Reverse dictionary: Perhaps this has been around a while, but I haven’t seen it before: The OneLook “reverse dictionary” where you can, uh, I don’t know the word, but it…:
“…lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be a few words, a sentence, a question, or even just a single word…”
Of course, when I saw this reverse dictionary, I had to immediately put it to the Homer Simpson test.
The test comes from a favorite Homer Simpson quote around my house; one the 14-year-old and I always say when the other can’t remember a word. It’s from an episode where Homer develops a vast vocabulary and then loses it to the point he’s having to ask Marge:
“What’s that metal deely you use to dig food?”
So, I typed in “that metal deely you use to dig food” and “spoon” was number three, right behind eat and plate.
Well done. (However, something tells me there is a major time-wasting game lurking in this new service.)
