namerology
n.— «“Eighty years from now, the names we choose will be the sound of a generation, the stamp of an era.” The annual list was the brainchild of a Social Security actuary who hoped to bring more citizens to the agency’s Web site. It has fueled a mini-industry that some dub “namerology,” though the academic term is onomatology or onomastics. Like analysts studying the market in search of the next sizzling stock, “namies” scrutinize the rankings and thrive on the thrill of discovering the next big thing or stumbling upon an amusing oddity.» —“Sorry, Gert, not your year again” by Bonnie Miller Rubin Chicago Tribune May 19, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes...
When there’s no evening meal planned at home, what do you call that scramble to cobble together your own dinner? Some people apply acronyms like YOYO — “you’re on your own” — or CORN, for “Clean Out your Refrigerator...