity is called a grawlix. *#%* yeah it is! What are you going to do about that Mark? Oh, just bleep it?
34. A word that can be its own antonym is called a contronym. For example, cleave can mean to sever or to cling. What's that? You need four more examples? I will provide some. Off means deactivated, as in to turn off, but it also means activated as is in the alarm went off. Weather can mean to withstand or come safely through or it can mean to be worn away. If you seed your lawn, you add seeds but if you seed a tomato, you remove them. And left can mean either remaining or departed.
35. When you're outside on a cold day and you can feel the warmth of the sun, you're experiencing a moment of apricity.
36. A compulsive book thief or hoarder is a biblioklept.
37. Thomas Edison had five dots, like the ones you see on dice, tattooed on his left forearm. This pattern is properly, although almost never, referred to as a quincunx. It is now gang affiliated making Tommy Edison an OG.
38. You probably already know the meaning of Schadenfreude but another super-specific German word 'Vorfreude' describes a kinder, less terrible feeling. The joy you feel when thinking about good things that will happen.
39. A person known by one name like Adele or Moby or Voltaire or Madonna, is mononymous. By the way, just for the record, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Richard Melville Hall, Francois-Marie Arouet and Madonna, its just Madonna.
40. And let's write out the clock today with some old-timey collective nouns from James Lipton's wonderful book 'An Exaltation of Larks'. A group of ponies is called a string.
41. An assembly of Ferrets is a business and it is very serious business indeed.
42. A group of Jellyfish - that would be a smack.
43. Its a Gam of Whales
44. or you might have a Murder of Crows
45. or an Unkindness of Ravens
46. Three or more Goats and you've got yourself a Trip. Three or more Goats yelling like Humans and you've got yourself a short-lived internet meme.
47. Many Owls form a Parliament.
48. And you might think that a group of Donkeys is an ass-load but you'd be wrong, its a Pass of Asses.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube which is brought to you by these nice people.
Every week, we answer a mind-blowing question from the comments. Many, many people have asked, what my two favorite heavy metal bands are. I'm not going to tell you. I would tell you but then I would have to Iron Maiden you.
Remember Mental Floss isn't just a YouTube Channel, its also a real life magazine and there's an amazing online store where you can get anything for 15% off if you enter the code "YoutubeFlossers". Also, submit your amazing questions to the comments and I will answer as many of them as I can.
Thanks again for watching and DFTBA.
1. And this is my glabella - the area between my eyebrows.
And that is just the first of many things that you may not have known had names, until today.
[Opening Credits]
2. Do you love the smell of rain? That clean greenish aroma when rain drops hit dry ground? That's petrichor from the Greek "Petra" meaning stone and "ichor" meaning the blood of the gods and goddesses. The term was coined by two Australian researchers in 1964 and really became a word in 2011 when it popped up in a Doctor Who episode. (Aside) Hey there TARDIS.
3. When I get that itching and tingling sensation, that means my foot's asleep - Paresthesia.
4. Dysania means having difficulty getting out of bed in the morning but in my house, we call that Monday and also other days.
5. Doctors are notorious for "Griffonage" or illegible handwriting.
6. The area between your shoulder blades that you can never scratch is called the acnestis.
7. Palindromes are words or phrases that read the same way forward or backward. Like "Mom" or "Taco Cat" or the sentence "Marge lets Norah see Sharons telegram"
8. But a Semordnilap reads one way forward, "stressed" and another way backward, "desserts". Other examples include diaper, parts and of course, semordnilap itself.
9. Aphthongs are silent letters in words like "knight" or "fight" or "Django". This might be something that you already "knew". By the way, never forget 6 miles of canoeing, one micromort.
10. If your house has a neatly manicured front lawn and an overgrown mess in the back, you've got yourself a "Lawn Mullet". That's not really a word, but we're into it.
11. Your "Googleganger" is the person with your name who shows up in Google search results when you Google yourself. Like, for me, there is a John Green who's known as one of the "Four Horsemen of Sasquatchery". Then there's John Green the realtor who has JohnGreen.com - my mortal enemy - and of course John Green with the moustache.
12. Fans of the television program 'Phineas and Ferb' which is to say humans, all know that those plastic or metal things at the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
13. But you might not know that the metal thing that holds your eraser to the end of your pencil is called a "Ferrule" - not the wild cat kind, obviously.
14. When you're playing chess and every possible move is to your disadvantage, the situation is called a Zugzwang. Which by the way, sometimes also happens when you're playing Connect Four. Zombie Fairy is in a bit of a Zugzwang right now because if she goes over here, she's going to get attacked by Troll Face, over here by a pirate and up here, a bunch of dogs.
15. Scroop is the rustling swooshy sound that ballgowns make. More generally, its the sound produced by the movement of silk.
16. That thing you use to dot a lower case i is called a Tittle.
17. The plastic table-like item found in the middle of a pizza box is called a box tent and was patented in 1983. Pro Tip: Most people in the biz now call it a Pizza Saver. How do I know so much about Pizza? You gotta have a forte in this world.
18. Kummerspeck is a German word that refers to excess weight gained from emotional over-eating. Its literal translation? Grief Bacon. That's another 25 cents towards the staff pork chop party.
19. If you're packing on the Kummerspeck, you might be feeling crapulous. Though it sounds like a word invented by a middle-schooler in the 1990's, crapulous dates back to the 1530's when it was used to describe that gross nauseated feeling that you get from eating or drinking too much.
20. The small triangular bump on the inside corner of each eye is called the caruncula.
21. The depressed area of skin under your nose and above your upper lip is called the philtrum
22. And niddick is the technical term for the nape of your neck.
23. Obsessive nose picking is called Rhinotillexomania.
24. Peladophobia is the fear of bald people. It is most frequently suffered by balding people. Don't worry James Madison, you die before you go bald.
25. Pentheraphobia is the fear of your Mother-in-Law which I don't have. I would tell you if I did. I don't. I promise, I don't. No, what are you talking about, I do not. No. No. She's awesome. She really is awesome actually.
26. Arachibutyraphobia is a real mouthful of a word that means the fear of Peanut Butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
27. Scandiknavery means deceit or trickery by Scandinavians. Like so many 20th Century words, we have James Joyce to thank for that one, and of course, the deceitful Scandinavians.
28. The indent on the bottom of wine bottle is called a Punt.
29. An agraffe is the wire cage that keeps the cork in a bottle of Champagne.
30. Barm is the foam on a beer.
31. Encounter too many punts, agraffes and barns in one night and you'll have the Zings or a peppy name for a hangover.
32. Some people have started calling the cardboard sleeve that comes wrapped around your coffee a zarf. I'm now going to be one of those people.
33. The string of typographical symbols that comic strips use to indicate profanity is called a grawlix. *#%* yeah it is! What are you going to do about that Mark? Oh, just bleep it?
34. A word that can be its own antonym is called a contronym. For example, cleave can mean to sever or to cling. What's that? You need four more examples? I will provide some. Off means deactivated, as in to turn off, but it also means activated as is in the alarm went off. Weather can mean to withstand or come safely through or it can mean to be worn away. If you seed your lawn, you add seeds but if you seed a tomato, you remove them. And left can mean either remaining or departed.
35. When you're outside on a cold day and you can feel the warmth of the sun, you're experiencing a moment of apricity.
36. A compulsive book thief or hoarder is a biblioklept.
37. Thomas Edison had five dots, like the ones you see on dice, tattooed on his left forearm. This pattern is properly, although almost never, referred to as a quincunx. It is now gang affiliated making Tommy Edison an OG.
38. You probably already know the meaning of Schadenfreude but another super-specific German word 'Vorfreude' describes a kinder, less terrible feeling. The joy you feel when thinking about good things that will happen.
39. A person known by one name like Adele or Moby or Voltaire or Madonna, is mononymous. By the way, just for the record, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Richard Melville Hall, Francois-Marie Arouet and Madonna, its just Madonna.
40. And let's write out the clock today with some old-timey collective nouns from James Lipton's wonderful book 'An Exaltation of Larks'. A group of ponies is called a string.
41. An assembly of Ferrets is a business and it is very serious business indeed.
42. A group of Jellyfish - that would be a smack.
43. Its a Gam of Whales
44. or you might have a Murder of Crows
45. or an Unkindness of Ravens
46. Three or more Goats and you've got yourself a Trip. Three or more Goats yelling like Humans and you've got yourself a short-lived internet meme.
47. Many Owls form a Parliament.
48. And you might think that a group of Donkeys is an ass-load but you'd be wrong, its a Pass of Asses.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube which is brought to you by these nice people.
Every week, we answer a mind-blowing question from the comments. Many, many people have asked, what my two favorite heavy metal bands are. I'm not going to tell you. I would tell you but then I would have to Iron Maiden you.
Remember Mental Floss isn't just a YouTube Channel, its also a real life magazine and there's an amazing online store where you can get anything for 15% off if you enter the code "YoutubeFlossers". Also, submit your amazing questions to the comments and I will answer as many of them as I can.
Thanks again for watching and DFTBA.