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Halloween Words

Happy Halloween Everybody!  Here is my appearance on the O’Reilly Factor last night with some Halloween word origins.

Please rate, fave and comment over at YouTube to help the video!

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201 Comments and 40 threads

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  1. roberhor says: 65
    November 3, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    A large multicolored lollipop shaped [phallus].

  2. aka99 says: 64
    November 3, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    Hello Marion and everybody! I am new to this site and i think it is cool. As a lazy person i like to be teached and explained by others, rather then myself. Allright here are some words and prahses i wanted to know.

    Why are the dutchs called dutch in english, while germans are called german in english? As german in german means deutsch, but dutch in german means netherlandic. Remember of pennsylvania dutch. Called dutch but it is german origin. The speeling of durch sounds close to the spelling of deutsch. [Is there any relations between dutch and deutsch?]

    America is named after Americo Vespugi, but who is [Africa and Australia] named of? Btw is it random that the name from 4 of the 5 continents start with the letter “A”?

    Do you have an idea why is it called [Mother Russia or Motherland Turkey, but most countries have the term Fatherland]?

    I would like to request the word [russian] ; [police] ; [pistol] ; [rifle] ; [gun] ; [paratrooper] ; [Aspirin] ; [tatoo] ; [snob] ; [viking] ; [letter] ; [love] ; [computer] ; [Blueray] ; [chewing gum] ; [moron]

    Thank you. :mrgreen:

  3. James says: 63
    November 3, 2009 at 8:21 am

    I am having a who is better match on twitter. I am currently slagging off America, please don’t take offence, I don’t mean it. There are some dodgy things flying around I think Sarah Silverman might be feeling dodgy about saying, but I don’t mean it.. I AM STICKING UP FOR MY GAY, TEA DRINKING, YELLOW TOOTHED COUNTRY!

    • James says: 63.1
      November 3, 2009 at 8:27 am

      Apart from when I said

      You invented Hersheys chocolate. In england we call that “dog chocolate”

      I meant that… Hersheys is disgusting.
      As is american blend tobacco, but really.. Does anyone here like Hersheys?

  4. CampKohler - Sacramento CA says: 62
    November 2, 2009 at 7:34 pm

    SCARY THOUGHTS APROPOS TO HALLOWEEN

    1. What happens when M gets old? She can’t carry on with the sexy-young-thang act forever like Sher or Charo, you know. At some time she will have to remold her personna as the Sexiest Bubushka or some such. Maybe we should start a forum topic for suggestions on how she can handle this inevitable disaster.

    2. Being a normal, straight (as far as I can tell) woman, she has to be dating in one form or another. I don’t buy her sitting at home endlessly massaging WP plug-ins or pouring over Web-server stats and not getting turned on from time to time by some “pretty, pretty boy.” Now, of course, this kind of thing could be termed the “third rail” of her career. If she is dangling her sex appeal before the public (which of course she is), she absolutely cannot be seen shoveling it in the direction of some actual male (vs. the drooling anonymous male fans). Not only cannot he stay overnight, he can’t even be seen in her company anywhere, lest some wannabe YouTube paparazzi video her and El Hunko in a romantic setting. Oh, horrors! Maybe she will go out with only those we would consider way beneath her league so that it would be obvious to anyone that it is only platonic or maybe it’s that she’s treating her building janitor to a night out or something. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

    3. And what about marriage? Of course, if she lands some filthy-rich fellow, she could just stop worrying about getting every last single view, being put on the cover of every publication possible, etc. In other words, if she still had the desire, she could go back to doing word origins and screw being Miss Buzz, because she wouldn’t have to worry about the income any more. We’d understand, wouldn’t we?

    Oh, I had better stop now or I might have nightmares tonight.

    • Bob says: 62.1
      November 3, 2009 at 2:45 am

      If you’re feeling so morbid you’d be better off at eBay. :grin:

    • neuroway says: 62.2
      November 3, 2009 at 10:09 am

      @CK

      Yes, CK, nightmares are very à propos when Halloween time comes, with all these disguises, costumes, false and misleading appearances, etc… etc… And a great truth of life is that the older you get, the less sexy you become. You can hold on at sixteen for as long as you can if you like, but you obviously can’t do it all your life. However, let it be known that it is not the case for intelligence in most cases. If you brush away senility out of the picture to simplify the following consideration, intelligence is left unaffected by aging. It may actually be like a good camembert, getting better and better as years fly by, although there are no existing formal proofs of the preceding consideration.

      To conclude, I wouldn’t worry too much about Marina. She seems to be a very intelligent person, and will surely find someone or something to do.

      “Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas.”
      – Virgil, talking about Lucretius

  5. Evan Owen says: 61
    November 2, 2009 at 6:54 pm

    Well, we have our [pagans], which reminds me of:

    [Gentile] — a non-Jew (i.e. goyishe kopf :lol: )

    which by free-association leads to
    [gentil] and [gentille] (Fr., used by anglophones putting on airs) :wink:
    and
    [gentry]
    [gentleman]
    [gente] (Sp. “people”) :cool:

  6. Evan Owen says: 60
    November 2, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    What the hell is a Twitoaster? Will it brown my bread or just burn twits? :???:
    — the Latter-Day Luddite

  7. Capman911 says: 59
    November 2, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    Hey folks since we haven’t done this in a while how about updating in the forums Show Your Face. Some of us older members started this forum to get a look at who we are chatting at or to. Hope you will leave your photo so Marina and us can see who you are. :smile:

    http://www.hotforwords.com/forums/topic/show-your-face/page/2#post-11605

  8. Bob says: 58
    November 2, 2009 at 2:31 am

    Yeah, his name is pedantickarl. :lol:

  9. Hs4Mm says: 57
    November 1, 2009 at 11:13 pm

    This batch of Twitoaster comments are being broadcast into several — perhaps ALL — posts!

  10. amilop says: 56
    November 1, 2009 at 8:10 pm

    what does [humor] actually mean? where does it come from?

    i was studying anthropolgy about ways of healing in societies, and i found a term: “humoral healing”
    as i remember, humorous person means a funny person.

  11. lolitavoss says: 55
    November 1, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    Where did the phrase [UP THE ANTY] come from?

  12. pedanticKarl says: 54
    November 1, 2009 at 5:28 pm

    Just playing with Twitter lists some more.
    At least they let you rename a list.
    I changed my HFW list to HotForWords-Community.
    In that list, I list everyone that is active on this HotForWords site
    and is also on Twitter.

    Another list I just started shows (will show) all of the Twitterers that have tweeted at HotForWords or mentioned HotForWords. My database shows 1080 unique Twitterers in the last 22 days.

  13. pedanticKarl says: 53
    November 1, 2009 at 10:07 am

    Oh cute. YouTube is down again. Same as last week.
    Click on a video and you get this error.
    Internal Server Error
    The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.
    Please contact the server administrator, web (at) youtube.com

  14. pedanticKarl says: 52
    November 1, 2009 at 9:57 am

    What’s new?
    Half ox and half antelope.
    Ooops, wrong Gnu.
    A navigation menu certainly is New. :grin:

    So, that brings us to the word request of the month.
    It’ll keep you busy for a while. :lol:
    [paronomasia]
    [malapropism]
    [Dogberryism]
    [acyrologia]
    [Mornaism]

  15. pedanticKarl says: 51
    November 1, 2009 at 8:45 am

    Just catching up with some radio shows that Marina appeared on last week. I summarized two of the shows over in the Forum.
    Loved the radio interviews and learned some interesting stories about Marina.
    Radio shows in NYC

    • darlingj says: 51.1
      November 1, 2009 at 2:37 pm

      Thanks for putting up those links PK.

      I am listening to the Joey Reynolds show right now – and hear Marina being very highly complimented repeatedly by George Albano, the school Principal who was on the show also – an older man who is obviously a big admirer of her accomplishments and unique method of teaching through her videos.

      I also like the hellafabulous interview, as it was more of a ‘conversation’…

      I think Marina did well in both venues in going with the flow while also guiding the interviewers to be focused, as they tended to wander in their attention a bit.

      But that’s what a good teacher does! :grin:

      I just love seeing this reach into broader and broader audiences.

      • pedanticKarl says: 51.1.1
        November 1, 2009 at 5:04 pm

        Thanks for your comments Jody,
        I love radio. I played that HellaFabulous show several times.
        I forgot to mention at what point Marina appears. I think it was into the 1-1/2 Hr point and the interview was 30 min long. I have an edited version of the show only with Marina and have both shows archived.

        You know, some people over on YouTube leave comments that they watch Marina with the sound off. What’s interesting is that in radio I am listening to Marina with the picture off. I love the interaction between Marina and the hosts. That’s why I played it several times. Hearing Marina talk is music to my ear.

        Yes, George Albano is the old hip guy who was on top of it. As you said, Marina was quite focused and she is very disciplined. There were many sound bites that Marina made that are very important. I’m going to have to publish those.

        One that I recall and I will have to listen to again to get it accurate goes something like this. I think it was Reynolds that tried to attribute Marina’s success to being Russian and she said that it is not about being that (Russian) as such but about dedication and being focused on the work. I think she also said that she got all A’s in high school. Love the interviews.

  16. Campanile says: 50
    October 31, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    [Campanile] It’s Italian for bell tower.

  17. Shabs says: 49
    October 31, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    [Germany or Deutschland]
    Most countries I know of have the same name for their country (or a very close approximation at least) regardless of the language it is spoken in.
    Why does Germany have different names in so many other languages? For example I know three variations at least include: Germany (English), Deutschland ( German) and Allemagne (French).
    Is Deutschland the “right name” and if so why wouldn’t that be German-land in English?
    Thanks

    • pedanticKarl says: 49.1
      November 1, 2009 at 1:31 am

      Hello Shabs,
      I see that you are a new subscriber and I welcome you to this HotForWords site.

      Your question has been asked several times in the last year and it is an interesting question. I have contemplated that question for several years and have done some investigation into it. The answer lies in the history of the people that settled the area and how they named themselves as well as the historians and people that called the area by different names using their own language.

      Go to maps.google.com and then swing over to Europe. You will notice many countries with native names that you will not recognize. Austria / Österreich and Hungary / Magyarország are just two other examples.

      The name Austria may not mean anything to you, other than some place over there, but in the native tongue Österreich means “Eastern Empire” or “Eastern Realm or Dominion”.

      The native word Deutschland in German means “Land of the Folk”
      or “Land of the People”.

      I can only speculate as to why we don’t say Deutschland in English and why we say Germany instead. My guess is that since the “Deu” sound is not part of any English words (any that I recall), then the Latin version of the name is chosen. Partly, it could also be political. Refer to the historian Tacitus below.

      It is interesting since English has adopted or loaned into its language from German words like Kindergarten and Zeitgeist for example.

      The word Germany comes from the Germanic tribes that used to live there called the Germanen. The French word, Allemagne refers to a southern Germanic tribe called the Alemanni meaning foreign men.

      Because of Germany’s geographic location in the center of Europe and being surrounded by many different countries, it appears that the name for Deutschland has more different names for it than any other European nation.

      Here are some great sites regarding your question.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_for_Germany
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_peoples

      Also, refer to the writings of the historian Tacitus.
      http://www.unrv.com/tacitus/tacitusgermania.php

      • dave in albany says: 49.1.1
        November 1, 2009 at 3:02 am

        Great reply about why Deutschland has many names. I only have one thing that I would like to point out where you say “English has adopted or loaned into its language from German words like Kindergarten and Zeitgeist for example.” Quite a few of the Germanic words are actually English word that come to the English language from Old English which comes to us from a Germanic tribe call the Saxons. Your research was quite nice. :lol: Please research the root of the language that your talking about and you would have realize that some of the words that you may believe are borrow from German actually come into the English from the opposite direction. Especially since both German and English have a common Germanic root language.

    • Evan Owen says: 49.2
      November 1, 2009 at 6:11 am

      Wales = Cymru
      Scotland = Alba
      Finland = Suomi
      Switzerland = Helvetia
      Greece = Hellas
      Hungary = Magyarorszag
      Korea = Hankuk

      [exonym]
      [endonym]

  18. phrozenphoenix says: 48
    October 31, 2009 at 9:28 pm

    [Marco Polo]…. how did the famous explorer become associated with a swimming pool game?

  19. leonard says: 47
    October 31, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    Hear Houdini speak :razz: :cool: Hear the rare, if not only, recording of the master magician speaking about his Water Torture Cell. Hear his wife Bess speak of his interest in Life After Death. –As to his birth date, from 1907 onwards, Houdini claimed in interviews to have been born in Appleton, Wisconsin, on April 6, 1874. He was really born on March 24, 1874.

    Houdini’s father was Rabbi Mayer (Mayo) Samuel Weiss (1829–1892), and his mother was Cecilia Steiner (1841–1913). Ehrich had six siblings:
    …Houdini died of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix at 1:26 p.m. in Room 401 on October 31 (Halloween), 1926, at the age of 52. :cry: :sad: h.e.llo

  21. Bob says: 45
    October 31, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    Q. What would Marina like for a Hallowe’en present?
    Here’s a clue – “Demons are a ghoul’s best friend.”
    {Hallowe’en jokes courtesy of @FizzyDuck on Twitter.}

  22. originalistrick says: 44
    October 31, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    THERE IT IS! 250,000,000! YOU ROCK HARD, MARINA!

  23. silverboy says: 43
    October 31, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    the word that i would like to request is [ xeonphobic ]

  24. pedanticKarl says: 42
    October 31, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    I♥it
    Love the static Follow Me tab over at the far right.

  25. Hs4Mm says: 41
    October 31, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    The video HotForWords tweeted about yesterday, viz, Cool University teacher doing a awesome Halloween lecture: http://bit.ly/liIBa mentions a proof that 1 = 2. Not sure knowledge of fallacious math proofs is common among visitors to this site; in case they aren’t, here’s a proof of 1 = 2:


    Let a and b denote the same number; so

    a = b

    Multiply both sides by a (a^2 denotes "a squared"):

    a^2 = ab

    Subtract b^2 from both sides:

    a^2 - b^2 = ab - b^2

    Factorize both sides:

    (a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)

    Remove the common factor (a-b):

    a+b = b

    Since a=b, substitute b for the first a:

    b+b = b

    So

    2b = b

    Remove the common factor b

    2 = 1

    QED

    • cheshirecat says: 41.1
      October 31, 2009 at 1:17 pm

      The fallacy is here:
      Factorize both sides:

      (a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)

      Remove the common factor (a-b):

      a+b = b

      To remove the common factor, you have to divide by (a-b), which is zero. Division by zero is invalid.

      QED

      • pedanticKarl says: 41.1.1
        October 31, 2009 at 3:01 pm

        Hello cheshirecat,
        Wouldn’t the failure occur one step earlier at this step:
        (a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)

        Since a=b, then a-b = 0
        Therefore, we have:
        (0)(a+b) = b(0)
        0 = 0

        The original fallacy might play well if one were to
        extend the symbolic logic to an extreme, whereby
        we add another substitution. For example, one might say:

        Given this:
        (a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)

        Let’s substitute ♥ for (a-b)
        Then we have:
        ♥(a+b) = b♥

        Divide both sides by ♥, we get:
        1(a+b) = 1b
        1a + 1b = 1b

        Substitute, 1b for 1a
        1b + 1b = 1b
        2b = 1b
        2 = 1

        Carpe diem
        or if that doesn’t work
        VENI VIDI VICI

        • cheshirecat says: 41.1.1.1
          October 31, 2009 at 3:12 pm

          Hello cheshirecat,
          Wouldn’t the failure occur one step earlier at this step:
          (a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)

          Since a=b, then a-b = 0
          Therefore, we have:
          (0)(a+b) = b(0)
          0 = 0

          That step is valid, it’s when you attempt the next step (division by zero) when it falls apart.

          • pedanticKarl says: 41.1.1.1.1
            October 31, 2009 at 3:23 pm

            Yes, you are correct, that step is valid.
            So, in either case, 0=0 or going one step further where the problem blows up, one can never reach the false answer 2=1.

          • neuroway says: 41.1.1.1.2
            October 31, 2009 at 6:28 pm

            Division by zero is perfectly valid in maths. It gives an infinite quantity, wich is as valid and important as the zero. Infinite only blows up a computer, not a human mind. The fallacy in the demo above is to add two \infty quantities (a+b), and claim that it gives 2x \infty, which is mathematically unacceptable, as 2x \infty = \infty. You two might be interested by the work of George Berkeley.

            Ghosts of departed quantities

      • neuroway says: 41.1.2
        October 31, 2009 at 7:05 pm

        Zero (wich is anything divided by infinity and at the same time anything multiplicated by zero) is nullified by adding or substracting anything to it, and infinity (which is anything divided by zero and at the same time anything multiplicated by infinity) is left unchanged by adding or substracting anything to it. Heh. Zero.. Infinity.. It all depends on which one is the numerator and which one is the denominator.

        • cheshirecat says: 41.1.2.1
          October 31, 2009 at 7:36 pm

          Baring any sort of exotic mathematics, dividing anything by infinity (which isn’t a number, but a limit) results in a vanishingly small fraction approaching (but not reaching) zero. It’s an asymptote.

          The false proof though is based on elementary mathematics, which states that x/0 is undefined because there is no inverse multiple product (x/0=y x*y=0) that makes sense. Therefore x/0 must be left undefined in order for elementary mathematics to work.

          In fact, x/0 may approach positive OR negative infinity, depending on which direction you approach your limit.

          L’Hopital’s Rule delves further into this, but probably a bit beyond the scope of a etymology forum. ;)

          • neuroway says: 41.1.2.1.1
            October 31, 2009 at 7:48 pm

            Let’s agree that elementary mathematics and exotic mathematics are not on the same level. BTW, I think the rule of l’Hôpital is a heuristic, and a heuristic is a fallacy in itself, although its conclusion might sometimes be true. :smile:

    • James says: 41.2
      October 31, 2009 at 1:36 pm

      Careful… You are staring to sound like Leonard :mrgreen:

    • Bob says: 41.3
      October 31, 2009 at 4:34 pm

      Q. What do you get when you divide the circumference of your jack-o-lantern by its diameter?
      A. Pumpkin Pi!

  26. originalistrick says: 40
    October 31, 2009 at 11:42 am

    That quater-billion views plateau is about to be SMASHED!

    Wonderful, Marina-Amazing!

  27. seesixcm6 says: 39
    October 31, 2009 at 11:30 am

    Dear Marina,
    You did very well on nthe O’Reilly show, and you looked more beautiful than ever! I read on Twitter that you are safely home, now. I hope you get some rest and that you enjoy a Happy Halloween! :smile:
    Here is a word request: [Кристмас].
    Would you tell uas about Christmas in Russia? I read that a plant called a Yelka is decorated with lights, and a babushka (grandmother) gives toys and presents to good little children.
    Also on New Year’s, Father Frost, along with his grend-daughter, also gives presents to little children. So did you get presents twice? :razz:
    Seesixcm6

    • Venomrock67 says: 39.1
      November 1, 2009 at 9:46 pm

      Hey seesixism6 :smile:

      Marina, “Holiday Lexicon” zeroes in on some words of the Holiday Season. ;-) :cool:

      There’s been a war that’s been going on about the the origins and meanings of Christmas. Here’s a reason why maybe one group of people hate the idea of Christmas. :shock:

      But setting aside all religions and the terms Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, “the holidays”, I think that holidays tend to rise up naturally out of the rhythms and seasons of a particular geographical area. And in parts of the world where winter is a big nasty deal, I think it’s almost inevitable that a winter holiday, at right around the darkest, shortest day of the year, is going to become the biggest holiday in the culture. Christmas gets an entire month of frenzied eating and drinking and shopping and traveling and party-going and family drama. Christmas is only partly about the Christian religion. And a pretty minimal part at that.
      It’s cold. It’s dark. The days are short, and the nights are long. Life is harder than usual right now, and we’re cooped up in close quarters more than any other time of the year.
      So let’s celebrate.
      Let’s Rock Out, Eat and Drink, Light up candles and put up electric lights, Let’s have parties, Let’s visit our families and our friends, Let’s give each other presents, Let’s spend time together that’s specifically devoted to enjoying each other’s company, and take part in activities, like gift- giving and parties and big group dinners, that strengthen social bonds.
      Let’s remind ourselves that life is worth living, and that the cold and dark won’t be here forever. Let’s remind ourselves that we care about each other, and remind ourselves of why. Isn’t that a wild idea? ;-)

      Here’s “A Message Of Love” from THE PRETENDERS performing on ABC’s “Fridays” February 27, 1981 with intro from Andy Kaufman :razz: :cool:

      :arrow: I think it’s too early to post a holiday song. :mrgreen:

  28. originalistrick says: 38
    October 31, 2009 at 10:03 am

    Before I go nuts…

    [SUNDRY/SUNDRIES]
    [CHIVALRY]
    [FANCY]
    [SPOOK]
    [BEYOND THE PALE]
    [WAX]
    [STARDUST]
    [CURMUDGEON]

    Happy Halloween, ya’ll!

    • cheshirecat says: 38.1
      October 31, 2009 at 1:27 pm

      [SUNDRY/SUNDRIES] – Old English “syndrig” – seperate
      (all and sundry = all together and seperately)

      [CHIVALRY] – from French “chevalier” – knight
      [FANCY] – from Middle English “fantsy” – imagination (q.v. “fantasy”)
      [SPOOK] – from the Dutch word “spooc”
      [BEYOND THE PALE] – http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pal2.htm
      [WAX] – from Middle English “waex”
      [STARDUST] – from “ster-”(protoindoneasian) and english “dust”
      [CURMUDGEON] – from the 16th century, possibly based upon the root word “cur” (dog, mongrel) which is Middle english shortening of “curdoggie”

    • Evan Owen says: 38.2
      November 1, 2009 at 6:23 am

      Sundry: clothes line
      Chivalry: the way you get when you’re cold.
      Spook: connects the hoob to the rim
      Beyond the pale: ashen
      Fancy:
      Wax:
      Stardust:
      Curmudgeon:

      Ask Bob for the rest, I have to catch a bus. :mrgreen:

  29. leonard says: 37
    October 31, 2009 at 9:16 am

    [][vaudeville][]apples over ripe for the dears of teacher :P …Today is the day , I talk to ERIC…. :grin: :evil: :grin: the theory that Houdini came back after death…handcuffs from up the [ROAD] :lol: In Search of…Houdini’s Secrets Part 1…born from A-H…greatest entertainer ever and performed even in commie Russia :cool: :lol: :roll:

  30. ilikesexytime says: 36
    October 31, 2009 at 9:13 am

    PLEASE ORIGIN OF THE WORD [SOLES] PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

  31. pedanticKarl says: 35
    October 31, 2009 at 9:11 am

    Marins, I see that you have the Twitter
    List in your profile. Lots of people have
    placed you on their List. Very interesting.
    I’ve had my List for about a week now
    and have been thinking about its use.

    I’m continuing with my Twitter write up.
    Extremly interesting and heady stuff.
    Food and sleep keep interfering with
    way too much fun.

    I like the Recent Comments list at six.

    • pedanticKarl says: 35.1
      October 31, 2009 at 9:25 am

      Oops, couldn’t edit my mispelling
      quickly enuff in iPhone.

      That Recent Popular Posts box
      on the right is mega awesome!!!
      That will be invaluable. Nice touch.
      Damn, I love this site.
      I need to build myself a little
      kitchen and bathroom and I’m
      all set. :-)

    • HotForWords says: 35.2
      October 31, 2009 at 11:24 am

      I’m not sure if I like Twitter Lists. Biz Stone gave an interview and said that Lists came about because people didn’t know how to use Twitter… meaning they thought they were supposed to follow everyone back that followed them. The result is that now we have this List thing and you won’t know if people are actually following you anymore as they can just look at their lists instead of the people they are actually following.

      Sure, people use technology in ways that are different from what they creators created, and that is a good thing.. I just feel that lists will add a layer of complexity to Twitter and will start to compartmentalize the experience. In other words, I like to follow the people I follow because I had a reason for following them.. if I start only looking at people that are in my lists, I will miss tweets from other people not in that list.

      Does that make sense?

      • HotForWords says: 35.2.1
        October 31, 2009 at 11:30 am

        Or, maybe I’m looking at lists incorrectly. I’ll play around with it for a while to see if I find it useful. I do like that you can follow a list or unfollow a list.. so it might prove useful after all.

        • pedanticKarl says: 35.2.1.1
          October 31, 2009 at 2:09 pm

          Marina, go ahead and create your own LIST for fun and giggles and play with it and see if you like it.

          Here are the steps:
          1. While logged into Twitter.com, click on PROFILE at the top.

          2. A LISTS box should be displayed under your name.

          3. Click on the LISTS pulldown, and create a NEW LIST

          4. Call it anything you want. I called mine HFW since I am adding people that I know from this site.

          5. Once you have create your list, then visit a Twitter profile that you want in your list. It can be anyone, whether you are following them or not. This may be different from GROUPS in TweetDeck?
          When you are looking at their profile, you will see a LIST pulldown in the same row as the FOLLOW button. Click the LIST pulldown and select the LIST. That person has now been added to your list.

          6. In Twitter.com, you would would click on your own LIST that you created to see the tweet stream. Of course it is not auto-refreshed like TweetDeck.

          7. If you don’t like the LIST, you can delete it. It’s kind of fun.

          • pedanticKarl says: 35.2.1.1.1
            October 31, 2009 at 2:23 pm

            Perhaps I might say this:
            By using a LIST, essentially I can FOLLOW someone without actually FOLLOWING them.

            That is, I can place someone into my list whether I am following them or not. This might be a nice feature?

            I just did that. I added one of the people you follow, but I am not following them. I added them to my list. Interesting.

      • pedanticKarl says: 35.2.2
        October 31, 2009 at 1:53 pm

        Yes, you make some good points Marina.
        I’ve played with one list so far and the way I would describe it might go like this.

        The question that I am contemplating is;
        What is the difference between a GROUP in TweetDeck
        versus a LIST in Twitter. I don’t know the answer yet,
        other than to presume that the GROUP has been taken
        out of the hands of the application and has been replicated
        by the native Twitter system. Of course, one could use
        either one or both, if one uses TweetDeck.

        If that is so, then how would one create a LIST column in TweetDeck to replace the GROUP column? I suppose the
        creators of TweetDeck would need to add a ADD LIST column?

        Here is how I see GROUPS / LISTS.
        They are subsets or filtered sets from the FRIENDS list.

        Let’s say I have 300 FRIENDS.
        I can use the FRIENDS column in TweetDeck to monitor all 300 Friends in one channel or I can break up the Friends into GROUPS, where I am monitoring channels based on alphabetical groupings. For example I could create 4 GROUPS based on A-H, I-M, N-T, U-Z.
        I see that I can also do the same using LISTS, but I think using TweetDeck is so much nicer. I’ll have to look into it more also.

  32. Evan Owen says: 34
    October 31, 2009 at 7:46 am

    ***Announcing New English Phrase: “[SALISH SEA]“***

    (Captain Jack, take note! :grin: )

    On Fri. Oct. 30, the Washington Board of Geographic Names approved official use of the term [Salish Sea]when referring to the inland marine waters of Western Washington and southern British Columbia. The Sea encompasses the combined waters of Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca.

    Pronunciation: SAY-lish
    Etymology: named for the Salish “first people” (”elip tillicum” in the local Chinook jargon).

  33. kenny1961 says: 33
    October 31, 2009 at 7:37 am

    phrase request…[holding a wake]..how did this phrase come to be?

  34. Venomrock67 says: 32
    October 31, 2009 at 4:55 am

    Happy Halloween Marina :smile:
    request: [rant] [ranting] [rant and rave]

    Foamy’s rants on some issues of the day: Go Green, Drugs In Your Head, Once You Go Black, Dating Advice and Halloween Hoopla. :mrgreen:

    Lots of people might be talking about Internet regulation” and censorship.

    Another great lesson on the “Factor” Marina, You seem to click real well on the show. One question though, when you were doing the origin for “Nightmare” you started out by saying you had one the other day but you didn’t finish, I think you got interrupted by Bill. What was your nightmare about?

    B-17 Nightmare: Takin’ A Ride On [Heavy Metal] :razz:

    :arrow: Never say die, why, because the THE MOB from Heaven and Hell have come to RULE. :mrgreen: :cool: :cool: ….Peace ;-)

  36. darlingj says: 30
    October 30, 2009 at 8:28 pm

    Help me with my math guys.

    I count this as an original 9th appearance.

    But the ‘Best of’ compilation wasn’t actually a re-run as they produced it newly from other shows – and I believe aired some footage that was edited out in the others – so I tend to count it and that makes this #10.

    And then there was a re-airing last year of an early appearance not included in the list at top – and if we include that we have 12 times on air all together.

    But then there was also a short clip he showed in another segment over the summer – not an interview – but a quick vid clip of Marina clarifying a word with a nautical background.

    And another time Bill asked her to find the origin of Doofus – her BY NAME – but I don’t know how to count those.

    AND a triumphant return to FOX Biz ‘Happy Hour’ aired earlier in the day – and my leg is shivering more than when Chris Mathews hears Obama talk! ;-)

    This type of exposure on shows with a SERIOUS (meaning not teens, YouTubers, or only techies) audience – I think is very significant.

    This audience is older and has some [clout] within the ‘establishment’. They decide who gets Book Deals (uh-hrm), and perhaps other opportunities not easily foreseen right now.

    Spend a minute making a mental list of people who know of Marina now who probably never would have otherwise save for these appearances. It goes LARGE into Entertainment, Politics, and others who spend little or no time on-line.

    Who knows where it can lead – but Marina already knows where it has led so far…

    What a cool thing to see from the outside! :grin:

  37. newty74 says: 29
    October 30, 2009 at 7:46 pm

    Hi Marina,

    I have a word request [dihydrogen monoxide] ;-)

  38. wyo550 says: 28
    October 30, 2009 at 7:34 pm

    Great O’Reilly segment.
    Nice plug for book.
    You looked wonderful.
    Very family friendly.

    …my first Windows 7 words!
    (five minutes after firing it up for the first time, I’m online and functioning!
    It’s GREAT compared to Wista)

    Happy weekend everyone. Be safe

  39. pedanticKarl says: 27
    October 30, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    I don’t think anyone has noticed the latest tweak. I have. :grin:
    Haven’t read all the comments yet, as I’m in heavy duty
    overdrive thinking mode. I DO like the single view as I
    can scroll in one fell swoop and do a single page find. Love it.

  40. pedanticKarl says: 26
    October 30, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    Extremely charming O’Reilly get together.
    I really liked this show. Nice flow and love your laugh Marina.
    I call it the O’Reilly laugh. It’s infectious.
    Loved your hair and dress. Very, very magical!
    Today should be a happy day in somebody’s neighborhood.
    I predict more gorgeous hair days coming up :grin: , and
    as long as those Santa Ana winds stop. It’s been windy and cold

  41. thematrix75 says: 25
    October 30, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    Good job Marina on the O’Reilly Show!I love the words you covered all in one short clip!You always seem to bring the best out of O’Reilly, you 2 seem to work good together as a team!Thank you for your time ,and God bless you Marina :!: :smile:

  42. augie says: 24
    October 30, 2009 at 6:36 pm

    fantastic as always sweetie

  43. MKM says: 23
    October 30, 2009 at 6:07 pm

    great video!

    I would ask for this word “Demon”

  44. g3tawaydriv3r says: 22
    October 30, 2009 at 5:45 pm

    The origin of the word Shampoo?

  45. Evan Owen says: 21
    October 30, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    “It is the sick who need the physician.”
    – Jesus :razz:

  46. bsomebody says: 20
    October 30, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    Anybody know a good (free) download for opening .flv files. I d/l the U2 show, but now I cannot open it. Definitely in my ZPD :roll:

  47. Evan Owen says: 19
    October 30, 2009 at 5:23 pm

    “Wer” (AS “man”) has several cognates in other languages:

    “Vir-” Latin (source of e.g. “virile”)
    “Fir” Gaelic
    “Gwr” Welsh

    At Samhain, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead becomes very thin, so the dead can pass over… BEWARE! :twisted:

    Halloween being rooted in Irish custom, let’s request some more Irish words:
    [blarney]
    [limerick] :grin:
    (PS See Marina’s lessons on “whiskey” and “slogan,” two other fine Irish words.)

  48. MCLIJazz says: 18
    October 30, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    I watched on my DVR on this morning, Marina. Great job. :grin:

  49. originalistrick says: 17
    October 30, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    “hate-mongering man…”

    What a crock.

  50. pat haskett says: 16
    October 30, 2009 at 4:56 pm

    Marina you were great!! I liked O’Reilly’s scary costume.

  51. denise97 says: 15
    October 30, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    Marina.

    I really enjoyed your O’Reilly Factor appearance and never realized all the origins of the Halloween words.

    You were awesome….Beauty and Brains.

    Denise

  52. james427carroll says: 14
    October 30, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Dear hot for words, can you please find out where the word [sublime] comes from. its my favorite band and the word means magnificent, superb, grand, or melow. thanks

  53. BigBhd95 says: 13
    October 30, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    Marina you were great :cool: i watched last night ;-)
    B.B. :mrgreen:

  55. James says: 11
    October 30, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    I will watch this later. It is taking too long to buffer. My most memorable halloween was when the family went out trick or treating and I sat at home snorting coke.

  56. James says: 10
    October 30, 2009 at 3:17 pm

    Marina, halloween was a Pagan festival, not celtic… Unless you are about to tell me Celts and Pageans are the same, in which case I will shut up.

  57. fglrx says: 9
    October 30, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    Happy All Saints’ Day and happy All Souls’ Day. Happy death and happy body decomposition. It’s great to make fun of the ultimate things, isn’t it? The concept behind Halloween, horrible… But what will be after the death? If nothing, then why to have fun? If the hell, that’s even much worse.

  58. wetsuit5 says: 8
    October 30, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    Marina,

    How many time did you have to tell him, “No Bill, I’m up here”?

    You looked extra pretty and the segment was very creative and original.

  59. doncross2bear says: 7
    October 30, 2009 at 1:08 pm

    Excellent job, as expected, and jaw-droppingly stunning, as always, Dear Teacher.

  61. Capman911 says: 5
    October 30, 2009 at 12:26 pm

    Hey that’s not fair. :sad: I was the first to comment on here and you jumped ahead with that Toastertwitter thingy. :mrgreen: Oh well ladies before gentlemen. :smile:

  62. jas says: 4
    October 30, 2009 at 12:04 pm

    On the show you were a joy to listen to and look at. Your hair looked beautifully bouncy :smile:

  63. skatexvoxxeverr says: 3
    October 30, 2009 at 12:04 pm

    i never knew why this was called what it was. Whats the story behind the word [taxidermia]

  64. Bob says: 2
    October 30, 2009 at 11:53 am

    Ah, the great Marty Feldman.
    I liked the hair too – yours, Marina, not Marty’s. :grin:

  65. Capman911 says: 1
    October 30, 2009 at 11:47 am

    That was a great show. You looked radiant with your hair in curls. ;-) I meant no harm in my comment here. :smile:
    Link

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