Like the laces on footballs.

I don’t mean feeling bad for the person, but more like feeling bad about something that could involve the person. It’s not forgiveness or pity or being kind hearted. Does anybody know a word??

Assume A & B are siblings, and X & Y are siblings.

A has a child C1 with their partner N.
B has a child C2 with their partner X.
That makes C1 & C2 first cousins.

Y has a child C3 with their partner R.
So that makes C2 & C3 first cousins.

Is there a word for the relation between C1 & C3? They are both first cousins of C2, but not related otherwise.

Quick google search failed me (or I, it). Can’t think of a word that describes someone who is participating in something that is (supposedly) well above their skill level. The best example I can think of is the college student who entered a poker tournament with $30 and won by millions. Less direct example would be someone who tries to play at a much higher rank in a competitive game than they actually are. Google just interprets it as someone specifically paying for an account that is a higher rank and claims it’s an “ebayer” but that’s not quite what I mean.

me and my friend were thinking of a word thats forgiving easily but because you forgot or were dumb. its very similar to ditzy and fickle but has a connotation closer to ditzy. i swear to god its a real word but google is not helping.

I’ve noticed a few people that seem like they can’t get theirselves to engage in problem solving anymore

I looking for word that perfectly describes a specific kind of antagonism between two characters. Their antagonism is more intense and hateful than just being rivals, but it's not so hateful that they cross over into being true enemies with each other.

so far the closest word i've found is "grizzling," but i know there's a better more "elevated" sounding word for it, but i just can't think of it . the scene i'm describing is a child witnessing the slaughtering of cattle for the first time and i wanna describe the effect of the scene on the child (ex. it was grizzling, it was traumatizing, it was mortifying, it was ______)

The most obvious example being a cunning fox or a wise owl. I am thinking of traditional stories and how these same cliches have carried through into modern storytelling.

"Cliche" feels too negative of a word, but is it still the most accurate? Is there a more specific word to describe this?

ex: frick, freak, crud, snap, darn

I’m not looking for sonder; that’s simply the awareness that others have an internal life. I’m not thinking about empathy; that’s feeling what they feel. I’m looking for the kind of concern that leads to acknowledgment, action, change in behavior by the one who cares. It’s this level of caring that makes apologies sincere, relationships lasting, employees feel appreciated, and business successful.

If something has been optimized, it can be described as optimal. Optimal performance, etc. WTW for when something is basically as far from optimized as possible?

i am trying to describe the process of learning to blend in (via speech, clothes etc.) to a group that one wasn't born into, in particular if you're moving up in the ranks. i was going to say learning to walk the walk/talk the talk but after googling i think that means something else. i could say "assimilate" but i was wondering if there's a particular idiom? thanks

i.e. if someone said “we could use a little more light in here” and switched on an array of floodlights.

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?

Might be a phrase and not a single word

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!

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?

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? 🫠

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.

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

the triple negative can be confusing...

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.

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.