----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for March 3, 1999
----------------------------------------------------------------------
interrobang / interabang [n. in-TAIR-uh-bang]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When someone shouts with alarm and asks a question at the same time,
the exclamation could end with an interrobang. It's a punctuation
mark that combines a question mark with an exclamation point: "You did
WHAT?!" (We can't show it to you here, because there's no standard
letter code for it, but you can see it at the web page linked below.)
The interrobang was invented by Martin K. Specter in 1962. The first
part of the word, interro-, is short for interrogation point, which is
another name for a question mark. An interrogation is a questioning,
from the Latin inter- (in the presence of) and -rogare (to ask).
The second part, -bang, was originally a printer's slang word for an
exclamation point. That word has now migrated into the world of
computers, where it has been joined by dot (period [.]), squiggle
(tilde [~]) and hat (caret [^]).
More about the interrobang:
http://www.interrobang-mks.com/
CORRECTION: Yesterday we referred to a British "three cent coin"
where we should have written "three penny coin."
Today's sponsor: FREE WordCommand Vocabulary Software!
---------------- http://www.wordcommand.com/demo.htm -----------------
Boost your word power FAST with WordCommand Vocabulary Software. It's
easy with spoken pronunciations, screen savers, quizzes, flash cards,
and much more! Awarded ZD Net Editors' Pick. Click here for your
FREE trial copy: http://www.wordcommand.com/demo.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cool Word of the Day list membership: 61,519
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/join/
To unsubscribe, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/change/
To become a sponsor, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/sponsor/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 1999, The Learning Kingdom, Inc.
http://www.LearningKingdom.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
