i encountered this through as “33 Names of Things You Never Knew had Names“, but i was astonished to discover that, in fact, i knew what most of these things are before looking at the list… and being the geek that i am, i thought it would be interesting to find out if there are others like me. thus, i am starting the “33 Names of Things You Never Knew had Names” thing-that-everyone-calls-a-“meme”-but-which-probably-isn’t (because i’m not sure whether it really meets the definition of “meme” or whether it’s just another web quiz, and i’m a geek enough to know that there’s a pretty big difference).

the following list contains 33 unusual words, which are actual words and not things that i made up. put an asterisk (*) next to the ones you know without peeking at the answers, which follow.

then post it in your journal as well, to spread the joy…

1. AGLET *
2. ARMSAYE
3. CHANKING
4. COLUMELLA NASI
5. DRAGÉES *
6. FEAT *
7. FERRULE *
8. HARP *
9. HEMIDEMISEMIQUAVER *
10. JARNS, *
11. NITTLES, *
12. GRAWLIX, *
13. and QUIMP *
14. KEEPER *
15. KICK or PUNT *
16. LIRIPIPE
17. MINIMUS *
18. NEF
19. OBDORMITION
20. OCTOTHORPE *
21. OPHRYON
22. PEEN *
23. PHOSPHENES *
24. PURLICUE
25. RASCETA
26. ROWEL *
27. SADDLE *
28. SCROOP
29. SNORKEL BOX *
30. SPRAINTS
31. TANG *
32. WAMBLE *
33. ZARF *

1. AGLET – The plain or ornamental covering on the end of a shoelace.
2. ARMSAYE – The armhole in clothing.
3. CHANKING – Spat-out food, such as rinds or pits.
4. COLUMELLA NASI – The bottom part of the nose between the nostrils.
5. DRAGÉES – Small beadlike pieces of candy, usually silver-coloured, used for decorating cookies, cakes and sundaes.
6. FEAT – A dangling curl of hair.
7. FERRULE – The metal band on a pencil that holds the eraser in place.
8. HARP – The small metal hoop that supports a lampshade.
9. HEMIDEMISEMIQUAVER – A 64th note. (A 32nd is a demisemiquaver, and a 16th note is a semiquaver.)
10. JARNS,
11. NITTLES,
12. GRAWLIX,
13. and QUIMP – Various squiggles used to denote cussing in comic books.
14. KEEPER – The loop on a belt that keeps the end in place after it has passed through the buckle.
15. KICK or PUNT – The indentation at the bottom of some wine bottles. It gives added strength to the bottle but lessens its holding capacity.
16. LIRIPIPE – The long tail on a graduate’s academic hood.
17. MINIMUS – The little finger or toe.
18. NEF – An ornamental stand in the shape of a ship.
19. OBDORMITION – The numbness caused by pressure on a nerve; when a limb is `asleep’.
20. OCTOTHORPE – The symbol `#’ on a telephone handset. Bell Labs’ engineer Don Macpherson created the word in the 1960s by combining octo-, as in eight, with the name of one of his favourite athletes, 1912 Olympic decathlon champion Jim Thorpe.
21. OPHRYON – The space between the eyebrows on a line with the top of the eye sockets.
22. PEEN – The end of a hammer head opposite the striking face.
23. PHOSPHENES – The lights you see when you close your eyes hard. Technically the luminous impressions are due to the excitation of the retina caused by pressure on the eyeball.
24. PURLICUE – The space between the thumb and extended forefinger.
25. RASCETA – Creases on the inside of the wrist.
26. ROWEL – The revolving star on the back of a cowboy’s spurs.
27. SADDLE – The rounded part on the top of a matchbook (it’s also the rounded part on the back – or “spine” – of a book).
28. SCROOP – The rustle of silk.
29. SNORKEL BOX – A mailbox with a protruding receiver to allow people to deposit mail without leaving their cars.
30. SPRAINTS – Otter dung.
31. TANG – The projecting prong on a tool or instrument.
32. WAMBLE – Stomach rumbling.
33. ZARF – A holder for a handleless coffee cup.