the only words left to add are irrelevant

June 10, 2004 9:50 AM

Do we really have to have a post every time the OED adds a couple of flash-in-the-pan words? [Glasgow kiss inside]
posted by me3dia to Etiquette/Policy at 9:50 AM (33 comments total)

I like words. A lot. I even enjoy talking about them. I enjoy Apple products, too, but I understand and agree with those who complain that we really don't need a post every time the company releases a new product. Pepsi Blue and all that.

Similarly, I don't feel it's necessary to have a post about every update of the OED, in which a couple words are recorded for posterity before they fall right back out of common usage. How much can be said about this other than "What weird or funny slang has popped up among the obscure scientific words this time around?"
posted by me3dia at 9:51 AM on June 10, 2004

"Do we really have to have a post every time the [x does y?]"

No, but you'd prefer obit/war/news/politics posts?
posted by page404 at 10:05 AM on June 10, 2004

How else are we going to embiggen our vocabulary?
posted by trondant at 10:26 AM on June 10, 2004

CLEARLY WE DO.
posted by The God Complex at 10:42 AM on June 10, 2004

I like the new word posts better than other productfilter posts (i guess because i've never know anyone who actually owned a copy of the OED, so it doesn't really seem like a product)
posted by amberglow at 10:50 AM on June 10, 2004

make that known

and they don't pop up that often.
posted by amberglow at 10:51 AM on June 10, 2004

actually owned a copy of the OED

* raises hand *

The little magnifying glass thingy it comes with is super cool, too.
posted by ook at 11:01 AM on June 10, 2004

How does an OED post detract from your online experience?
posted by freebird at 11:02 AM on June 10, 2004

By being repetitive, shallow, dull, and tired-in-concept.

Oh, and by taking up space. You can be as shit boring as you want as long as you don't take up space.
posted by scarabic at 11:14 AM on June 10, 2004

One post a quarter isn't exactly a flood.

They seem to be popular posts too.
posted by smackfu at 11:15 AM on June 10, 2004

By being repetitive, shallow, dull, and tired-in-concept.

I tend to agree, but I think that's too subjective to call someone out over. Lots of people seem to like them. Whatever I may think about the tired played-out Newsfilter issue, I do see that there's an issue other than "I don't enjoy these posts, so please make them stop", and that is that they tend to radicalize the discourse and turn into shouting matches to no good end.

Here I don't see much other than "I don't like these posts, please make them stop" and I don't see why you can't just not read them.
posted by freebird at 11:27 AM on June 10, 2004

ook: Did you own all twenty-plus volumes? Or one of those wimpy "condensed versions"?

Me, I have access to the online edition. Unfortunately, it's only the 2nd edition.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:32 AM on June 10, 2004

actually owned a copy of the OED

I've got one right here in my office.


One post a quarter isn't exactly a flood.

From my perspective, it's a not-quite-a-double-post a quarter.


They seem to be popular posts too.

16 posts so far in the current thread (including my MeTa call-out), 10 in the previous one, 31 in the one before that, 22 in the one before that. While there's some interesting discussion in the 31-comment thread, the others are mostly throw-away comments.

What would I prefer in place of OED Update posts? How about posts that use the updates as a starting point for a collection of interesting language links? Or an etymology of one of the new words? Something to make it a bit more interesting than "Hey, there's some new words in the dictionary of record."
posted by me3dia at 11:36 AM on June 10, 2004

If The Glasgow Kiss being cannonized isn't The Best Of The Web, then I don't know what is.
posted by Capn at 11:37 AM on June 10, 2004

Yeah, I kinda like 'em okay. On balance, I can deal with leaving 'em alone. But what other regularly-occuring things are we going to post every single time? I think that's part of the objection. We all know where the OED is, we all know they add words periodically, and journalists from all over love to write about the amusing ones at every opportunity.

Similarly, we don't want to start posting every Strongbad email, nor every new Odd Todd cartoon, although people love the hell out of those things. The reason people want to see the posts stop is so that we don't become Fark.

The joke is just old now. I think we're all now over the fact that the OED is descriptivist and we've had our laugh at watching some crusty lexicographers utter words like "DOH!" Some of their selections are interesting, and it's neat to learn some new words, but there are better vocabulary building resources out there too...

I dunno. It's a close one.
posted by scarabic at 11:50 AM on June 10, 2004

Rather than complaining to us, maybe you should talk to mfoight about it.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:53 AM on June 10, 2004

"By being repetitive, shallow, dull, and tired-in-concept"

But I thought those were MeFi's strengths?
Along with fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency...
posted by batgrlHG at 12:08 PM on June 10, 2004

Do we really have to have a post every time the OED adds a couple of flash-in-the-pan words?

Do we really have to have a post another MeTa post and the same old discussion every time the OED adds a couple of flash-in-the-pan words someone finds a post somewhat boring and doesn't want to scroll past it?
posted by Shane at 12:15 PM on June 10, 2004

Shane, you know what the response is to your complaint, right?
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:21 PM on June 10, 2004

YES, WE CAN'T GET ENOUGH META THREADS! ;-)
posted by Shane at 12:56 PM on June 10, 2004

fuck you, jimmy
posted by bonaldi at 1:47 PM on June 10, 2004

Oh, and by taking up space. You can be as shit boring as you want as long as you don't take up space.

Your comments are long, stonethrower.
posted by The God Complex at 2:02 PM on June 10, 2004

hahaha - point taken, TGC.
posted by scarabic at 5:48 PM on June 10, 2004

If you want free access to the OED, I'm told you can get it here.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 6:53 PM on June 10, 2004

Before Metafilter, my vocabulary was small.

Now, it's big.
posted by chicobangs at 6:58 PM on June 10, 2004

get it here.

Matefilter? It that Matt's new dating service?
posted by inpHilltr8r at 7:29 PM on June 10, 2004

I'll gladly post next quarter's update if you manage to bully mfoight out of doing it.
posted by crunchburger at 7:56 PM on June 10, 2004

wimpy "condensed versions"

Wimpy, hell -- I'm pretty sure there was nanotechnology involved in the printing process.
posted by ook at 8:12 PM on June 10, 2004

Note to self: add me3dia to Anal Twit list.
posted by mischief at 8:38 PM on June 10, 2004

Pretty_Generic, thanks for the link, although the default entry it gives is for kabaddi, which I've been thinking about doing an FPP on for a while. That one is spoiled now.
Any UK mefites remember when Channel 4 used to show kabbadi games? An odd but totally compellling spectator sport.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 9:21 PM on June 10, 2004

It was a perfectly cromulent post. Jeez.
posted by interrobang at 9:36 PM on June 10, 2004

Hey Pretty Generic - thanks for that link. I've been reading William Manchester of late and he keeps using words that aren't in any of the three dictionaries I have at home. I'm not used to looking things up, but then not to find the damn word is very disconcerting.


apopemptic???.....harrumph
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:45 AM on June 11, 2004

what is this thread going to solve? they're going to continue, just like the rest of the things that get called out in metatalk.
posted by angry modem at 7:13 AM on June 12, 2004