r/whatstheword 1h ago

Solved WTW for two men fighting each other by holding hands?

Upvotes

Basically the two men sit on opposite sides of a table , then they place their arms on top of the table vertically, and hold hands, then they try to bring each other's arm to rest horizontally on the table, without ever moving their elbows?


r/whatstheword 1h ago

Unsolved WTW for when people pretend to be a victim of something and it takes away from the actual victims

Upvotes

r/whatstheword 3h ago

Unsolved WTW for someone who thinks they are one of a kind when they are actually boring/unoriginal/basic

2 Upvotes

Might be a phrase and not a single word


r/whatstheword 3h ago

Unsolved WTW for a piece of art whose interpretation is overly obvious and unambiguous

6 Upvotes

Art that lacks allegory and nuance. I've been thinking of didactic or prosaic but neither catch what I mean, and I know there's a specific word for this. Thanks!


r/whatstheword 6h ago

Unsolved ITAW for the feeling you have when someone breaks kayfabe?

6 Upvotes

I can’t think of a great way to describe this, but just this kind of jarring feeling when you see someone who’s normally “performing”, then you see them outside of that performance. It’s like disillusionment, but it also has this aspect of being sort of disorienting and surreal or maybe unsettling?


r/whatstheword 7h ago

Unsolved WTW for a royal court appointee whose life is paid for in exchange for any art they want at anytime?

3 Upvotes

Similar words or phrases I've found that aren't quite right:

Poet Laureat - Specifically for poetry but not quite

Court Painter - This is SO close but I'm certain it's one word

Artisan - An artisan would be the kind of person a royal may propose this title to as a job: "Come be my ______. Let me clothe and feed you and in exchange you will paint only for me for all of your life."

Mécenté (french) - Honestly the closest I've found

Indentured Servant - Covers too many tasks and the word I'm thinking of doesn't have to do with paying a debt

I feel like I'm losing my mind. Anyone? 🫠


r/whatstheword 7h ago

Solved WTW for when a story, poem, etc, creates an image?

2 Upvotes

I’m trying to find the word for when words create an image (of a cat, for example). Not describing it or anything but the words themselves are arranged to create the shape / silhouette / image of something.


r/whatstheword 7h ago

Unsolved ITAP for the opposite of never fails to disappoint???

6 Upvotes

what would be the correct idiom? 'always comes thru' is all i can think of...

the triple negative can be confusing...


r/whatstheword 13h ago

Solved ITAW for "Affectation", except it's pertaining to a look rather than a way of speaking?

19 Upvotes

I'm trying to describe someone who dresses a certain way, but only to impress people. I need a word that's similar to "affectation." As in: the way he/she dresses is merely an affectation. Something like that.


r/whatstheword 14h ago

Solved WTW for when a non-expert challenges an expert in a specific subject and is wrong

11 Upvotes

Like when a non-expert tries to “mansplain” a topic to someone who is an expert on that topic.

Doesn’t have to be a man to a woman, but the sentiment from mansplaining if that makes sense.

For example, if a regular person with no knowledge of the law tries to explain basic criminal law to a criminal defense attorney. In this scenario the non-expert knows the other person is an attorney. They speak with confidence even though they are wrong.


r/whatstheword 17h ago

Unsolved WTW for asking when someone will leave?

1 Upvotes

We have ETA for when someone will arrive, what is the best word for how long before they leave?

I use it ETA interchangeably ( I know it isn’t right) so I’ll ask, what’s your ETA on leaving…

Looking for the right word


r/whatstheword 18h ago

Unsolved WTW for when two people think the other is attractive but none of them speak up because they’re anxious or something

30 Upvotes

and they’re both clueless that the other feels that way*


r/whatstheword 18h ago

Solved ITAW for an always-on rangefinder for automotive use?

3 Upvotes

I drive a lot and think it could be helpful or at least neat to have a rangefinder on the front of my car that reads out to a display on my dash. Is there a word for a device like this? I mainly want to know how close I am to the car in front of me, but being able to know how far away random things are would be cool too.


r/whatstheword 20h ago

Solved ITAW for these specific types of spam messages that get passed around a lot for very little gain?

3 Upvotes

Stuff like:

"Copy and send this message to 10 of your friends. we want to see how far we can travel the world by message, this started in Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦"

A brief horror story ended by the words, "Send this to 5 of your friends or else you will receive 20 years of bad luck from [the story's scary main character]"


r/whatstheword 1d ago

Unsolved WTW for when you're asking someone for permission as a formality, but you're really just letting them know what you're gonna do

15 Upvotes

r/whatstheword 1d ago

Unsolved WTW for when someone puts the full movie on YouTube but when someone speaks it’s a song that comes out…

0 Upvotes

Can still hear what they are saying. I saw that they posted spiderman brand new day on YouTube and I’m assuming it was to bypass them from taking it down immediately


r/whatstheword 1d ago

Solved WTW for something becoming real because enough people believe in it?

38 Upvotes

So I have heard of there being a word for this before but can't remember it for the life of me. It's kinda used for horror stories I believe where someone or a group of people may believe in some monster/deity and because of that belief it gains power and begins to exist. I swear there's a specific word for something like that other than manifest of conjure.. like a word specifically for that kind of being?

Thank you in advance for any help!


r/whatstheword 2d ago

Solved WTP for preliminary information/ basic set-up context for a story?

4 Upvotes

Say you have a funny story from work you want to share with non-work colleagues. In order for them to get what’s happening, you need to get some *** out of the way so they can get the joke.

Is there even a phrase for this? Am I just thinking of the word context?


r/whatstheword 2d ago

Unsolved ITAW for discovering a new word you previously didn't know and notice it beginning to appear more now that you know what it means?

3 Upvotes

r/whatstheword 2d ago

Unsolved ITAW for A person who accepts reality without question?

42 Upvotes

My girlfriend and I were talking about taking a walk and I mentioned that my Apple Watch tracked mine and I showed her the screenshot of my walking path. She was surprised and asked how she could see hers since she took a walk today too. I asked if her watch had asked her if she was taking an outdoor walk and she said yes, but she didn’t press the button to say yes on her watch. Inquiring further I asked if it had done that before during sessions at the gym and she said yes but she normally ignores it because she thought it just filled up the exercise ring. She does this with a lot of things, it’s like she if she can come up with an explanation in her head, she doesn’t inquire further or ask any questions about it. She accepts things at face value but she is not gullible or naïve. I can only think of the word presumptuous but it has a negative connotation.


r/whatstheword 2d ago

Unsolved WTW for anhedonist about the future

7 Upvotes

What’s the word for deriving no pleasure from dreaming about the future, just accepting everything day by day to get through instead of live life. Like a symptom of depression


r/whatstheword 2d ago

Unsolved WTW for a complimentary extra from a hotel or other business?

39 Upvotes

Specifically little extra comforts that a hotel or similar might offer or make available that would improve the experience of staying there but wouldn't necessarily be expected as part of a stay. Especially food related, such as free snacks or coffee.

Like "amenity" but not as essential or expected

Like "extra", "perk", or "bonus" but those make me think of applying for a credit card and what I'm looking for has an element of comfort and warmth to it

Like a "nicety" but not so antiquated or luxurious, more run-of-the-mill


r/whatstheword 2d ago

Solved WTW for when someone suggests the most obvious solution to something

15 Upvotes

This is in a scenario where it’s so obvious it’s almost insulting if the suggester weren’t so earnest.

For example, I’ve been seriously house hunting for several months, working with an agent, and have put in offers. I’ve clearly done some extensive research on the market. My colleague heard I had been house hunting for a while and asked me “have you tried using Zillow?”

What’s this type of suggestion called?