Life is like...

As Forrest Gump's mama says, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

Create a grand metaphor about life (a box of chocolates). Then pick some aspect of life (the surprises in life) and speak this in terms of your metaphor.

Examples:
Life is like a baseball game.
Sometimes you strike out (the failures).
Sometimes you hit a home run (the successes).

Life is like the weather in New England.
One moment it's nice (the good times)
The next moment you're under a foot of snow (the bad times)

In deep trouble

All the phrases that describe being in trouble seem to me to fall into four categories.

in something deep
in deep water
in deep s---
in deep yogurt

in something hot
in hot water
in the hot seat

in a confined area
in a tight spot
between a rock and a hard place
back to the wall

got yourself into the confined area
paint yourself into a corner
dig your own grave

Create a new phrase or create/find a whole new category of phrases for being in trouble. (Please indicate whether your phrase is old or new.)

NPR broadcast #1

This Saturday, February 26th, at 4 PM Pacific Time, you can listen to NPR's "A Way With Words" and hear my wife talk about "lunaversary" - 'luna' (for moon) + 'anniversary' - the number of months since a special occasion.

If you don't get this show in your area, you can listen live at their website (go to the website below and click on "Listen Now") or look in their "Audio Archives" if you miss the live broadcast.

http://www.kpbs.org/Radio/DynPage.php?id=12

I'm a geek

I'm a self-professed geek so I can make fun of my type.

Geeks used to be more easily identifiable: the pocket protector, slide rule, thick glasses. Being a geek today can be more subtle. Maybe some of us dress better. There are even rich and influential geeks (Bill Gates) that many aspire to be like.

"You might be a geek if..."

Finish the above sentence to name those qualities of geekdom that keep shining through in subtle and not so subtle ways. Have fun with it.

(This idea is inspired by Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if...")

Example:
"...you go to the library to meet girls"

Floats your boat

"Whatever floats your boat" means whatever arouses your interest is fine by me.

"I don't like sushi, but hey, whatever floats your boat."

Other phrases with this meaning are "to each his own" and "whatever turns you on."

Create new phrases that have this meaning.

Example:
"whatever starts your engine"

NHL

Top Ten Uses for the letters "NHL"

Now that the National Hockey League has canceled its season, the letters "NHL" are free to have new meanings this year.

Create a new meaning for what "NHL" stands for.

If I get some good ones, I'll send them to The Late Show with David Letterman for its "Top Ten List."

Examples: (send in a short description also, if necessary)
New Hampshire Liberals (a small group)
Never Have Luck (a support group for unlucky people)

Tongue Twisters

"Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat."
"She sells sea shells by the seashore."
"Unique New York" (say it three times fast)

Create a new tongue twister. It doesn't have to be long to be difficult. Maybe there is something that your tongue has stumbled upon in your everyday life.

The trick with a tongue twister is that you have to switch back and forth quickly between two sounds. You have to find two sounds that are difficult to switch between. Here are two lists to give you some ideas.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8136/tonguetwisters.html
http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/en.htm

Here's one that a student of mine, Will, came up with.

Example:
"red bread, blue bread" (say it three times)

Go together...

On Valentine's Day, you see some couples that go together so well.

They go together like chips and salsa.

Create new phrases (or send in ones you've heard.)

Example:
(new) "go together like chips and salsa"

NPR loves "Coin a phrase"

The NPR show "A Way With Words" will feature two items from "Coin a phrase." They contacted us about taping segments. Here's the link for the show.

http://www.kpbs.org/Radio/DynPage.php?id=12

My wife will be talking with them on Feb. 17th about the word 'lunaversary'- 'luna' (for moon) + 'anniversary' - the number of months since a special occasion.

I will be talking with them on Feb. 22nd about some new terms for cell phone use: cell hell, phone pas, cellmate, and celluddite.

Keep on playing because the word is spreading! (And, new words are spreading!)

Cool as...

Cool can mean suave and stylish. It could also mean unflappable, as in cool under pressure.

Send in phrases for "cool as..." (Indicate whether your submission is new or old.)

Examples:
(old) "cool as the other side of the pillow" (ESPN uses this phrase often.)
(old) "cool as a cucumber" (Why is a cucumber cool?)

Difficult as...

I don't know of any classic phrases for "as difficult as..."

Send in a new one.

Examples:
"as difficult as herding cats"
"as difficult as catching your own shadow"

Strange Line

You're at a party. You walk by a group and overhear a strange line, "The stars have ears." You can't tell what it means, but the group all seemed to receive it in stride. What could they be talking about?

Create a situation in which it would make perfect sense to say "The stars have ears."

Have the strange line sum up your description as in the following example.

Example
There are so many spy satellites circling the globe. It's as if the stars have ears.

A Gaggle of...

"a gaggle of geese"
"a pride of lions"
"a school of fish"

There a so many collective nouns, especially for animals. Here's a list.

http://rinkworks.com/words/collective.shtml

We need some collective nouns for the new technological by-products of our modern world.

What would you call a collection of spam? A (blank) of spam?
A group of e-mails?
All your passwords for all your different online bank accounts & e-mail accounts?
All the plastic cards your carry around in your wallet?
A group of cell phones? Of beepers?

What other technological by-products do we need new collective nouns for? What new terms will work to name them?

Examples:
a googol of spam (a googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes)
(This word is also close to the word "google.")

a crush of credit cards