Lexigame Community
General Category => Words => Topic started by: Morbius on March 05, 2021, 07:26:58 PM
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I played meerkat in yesterday's 10 letter puzzle and was surprised that it came up as rare. I was also surprised to find that only about 15% of players found it. Obviously it's a hard word to spot. Nonetheless, I reckon pretty much everyone knows what a meerkat is, so I'd argue that it should be a common word.
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IMNSHO, if there is a question as to whether a word should be common or rare, it should be rare. Interestingly, the OED places meerkat in Frequency Band 3 — the frequency level of most words which get questioned regarding common/rare. Also, my browser's spell check has underlined meerkat, which suggests it isn't all that common. I don't have a strong opinion either way on this word.
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Like TRex, I have no strong opinion on whether meerkat should be common or rare although if forced to choose I'd go for common. I know it's not helpful to compare one word with another to decided its status, but if my memory serves me correctly I believe loris is classed as common. I'd suggest that meerkats are better known than lorises.
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Meerkat is very well known to me. We have annoying insurance ads in Australia with talking meerkats.
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We have those ads in the UK too Jacki. That (and David Attenborough) being the reason so many people know the word!
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I think, if my memory serves me right, there's a meerkat in 'The Lion King'.
Not sure about 'Madagascar' but I've only seen the first one, not the sequels.
Anyway, my vote is for 'common'.
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One of our supermarket chains sells meerkat garden gnomes...
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They look more like bears than meerkats! ;D ;D ;D
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I think meerkats came to the attention of many people through their appearance in The Lion King. The British television program, Meerkat Manor, had a four-season run on Animal Planet - I was one of many who mourned the death of matriarch Flower. A small zoo in my borough's largest park has an exhibit of meerkcats. I agree with Pat that they are much better known than lorises, slow or not.
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In a recent discussion of the word peccary (https://theforum.lexigame.com/index.php?topic=5086.msg81579#msg81579), the question of meerkat's classification popped its head up again, prompting me to - finally - answer this suggestion.
As noted in people's comments, meerkats have become much better known over the years thanks to TV and movie appearances. This started perhaps with a David Attenborough documentary "Meerkats United" in the 1980s. Then, over the following years, there was a character in "The Lion King" movie, then the TV series "Meerkat Manor". Finally, the pinnacle of celebrity achievement, TV commercials selling insurance.
As a result, the word meerkat has seen a massive surge in usage over the past few decades, according to the Google Ngram viewer:
(https://theforum.lexigame.com/meerkat.png)
As a further confirmation of the word's currency, it has been used a few times in this forum. Way back in 2007 biggerbirdbrain wrote (about working in a cubicle), "Had me jumping up and down like a meerkat!"
So I feel it's justified to have meerkat as a common word from now on.
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Yay, thanks Alan. I’m sure that Aleksandr and Sergei will be thrilled as well. ;D
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Yay! Another K word. Thanks Alan
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(tongue in cheek) I offer the word Meerkatting. It is what I tell my spaniel to stop doing when she is trying to spot what food is on the worktop !!
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Tongue in cheek nothing - that one is definitely a keeper. Love it. :D
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I feel we have unfairly targeted the Peccaries of the world!
:) ;)
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I feel we have unfairly targeted the Peccaries of the world!
:) ;)
I think it's perhaps indicative of our lack of knowledge of the creatures we share this planet with.
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Here's a collared peccary in Costa Rica.