Words that should mean something other than what they mean

[short bus president]

"handsome" - why the fuck does this mean "attractive?" What possible combination of the words "hand" and "some" yield "attractive?"

[sundog]

1. yeah, like dodgeball

:wtf:

[Bok_Tukalo]

2. Right

I've never liked that word when applied to a political philosophy.

[CelticWinter]

3. driveway and

parkway

[liberalhistorian]

19. Why do we drive in a parkway

and park in a driveway? :evilgrin:

[CelticWinter]

22. lol

[hfojvt]

31. "and why do they call them buildings

when they are already built?"
from Gallagher, of course, of course.

[tuvor]

4. Windbreaker.

I mean, they don't actually break wind.

[sundog]

5. turnpike

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

[jellybelly]

6. sandwich....pancake.....crackerjacks

It's not a bunch of crackers named jack in the box...:shrug:

[hfojvt]

11. Of course you know that Lord Sandwich

invented the sandwich, and maybe the Pancake family invented pancakes. It is possible. Also Thomas Crapper invented the outhouse. So,... what if Crapper had invented the sandwich and Lord Sandwich had invented the outhouse?

[Left Is Write]

12. But a pancake IS a little cake you make in a pan.

[jellybelly]

14. but it's not a PAN cake...

who eats cake made of pans?:P

[Left Is Write]

18. No, but it's made IN a pan, hence the name. Now for silly, I propose

flapjacks. Why are pancakes sometimes called flapjacks? Who is Jack and why does he flap? Do we really want to EAT a flapjack?

[jellybelly]

23. a lot of weird terms involve 'jack' or 'john'

....can't think of anything other than crackerjacks but I'm sure there are more:silly:

[hfojvt]

30. not flapjacks or johnnycakes? n/t

[JimmyJazz]

7. Sorry, but you asked for this: "Spankydork" - how does that

come to mean someone who is actually quite cromulent? :P

[short bus president]

13. Depends on

a dorkette knowing how to answer the question "who's yer daddy?" :evilgrin:

[JimmyJazz]

16. Who's the dorkette? And who's my daddy?

:P

[Ready4Change]

8. Inconceivable!

[Ready4Change]

9. I think handsome is like "well crafted"?

As in something crafted by a skilled craftsman, who are often said to have good hands?

Or maybe that's completely wrong?

[sundog]

17. no: hand some of that piece of ass over here

:P

[hfojvt]

10. the dictionary says it came from handsom

meaning "easy to handle", so perhaps it meant "easy on the eyes".
I think sniglet is itself a sniglet that is not a very good one. To me, it sound like some kind of gum that comes in sqaure pieces instead of in sticks. Or it sounds like something done to your underwear in grade school (which we called a "snuggie" where I come from).
What about inflammable?
Why does it mean the same thing as flammable?
Also isn't supernummerary superfluous and isn't it even more so that some people use supererogatory as a synonym to both of them?
I still think that remuneration should be spelled renumeration, after all what the heck is "muneration"?

[Kurt Remarque]

21. thank god!

for your illustration - dictionaries good things

[JohnKleeb]

15. ooh man I love doing this shit

[liberalhistorian]

20. Pussyfoot!

Who the hell ever thought up such a combination? And why the hell does it mean "wimpy?" It actually sounds like some kind of VD, frankly.

Hi, SBP! :hi: :toast:

[Orangepeel]

32. I thought it came from walking like a cat...

treading lightly as they do

[fluffernutter]

24. nosegay

[fluffernutter]

25. strawberry

[Seabiscuit]

26. Falafel

[FuzzySlippers]

28. You mean it should really be loofah?

I do think O'Lielly should really pick one or the other and not use them interchangeably.

[Seabiscuit]

29. Bingo!

[Undercover Owl]

27. shampoo

I hate when people say "nugget" of wisdom...nugget sounds like a piece of poop.

[sakabatou]

33. Buffalo Wings

C'mon people, it could work!