So, in case you haven’t come across UrbanDictionary.com yet, it’s a really handy site for finding out what various slang terms and really localized language mean. Think something like a Wikipedia for a dictionaries, but with a much heavier focus on items that may not find their way into an *ahem* more dignified/proper dictionary. If you heard a high school kid / college student say it, and you weren’t sure if you should be offended, this is where to look (though when in doubt, if a high school kid or college says something you don’t understand, you should probably be offended).
People submit definitions for words, and then users can vote them up or down. It’s also especially handy when the same word has a few different meanings, or if it can be applied in a variety of ways in different contexts.
I was recently reminded of the site when listening to “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers (you know, the song they played at community pools over and over in the late 80’s because it was so repetitious even small, highly chlorinated children could remember the words, scream them, and sound vaguely like the lead singer), and more specifically a cover by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, which makes special point of the song’s use of the obscure word “haver” (the special point they make is noted in the second definition). I was reminded that, despite the number of times I’ve heard this song, I still had no idea what “haver” means. So, I checked UrbanDictionary.com, and found this. Needless to say, the first two are the accepted meaning, but this post/link/explanation is mostly for my amusement at the third definition.
That was a really long set up for such a simple joke. I’ll work on that in coming posts.