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abe · Jun 5, 2006, 05:07 AM

What Word, Phrase or Name Belongs Naturally in 3 Or More Different Worlds?

The one that first came to mind was Road Runner.

There was the Jr. Walker & the All Stars song, (I'm a) Roadrunner. The world of music.

Then there was the Road Runner cartoon. The world of TV.

And the automobile, the Plymouth Road Runner. The automotive world.

And of course the State Bird of New Mexico. The animal world.

That makes four.

What word, phrase or name can you think of that naturally belongs to 3 or more different worlds?

as2 · Jun 5, 2006, 05:22 AM

Pink - Colour - Nature?
Pink - Singer - Music
Pink - Shirtmaker - Fasion

Kr0nos · Jun 5, 2006, 06:29 AM

Thunderbird - email application - Software (Computer)
Thunderbird - Ford car - Automotive
Thunderbird - Native American mythological being - Mythology

Big Mac · Jun 5, 2006, 08:11 AM

Apple Computer
Apple (fruit)
Apple Records

analogika · Jun 5, 2006, 08:38 AM

Nut (food)
Nut (to fit on bolt)
Nut (original poster)

KeyLimePi · Jun 5, 2006, 08:58 AM

Mole (animal)
Mole (chemistry unit)
Mole (Mexican sauce)

Dakar · Jun 5, 2006, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

Nut (food)
Nut (to fit on bolt)
Nut (original poster)

There's a, erm, fourth definition you missed.

analogika · Jun 5, 2006, 09:27 AM

Oh yeah -

Nut - Egyptian goddess.

Busemann · Jun 5, 2006, 09:54 AM

Homonyms are fun!!1

Dakar · Jun 5, 2006, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

Oh yeah -

Nut - Egyptian goddess.

Ok, that totally wasn't what I was thinking. If that's true that's an impressive find though.

G Barnett · Jun 5, 2006, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by KeyLimePi

Mole (animal)
Mole (chemistry unit)
Mole (Mexican sauce)

Also: Mole (Dark spot on skin -- biology)

G Barnett · Jun 5, 2006, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by Dakar

Ok, that totally wasn't what I was thinking. If that's true that's an impressive find though.

Yep, he's right on that one. The one you're thinking of is:

Nut (kickable portion of male anatomy -- biology)

Dakar · Jun 5, 2006, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by G Barnett

Yep, he's right on that one. The one you're thinking of is:

Nut (kickable portion of male anatomy -- biology)

Actually I'm thinking of the N.W.A. song 'Gimme dat nut.' I'm assuming its the same meaning as 'bust a nut' which is vernacular for semen.

hart · Jun 5, 2006, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by G Barnett

Also: Mole (Dark spot on skin -- biology)

and mole as in spy.

osiris · Jun 5, 2006, 11:07 AM

Quark - subatomic particle
Quark - European cheese
Quark - the text layout program

Dakar · Jun 5, 2006, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by osiris

Quark - subatomic particle
Quark - European cheese
Quark - the text layout program

Quark - Star Trek character

osiris · Jun 5, 2006, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by Dakar

Quark - Star Trek character

Good one!

besson3c · Jun 5, 2006, 11:25 AM

Peanut

as2 · Jun 5, 2006, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Peanut

Which 3 worlds does that fit into?

abe · 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by Kr0nos

Thunderbird - email application - Software (Computer)
Thunderbird - Ford car - Automotive
Thunderbird - Native American mythological being - Mythology

To add to your list there's Thunderbird wine...

[IMG]http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/7375/2smokes2ld.gif (I disabled the gif because it is annoying after a few seconds.)

And the Thunderbird School of International Management.
http://www.thunderbird.edu/

And the Air Force aerobatic team, the Thunderbirds.

abe · Jun 5, 2006, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by analogika

Nut (food)
Nut (to fit on bolt)
Nut (original poster)

It's also a very earthy colloquial used to describe achieving sexual pleasure.

"I'm gonna go to this chick's crib and bust a nut."

As well as a being used to describe one's fixed monthly household expenses.

"After I take care of my nut I can see if I got enough to gamble with."

MacManMikeOSX · Jun 5, 2006, 03:07 PM

God you fools, it's God.

Dakar · Jun 5, 2006, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by abe

It's also a very earthy colloquial used to describe achieving sexual pleasure.

"I'm gonna go to this chick's crib and bust a nut."

Yeah, I said that 8 posts ago.

abe · Jun 5, 2006, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by KeyLimePi

Mole (animal)
Mole (chemistry unit)
Mole (Mexican sauce)

Mole Mexican sauce is actually pronounced molé. (I believe, like mo-LAY.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(sauce)

abe · Jun 5, 2006, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by Dakar

Yeah, I said that 8 posts ago.

Ooops! Sorry, I didn't read down that far before posting. My bad.

eltrut · Jun 5, 2006, 03:34 PM

Nut

6. Slang. The human head.
7. Informal. A difficult endeavor or problem: Painting the closet was a tough nut to crack.

eltrut · Jun 5, 2006, 03:34 PM

Oh, anybody wants to take a stab at FCUK ?

abe · Jun 5, 2006, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by eltrut

Oh, anybody wants to take a stab at FCUK ?

Actually, this thread could easily devolve into a sex crazed pit of innuendo and indulgence, protuberances and discharges...

But let's not, eh?

KeyLimePi · Jun 5, 2006, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by abe

Mole Mexican sauce is actually pronounced molé. (I believe, like mo-LAY.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(sauce)

Yea, I know...but since it's spelled the same, with no accent, I'm gonna count it.

olePigeon · Jun 5, 2006, 07:27 PM

Klaatu Barada Nikto: Stops robots
Klaatu Barada Nikto: Prevents an army of dead from rising
Klaatu Barada Nikto: Cool names for Bounty Hunters

Dale Sorel · Jun 5, 2006, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by KeyLimePi

Mole (animal)
Mole (chemistry unit)
Mole (Mexican sauce)

The chemistry, if I remember correctly, is spelled mol (6.02x10^23).

lavar78 · Jun 5, 2006, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by Dale Sorel

The chemistry, if I remember correctly, is spelled mol (6.02x10^23).

No, that's just an abbreviation.

Also:

(The) Mole (the best reality TV show, sadly canceled by ABC)

TheoCryst · Jun 6, 2006, 11:18 AM

Screw - something you turn with a screwdriver
Screw - what you do to a screw (first definition) with a screwdriver
Screw - f***

zmcgill · Jun 6, 2006, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by lavar78

No, that's just an abbreviation.

Seconded. And homonyms are words with the same pronunciation that are spelled differently.

wallinbl · Jun 6, 2006, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by eltrut

Oh, anybody wants to take a stab at FCUK ?

It's the most flexible word in the language. It can be used as nearly any type of word - noun, adjective, verb, adverb, etc. It's rather fantastic. Too bad so many people find it offensive.

zmcgill · Jun 6, 2006, 12:56 PM

Yeah, i think there was a flash animation describing that somewhere, maybe eBaum's (gross). A quick google search would find it, but I'm at work so maybe that's not the smartest thing to be searching for.

abe · Jun 6, 2006, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by wallinbl

It's the most flexible word in the language. It can be used as nearly any type of word - noun, adjective, verb, adverb, etc. It's rather fantastic. Too bad so many people find it offensive.

Actually, I don't find ANY words 'OFFENSIVE' in and of themselves. It's just the kinds of company that certain words often attract that I wish not to feel too comfy here.

They should feel comfortable enough to join and participate but not to trash the thread with other types of contributions that are suitable in any number of other threads.

And for those who are wondering about the topic, please take a look at the original post.

Thanks for your forbearance.

qnxde · Jun 7, 2006, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by KeyLimePi

Mole (animal)
Mole (chemistry unit)
Mole (Mexican sauce)

Don't forget Mole (as in The Mole TV show) and the skin moles.

zmcgill · Jun 7, 2006, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by qnxde

Don't forget Mole (as in The Mole TV show) and the skin moles.

Both of those have been mentioned already.

Gossamer: Poster on MacNN
Gossamer: Cartoon character (see sig)
Gossamer: A fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders
Gossamer: Code name for beige G3's (where I got it from)

Oisín · Jun 7, 2006, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by lavar78

No, that's just an abbreviation.

Other way around: Mol is the original form (German, abbreviation of Molekul); ‘mole’ is an adapted form.

It's the most flexible word in the language. It can be used as nearly any type of word - noun, adjective, verb, adverb, etc. It's rather fantastic. Too bad so many people find it offensive.

I don’t see what’s so flexible or offensive about French Connection, UK...

And homonyms are words with the same pronunciation that are spelled differently.

Yup—most of the words in this thread are homographs, not homonyms. Some of them are deverbatives or denominatives that just happen to be homographs in English. Few of them really fit the original topic precisely, in my opinion. I’d say to fit the bill here, it would have to be the same word (or phrase/name) with (more or less) the same original meaning, which fits in different scopes; not just different words that happen to be spelled the same, or a basic word and its deverbatives/denominatives (except perhaps if you are specifically saying a word belongs in the worlds of nouns, verbs, and adjectives, for example—but that’s too easy).

The first one that came to my mind is browse, which can be said to belong to three different worlds, or ‘ages’:

Browse – (of animals) feed on twigs, leaves, bushes, etc. The original meaning, in the ‘original’ (natural) world.
Browse – look through goods in a shop or scan the contents of books, etc. The first extension of meaning, in the semi-modern and ‘literate’ world.
Browse – Read stuff on teh Intarwebs. Second extension of meaning, in the world of IT.

abe · Jun 7, 2006, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by Oisín

Other way around: Mol is the original form (German, abbreviation of Molekul); ‘mole’ is an adapted form.

I don’t see what’s so flexible or offensive about French Connection, UK...

Yup—most of the words in this thread are homographs, not homonyms. Some of them are deverbatives or denominatives that just happen to be homographs in English. Few of them really fit the original topic precisely, in my opinion. I’d say to fit the bill here, it would have to be the same word (or phrase/name) with (more or less) the same original meaning, which fits in different scopes; not just different words that happen to be spelled the same, or a basic word and its deverbatives/denominatives (except perhaps if you are specifically saying a word belongs in the worlds of nouns, verbs, and adjectives, for example—but that’s too easy).

The first one that came to my mind is browse, which can be said to belong to three different worlds, or ‘ages’:

Browse – (of animals) feed on twigs, leaves, bushes, etc. The original meaning, in the ‘original’ (natural) world.
Browse – look through goods in a shop or scan the contents of books, etc. The first extension of meaning, in the semi-modern and ‘literate’ world.
Browse – Read stuff on teh Intarwebs. Second extension of meaning, in the world of IT.

I truly appreciate your precision with and appreciation of language. And even though I have a level of appreciation and do try to practice using it with some precision, I take my cap off to you!

Applying AGES to the use of a word is a very nice interpretation!

production_coordinator · Jun 10, 2006, 09:22 PM

The word RUN has something like 23 definitions.

ghporter · Jun 10, 2006, 10:09 PM

There are a lot of words that come to mind, but the first one is Accute:
Medical-brief and severe
Math-an angle less than 90 degrees
Language-a stress indicator over a letter, as in 'á'
Others-sharp of wit; severe or crucial; intense