48 Names for Things You Didn't Know Had Names - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep. 26) | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

This video explores various interesting and unknown words and their meanings, from the smell of rain to the metal thing that holds an eraser to a pencil.

Key Insights

• 💩 The term "petrichor" is used to describe the smell of rain hitting dry ground, and it gained popularity after being mentioned in a Doctor Who episode in 2011.
• 💅 "Lawn mullet" refers to having a neatly manicured front yard but an overgrown mess in the back, creating a visual contrast.
• 💌 Silent letters, like those in words such as "knife" and "DJango," are known as "thongs."
• 🤢 Some people experience "crapulous," which means feeling nauseated or ill after eating or drinking too much.
• 🔑 A "concordism" occurs when a word can be its own antonym, like "off" meaning both deactivated and activated.
• 🤙 The indent at the bottom of a wine bottle is called a "punt," which helps with stability.
• 😨 Rhino texamania refers to obsessive nose picking, while peladophobia is the fear of bald people.

Transcript

hi I'm John Green Welcome to My Salon this is Mental Floss on YouTube and this is my glabella the area between my eyebrows and that's just the first of many things that you may not have known had names until today do you love the smell of rain that clean greenish Aroma when raindrops hit dry ground that's petrier from the Greek Petra meaning Stone ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What does "petrichor" mean?

"Petrichor" refers to the distinct earthy smell that occurs when raindrops hit dry ground. It was coined by Australian researchers in 1964.

Q: What is the term for the area between your shoulder blades that's hard to scratch?

The area between the shoulder blades that is difficult to reach and scratch is called the "acnestis."

Q: What is the connection between the word "cleave" and its usage?

"Cleave" is a contronym as it can mean both to sever or to cling, depending on the context. For example, someone can either "cleave" a cake (sever) or "cleave" to their beliefs (cling).

Q: What is the meaning of "punt" in relation to wine bottles?

The indent at the bottom of a wine bottle is called a "punt." It helps maintain stability and strength in the bottle.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The video introduces lesser-known words and their meanings, such as petrichor (the smell of rain), paresthesia (tingling sensation of a foot asleep), and zugzwang (a disadvantageous situation in chess).

• It highlights wordplay, including palindromes (words that read the same forward and backward) like "mom," and silent letters in certain words like "knife."

• The video also covers unique terms, like "lawn mullet" for contrasting front and back lawns and "Google ganger" for individuals with the same name appearing in search results.