Talk:dangly thing

RFD (2007)

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dangly thing

• Anything that dangles, especially something whose name isn't known. Not idiomatic. Much the same could be said for "long thing", "smelly thing", "hexagonal thing", etc.
• (informal, anatomy) The uvula. An example of the above rather than a special case - don't people say "that dangly thing that hangs down at the back of your mouth" rather than "a dangly thing" or "his dangly thing" (which I would understand to be something else entirely...)? — Paul G 09:34, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

I called the uvula in my mouth (careful spelling needed here!) a dangly thing for years because I didn'tknow whta the hell it was actually called, however I fell that Paul G may be on the ball here because the term is not really more than the sum of its parts. We may want to keep it if we get a few cites.--Williamsayers79 14:10, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

The phrase "dangly thing" is used an inordinately large amount compared to the relative rarity of the word "dangly" itself. "Dangly thing" (the first hit of which, incidentally, is using it to refer to the uvula) gets 10,300 hits vs. 485,000 for "dangly" alone; compare 13,500 "smelly thing" vs. 7,410,000 for "smelly", and 582 for "hexagonal thing" vs. 9,520,000 for "hexagonal". Similarly, although it's harder to demonstrate, I think an inordinately large number of the uses of "dangly thing" would be referring to the uvula.

It may be the sum of its parts, but so are things like mousetrap. I think it should merit inclusion by virtue of being a particular combination of parts that is very commonly used, in preference to other combinations that would mean the same thing. --Ptcamn 13:44, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

Note that I didn't say "sum of its parts" - I don't use this expression on RFV or RFD, and nor should anyone else. As I have pointed out before, idiomaticity is what is important. "Mousetrap" is indeed the sum of its parts - it is trap for a mouse - but it is idiomatic, as it refers to a very specific type of trap (a snapping device, not a box, a hole in the ground, etc) set for a very specific type of mouse (the rodent, not the computer input device, a quiet person, etc). "Hexagonal thing" is also the sum of its parts, but it is not idiomatic (it can refer to anything that is hexagonal). Hence the first goes in Wiktionary, and the second does not; hence "sum of parts" is an unhelpful label to be avoided in RFV and RFD.

If I had my way, all users should be forced to write out "I must use 'not idiomatic' instead of 'sum of parts' in requests for verification/deletion". ;) Now, could my point about "sum of parts" versus "idiomaticity" be put somewhere prominent so that everyone sees it? — Paul G 09:08, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

RFV passed. Entry retained. RFV failed. Sense deleted. —Ruakh_TALK 20:27, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

RFD (2012)

The following information has failed Wiktionary's deletion process.

It should not be re-entered without careful consideration.

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dangly thing

Citations do not demonstrate a sense meaning "uvula" (especially the first one: "a long dangly thing (which I now know is called an uvula)". Appears to be just a common description of the uvula, not a term that refers to it specifically. Equinox ◑ 22:14, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

Ha, when I saw this in the recent changes I assumed it was Lucifer Wildcat entry meaning penis. It probably means a thing which is dangly, which in individual cases can refer to many things. Same as red flower can refer to a poppy or a rose, but it doesn't mean either of these, it's just a brief description of them. Mglovesfun (talk) 22:55, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

• Delete. Refers to any thing that is dangly. If I said "My dangly thing is swollen" you would need me to provide further context to realize I meant the dangly thing in my throat. bd2412 T 03:51, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
• Delete: None of those citations are for "dangly thing", they're for variants of "dangly thing at the back of one's throat". That's not a name of the thing, that's a description. Dangly thing is no more a word for uvula than little room in the front of the plane where the pilots sit is a synonym of cockpit (but that's not important right now). Smurrayinchester (talk) 22:09, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
• Delete: This is a description, not a term. FWIW, I also first thought this referred to penis. -- Eiríkr Útlendi │ Tala við mig 17:15, 17 April 2012 (UTC)

Deleted.​—msh210℠ (talk) 21:06, 10 May 2012 (UTC)