The word snoop - Ursula Dubosarsky 2009
Word Snoop Glossary
Acronym—a word formed by using the beginning letters of other words. For example, CD for Compact Disc, or SCUBA for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
Alphabet—letters or signs of a language that represent sounds
Anagram—a word formed by mixing up the letters of another word. For example, tale is an anagram of late.
Backronym—when the letters of a well-known word are used to make up a sentence. Sometimes this sentence reflects what the word actually means. For example, FEAR—Forget Everything And Run!
Circumlocution—using so many words to say something, it can be hard to work out what is actually being said
Cliché—a well-known expression that has been used so often that it no longer carries as much meaning as it did originally. For example, quiet as a mouse.
Doublespeak—using vague words and indirect expressions to hide the truth
Eponym—a word that is based on the name of a person. For example, braille after the French teacher Louis Braille, who invented the system.
Etymology—the study of the history of words and their meanings
Euphemism—indirect words and expressions used for things that are embarrassing or unpleasant to say. For example, the ladies’ room for “toilet” and kick the bucket for “die.”
Homophones—two words that sound the same but have different meanings and often different spellings. For example, rows and rose.
Leet—(short for elite) a kind of Internet and gaming slang that uses a lot of numbers
Lipogram—a piece of writing in which the author deliberately leaves out a specific letter of the alphabet
LOL—(short for Laugh Out Loud) an Internet slang language that uses many of the features found in texting. For example, using acronyms and numbers instead of letters, and deliberate misspellings such as woz for was.
Malapropism—misusing words or expressions in a way that is funny. For example, Aunt Artica for Antarctica.
Mnemonics—tricks and techniques that people use to help them remember things. For example, the sentence Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit helps people remember the order of the notes on a music stave: EGBDF.
Mondegreen—a word or phrase that is misheard, usually from song lyrics. For example, “When a man loves a walnut” instead of “When a man loves a woman.”
Nickname—an extra name for someone or something, which is usually affectionate and often funny
Onomatopoeia—words that suggest the sound something makes. For example, woof for the barking of a dog.
Oronyms—phrases that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. For example, “ice cream” and “I scream.” Note, generally the word homophone is used to describe one of a pair of words that have the same sound (“allowed” and “aloud”), while oronym refers to strings of words or phrases (“iced ink” and “I stink”).
Oxymoron—an expression that seems to contradict itself. For example, it was freezing hot!
Palindrome—a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward. For example, radar.
Pangram—a sentence that uses every letter in the alphabet
Pen name—a false or extra name taken on by a writer instead of their real name
Pig Latin—one of many playful ways of making ordinary language hard for others to understand, by adding extra sounds. For example, Ave-hay ou-yay et-may e-thay Ord-way Noop-say?
Portmanteau word—a word made up by putting two different words together, and usually losing a bit of each word. For example, blog for “web” and “log.”
Punctuation—a system of symbols that are added to written words to show meaning
Pun—purposely using a word with two meanings, usually to make a joke. For example: Why won’t a circus lion eat the clowns? Because they taste funny.
Rebus—using pictures or symbols to represent words or sounds
Rhyming slang—replacing a word or phrase with a rhyming word or phrase. For example, wooden pegs for “legs.”
Silent letter—a letter in a word that is not pronounced. For example, the k in knock.
Smileys—signs made from punctuation marks used in e-mails and text messages to show emotions, like happiness :-). Also called emoticons.
Spoonerism—mixing up the sounds of words with a funny effect. For example, “wave the sails” for “save the whales.”
Tautology—saying the same thing twice in one expression. For example, smelly aroma.
Telegramese—a very short way of writing used in telegrams, which are an old form of electronic communication
Texting—a message sent through a mobile phone
Tom Swifty—a kind of pun, named after a book character called Tom Swift, where a word is used to describe someone’s dialogue in a clever way. For example, “Don’t you like snakes?” hissed Tom.
Tongue twister—a phrase that is very hard to say because of the repetition of similar sounds. For example, Six thick thistle sticks.