Pick your next pastime

Yarn bombing, gongoozling, and other unusual hobby names

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Yarn, stones, small beautiful pictures. Some deceivingly simple objects have fascinated humans for generations. People must have found soothing peace and fun in activities built around these simple things, because, centuries later, we are still happy to spend Saturday mornings polishing mud and scavenging for old lottery tickets. Let’s explore the etymology of the names of 10 strange hobbies: Some complex names for simple pastimes, and complex pastimes with simple names.

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Toy voyaging is responsible for certain toys, like teddy bears or fairy dolls, having traveled to more countries than most people ever do. Travelers who practice this hobby help in the collective endeavor of moving certain tagged toys on journeys and documenting their adventures with photos and diary entries, usually online.

The etymology for this hobby is straightforward, but the term was coined by an online community self-proclaimed "ToyVoyagers" who help keep track of all the moving toys and their log history. The practice helped bring together people from all over the world who once held and cared for these toys, and who log in once in a while to see pictures of these celebrity teddies near world-famous landmarks.

Image: Linda Söndergaard

It is said that, by now, millions of geocaches are stashed around the world. But what are they? Geocaches, or caches, are containers hidden in specific locations as an incentive for people to play a worldwide game: Geocaching. It’s a large-scale, real-world, outdoor treasure hunt of capsules that have been conceived, in some cases, for decades. The modern take on this classic game is that participants use GPS and smartphone apps to navigate to these locations.

The term comes from the combination of geo, the Greek word for Earth, and cache, meaning a hidden storage spot. The original name for the activity was "GPS stash hunt", but it was changed by the community of geocachers to avoid any negative connotations. The first geocache was placed in Oregon in 2000, and the fascination with this activity has only grown since.

Image: Yan Krukau

In short, dorodango is the art and craft of creating perfectly round and polished balls of mud. It might remind you of rock tumbling, the act of polishing rough rocks until they are unrecognizably smooth and shiny. But this was an ancient art form that started in Japan, which a professor from Kyoto University helped bring back into modern-day practice.

In Japanese, Hikaru translates to "shining" or "bright," and dorodango refers to a ball of mud. It is considered a meditative and delicate process: of course, it might take hours or days to perfect a ball of mud until it gleams like marble, but that’s the point of setting out to do it. It gained a lot of popularity worldwide thanks to social media, where fanatics of minimalism and quiet craftsmanship got on board.

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Have you ever been walking down the street when you found, well… a tree trunk wrapped in yarn? This is the result of an activity also known as "guerrilla knitting." Its goal is to cover objects in public spaces with colorful knitted or crocheted yarn. Trees, as well as statues, benches, lamposts, or mailboxes, are often recipients of these decorations which explore intricate shapes and patterns.

The term combines "yarn," referring to the material, with "bombing," a slang term reserved for sudden or unexpected artistic actions, like graffiti. In 2011, a large-scale yarn bombing project took place in Austin, Texas, where over 99 trees were covered with yarn for the city’s annual "Knitta, Please" project. The wholesome part of yarn bombing is that it is considered a non-destructive form of street art.

Image: Chait Goli

Strange as the term may sound, if you’ve ever been near a bridge or canal lock, you might have found yourself gongoozling. It simply means to leisurely watch boats and vessels as they pass through canals or waterways. The word originated in 19th-century English, combining gawn (to stare) and gooze (a dialect word for "to gape") to refer to a very curious observation.

The activity is particularly popular in the U.K. and is promoted to encourage tourism around its scenic canals. Sometimes this is compared with trainspotting, although that one consists of recognizing and cataloging trains instead of just watching them.

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Have you ever gone to the theatre and forever saved the program? Well, that’s not far from what an ephemera collector might do. Deriving from the Greek ephemeros, meaning "short-lived," this is the term given to the hobby of conserving items originally meant for short-term use. For example, gathering and collecting event tickets, posters, envelopes, newspapers, and so on.

Collectors are fascinated with how these objects contain a historical snapshot of their lives or important eras or trends. There’s even an Ephemera Society’s Fairs held in many parts of the world, where enthusiasts share the rarest finds, going back to even Victorian postcards.

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If you were to win the lottery, most likely you would frame the winning ticket and praise it often. But lotology enthusiasts collect all sorts of lottery tickets, not just the successful ones. Lotologists are fascinated with the variety of designs, printing techniques, historical value, and cultural significance of lottery tickets from around the world, used or unused.

The name derives from lot- referring to lottery tickets, and the suffix -ology, meaning the study of something. Some of the most fascinating finds in this area have been winning tickets from long expired lotteries, or the first drawn tickets from major famous lotteries.

Image: Artem Beliaikin

Petit-Tube is an online site that bases its content on the titan of online videos: YouTube. A French digital artist created this site in 2011 with one simple goal: To show visitors one random video that, at the time of consulting, had zero views.

This hobby, tailored for the most curious digital surfers, often leads to people supporting small or growing channels and providing an audience for strangers who are posting their videos and hoping to be seen. Also, viewers might find hidden gems before they go viral, or underappreciated funny, bizarre, or moving scenes.

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Of course, if a loved one sent you a postcard from a faraway city while on vacation, you’d be inclined to keep it. But would you keep a stack of postcards with nothing written in them? A deltiologist would. Deltiology is the hobby of collecting postcards, which can range from vintage cards depicting landmarks to rare, limited-edition releases. You may have guessed it: Deltiology is one of the most popular collecting hobbies in the world.

Some people find these unique postcards in shops while traveling, but others, interested in the exceptionally rare, browse sites like eBay to expand their collections. The term derives from the Greek word deltion, which refers to small writing tablets or letters.

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Short for "urban exploration," the term urbex means exploring abandoned or off-limits urban spaces. A forgotten theatre, country house, hospital, or an entire ghost town, can be the center of an adventure for urban explorers.

Usually, the thrill is based on discovering and documenting these eerie spots. Many urbex-ers share online videos and pictures of their findings, and the hobby has also inspired many documentaries and exhibitions. Enthusiasts often follow the "Leave No Trace" rule, which means they avoid causing damage or leaving behind any evidence of their visit.

Words that wow

Don't send that text until you see these 10 synonyms for everyday words

Image: Joshua Hoehne

It's time to face it: when we're talking or writing, it's easy to fall into the habit of repeating the same words. Certain nouns, verbs, and adjectives predominate in our daily conversations, whether we're being formal or just chatting. If you're writing an essay or an article, or want to communicate with your friends more originally, keep reading! Today, we're going to revisit some fresh, fun, and super useful synonyms for 10 words we tend to overuse. Let's go for it!

Image: Joshua Woroniecki

When you see something you like or find pretty, it can be hard to come up with a word that replaces the trusty "beautiful."

Luckily, our language has many great alternatives that can sound even better. From familiar ones like "gorgeous," "stunning," and "delightful" to some lesser-known terms, such as "beauteous," there are many variants to choose from.

The elegant "beauteous" is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as "very pleasing to look at." For instance, you might say, "I was given a bouquet of beauteous flowers."

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One of the most overused words in our language has to be the adjective "good," and for good reason! It's really useful, thanks to its simplicity and effectiveness in describing pretty much anything: situations, contexts, objects, or people. However, if what you need is a change to sound more original, there are other words that can do the same job.

Depending on the context, simpler words like "worthy" or "fine," along with less common ones like "superb" (meaning excellent or of the highest quality), "salubrious" (good for health), or "propitious" (meaning "favorable") can be great options to replace the classic "good."

Image: Josh Hild

Of course, not everything is good, right? Some things definitely deserve a negative description, and that's just the way it is. But it's hard to avoid the typical "bad."

While "bad" is broad and very effective, we're lucky to have some great alternatives that can make you feel more eloquent.

The choice of replacement will depend on how bad the thing you want to describe is, but here are some examples. The ones that first come to mind are "poor," "wrong," "deficient," or "pathetic," but there are also less used ones. A great option is "egregious," which is used to describe something that is clearly and extremely bad (i.e., "Their performance had egregious errors"). When describing behaviors or people, you can choose terms like "nefarious" or "vile."

Image: Masjid Pogung Dalangan

Another adjective we often use is "interesting." You're probably familiar with some possible synonyms such as "intriguing," "engaging," or even the slightly dramatic "captivating." But if something catches your attention, arouses your interest, or makes you feel curious, English is full of other less frequent words that can come in handy.

Take, for example, "noteworthy," defined as notable or remarkable. Then there's "gripping," used to describe something that holds your attention or is exciting. And don't forget "enthralling," a quite similar term describing something fascinating that awakens interest.

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Let's leave the adjectives alone for a while. Now it's time for an adverb, those words that serve to highlight the intensity of an adjective or another adverb.

"Very" is one of the most used words in our language; in fact, you might not have even noticed that you've already read it here 3 times before getting to this point. Being so common and frequent, it is normal that we forget to look for a synonym to replace it and get out of the repetition beyond the typical "too," "so," "super," or "really."

"Highly" is a good alternative, and so are other adverbs such as "extremely," "incredibly," or even "remarkably." What others would you add to this list?

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When it's time to talk about feelings, things can get a bit complicated. It's always helpful to remember a few words for those moments when emotions feel overwhelming or you're just not sure what to say.

If someone did something that made you feel bad, instead of just saying, "I'm mad," you can express yourself with some synonyms that fit your situation better.

For instance, if your neighbor has once again blocked your garage door with his car, you might say you're "annoyed" or "irritated." If that frustration is even higher, you could say, "I'm exasperated!" In another situation, if your friend forgot her boyfriend's birthday and it hurt his feelings, you could think that he might be "offended." Finally, if something got on your nerves and you just couldn't hold back your anger, then the word you might need is "furious!"

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The classic "big" is popular for several good reasons: it is a simple and versatile word that fits into different situations, and it's also easy to get whether you're talking about something literal or using it in a more metaphorical sense.

But we also have a lot of words at our disposal that can fulfill these functions just as well. If you're talking about proportions or size, you can opt for familiar terms like "large" or "huge," or go with some less-used options like "gigantic" or "colossal." And when you want to highlight an important situation, instead of saying, "This is a big step in his life," you could use adjectives like "significant," "serious," or "major" instead!

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The word "answer" can serve as a verb and a noun, so its synonyms can change based on how it's used in context.

As a verb, you can read it at the beginning of an essay or paper, where the author indicates that they're trying to answer a research question through their work. In this context, it could be replaced by verbs like "solve" or "explain."

On the other hand, if "answer" is employed as a noun and you suddenly get a text that says, "I demand answers!" you might suggest synonyms such as "explanations," "responses," or, depending on the context, "solutions."

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One of the most beautiful words in any language has to be the verb "give," especially for its meaning.

Plus, that word has many synonyms that can fit different situations perfectly. For instance, instead of "giving" answers, you can "provide" them, and instead of "giving" a gift, you can "deliver" it or just "gift" (as a verb). Similarly, when you're ready to give something of yourself to a common cause, you might say "donate" or "contribute."

But there's another, less frequent word you might come across: "regale." It's used when someone is treated to food, drink, or an enjoyable experience. For example, "They regaled their guests with an extravagant meal."

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A good laugh can turn your day around, right? And a funny story is always worth sharing. So, let's see some great synonyms for "funny." Words like "hilarious" and "comical" are perfect. And if the situation has escalated to something extreme, you can opt for "ridiculous" or "absurd." While they're not exact synonyms, they can perfectly describe a humorous episode.

On the other hand, we all know that person who is so funny that everything that comes out of their mouth is taken as a joke. If you want to describe that funny friend more originally, you can try using "amusing" or "witty." What other synonyms would you add?