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Ask HN: What are some words that you learned on Hacker News?

16 points by neilyio ↗ HN
I'll start. "Orthogonal".

30 comments

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fuzztester
"conflating" is one that I did not know of earlier.

"drunk the kool-aid" is another, though a phrase, not a word.

"cromulent" is another

tomcam
Conflate is seldom used correctly on HN. It means combine but now people use it when they mean confuse.
fuzztester
Oh wow, didn't know that, thanks. Yes, I've mainly or only seen used it on HN in the sense of confuse, or mistake one thing or concept for another.
giantg2
Actually, there are multiple definitions of conflate. One of these does have confuse as a synonym.
tomcam
Yes. I should have been more precise and described it as a secondary definition (which has become the primary definition in recent years).
defrost
to viscerally delve into psephology .. !an AI
LinuxBender
"bollard" [1] - I always called them steel poles with concrete inside, buried in the ground. Someone here corrected me and I learned something. Adding to that I never associated them with the more artistic versions as I assumed those were weaker or just for looks.

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollard

krapp
Surprised no one has mentioned "thither" as often as dang uses it.

Haven't seen "yon" yet.

tomcam
TFA (the fucking article)
zufallsheld
Alternatively the fine article.
tomcam
Hey! I like that much better. Thanks!
replwoacause
“Your pricing is too high” and I learned them in that order too
piotrke
'churn' and 'churn rate'
nicbou
“Order of magnitude”