Best Of MetaFilter

LBJ by Michael C Clark (cc by)

In Ask Metafilter, "Diseases can be idiopathic. Archaeological artefacts can be for ritual purposes. What are some other technical-sounding terms from other fields that means 'we're really not sure'?"

The last one... by isfullofcrap (cc by)

ben30's kid wants to know, are there any synonyms that rhyme?

Chrysostom's post about classic physical special-effects in TV logos drew a bunch of other fun examples in the comments.

Do you know what a billhook is? Well, jedicus found one guy with a huge encyclopedic website about 'em -- and in the comments, zamboni gave an amazing list of "one person's highly-specific passion" websites.

While we're at it, how about pjern's thread of unbelievable garden sheds. And did you catch mrbill's thread a while ago about the amazing garage renovation detailed in a novel-length forum thread?

Thella asks, what do I do with this really weird banister situation in my apartment?

Monkey by Jennie Robinson Faber (cc by)

An odd FPP is fun and a hit; can you add a new bit of apt wit – but on top of all, eke it out to fit?

inside elevation by parramitta (cc by)

Why does Wyoming have such a low population compared to neighboring states? barchan explains, jeb adds: "everything in the West comes back to water".

Ever wonder what a "nor'easter" is? Check out the great answers from Seymour Zamboni, plastic_animals, and weathergal in rules of thumb for weather patterns in the USA.

Lots of different places have unique colloquial weather terms too. (Gullywashers, the foxes' wedding, and lots of wind terms again from barchan.)

Also in language surveys: What are some antiquated place nicknames (like the Borscht Belt)? What do other languages call it when your foot "falls asleep"?

Different cultures also have their own languages of flower-meanings. Plus some cool info from sukeban on how new imported flowers like roses made their way into kimono designs in the late 19th century.

For geography/history detectives: How can I tell, just from clues in the document itself, when a world map was made or figure out when a photograph was taken?

Did you see the new photos from the formerly-hidden-from-visitors North Korean subway system?

Some great answers in travel threads recently: Italy: non-traditional but amazing?, and also Scotland: what not to miss.

Styven Magnes : Speech balloons by Marc Wathieu (cc by-nc)

Getting hip with the lingo, on Ask Me: When did the phrase "Garbage People/Person" become popular? | Did people actually say "shwench"? | In words like normcore, What is the meaning of the -core suffix?

... and recently on the blue, D'ya get me, bruv?; a new London accent called MLE has emerged in the last few years | A Tart My Dears, A Tart – how British gay men used to talk, featuring Polari, the cult language of UK homosexuals derived from theatre and circus slang

Commonly used words that Metafilter uses much more than any other contemporary American (with usernames removed): nsfw, wanna, gonna, dunno, gizmodo, dont, gotta, wtf, imho, btw, fanfic, reddit, gpl, cannot, rekers, full-on, assange, adblock, douchebags, ggw, dadt, osx, meh, c'mon, paywall, repubs, stfu, bsg, snark, astroturfing, ghibli, banksy, autotune, aphex, technica, webkit, threeway, steampunk, mashups, nutjobs, emergents, huffpo, hahaha, spot-on, aint, pinboard.