Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2008 March 27

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March 27

Offensive word for black kid

whats an offensive word for a black kid theres a black kid bullying me at school —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.227.98.162 (talk) 02:40, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, there's pickaninny, but I don't think using a racial slur against a bully is going to have favorable results. —Angr ^{If you've written a quality article...} 02:58, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Seriously. You are likely to get punched in the face and have everybody be on his side. Don't do it. --Masamage ♫ 03:15, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Even using a racial slur will put everyone on his side. Does your school have a no-bullying program? Maybe you could ask a teacher about it.Julia Rossi (talk) 03:23, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Is the bullying just because you're a different colour than the black kid, or does it have to do with something other than that? If the latter, don't add insult to injury by introducing an irrelevant issue. Even if it is relevant, rise above it rather than resorting to name-calling. That's how wars start. -- JackofOz (talk) 05:44, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Translating a Power Rangers song to Spanish

I watched Power Rangers before and I want to know if the song "I Will Win" means "Ganarè" in the Spanish version of Power Rangers? Ericthebrainiac (talk) 13:43, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes. this is a nice verb conjugator for Spanish. Now I'm going to be singing venga venga Power Rangers in my head all day. — Ƶ§œš¹ _{[aɪm ˈfɻɛ̃ⁿdˡi]} 22:08, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

That should be "Ganaré" rather than "Ganarè". The Spanish language doesn't use grave accents. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 05:05, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

Expression of surprise

I'm trying to think of a name for a project at work (a helpdesk/support ticketing website) and one line of thought I have is some kind of fairly benign expression of surprise (something you might say in response to running into a problem) -- "oh my!" "my goodness!" etc. (I liked "caramba" but I'm hesitant because of the possible phallic connotations? I'm such a puritan.)

Any suggestions from English or any other language? Thank you! 207.148.157.228 (talk) 14:42, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

"Dagnabbit", or are you too puritanical for that? --Milkbreath (talk) 15:06, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Jinkies ---Sluzzelin talk 15:32, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

"Uh-oh" --Anonymous, 16:04 UTC, March 27, 2008.

"Leapin' lizards!" "Great Caesar's ghost!" "Whillikers!" "D'oh!" I'm just getting started; there's quite a variety to choose from. Deor (talk) 16:09, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

I quite enjoy all the sorts of things in Minced oath but to be clear I don't imagine using it as a project name (they sound kind of corny) so a foreign word/phrase might deliver the idea with more of a wink than a shove. 207.148.157.228 (talk) 16:20, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Saperlipopette! 200.127.59.151 (talk) 16:31, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

The Zut Alors Project sounds pretty good to me (also would be a good name for a rock band). Deor (talk) 16:50, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Love it. --Milkbreath (talk) 20:27, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Frank Zappa had an album called Zoot Allures. --LarryMac | Talk 20:33, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

I like the suggestion of "jinkies" up above. :D In the same vein, there's always Zoinks!. --Masamage ♫ 18:01, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

I did enjoy the interpretation for "Gadzooks" given (early in the history) in our article on minced oaths. It means God´s socks. What a well of amazing wisdom on Biblical divine hosiery thou art, oh WP. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 19:56, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

That article says it means "God's hooks", though... --Masamage ♫ 19:58, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

It say´s so now. The history of the article has (around 2005) the socks version. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:18, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Oh, I see. I find that...suspicious. X) But I guess that's the point. --Masamage ♫ 20:24, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

I checked the edit history because I have never heard the expression "by the cross of the mouse foot" and got but a single hit in Google (to the WP article). I wanted to find out if somebody had just invented this obscure oath or what (if anything) it stood for. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:31, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

I wondered about that, too. Any discoveries? --Masamage ♫ 20:36, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately there is no reference to the weasly "writer in 1550", who is quoted in the article. Cross would be fairly simple, as it it used in the Latin form Crucifix in rural areas in Austria and Bavaria.

The "mouse foot", however, is a mystery to me... --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:43, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

The OED has no entry for "gadzooks", but it does list it with a bunch of other similar words such as "gadsookers". "Gadsookers", the closest of those words to "gadzooks" in spelling, has an entry where the etymology calls the second element "unmeaning or corrupt". I take this to mean that the OED folks haven't been able to tie this one to hooks or mouse feet or anything else. There are approximately a zillion attested old oaths in "god-" or "gad-", and approximately two zillion that never found their way into print, I'll wager. --Milkbreath (talk) 21:49, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English has (or had; my copy is the 1961 edition) an entry for "mouse-foot!, by (the)," which Mr. P. characterizes as "a mild coll[oquial] oath" used ca. 1560–1640. The illustrative quotation he gives is "A. Dent, 1601, 'I know a man that will never sweare but by Cocke, or Pie, or Mouse Foot. I hope you will not say these be oaths.'" He doesn't, however, speculate on the origin of the expression. Deor (talk) 00:29, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

(re-indent). "Great Scott!" and "Good Lord!" are always handy. Conventional but still highly effective. Could someone explain the phallic significance of "caramba!" (I might have a use for it some day). -- JackofOz (talk) 22:25, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Golly gosh! Dang! Heaven's to Betsy! Heavens to Murgatroyde! (JackofOz - see Ay Caramba - it's a euphemism for carajo - penis) 130.56.65.24 (talk) 03:19, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Try again - ¡Ay, caramba! 130.56.65.24 (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 03:20, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, really! I must have a word to Mrs Crabapple to have a stern talk to that naughty Bart Simpson. Thank you for helping us to safeguard civic morality, 130. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:30, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Mandarin

Hi. I need help with a school project. What is the Mandarin word for 'teleport' as in, you are in one location, and then suddenly you are in another location without travelling through the space between point A and point B. Thanks (ps if anyone knows how to say rupture, as in 'a rupture in space/time' than would also help alot!)

- Duomillia (talk) 16:55, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Teleport - 瞬間移動

Shùn jiān Yí dòng

Aas217 (talk) 00:26, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

For "a rupture in space-time": 时空破裂， 时空断裂, or 时空撕裂. Since "ruptures in space-time" is not "serious" science, I don't think there is an official name for it. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 00:51, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

In Korea people would write 시공간 균열(時空間 龜裂; shigonggan gyunyeol). --Kjoonlee 19:13, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

In Japanese it's 念力移動 or テレポーテーション

Articles before brackets

When writing a sentence with a bracketed phrase, do you count the vowel at the beginning of the phrase if preceding it with an article? For instance, "I am writing an (admittedly badly phrased) question". Or should it be A question, given that the bit in brackets should be able to lift right out? FreeMorpheme (talk) 23:54, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

To me, 'an' sounds better, but looks wrong, while 'a' looks better, but sounds wrong. I'd just leave out the brackets, or rewrite it as 'a question (admittedly badly phrased)' if you really want to use them.--ChokinBako (talk) 23:59, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

It's parenthetical, but you ignore that when working out whether to use "a" or "an". Speak the whole sentence out loud, and you'll see why "an" is appropriate here. If you actually remove the parenthetical bit, it would be "a". -- JackofOz (talk) 00:19, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

I agree with J d'O. They aren't brackets, by the way, they're parentheses. It matters. --Milkbreath (talk) 00:27, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

The rhetorical device is called parenthesis. The symbols used to indicate it are called either parentheses or round brackets. Algebraist 01:22, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Ya got me, but pedantry? Pot, nice to meet you. Kettle, here. Nobody in my kaffeeklatsch ever calls parentheses brackets. --Milkbreath (talk) 01:44, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

British English v. American English - see Bracket#Usage. Valiantis (talk) 02:08, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

I have nothing against pedantry, it's wrong pedantry I dislike. Hadn't realised this was an americanism; thanks for that. Algebraist 02:47, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

I really love/hate being reminded that I don't know everything. --Milkbreath (talk) 10:33, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Jolly good. That's that sorted. Shall we get back to the original question, chaps? --ChokinBako (talk) 02:20, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

No need. The perfect answer has been given. Jack has spoken. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:09, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Eeh, Jack, you're late! But, a veritable answer hath been given, albeit by mine own self. :)--ChokinBako (talk) 03:55, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

If I may blunder in! It would be fun, although slightly insane, to go with "I am writing a(n admittedly badly phrased) question". --Masamage ♫ 04:41, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Interesting and stylish way of doing it, I suppose, and perfectly acceptable to me. --ChokinBako (talk) 04:47, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

But that won't work the other way round, for "a (rather badly phrased) answer". —Angr ^{If you've written a quality article...} 05:08, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

In which case, one should paraphrase. No point in adamantly driving the wrong way up a one way street. "An answer (though rather badly phrased)" should be just as good. --ChokinBako (talk) 05:33, 28 March 2008 (UTC)