Say What??? New and Improved "Lingo"
62Who spends their time making these up?
Ok, so I've been know to throw around a big word or two along the way. However, I'm finding I'm totally out of my element with many sayings and symbols I'm running across these days. I don't want to believe that I'm too old to learn new tricks..I'm not a dog ferheavenssake. I shall study and prevail in this brave new world!
Widget: This one is a new favorite.. I wanted some descriptions/clarification of "widgets". Again, I went to Wikipedia, my research source for all things curious..
- Widget (economics), a placeholder name for an object or, more specifically, a mechanical or other manufactured device
- Widget (beer), a small bead-like device placed in the bottom of cans and bottles of beer to aid in the generation of froth
- Widget (comics), a character in Marvel Comics
Or....
- GUI widget, a component of a graphical user interface with which a user interacts
- Widget toolkit, a software library containing a collection of GUI widgets that collaborate when used in the construction of applications
Web widget, a physically-inspired applet on the web
Does this clarify it to anyone? I personally like the "Web widget" description, but now I have to look up 'applet' to understand how it can be physically-inspired. Do we want our 'applets' physically inspired? Someone must. I am so not technically savvy yet, but I'm a-workin'-on-it! I also like the "Beer widget" This one I understand and the next time I'm out with someone who's drinking beer, I just might say "I'm just throwing this out there, but would you like a 'beer widget'?" Do you think I'll get slapped? "I said 'widget' not 'wedgie'" Sheesh... Soooo sensitive!
I'm not sure I'm any clearer, could be a 'collection of GUI widgets that collaborate'.... or could be a cartoon character... or could be a bead... great. Could it be less specific? I must say, however, just saying 'widget' is fun. "Hey, buddy, you got a widget stain on the back of your pants!"
Have you ever said an otherwise ordinary word you might use everyday until it just sounds strange? Plump is one of those words to me. Plump. Plump. It's really more of a sound than a word. Lets move on.
Hashtags: (#)
Call me "old" but I remember this as a 'pound sign' used when weighing fruits and veggies at the grocery store...not a link to more information or used as something to used to denote dissatisfaction.
@:
I don't even know what this is really called, When I was taking typing in High School the teacher called it the 'at/each' symbol..and I remember it, too, as being used in the grocery store to denote buying several cans for a special price.. (ie: Lima beans.. 4 @ $.69) You could only get four at that price. The fifth was $.72. Not such a bargain so you only grabbed four. I think this might be an extra good buy if you liked Lima Beans.. which you know I do not, so I would carefully and sneakily put them back on the shelf when mom wasn't watching. And, voila! Look how she stayed within her shopping budget...$2.79 savings!! Ice cream cone money!!
So now I use it to tag, respond, and give credit to and for on Twitter and BlipFm. Complicated, but still better than Lima Beans.
Man, this world is moving fast. One day it's microwave ovens, then Widgets.. Widgets. Widgets. Can I ever get tired of saying this? Ok so you are tired of it, so I will let it go till you're not listening. Plug your ears.. *whispering* widget. Ok unplug your ears.
How did we communicate in the last millenia without these words? I guess it's the same as denoting the passage of time.. Before IPhones..After IPhones when once it was before dinosaurs/after dinosaurs.
Someday our kids will tell their kids.. "Johnnie, when I was your age all we had was IPhones and Widgets and hashtags". Be prepared for eye-rolling and "not that tired old story again..moooom. sheesh."
My parents said they were happy to have shoes to walk to school in the snow... it was uphill both ways.
Welcome to the brave new world, Candie, and as my friend the counselor says.. "Put on your big-girl panties and deal with it!"
Guinness Floating Widget - no foolin'!
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Comments
FP - it has taken me 5 tries to type my fingers are laughing so hard. Redundancy is its on reward!
LOL, tell that to the people who make up these new words!
widget what we deserve?? :P
haha - i've always loved that bit about 'uphill....both ways!'
Shalini - I know it's a great 'cover all whining' things.. I knew mine grew up in S. Idaho and it's flat, so I didn't buy if for a second.
ROTFL! There's a reason I don't text... "Blog" used to make me scratch my head...now I write one (two actually)! ;D
Jama - say it with me, widget.. don't you feel great! It's like 'supercalafragilisticexpialadocius'. I may have misspelled that. I don't care, however I can spell widget with one hand tied behind my back.
Geez, you're funny Candie! I followed Jama to your hubby land, and I'm glad I did!
The funny thing about these itsy bitsy words is that most of the times they don't even raise our eyebrows anymore, we've become so used to the crap that we no longer question them. Maybe that's our advantage to dinosaurs and why we don't become extinct, unlike them! :-)
Elena, welcome, glad you're here, too! I worry when I 'get used' to things.. that means I'm gonna have to learn something new later.. It's always sumthin'!
Widget is one of those words a bit like thingummy and wotsit, yet somehow it's a step up from them. A kind of technical upgrade to a thingummy or a wotsit, or maybe even an oojaflip! It's good to know that the language of Chaucer and Shakespeare is still evolving!
Amanda -can you hear Juliette asing Romeo..Wherefore are thy widgets? Not such a good fit!
I do enjoy how language has changed so dramatically over the past fifty years or so. . . I now get to say stuff such as "Esc! I'm stuck in an infinite reboot loop!" "Txt u la8r!"
Teresa... you make me laugh!! Thanks!
You make me laugh, Candie V, you gotta new fan.
Ah Hawkesdream, thank you, this is quite overwhelming for me. Thank yo for taking this ride with me!
Candie, Great to see so many Hubbers enjoying the "lighter side of life" with you. Just too cute. Talk about getting old-- you know that your getting old when your kids ask--Dad, did they have pizza when you were growing up? And I was only 38 years old *THEN*. Gee I can't wait for the grand kids to sound off !! The smart a-- little widgets will probably just pull my plug because I spanked their little hashtags.
Ah, Larry, you are the best! You may not have noticed all this commenting was close to midnight last night. it was so much fun I had trouble sleeping. Glad to have you in this!Oh, did they have pizza when you were a kid? was that before silverware? before 'fire'? Hey I remember "Shakeys" being the only pizza place anywhere in Wa.
Love the title of the Hub. =P
Filled with lingo of the computer kind, neat.
Wired magazine has a short list every month on "new" words making their rounds in that tharr blogosphere...
G|M
GM - I may never completely understand all the "buzz words" but golly they are fun to toss around in a conversation!
Er madam would you like fries with that Widget ?
How about "Blog" a new word for computer constipation. My computer ports are just jammed with em. Oh look my puter is all blogged up!
Lol -- this is a riot, and the comments clearly show your fan club is "of an age" that is struggling to keep up with all the techno speak. Do you remember when we used to write on IBM selectrics -- and then the word "Wang" became a "verb"? LOL.
I'm with you Candie. I just think the word WIDGET is one of the funnest words ever to say. It's like they morphed "wee" and "gadget" together. But I also like the wee midget idea. too fun. And yes, Ag. I'd like fries with my widget. MM
Ag, can we super-size that widget meal? I'd like a pepsi, and it's to go! Much thanks for joining my hub/hamlet..
Mighty mom - long time no see! Welcome back.. Hey!! I had a portable selectric with these ribbon cartridges that popped out and it's own case..How cool was I? Mom thot it'd come in useful in nursing school. Neither came in useful.. sigh!!
Hi Candie, would you like french fries with your meal? LOL
By the way, congrats! Did you know? This hub is a hubnugget nominee? Well, check it out and vote okay? http://hubpages.com/hub/HubNuggets-Overloaded
Ripplemaker - Thank you and welcome to my slice of heaven!! I did not know this, I didn't know they even had the "nuggets"..Thank you !! And Yes, I would like fries!!!
wiki vs blog, that could be a great discussion around your parents' dinner table!
Cindy go to the link on Ripplemaker's comment and vote for me!!!! My dinner with my folks is endless laughter so I shall add this and watch their eyes roll back in their head!!
lol Candie!
Glad to have been the bearer of good news...fries with endless laughter that sounds heavenly! :-)
Cindy - Yep, it's quite a sight!
Ripple - Super size thoes fries! I like to share them with friends, too!
LOL! Very amusing hub and very amusing comments to go with it! You have a wonderful sense of humor! (widget!)
Candie here are your super fries (we called em 'chips' in Oz before mr mac came along) . They will go well with your 'golf ball' typewriter.
How cool were they ?
Kari - Thank you, and even tho this didn't win the prize, I'm just honored to have had it nominated!
Ag - Nummy! Grab a few for yourself!! Pass the Ketchup!
hi Candie I won't be able to see widget without thinking of you and your article it has made me laugh so much. Then when that was finished the comment section was like a second course. In just two articles you have made me a fan
Maggs! I'm honored! thank you so very much! I'm not ready for "stand up" I have terrible stage fright, but if I can make you smile a little, I'm thrilled!
nice title of the hub nice one again
Lgali, thank you again.. thanks for visiting!
Haha..I would never have associated "hashtag" with fruit! Well maybe an apple...but that's a whole nother hub... LMAO
Hey Janetta! You in here looking for ideas? Good girl! Love these words! thanks for visitin'!
Really funny hub candie, I just came over from the hubnugget contest.
Hi Cashmere! Glad to see you! I keep reading what you sent me and it is so me! Thank you for your friendship!
Widget is a great word, and its actually been around for years - before either beer widgets or the internet itself were invented - has been used to describe many, many different things, and seems to mean any clever little thing that goes into something else. Personally I reccon it started out just meaning 'thingamebob'; it sounds like it anyway.
Kephrira - thank you for dropping in!! Widget is certainly shorter than thingamabob, and a lot more "intelligent" sounding! You are probably right!
Now if you could just explain all those groups of letters that people use. LOL I understand. The rest........? LOL!
Hey Peg! which ones have you baffled? LMAO? ROFL?
Widget do with mai dongle?
Hack.. lol.. "Say what!!" LOL... See how versitile it is!! Thanks for the visit!
'Hey Peg! which ones have you baffled? LMAO? ROFL?'
Yes Candie! HELP! About all I know is LOL. No kids to keep me up to date! See how lucky you are?
LMAO - laugh my ass off, ROFL - roll on the floor laughing. Roflmao - combine the two. Rofllol - combine the two. LOLOL - really laughing. You are all set to text with the big kids!






























Feline Prophet says:
7 months ago
You're not alone Candie...I still don't know what a widget is...sounds rather like a wee midget! But wait...a midget is wee anyway! :P