When writing textbooks about slavery, which words best reflect its cold, hard reality? Some historians are dropping the word slave in favor of terms like enslaved person and captive, arguing that these terms are more accurate. And raising a...
Daniel in Omaha wonders how cartoonists showed a sudden idea before the light bulb over the head became a familiar convention. No clear predecessor is known, but the incandescent bulb as a sign of inspiration was popularized by Felix the Cat in the...
Khaled in Youngstown, Ohio, is designing an album cover for his band’s latest release and wants to use a grawlix, a string of symbols that stands in for profanity. Beetle Bailey cartoonist Mort Walker coined the term in his 1980 book The Lexicon of...
If your friend says she’s coming to town Sunday week, exactly when should you expect to see her? What do you call those typographical symbols cartoonists use in place of profanity? Plus grass widows, the linguistic phenomenon called creaky voice...
stripper n.— «More daily cartoonists, who call themselves “strippers” and many of whom consider themselves artists, really should consider hiring gag writers, although a few do. Just because you can draw doesn’t mean you’re funny.» —“Cathy Battling...
fangasm
n.— «It’s my second year at Con. I love it. I learned a new word: “fangasm.”» —“Comic-Con: ‘Torchwood’ and ‘Being Human’ get cheeky” by Hanh Nguyen Zap2it July 26, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)