nak
the opposite of an acknowledgement; an acknowledgement written to
recognize those people who didn't help you [FIDO Science Fiction
conference, Nov 95]
NAVY
Never
Again
Volunteer
Yourself
nerd
Where does the term nerd come from? The most amusing theory that I
have come across refers to the 1950s Dr Seuss character Nerd the Eagle,
noted for his baleful glare. If you think this implausible, look at a
photograph of Bill Gates. [James Hunt, alt.english.usage,
Aug 96]
Perhaps after Nerd, a character in If I Ran the Zoo, by Theodor
Seuss Geisel. [American Heritage Dictionary 3rd Edition]
compare dork,
putz
newbie
[military]
an operator just out of tech school;
see FNG,
jeep
nickel dropped, the
when the realization hits you;
He was half-way to the door before the nickel dropped;
refers to a payphone holding a nickel; when the call goes through, the
nickel drops and the phone starts to work;
[Raymond Chandler, The Long Good-Bye, 1953];
see lightbulbed;
compare dropped a dime
nickname
Eke means (or rather meant, in Middle English) 'also'. By a
linguistic process called 'noncing', 'an eke name' became 'a nickname'
... A nickname, then, is an 'also' name - in the same way that a
surname is an 'also' name ... The big difference is that nicknames tend
to be intensely personal, and therefore insulting, and therefore
amusing. We create and employ nicknames to imply a certain intimacy
with the person named: superstar, politician, family member, lover,
co-worker, enemy ... To know someone's nickname is to know his or her
secret identity. [Ken Wolf, FIDO Words conference, April 96]
nosologist
The [person] in charge of making up new medical words is called a
nosologist. [Sally Springett, FIDO Words conference, Jan 96]
not
negation or disbelief appended to a statement;
Maybe I'll help you with that ... NOT!
He could turn out to be very hip ... NOT!;
from aboutt 1990, popularized by Mike Myers in the
Saturday Night Live skit Wayne's World]
compare with psyche,
yeh, right