May I have a word: Mirror images
What Noreen Barnes, of Acton, came up with was semi-geographical. She wrote: 'I would suggest
derma incognita
— that unknown territory. My spouse would call it
derma obscura,
as in
humana obscura
, and Ed De Vos, of Newton,
corpus obscura
.
Advertisement
Michael Bohnen, of Newton, wrote: 'Those body parts that are 'rearly seen' are
epidermissing.
'
Get The Gavel
A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Edith Maxwell, of Amesbury, suggested
hide and go seeks
and
invisibits
. Diane Tosca, of Taunton, came up with
hidey-bits
and explained whence she derived it: 'Being a 'Monty Python' fan, I thought of
naughty bits
for those parts of our anatomy that are difficult to see.'
Naughty
itself entered our language around 1400, when it described the state of being very poor — that is, having nothing, or naught. By the end of the century, it also meant 'morally bad' (funny how people connect those two qualities); by a century after that, the meaning encompassed 'promiscuous' and such. And by a century after that, it came to include merely 'mischievous' (a 1633 citation reads 'A
naughty
child is better sick than whole' — that's horrible!). Not until about 1972, the learned lexicographers of the Oxford English Dictionary discovered, did anyone — indeed, Graham Chapman of 'Monty Python'
—
think to combine the word with
bits
, to refer to you know what.
Advertisement
Judith Englander, of South Strafford, Vt., borrowed a colloquial name from the 'Ceratopogonidae family of insects' to suggest that 'those elusive body parts could be called
no-see-ums.
' She added she doesn't 'really want to see-um unless absolutely necessary!' John Michaels proposed
no-see-ums
too
.
And Kelly Ash, of Melrose, seems to have felt much the way Judith did when she proposed
whywouldyawannas
and announced: 'Not only would I rather not see my
whywouldyawannas
, but I sure don't want a photo out there!'
Given the subject, I had been bracing myself for an onslaught of off-color options, but everyone showed admirable restraint. The responses got no smuttier than 'my
be-hides
,' from John Kjoller, of Sandwich, and
unscenities
or
unseenities
, from David Raines, of Lunenburg.
I did, though, get a surprise geographical reference. Wilma Kassakian, of Newton, wrote: 'How about Australia,' because of ''the Outback' and the continent's nickname, 'Down Under'?' That's subtle, if no doubt baffling to the uninitiated — which might well be a plus. 'Honey, let's excuse ourselves from our hosts for a few minutes. After our hike, we need to check that there isn't a tick in
Australia
.' That's just got to win bragging rights.
Now Geoff Patton, of Ashland, writes: 'We need a word for when you accidentally put a recyclable item in the trash or vice versa. (I am thinking this should be a noun, like a type of error.) I, at least, do this a lot!'
Advertisement
Send your ideas for Geoff's word to me at barbara.wallraff@globe.com by noon on Friday the 13th, and kindly tell me where you live. Responses may be edited. And please keep in mind that meanings in search of words are always welcome.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Marcelo Gomes da Silva should be freed
Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up The arrest came as part of stepped-up Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Massachusetts over the past few months. The agency seems to have boosted its arrest numbers by widening its net. Of the roughly 1,500 people that Operation Patriot apprehended in Massachusetts, 790, or barely over half, had prior charges or convictions. The government's own tally implies that another estimated 710 community members had no criminal records at all. Advertisement Among them is Gomes, an honors student from Milford who officials say was a 'collateral arrest' — their name for arrests of people who are undocumented but have no criminal records, encountered by immigration agents in the community. Advertisement The Trump administration has argued that collateral arrests are more likely in places where local police don't cooperate with immigration authorities. If agents could just pick up criminals from courthouses or police stations, the argument goes, they wouldn't have to venture into the community where they're bound to run into other undocumented people. But the argument doesn't hold up under scrutiny — in the Gomes case and in general. The teenager was driving a vehicle belonging to his father, who officials say was the real target of the operation. But there is nothing publicly known that would suggest that the father was free because of anything the state of Massachusetts did, or that state officials could have turned him over to federal immigration even if they'd wanted to. Reporting by The Boston Globe found that the elder Gomes had faced traffic violations two years ago, which were later dismissed. But even if the state of Massachusetts had failed to cooperate with the feds to detain the father, the idea that immigration agents therefore simply had no choice but to arrest 'collaterals' it encountered while looking for him is false. Immigration officers didn't have to arrest Gomes; they chose to. If collateral arrests were really more common in so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, one would expect to see fewer of them in places that do cooperate with immigration enforcement. But that doesn't seem to be the case. See Operation Tidal Wave in April, which apprehended 1,120 undocumented immigrants across Florida. Only 63 percent of those detained had prior criminal arrests or convictions. The problem may be that arresting noncriminals could be the only way to reach the deportation numbers the Trump administration wants. The Trump administration recently imposed a new target of 3,000 arrests a day, but contrary to the president's rhetoric, there just aren't enough actual immigrant criminals to meet those numbers. Advertisement Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration, is clinging to anecdotal and often misleading cases to justify its tactics. In a Two of these men were 'arrested' while in custody at state prisons — where the justice system was already punishing them. A third man had been arrested by a New York police department, not federal agents. And the fourth man was a lawful permanent resident, not an 'illegal alien,' as the release claimed. We didn't need to deeply analyze this particular press release to find these gaping errors — the Trump administration simply published information that was in direct contradiction to its own claims. It's scary that people this sloppy with the facts also have the power to make life-changing arrests. Its high-profile blunders also include mistakenly If there's any method to this madness, it may be that the Trump administration thinks it can use arrests of people like Gomes to pressure local governments into aiding with its immigration agenda — to raise the costs for cities and states that don't cooperate. Advertisement But if Gomes's plight is an indictment of the Trump administration, it's also an indictment of Congress. Proposals to normalize the status of young people like Gomes have widespread support but have stalled in Congress for years. If lawmakers had acted, thousands of kids and young adults would no longer fear being deported to a country they may barely know because their parents chose to break immigration laws. Lawmakers should get serious about protecting those young people. Meanwhile, immigration officials should focus on actual safety threats — and Gomes should be back in our community. Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
To judge is human. To persuade is AI?
Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up The study's finding is consistent with Advertisement AI tailors its arguments differently when it knows something about a user than when it does not. With background info, AI can identify common ground before making its case. If AI knows, for example, that it's dealing with someone with a liberal political affiliation, it will use arguments popular among liberals, such as the importance of immigrants to the national culture and economy. If a user leans conservative, the AI highlights ideals such as lack of government intervention or regulation. That means an AI with even fairly basic information about users can make them more receptive by tapping into their confirmation bias — in other words, by affirming their existing beliefs. Advertisement This might seem manipulative, but the AI is assessing the rhetorical situation, which involves figuring out what will and won't appeal to a specific audience and adjusting arguments accordingly. I teach this concept to my rhetoric students at Boston University. When presented with evidence that runs counter to their views, many people cling even more firmly to their positions — a phenomenon known as the ' Of course, humans should be better than AI is at understanding and bonding with fellow humans. Why aren't we? For one, our ability to 'read the room' AI doesn't shout, curse, judge, threaten, or doxx users. That's one reason AI can more easily change someone's mind: Freedom from judgment and retaliation liberates the mind enough to allow people to consider other viewpoints. AI also deploys an age-old human bonding technique: mirroring. Experiments have demonstrated that if an interactive robot smiles at you, you'll probably smile back, and vice versa. We all do this beginning in infancy as a way of expressing and emulating other people's behavior and emotional states. If an AI discerns that you're smiling, it might tell you a joke so it can capitalize on and match your positive mood. Mirroring can also involve language choice and tone, which is another reason AI excels at it. Establishing even a fleeting bond via mirroring makes humans more likely to cooperate with an AI or robot. Advertisement Perhaps AI succeeds in part because humans so often fail at effective communication. The bar has become frighteningly low for interactions, both online and off. If displaying a modicum of respect and not spewing vitriol gives AI a communication advantage, that's on us. If a noncorporeal, nonhuman entity can read the room and connect with people better than most humans can, something is seriously off. Research into AI reveals what's too often missing in human interactions: common ground, curiosity, and compassion. Perhaps two of the ways AI will serve us best are by reflecting the failures of human societies in its black mirror and reminding us that we can do better. In turn, that perspective can help us choose what or who we want to become — and how.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
Today's ‘Wordle' #1446 Hints, Clues And Answer For Wednesday, June 4th
How to solve today's Wordle. Looking for Tuesday's Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here: It's Odin's Day again, which means it's Wordle Wednesday and I have a special riddle for you to solve before we get to taking a crack at the Wordle. I found this one in a cafe in Doune Village while traveling in Scotland. The nearby Doune Castle is the filming location for both Monty Python and the Holy Grail as well as Winterfell from Game Of Thrones. Here's the riddle: What's a bird but also a fruit but also a person? I'll post the answer in Thursday's Wordle guide. Let's solve today's! FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The Hint: Stop at once. The Clue: This Wordle has a double letter in it. Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming! . . . Today's Wordle Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. I'm frustrated because I had such a strong start but couldn't pull it off in three today. CRIME left me with just 26 words and SHOAL cut that number to three. I almost guessed CEASE on my third try but went with CAUSE because it had more letter diversity. Oh well! Today's Wordle Bot I think every day of the month so far, the Bot and I have traded wins, leaving us neck-and-neck for June. I get -1 today for guessing in four and losing to the Bot, while it gets 1 point for guessing in three and 1 for beating me. Our totals are once again a tie: Erik: 2 points Wordle Bot: 2 points The verb cease comes into English via Old French cesser 'to leave off, stop,' itself from Vulgar Latin *cessāre (a frequentative form) of Latin cedere 'to go, yield.' Over time, cesser became ceasen in Middle English before settling as cease in Modern English. Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when I'm not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
