I remember watching a movie and the kidnapped man asked the kidnapped why he won't reveal his identity and the kidnapper said something that meant he didnt want him to face the consequences of knowing who he is (basically giving him a legal defense for not knowing)
Somewhere in the same group as “contrarian,” perhaps, but more so someone who questions authority (not merely as a form of rebellion), held narratives and beliefs, the meaning behind and use of words. A deconstructionist?
It's not like being hypocritical like "pot calling the kettle black" or being frank by "calling a spade a spade." It's like, if someone with poor time management is qualified to call out/more apt to notice that behavior in someone else...
"Dogmatic" or "ad nauseam" is the closest I've been able to find, but I am pretty damn sure there is a word for when a sentence in particular is being repeated by a social group without thinking about it or its implications.
Is there a good word that's similar to demystify but specifically about making things less scary by providing more information? e.g.: "the herpetologist's lecture served to WORD pit vipers for the kids, assuring them that the venomous snakes were much more interested in biting mice than humans."
it might end up that demystify is the best word for this but I associate that with things that are more, well, mysterious, and I want to emphasize the scary part. instead of "remove the obscurity from" I'm looking for "remove the horror from".
I'm looking for a word like contagious, without negative connotation of illness or disease.
There's a very specific phrase I just know it. It's not a dry bath or a towel bath or sink bath. It's less formal sounding, something casual, swear I've heard it a million times but now I can't think of it
This keeps happening to me where I get really obsessed with something that I saw literally everywhere but after I get obsessed with it, I can't find it at all - it happens with like day to day things, shows, games, ect.
Is there a word for this??
Erudite describes the more general case of being well-read. Is there a more precise word?
I remember hearing it in a phrase that was pronounced like "[kay-dum]" and I'm pretty sure the phrase means something like appeasing or entertaining someone. Maybe I'm remembering wrong.
Does this post make any sense?
Just a series of events over and over (vaguely) meant to see what you do? But its really open ended.
Example would be that bears sleep through the entire winter, or that putting potatoes on your feet will stop you from getting sick.
Like- Dad had a bad day at work and came home and yelled at the kids, kinda thing. Not exactly projection. Misplaced emotional reactions? Thanks in advance yall.
You know when you’re watching an ad for a mobile game and the “player” keeps making objectively dumb or wrong moves, which I assume is a way to try and make viewers want to download the game to prove they can do better? There’s got to be a marketing term for that but I can’t find it.
Example: I was just watching an ad for a word sorting game and the “player” kept trying to put the word “tree” in a category for “blue things” and it was infuriating and I think that’s the point of the ad?
I’ve been trying to pin down the right word for this specific mix of emotions that keeps hitting me lately and it’s driving me nuts because I can’t find anything that fits exactly. Last weekend my best friend from college finally landed her dream job at this big design firm after grinding for years with side gigs and rejections. We all went out to celebrate, I bought her drinks, posted congrats on Instagram, hugged her and meant every word when I said how proud I was. At the same time though there’s this low-level sting because I’ve been stuck in the same entry-level role for three years, sending out applications every night after work, and watching her move forward makes me feel like I’m falling behind even though I really don’t resent her at all. It’s not full-on jealousy or schadenfreude or anything toxic; it’s more like bittersweet pride with an extra layer of self-comparison that leaves me feeling kind of small and petty afterward. I keep replaying the night in my head and wondering if there’s a single term that captures being supportive yet quietly envious without the negative judgment usually attached to envy. Any ideas would help because “mixed feelings” is way too vague and I want
I'm writing a little something and it has a line "Outside is not rome, whyever would you deign to do as they do?" And i wanted to know if there's any way to further juxtapose Rome to something
And also I need to illustrate "the outside" and i need something to base visual reference on but that's beside the point
Edit: gratitude to everyone who responded, didn't expect to get this much feedback, quite insightful indeed
Like, an antonym of "building a building up", but you're carving into the ground to make something instead, like carving out an area to make a basement or a bunker? thanks!