48 Things You Didn’t Know Had Names

48 Things You Didn’t Know Had Names

1. Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon, this is mental_floss on YouTube. 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.

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.

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 mustache.

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: Many 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. Arachibutyrophobia 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. Aword 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. Acompulsive 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 (original gangster).

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. Aperson 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, it’s just Madonna.

40. And let’s run 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. Agroup of jellyfish is a smack.

43. Its a gam of whales.

44. Murder of crows.

45. 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. It’s a pass of

asses.

Can you give the definition of the words?

1. glabella
2. petrichor
3. paresthesia
4. dysania
5. griffonage
6. acnestis
7. palindromes
8. semordnilap
9. aphthongs
10. lawn mullet
11. Googleganger
12. aglets
13. ferrule
14. zugzwang
15. scroop
16. tittle
17. box tent
18.  Kummerspeck
19. crapulous
20. caruncula
21. philtrum
22. niddick
23. rhinotillexomania
24. Peladophobia
25. Pentheraphobia
26.  Arachibutyrophobia
27. Scandiknavery
28. punt
29. agraffe
30. barm.
31.zings
32. zarf.
33. grawlix
34. contronym
35. apricity
36. biblioklept
37. quincunx
38. vorfreude
39. mononymous

Key:

1. glabella	the area between the eyebrows
2. petrichor	the smell of rain
3. paresthesia	my foot’s asleep
4. dysania	having difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
5. griffonage	illegible handwriting
6. acnestis	The area between your shoulder blades that you can never scratch
7. palindromes	words or phrases that read the same way forward or backward.
8. semordnilap	reads one way forward and another way backward
9. aphthongs	silent letters in words
10. lawn mullet	If your house has a neatly manicured front lawn and an overgrown mess in the back.
11. Googleganger	is the person with your name who shows up in Google search results when you Google yourself
12. aglets	plastic or metal things at the end of shoelaces
13. ferrule	the metal thing that holds your eraser to the end of your pencil
14. zugzwang	The situation when you’re playing chess and every possible move is to your disadvantage.
15. scroop	the rustling swooshy sound that ballgowns or silk make
16. tittle	That thing you use to dot a lower case i.
17. box tent	The plastic table-like item found in the middle of a pizza box.
18.  Kummerspeck	a German word that refers to excess weight gained from emotional over-eating
19. crapulous	used to describe that gross nauseated feeling that you get from eating or drinking too much
20. caruncula	The small triangular bump on the inside corner of each eye.
21. philtrum	The depressed area of skin under your nose and above your upper lip.
22. niddick	the technical term for the nape of your neck
23. rhinotillexomania	Obsessive nose picking.
24. Peladophobia	the fear of bald people
25. Pentheraphobia	the fear of your mother-in-law
26.  Arachibutyrophobia	the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
27. Scandiknavery	deceit or trickery by Scandinavians
28. punt	The indent on the bottom of wine bottle.
29. agraffe	the wire cage that keeps the cork in a bottle of champagne
30. barm	the foam on a beer
31.zings	hangover
32. zarf	cardboard sleeve that comes wrapped around your coffee
33. grawlix	The string of typographical symbols that comic strips use to indicate profanity.
34. contronym	A word that can be its own antonym.
35. apricity	When you’re outside on a cold day and you can feel the warmth of the sun, you’re experiencing a moment of that
36. biblioklept	A compulsive book thief or hoarder.
37. quincunx	five dots, like the ones you see on dice
38. vorfreude	describes the joy you feel when thinking about good things that will happen
39. mononymous	A person known by one name.

Can you fill in the gaps in the sentences?

1. Agroup of ponies is called a …….

2. An assembly of ferrets is a ………

3. Agroup of jellyfish is a …….

4. a…. of whales.

5. …….. of crows

6.  ………….. of ravens

7. a…….. of goats

8. Many owls form a ………..

9. a…… of asses

Key:

1. string

2. business

3. smack

4. gam

5. murder

6. unkindness

7. trip

8. parliament

9. pass