People, the National Post is reporting that we are THIS CLOSE to getting the word "Teh" in the dictionary. That’s right: "Teh". Right next to "Meh" and "Truthiness." COME ON!
It’s prolly all Theo’s fault.
Thanks for the heads-up, The Dude!
Let’s get “Teh” in the dictionary! Think of the Scrabble® players!!!
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teh bleen?
sori.
Meh — I’ll be impressed when I see “quijibo” in teh dictionary.
No.
Just, no.
The fact that they pretend it can be used as a gerund, despite not giving a valid example doesn’t help their cause. It only demonstrates that they don’t know what a gerund is.
OK, I’ve been wondering this for a while and the CO dictionary and Google have been no help. WHAT DOES BLEEN ACTUALLY MEAN? Plz give me teh help!
Laurena – it is considered bad form to comment “First” on a website, and Theo doesn’t allow it, so a while back people started saying “Bleen” instead.
I actually think “meh” probably dates back a lot longer, since it’s basically a slightly more dramatic “eh”. I don’t know what the standard is for most, but I don’t think “teh” has entered into the SPOKEN vernacular in the same way, so it’s not yet ready for inclusion.
I think we’ll see “aks” in the dictionary sooner than “teh.” And probably “puppeh” and “kitteh” sonner still!
Still, if you asked me to vote, I’d vote “yeh” on “teh.” And I blame Teho.
P.S. good one NTMTOM — smell ya later!
i would like to see qte in there as an alternative spelling. now THAT would be nice.
SNORGLE
Laurena -
.
Be the first poster to comment in a CO thread, make sure to note that you were the ‘first’, and find out
My favorite English language quote;
“Not only does the English language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, beats them over the head, and goes through their pockets”
Eddy Peters
Foiled!
Teh for teh win.
Teh Funny!!11eleventyone
I vote yes for “Teh” because then I could stop correcting it when I type “the” incorrectly.
Laurena: After Having Done my own extensive research on “the infamous “B”(bleen) word.. I believe Teho actually originally used it to edit people who tyuped FIRST on the first post. And then in a crazy bizare twist people started substituting it for First by themselves.
I could be totally misled in this assumption but then … IT wouldn’t be the first or last time I will have been wrong.
Actually the good thing about it is most people on CO do make an effort to be creative if they happen to be the one posting first.
[And nowadays... http://www.cafepress.com/puddinghockey - Ed.]
NTMTOM: Quijibo is the name of the cat of my brother & his wife!
I think scritch and snorgle should be next in line – snorgle’s other forms (snorg) included. Teh, on the other hand, is not a word that is spoken, it’s merely a common misspelling that people think is funny, so my opinion on teh? Meh.
I agree with Annie.
I vote for teh, the fact that its only written not spoken makes it even better imho.
People are so bleen.
I too blame Teho.
I love the word bleen, especially with sour cream.
Perhaps I’m a closet anarchist, because I think things like “meh” that are popularized by online communication, and decried by language purists, is hysterically funny. Go MEH! Go TEH! w00t!
“Teh” clearly belongs in Teh McWebstersons Dictionareh.
I love the fact that the article SPECIFICALLY mentions CuteOverload!! Woohoo!!!
meh…
No word is prosher than “kitteh.”
Hasn’t “meh” been used by Yiddish-speaking people forever? Along with “feh”, hmmm?.
Oh, well, I’m much fonder of Lurkensproing myself. I ues I’m fonder of creative verbs in general.
However- it is just ducky that CO has a big-ol’ mention in the article!
Please enlighten us on the meaning of ‘quijibo’. Thankseversoverymuch.
I love the fact that this is from a Canadian newspaper – YAY! But boo to ending the article with a saying from (ick) Perez Hilton (ick).
That’s ‘guess’ I’m fonder of…orry-say.
I pronounce “teh” different than “the.” Doesn’t everyone?
I do! I say teh, as well as write it.
And, of course, sing it.
I don’t know whether to vehemently disagree or take credit.
PS — click the link, then scroll down a little:
http://www.questionablecontent.net/merchpg2.php
quijibo comes from a Simpsons episode in the early seasons where the family was playing scrabble to help Bart improve his vocabulary prior to an important school test. Bart made up the word quijibo and claimed it meant a big dumb balding ape, thereby insulting Homer and launching yet another stranglulation.
Teh is meh. I vote for SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
so I’m not quite in on all the cuteoverload lingo … and i don’t want to be a nuffer (correct lingo?), HOWEVER, NTMTOM, I have no idea who you are… do you know what mofo stands for? what in the world made you use such a word on cuteoverload? its disgraceful and offensive.
PS: nope, i’m not some ‘grandma,’ i’m in my mid-20s and live in NYC.
[Mike knows. You'll note that he didn't spell it out. Point of interest: "Dork" and "Jerk" are actually quite offensive too, if you dig into the etymology. Cute Overload is PG-13, Ms. Non-Grandma... - Ed.]
smo: It ain’t the first time Mofo has been used here, and yes darlin, EVERYONE and their brother knows what mofo stands for. Meg herself has used it several times.
Get over it.
[Also, MASSIVE ASSITY GLASS ASSES ASSULATING ASSIDUOUSLY! - Ed.]
Oh, and also arse.
Teh has entered my typing vocabulary, though meh has entered my speaking vocabulary.
I have also said “tie-tie” once in a while, in a futulistic manner to imply that I am just. so. tired. that I can’t even roll my tongue to near the top of my mouth to pronounce the “r” in “tired” – I’m probably overanalyzing, right?
What’s the origins of “mofo”? Because pretty much everyone I know has used it at some point and it’s now at the rank that “pimp” was in the mid-200s…made famous by rappers and also by MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” – again, the word in that context is meant less about the degradation of women (in a certain line of work) by their handlers who are cruel, slimy and abusive, but now takes on the form of a pop culture phrase.
I think it’s pretty much the same with mofo. Certainly, the word it’s derived from at some point was meant as a serious gesture, an insult to someone else, and a curse word. But along the way, it was popularized into pop culture. Cause “mofo” is a funny word.
Apologies! I haven’t had my morning coffee! I meant “futilistic” not “futulistic” – though now that I think about it, I don’t think either of them are words.
Teho, yer naughty. Naughty, naughty, naughty! Stirrin teh pot like dat. *wags finger with attempted sternness*
Speaking of the word ‘dork’, when I was a teen, my dad used to just LOSE it if my brother or I uttered that word. For some reason he ranked it up there with the worst of the swears and with racial slurs.
He never did explain why, and I’ve never gotten off my arse to look it up.
[I think it means whale wang. - Ed.]
Teh is teh icing on teh cake, and teh hair of teh dog, Tehoretically, in tehory.
(Unless mofo stands for Montana Field Officer, yes it is offensive.)
[Wouldn't that actually be MTFO? - Ed.]
Teho…well, wang apparently yes. According to the online dictionary (which I just utlized.. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dork ), prior to 1964, Dork was a variation of the d-word for the male genitalia. After 1964, it was used to describe a dull, idiotic or stupid person. Neat how words, their meaning and their usage develop and change, like CoffeeCup’s explanation of the changes in the use of Pimp.
So THAT’S why my dad hated the word. Now I have this twisted desire to use it several times over the Christmas holidays.
I take teh offense at teh use of Missouri Field Officer! meh.
And we use “snorgle” in my house all teh time. w00t!!!
Whale wang is funnier. Dang.
Interestingly, the acronym for “Minnesota Field Officer” is UFFDA. I’ve never been able to figure that one out.
Oh, and CoffeeCup, because I had the online dictionary open, I went ahead and looked up mofo specifically. You have to use all caps to actually find it in there.
Other than the mother f-word, it also stands for Morning Formation, its a term for WWE fans of a wrestler named John Morrison, and its the name of a Psychic Gorilla in Penn and Teller’s stage act.
The most common meaning behind it (that being the swear that gets everyone all up in arms), is also found in the dictionary. That term originated in North American slang, and spread to other English dialects and dates back to 1918 (so much for the moral good ol days, eh? lol)
Ed. – Oopsies, Missouri! Yes. Thanks.
Guess my Modus Operandi ain’t woikin’ well at teh mo’…
I bet it was working better yesterday. :rimshot:
well, in that case, i think cuteoverload is pretty gay.
Yes smo, we are a happy bunch, aren’t we?
We are both pretty AND gay.
*WHEEEEE!* [frolic frolic]
Not to mention witty.
Naturally, Pheas. I pity the blog that isn’t us today.
ACK! Now I have The Muppets version of that song in my head, visuals and audio!
I think I watched too much of The Muppets as a kid. Nah…no such thing as too much Muppets!
Can’t say I support a movement to spam up a dictionary. It’s stuff like this which got “Bling” put in too.
fantastic, now i’ll have the westside story stuck in my head all day… presented by frolicing red pandas, mayhap!
Von Zeppelin FTW!
Slang words always end up in the dictionary, the real dictionary, not just the Urban one. Seriously. Go find a list of early 20th century or late 19th century or even 18th century or earlier slang words and then go seek them out in the dictionary. They’re in there. Slang is part of a language, like it or no. It’s not like it’s a fancy schmancy new fangled interweb thing. Language develops and changes constantly, new words are created, meanings change and shift and the dictionary and thesaurus has to keep up with it all.
I’m with Torne on this one.
[Personally, I'm torn. - Ed.]
[...I'm all out of faith. - Ed.]
[...this is how I feel. - Ed.]
Then you might want to read this
http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/newwords/newwordsdict/?view=uk
Trust me, it’s been going on since English was nothing more than a few blended German and Latin languages with a touch of Celt and Gael thrown in for fun.
Think about the words in Shakespeare’s plays. At the time of writing, that was the way people spoke, and the slang they used. How much of that is in use today? Think about picking up a first edition of say, a Dickens novel or a Bronte novel. That was how people spoke then. Like I said, words change, develop, blend, alter and are created constantly. It’s the nature of language.
Ok my “complaint” is that the article calls this a “purposely misspelled” word and I always thought (and have frequently experienced) it was just that my fingers were out of order and got the misspelling by mistake. Why would anyone purposely type “teh” ?? It makes no sense.
“Meh” on the other hand, makes perfect sense. That’s when you’re so suffuse with ennui that you can’t even force out an “I don’t care.”
(“suffused”) that is to say.. ha.. again the fingers did not cooperate.
But “teh” is a purposeful misspelling” … it really is. There’s making “teh” by mistake, but CO people certainly do it on purpose. It’s part of a subculture, just like users on Digg have their own language and users on Slashdot have their own language. And also people in every office in every part of the world have their own lingo. It’s just another form of communication.
I bet the majority of people here who type “teh” did it intentionally. It’s not just a word, it is part of the CO subculture.
Theo, I thought “UFFDA” was Minnesotan for “oops.”
Yay for CO!! Personally, I think ‘prosh’ should be featured, or ’stubbular’, great words coined by the clever mind behind teh Qte Overload. ;D
Torne doesn’t want to ’spam up’ the dictionary with slang. Wa ha ha ha ha!
Bling and all other words get in dictionaries because language evolves, words are coined, coined words are used, and dictionaries reflect usage. One could no sooner stop the tide from coming in (or going out, for that matter).
‘Teh’ is a misspelling, yes, but many also use it creatively and with intent. I believe the article mentioned ‘this is teh suck.’
To bring this full circle to mofo, pimp, dork, et al, I would just like to point out that when I was a kid, my mother wouldn’t let us say things like ‘this sucks!’ as it too originated from a not-so-nice context. Now she also says it, on occasion. It’s just a word, now.
i think you mean thanks for teh heads up.
Vampy — Shakespeare pulled most of his language straight out of his
Teho, you are keeling me today. You wacky-ass mofo.
Let’s compare today’s slang words with the slang of yesteryear…
The language of tomorrow looks a bit iffy.
What does it say about the evolution of our brains, specifically the part that processes speech. Is it shrinking?
Olde worlde words warbled and danced artfully; colorful and drunk, musical and bejeweled.
Today, so often words are shortened, impatient, tight, miserly.
Dictionaries are as big as they ever were. Maybe words used to be longer. Maybe now there are more little words.
I think Redzilla just called me either Ross Perot or Oedipus. [confuzzled]
Teho is a wacky-ass pimpin mofo, Redzilla!
[Awh she knows, CoffeeCup. - Ed.]
pyrit, I don’t see slang and/or shortening words as a sign of impending doom…I see it as language evolving with the times. The internet has allowed us to communicate with each other through e-mail and text messaging, and at a faster pace.
Certainly we are busier now than we were 20 years ago and people 20 years ago were busier than the people decades before them. It’s just society changing. Words will always move with society. It’s just that now, words also take on even more meaning because they can be spread rapidly through the internet. Methods of wordplay have become entire phenomenons…think about lolcats! The simple act of misspelling words, adding z’s, has turned into not only a written form of slang, but it has become a verbal form.
Just in my office I hear “lulz” and “do not want” on a daily basis. The internet has made it possible for mass audiences to understand the meaning and context of a joke, and it brings people together when we’re all in on the joke.
CoffeeCup, you’re right, doomsday is not upon us. And the internet brings amazing, useful contrivances and has given clever gifts to our language.
I love LOLcats and funny misspellings and ‘net lingo, etc.
I simply forgot where I was when I posted my comment.
Well.. maybe that’s where the discomfort comes, that not “all” are in on the joke. If I had said “confuzzled” or “lol” to an older family member, they would not have been amused. They’re not there yet. So those of us who still don’t like “mofo” may be thinking of those who will still hear in their minds, the origination, and be offended. I’m not against the evolution of the language, but some changes just seem more .. pleasant, I guess..than others.
i have a question on an unrelated vocabulary issue: my husband often says “redonkulous” in a negative way. as in “george bush’s foreign policy is redonkulous.” i maintain something can only be redonkulously good (i.e. redonkulously cute, redonkulously delicious, etc.).
is there any consensus on this issue?
can I just apologize for spelling sorry ridiculously wrong in my first comment? I have no idea what I smoking. it seemed like a good idea at the time…
[Heh. I *may* have had something to do with some of that, you know. Call it retribleenshun. Or not. That just sounded stupid. Sori... - Ed.]
Teho, good ol Will pulled more than a few out of his hind quarters….lol…he introduced about 3000 words to the English language at that time. What I was trying to convey was that the words and phrases he used in his plays and sonnets, if they were not already part of the venecular, certainly became so after they were introduced through his works…the very same way that words enter the venecular today through television or rap music or the internet.
Like the way Bush introduced nucular?
[*PFFBBTTT* Um no. Shakespeare really DID have some creative originality. Yeeshes... - Ed.]
jen, I see redonkulous as being entirely neutral. Certainly it’s normally used in a way to mean positive, but since redonkulous is more or less meant to replace the word ridiculous, I don’t see it as being only correct when used for a positive connotation.
That said, I think the word redonkulous is ridiculous.
Ok, I had a slight headache when I started reading these comments, now I have a serious headache. All this academic language talk is making me think, which is not a good thing at this point in the day. I’m gonna just go back and squee at the pandas now.
Pasickie!!!!
BTW, I’m on the east coast so it’s significantly later here! Ouch, time zones give me a headache too.
I LOVE this whole discussion!! As an English major who is addicted to online Scrabble, I have appreciated all the comments on the evolution of language.
Language MUST evolve or it will die. That is to say, no actively used language is static, and when it becomes so, it dies. Latin is the most recent example.
The grammarian in me dies a little every time I see blatant misuse of words. The cutologist in me finds it endearing on this site. Will the twain ever meet?
[Sure, presumably in your Broca's Area (speech portion of the brain's left hemisphere) - Ed.]
I love the English language but don’t like “mofo”:
I understand what you’re saying, but we all change what we say depending on audience. Take the example of “dork” being a curse word in Vampy’s household. Certainly Vampy didn’t say it around the house because someone would take offense. You would certainly not say “lol” to a grandparent who obviously would not understand. Crisis averted. The joke is there for those who want to take part. Those who wish not to, or who simply aren’t part of the audience who spend time partaking of internet phenomenon would certainly care less, unless someone were to use the joke against them, in a manner that conveys “I’m better than you” or “You’re not as smart as I am.”
It’s this simple idea that explains the “generation gap” among parents and their children. The gap is produced when one group simply does not understand the other, and when there is an aversion to respecting the norms of one group, there’s a gap. I wouldn’t use “confuzzled” to my parents. They wouldn’t get it. But if I did, and kept doing it regardless of the fact that they had no idea what it meant, I would be showing disrespect. Thus, gap.
NO! That’s an abomination!
I was not allowed to say That Sucks or use the word Fart!!! (of all things!) Back then, when my mother used the F-word in anger, everyone was shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you!!!
speaking of slang terms….
from the 20’s (fun game, guess how many are still in use!)
http://local.aaca.org/bntc/slang/slang.htm
I particularly like:
Bank’s Closed – no kissing or making out – i.e. – “Sorry, Mac, the bank’s closed.”
Bee’s Knees – An extraordinary person, thing, idea; the ultimate
(I actually use this one irl)
Get a wiggle on – get a move on, get going
“Now you’re on the trolley!” – Now you’ve got it, now you’re right!
Ossified – a drunk person
Spifflicated – Drunk. The same as canned, corked, tanked, primed, scrooched, jazzed, zozzled, plastered, owled, embalmed, lit, potted, ossified or fried to the hat
Vampy, that reminds me that my parents would say random things like, ‘Now you’re cooking with gas!’ LOL!
In my house, with young children mind you, the “S” word stands for stupid. For us, this is a serious breach of household etiquette, but for some people this is an everyday word. We also can’t say “loser”. You are, instead, a “misser”. This is due to one sibling calling another a “LOOOOOOO-ser!!!!” It’s a lot harder to insult someone with “MIIII-ser!!” Lots less hurt feelings that way. Everyone has a different standard of acceptable language. I am sure we sound Polly-Anna-ish to some folks, but that’s how we roll.
My college Shakespeare professor got a great deal of joy out of pointing out every instance where the Bard made a pun on, for example, the word CU*T. So vulgar language is by no means a modern phenomenon.
This reminds me of a conversation between my black-tights-and beret wearing beatnik Mom (think Audrey Hepburn in “Funny Face”) and a little nephew of hers, around 1960. He showed her an advertisement for some Scottish Games, with a pic of a guy in complete Highland garb, kilt, plaid, sporran, big hat, etc. “Who’s that, Aunt Fran?” he asked. My Mom immediately replied “That’s a cool cat!” Child immediately goes to parents and yells, “Mom! I wanna see the cool cats! Take me to see the cool cats!!”
I always think of guys in Highland dress as cool cats.
Others that need to be in the dictionary:
SNORGLE
COMFORTABUHLS
STUBBULARNESS
TRANSLAYSHE
PROSHNESS
BUNNALOONS
HOVER-PUP
…and many more
P.S. What ho! All you English language fans should read some P.G. Wodehouse right smartly, old beans, espesh Bertie and Jeeves, what?
Haha, wicked!! I’m the one who wrote that story for teh Post (I’ve actually interviewed Meg before… and she was totes prosh, of course)… I’m always goofing on C.O., but now I guess it came in handy for professional purposes. Phew. Now back to kittehs.
I’m in the middle (where all good semiologists should be). Yes, language is fluid and ever-changing, constantly mutating, adjusting, and reassembling itself in written and oral communication, and I think we need to embrace that difference. However, because of this difference — and because of the power implied in the process of signification (i.e., creating a word/sound/sign for an abstract idea is actually a performance of power) — language too often gets used to isolate/separate/differentiate the speaker from the spoken to. The presence of language implies the presence of creating identity and power through language, something that I personally believe we as humans are not capable of doing without errors in judgment.
I think the Biblical story of Adam and Eve illustrates this nicely: Adam can use language to describe objects and organize his world, but it is the desire to possess the knowledge of good and evil — the power, I would argue, of language — that proves to be his fall, and our original sin.
Ultimately, I think it’s our condition as humans to fall to that desire to possess control of language, because it’s the most central way in which we commune and share with one another. We need language to create both an “I” AND a “We,” but that language is bound to be flawed and unlikely to lead us to redemption. We need faith in the reality beyond language – expressed in the Hebrew tradition through the “unpronounceable” name of God, or the Christian tradition of speaking in tongues — in order to fully understand and accept the deeper spiritual truths and peace that we long for.
(This is not to dismiss or marginalize the way that language is used in other religious traditions, I’m simply speaking from my own study and experience).
B-serv, indeed, addressed in the duality of Moses and Aaron, too.
[And here I thought it was Bill and Ted! Most bogus... - Ed.]
And here I thought this was a simple tiff over whether ‘mofo’ was appropriate for a PG13 (or elderly) audience.
why is it considered bad form to post ‘first’. it’s monotonous if that is all that’s said, but who sez it’s bad form or is this one of those stooopid net tricks.?
Warrior rabbit.. I too am becoming confuzzled by the turn the discussion has taken and just want to scream “pasickie” and stick my head under the covers. But . .I’m still at work so that is probably not the best idea. For the record though I do love that the CO people are so stinkin’ smart! (so far, I like pyrit’s “Olde worlde words warbled and danced artfully; colorful and drunk, musical and bejeweled.” comment best. It’s just ..lovely …) sigh.
wannadance, I personally think it has to do with the lack of contribution. To say “first” is kind of like gloating, but if you say that and nothing else, you’re only staking claim to a position.
[Yes, there's that, AND it annoys the writhing s*** out of the guy with the finger on the Edit button... - Ed.]
We here at CO enjoy contributions, usually followed by purposeful misspellings and many exclamation points.
WannaDance & CoffeeCup — a GraphJam for you. *snicker*
http://graphjam.com/2008/10/28/song-chart-memes-first-in-the-comments/
(skip the comments on that one, tho)
Mary1 — yeah, Pyrit actually does real poetry, as opposed to, y’know, stuff like I sometimes do. (I am the very model of a bouncing baby bunny butt…)
Personally I prefer snorgle and redonkulous.
Theo, if your s*** is writhing… That’s definitely not good!
[So you see why I dislike the ersty-fay oasty-pays. - Ed.]
“Ehn” should be in the dictionary!
Teho [making benediction gesture] Be excellent to each other.
sure you mean it was Teho’s fault!!!
All we are is dust in the wind, Theresa.
Roxx — I haev no idea waht you’re tlaking about tehre.
I love the funny poems too.. bouncing baby bunnys butts, lurking nosies, any kind of good wordplay. I enjoy it but not good at creating it myself. So thanks to all who can amuse me with their eloquence! (oh.. forgot purposfull misspelingks and exc. points!!!!!!)
Jejeje
http://www.flickr.com/photos/goopymart/289959675/in/set-72157594362502502/
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