The word escapes me
For the past few months, I’ve been at a loss for word. Not words, but one very specific word. It refers to knowledge that would only be known by people in a specific group. One would use it thusly…
“The distinction between italic and oblique is obvious to a type designer, but is frankly a little too blank for everyone else.”
I really needed the word. But I couldn’t remember it.
I started asking people, smart people, if they could help me figure out the word. No one could.
I Googled “pertaining to a specific group.” I got page after page of words, but not the right one.
I was 90% sure the word started with ‘e.’ So I actually went through the dictionary, page by page, looking at every entry for the letter ‘e.’
But I couldn’t find it.
Then last week, while walking through an almost empty theatre, I heard someone say something magnificent: esoteric.
From the American Heritage Dictionary:
es·o·ter·ic (Ä•s’É™-tÄ•r’Äk) adj. Intended for or understood by only a particular group: an esoteric cult. See synonyms at mysterious. Of or relating to that which is known by a restricted number of people. Confined to a small group: esoteric interests. Not publicly disclosed; confidential.
I have no idea what the person was talking about. I just heard that one word, and felt the relief of an agonizing itch being scratched. I immediately emailed myself the word, just in case.
Just today, I found a Reverse Dictionary Search site, which I’ve already bookmarked for the next word I can’t remember.
January 27th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
I’ve been looking for an online reverse dictionary. Thanks.
January 27th, 2006 at 4:50 pm
The online reverse dictionary is cool. Thanks for the link.
And isn’t it funny how just when you give up looking, and when you least expect it, there’s your answer, on a collision path.
I’m intrigued that it was just the word for you.
January 27th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
I got a reverse dictionary years ago from a used bookstore.. They rule!
January 27th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
Of course, when you use your new-found word, all your non-writer friends will give you that blank look. You know, the one that reminds you that you don’t fit in. You never have and never will fit in. Ever ever ever.
Else, maybe they’ll cock their heads like a Spaniel and ask, “What’s that mean?”
January 27th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
I knew the word you wanted the instant you described it.
January 27th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
I hate it when that happens. For a couple of weeks i couldn’t remember “closure.” Thanks for the link!
January 27th, 2006 at 7:12 pm
The reverse distionary?! Please, somebody build a widget quick!
January 27th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Hey, I got the word too. The first word that came to mind didn’t feel right and then esoteric was the second word that came to my mind; fit perfectly. I love that word, it’s so mysterious and beautiful-sounding.
Thanks for the link to the reverse dictionary.
January 27th, 2006 at 7:59 pm
Another trick word cognoscenti with esoteric knowledge use when they remember parts of the definition, but not the word itself, is to use Websters Third Unabridged, The CD-ROM version, and use the “search on definition option.”
See http://www.dooling.com/words.htm where there’s a link to both the CD-ROM version and the dead tree. rpd
January 27th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
My first thought was “arcane?” (known or understood by only a few) but once you got to the “e” I was onto it. Of course it helps that I’ve always wanted to open a novelty store called Esoterica. And I’m highly addicted to dictionary.com. Words, I love words…
January 27th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
I was looking for that word as well. People keep describing my humor that way. Feh.
January 27th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
Obscure works as well.
ZAK
January 27th, 2006 at 10:26 pm
Yes, thumbs up on the link.
January 28th, 2006 at 12:12 am
I hope your happy, but I know that I will now try and use esoteric in every day conversation and not only will I say it wrong, but I will use it in a completely wrong and forced context. And the fact that no one else will know what it means, I will look like a idiot.
But the next time I hear it used by someone else I will smile like an idiot, and I will try and squeeze it in somewhere in my writing ; )
January 28th, 2006 at 2:42 am
“esoteric”
Just when I was thinking “arcane”…
January 28th, 2006 at 6:28 am
john, don’t forget you have a great hive mind at your disposal. had you posted what you were looking for, at least three people here would have told you what it was. i too knew what word you were looking for.
john rogers used the hive mind nicely just a couple of weeks ago.
January 28th, 2006 at 10:23 am
Thank God this doesn’t just happen to me. I spent weeks trying to drill “anachronism” out of my wasted memory, resorting to the page by page dictionary method. Eventually it flashed into my head once I’d forgotten why I even needed to remember it.
Since then I’ve been a slave to Roget’s.
January 28th, 2006 at 10:31 am
I would have used the word “jargon” some how. Somehow… Some-how? AH CRAP!
Esoteric just has too many religious or philosophical connotations for me. I was also thinking “arcane,� along with CmdrSue, but that also has too much of the above, as well as that feeling of ancientness. It’s a word that’s a lot like “eldritch� which means much the same thing and immediately makes me think of H.P.Lovecraft.
So I’d have ended up with something like:
“The distinction between italic and oblique is obvious to a type designer, but is frankly just jargon to anyone else.�
Of course, this coming from a guy that couldn’t get his head around the word “somehow� not two minutes ago! What the hell would I know?
January 28th, 2006 at 10:31 am
Try remembering sesquipedalian while discussing long words with a friend… words cannot decribe the…eh…what’s that word…it starts with a….dammit.
January 29th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
There should be a writer’s network for this sort of thing. God knows it happens daily.
January 29th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Esoteric was the first word that came to mind for me, too. I love esoteric because it’s one of a few words that is what it means. “Esoteric” is esoteric. It’s great.
January 31st, 2006 at 8:55 am
I don’t care about esoterica or arcana. I just want the css code and the .gif for that blockquote. That’s cool looking.
Rick
January 31st, 2006 at 11:44 am
It’s pretty easy to grab the css and graphics from any site (if rude and unethical). Do a “View as Source…” to find the URL to the CSS style sheet. From that, you can find the graphic.
As I recall, I pilfered the blockquote stuff from David A. http://www.davidanaxagoras.com/
January 31st, 2006 at 12:47 pm
How rude!
File under geek alert, but I found one using a png file like yours:
http://simon.incutio.com/archive/2003/05/21/stylingBlockquotes
and another using pure css, though ie and firefox had wildly divergent results messing with it:
http://www.defusion.org.uk/archives/2005/12/24/large-curly-quotes-without-images/
February 3rd, 2006 at 3:37 pm
Aphasia. That’s another good one.
February 4th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
I knew the word you wanted the instant you described it.
I did too, but the word was “picayune”. Then I thought further, and came up with “too much of a nicety”.
February 7th, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Someone told me about your writing project. My husband was a civilian contractor in Iraq. I have some great photos of him with Paul Bremer. My husband stayed at Saddams palace and was in charge of several hundred nepalise soldiers. There is a brief post about it on my blog. Email if you want more info. He wants to return to Iraq but has no prospects as of yet.
You appear to be a very articulate and talented writer. I used to dream of writing a book or producing a tv show. Alas, those dreams are for the optimists. A group I do not subscribe to. Best of luck on all your endeavors!
Laura
February 8th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
I have enjoyed your site. Dooling sent me ( http://richarddooling.com ). I would have used the word obscure, I think. This post was an ephipany for me because I realized I am blessed with a lack of vocabulary. It makes it much harder to loose a word. It appears I am not (nor probably ever will be) a cognoscenti of this, nor any other, language … except maybe a programming language. Does that count?
As regards your redesign and the footer, perhaps make it a div that is not visible at first and them comes into visibilty on a click? I think that will make your page present much better. If you need help with that, ask Dooling how to find me.
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:28 am
You’re a lifesaver! I was wracking my brain, trying to think of the word, “virtuoso”, and could not grasp it. Finally, I Googled “word escapes me”, and landed at your blog site. Your link to Reverse Dictionary Search saved the day. (Oddly, I also thought I was looking for a word beginning with an “e”, but in this case was waaay off.)
December 15th, 2006 at 3:14 am
holy crap! i just had a brainfart and totally blanked on that word. luckily i remember you blogged about it and found it by just searching ‘pertaining’ in your searchbox. it seems this word is one that escapes quite easily for some reason.
April 19th, 2007 at 11:22 am
would you believe that i found your page by typing “pertaining to a specific group” into google because for over a month now ive been wracking my brain trying to remember that same word?!
astounded,
n
December 29th, 2007 at 1:33 am
I had the same thing happen… and guess what… same word. No joke.