Word for the Travel Wise (08/12/06)

Why I never thought to throw this word out in the open – I don’t know. There are far too many Americans not quite in-the-know and unhip to everyday American slang. I remember casually saying the vocab bit you’ll find below in just a few seconds in a conversation and found there were several folk bewildered by the terminology.

Today’s word is an English slang word used in the U.S.A:

hater blockerz – shades, sunglasses

Let me explain this one for all who don’t already know. Ever been to a nightclub and notice an obnoxious amount of people wearing sunglasses on the dark, dimly lit dance floor? Most of us are probably wondering what the heck they are hiding from or why on Earth some people make such poor fashion statements. Well my dear friends I don’t have a good answer for you. Maybe they’re hiding from you? Perhaps you were staring too hard at their entire being. Could be it be they’re an outlaw on the run who desperately needed to dance, but couldn’t drop the disguise? Better yet – they’re probably just a victim of not-so-trendy trends. Your guess is as good as mine.

Past English words: agro, elope

Word for the Travel Wise (07/04/06)

Since it’s a holiday here in America I figure we’d spend a moment strengthening our English vocabulary. Strangely it wasn’t hard picking a word today. My mind took me back to a conversation I had with a man a few weeks back in Tahlequah, OK about his two year old boy named Boom. Boom was named Boom because he was supposed to be born on the 4th of July (like a fire cracker you know), but he came a couple weeks earlier and was born on June 21st instead. I immediately took a fancy to the story and before I knew it I was adding extra details I’d imagined had taken place.

Today’s word is an English  word used in the U.S.A:

elope – to run away with a lover, especially with the intention of getting married

Shortly after my conversation with the man I spoke to a girlfriend of mine who is fixated on eloping to Tahiti. Who could blame her? I mean, if I were going to elope I’d go some place like Tahiti too. For me – I just like the word. It’s like the ultimate travelers word for love in flight, though I’m sure Boom’s parents didn’t elope to Tahlequah.

Anyhow, whatever you do today make sure you have an explosive time! Happy Fourth!

Past English words: agro

Word for the Travel Wise (05/28/06)

With this being an extended three-day weekend for some of us in the world, excluding myself I’m thinking I’m going to keep things easy. I’m not going to take you to Kazakhstan, Chad, or Yemen by way of some funky foreign slang you’ll probably never use in your entire life. I won’t even bother to provide you with some off-the-wall Polish vocabulary word lacking vowels. That seems incredibly ridiculous considering how we fail to understand our own brethren and sistren across the pond, so tonight I’m taking it back to basics. Tonight I will present our first ever Gadling English Lingo Guide for English Speakers, because I’m not afraid to admit I don’t know what the hell those crazy blokes are talking about.

Today’s word is an English word used in the United Kingdom:

bimble – to wander aimlessly or stroll/walk without urgency to a destination

How I love this new addition to my own personal dictionary and I know I’m not alone here! Before picking this word I wanted to double check to see that I hadn’t missed this one some where long ago in fourth grade. I swung by Dictionary.com first and sure enough it didn’t recognize the word. The only results that came up was the zip code for Bimble, Kentucky (40915). Next, I moved onto Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary and once again this odd English word did not appear. Instead it triggered suggestions like: bumble, bible, bramble and broomball. Lastly, MS Word gives me the red squiggly line underneath every time it appears. Ha!

And while I’m confessing my ignorance to my very own first language, let me add that I do not know how often bimble is used. Perhaps it isn’t at all. In other words – that’s my disclaimer until some kind individual on the web notifies the rest of us otherwise. To see a list of British words not widely used in the United States head over to this Wikipedia page. If you’ve got some of your own to share – please don’t be shy.