The lingo used by hobbyists and enthusiasts includes names they give themselves. In the parlance of Lego lovers, an AFOL is an adult fan of Lego. If you’re a beekkeeper, you might call yourself a beek. People who love performing improv comedy sometimes refer to each other as imps. What’s the term you use to describe yourself and your own fellow hobbyists? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Enthusiasts’ Names for Themselves”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette. Grant, do you know what a beak is? B-E-E-K?
I don’t know. A bird watcher?
Different animal. Bzz…watches…
The baling whales.
Bees.
Bees.
Yeah.
Wait, so beekeeper?
Beekeepers call themselves beaks.
I just learned that.
B-E-E-K.
I did not know that.
Yeah.
How about that?
Beak?
Yeah.
And it got me thinking about fond terms that people have for themselves in their…
Hobbies and pastimes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I came across another one just the other day, which is AFOLS.
That’s A-F-O-L.
It’s an acronym.
AFOLs. Do you know that one?
A-F-O-L.
-huh.
A fond overlooker.
Somebody who keeps an eye on the tiny railroads at, I don’t know, I have no idea.
What is it?
It’s so funny that you’re getting bits and pieces of the definitions when you talk about tiny railroads,
Because an AFOL is an adult fan of Lego.
Oh.
And that’s what they call each other.
There’s several documentaries online about AFOLs.
How about that?
AFOL, adult fan of Lego.
How about that?
And I guess they’re not barefoot walking through the house, right?
How about that?
Yeah.
So beaks and AFOLs.
And what else you got on that sheet?
Well, you know, I was thinking about the fact that, as you know, I do improv.
And a lot of times I’ll hear people talk about being imps.
We’re imps.
You know, my fellow imps.
I don’t hear that here in San Diego so much, but in other cities, yes.
Imps, people who do improv.
Yeah, yeah.
So imps and eifols and beaks.
There are tons of these, and I know our listeners are just dying to share what they call themselves and their hobbies in their pastimes, right?
And I’m dying to hear it.
Me too.
Whether gearhead or…
Foamer, whatever, metalhead even.
Yeah, anorak.
Anorak.
But you’ve got to go deeper than that.
Give us the rare ones, the unusual ones, 877-929-9673.
Email words@waywordradio.org or share that odd nickname for you and your fellow hobbyists on Twitter @wayword.
