Manicule

[beck123]

I like double-digiting, too, but 1) "double digits" already has a well-known meaning, and 2) I was trying to come up with something without a hyphen, diphthong, diaresis, or anything else that makes it look, well, made-up.

I also like the "diplo-" prefix meaning "double," rather than "two"

Maybe diplodigitation. That sure meets all of my criteria.

[beck123]

Apparently, some cultures consider the one-finger pointing gesture to be rude. Flight attendants are trained to use two fingers, as are Disney personnel.

You're right. Our culture considers one-finger pointing to be rude. But there is no belligerence in pointing to the emergency exits on an aircraft or the men's room at Wally World. I think diplodigitation is one more manifestation of the politically-correct impositionists, who spend their days finding fault with our habits and customs. When Kuwaiti men learn to visit the dentist and stop kissing each other, I may begin to worry about insulting them by pointing to the duty-free shop with one finger.

[saparris]

When Kuwaiti men learn to visit the dentist and stop kissing each other, I may begin to worry about insulting them by pointing to the duty-free shop with one finger.

Here's a thought: perhaps diplodigitation originated in the Middle east because so many people there have just one hand remaining and want to maximize its use.

[beck123]

I posted the same thought and erased it, because I thought you'd written "Middle Ages." Maybe it would be appropriate to give our neologism an Arabic origin, vice Greek/Latin. Unfortunately, I am 99.98% illiterate in Arabic.

[beck123]

In researching something outside this forum, I just learned that today's manicule would be considered a "dingbat," which is a printer's term for small non-alphanumeric symbols. The name, dingbat, still appears in the list of fonts on our computers.

[LukeJavan8]

"Double Digiting": hummmm - seems too close to
double-dipping.

[saparris]

In researching something outside this forum, I just learned that today's manicule would be considered a "dingbat," which is a printer's term for small non-alphanumeric symbols. The name, dingbat, still appears in the list of fonts on our computers.

I am familiar with dingbats (don't say anything smart). The most well known are Zapf Dingbats, created by Hermann Zapf of Germany.

Here are a few:



Zapf is known best for his typeface, Palatino, one of the most widely used fonts in typography.

[LukeJavan8]

Moi? Something smart?
What is the meaning of Dingbat?

[saparris]

Dingbat
1838, Amer.Eng., "some kind of alcoholic drink," of unknown origin. One of that class of words (e.g. dingus, doohickey, gadget, gizmo, thingumabob) which are conjured up to supply names for items whose proper names are unknown or not recollected. Used at various periods for "money," "a professional tramp," "a muffin," "a typographical ornament," "male genitalia," "a Chinese," "an Italian," "a woman who is neither your sister nor your mother," and "a foolish person in authority." Popularized in sense of "foolish person" by TV show "All in the Family" (1971), though this usage dates from 1905.

(www.etymology.com)

Take your pick, but a dingbat in type is never called a doohicky or a gizmo.

[LukeJavan8]

Maybe a thing-a-ma-jig or what'ch-ma-call-it?
Archie used it so well, tho' it dates from 1905.

[beck123]

The most well known are Zapf Dingbats, created by Hermann Zapf of Germany.

Of course he's from Germany. Where else would a "Hermann Zapf" be from?

They must be fairly old, because I doubt if most Americans today would recognize line 2, item 6 for what it is if it were presented out of context.

[saparris]

Zapf Dingbats are 1977-vintage fonts, and I doubt that too many folks were using line 2, item 6, at that time. Still, it's a useful symbol from time to time.

My favorite dingbat (other than the human sort) is the one at the very bottom right--the little heart/leaf-looking guy. I always have trouble remembering where it is on the keyboard. It's one of those shift + something deals, so I usually just copy it from a place I've used it before and paste it where I want it to be.

[LukeJavan8]

It won't be long and Line 1 item 5 won't be
recognizable either, except maybe in zoetrope.
And that heart-leaf thingie: what do you use it
for??

It is sort of cute though; it could be a trademark of sorts.
What is it called and where do you find it to
cut and paste? (Under "manicule" somewhere?)

[saparris]

And that heart-leaf thingie: what do you use it for??

I use it for bling in brochures and such. I'm sure it has a name, but I don't know what it is.

How do you find it? I don't know. I have Zapf Dingbats on my computer (I bought them from fonts.com), so I just go back to an old brochure and copy it. I don't think it's available without having the font package.

[beck123]

I blush at my faux pas, naming line 2, item six as an anachronistic symbol. (Oops. I wasn't paying attention to sparris's avatar.) I think line 2, item 6 actually represents a nib for a quill pen, such as were (and still are by the hypodigital) used for graphics and calligraphy. I've wielded one frequently, and, if called upon for the purpose of, say, a scavenger hunt, I could probably muster an incomplete set from somewhere deep within my desk. In a practiced hand, they are capable of producing the finest of writing, perfectly suited for those little, paper labels under pinned insects.