On: Y Combinator’s Paul Graham On The $150K Per Start-...

[euroclydon]

I have a friend who, every time he tell someone what onomatopoeia means, points out that, oddly enough, onomatopoeia is not itself onomatopoeic.

[jgershen → euroclydon]

Which means that onomatopoeic is a heterological adjective - an adjective which does not describe itself.

Is "heterological" a heterological adjective?

- Grelling and Nelson, 1908.

[euroclydon → jgershen]

I would gladly swap 50% of the typical HN front page material for more stuff like this.

[fedd → euroclydon]

i didnt understand anything except the word pizza, which i go and order right now

[jimmyk → euroclydon]

>onomatopoeia is not itself onomatopoeic.

It would be very difficult to do that since onomatopoeia is a concept and concepts don't make sounds.

[repsilat → jimmyk]

Some argue that "cliche" is onomatopoeic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliche#Origin

A world like onomatopoeia being onomatopoeic isn't that far-fetched. Perhaps the word could be named after a very common onomatopoeia, perhaps one that has gone out of use. A word with that sort of etymology is "shibboleth" - its current meaning is derived from what was a common shibboleth.

[lukifer → jimmyk]

I've always liked the idea of "conceptual onomatopoeias": - the word "word" - the sound of the word "sound" - the thought of a thought

...etc.

[phlux → jimmyk]

which is ironic, given that a cucumber is saying it.

[euroclydon → phlux]

Hint please

[phlux → euroclydon]

Well, my thinking was: Euroclydon's friend likes to be technically correct about the term onomatopoeia, and jimmyk chimes in with the same level of technical correctness on the matter. So for levity, I point out how it is 'ironic' in a nonsensical way - hoping to hit their OCD nerve a bit. As it is clearly not an ironic statement, and we only have anecdotal evidence of cucumbers being able to mutter a sound.

[mahmud → phlux]

Run for office.

[genieyclo → euroclydon]

That's because it's Ancient Greek for "to make name for": http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/onomatopoeia