0

If yes, then which tag should I be using?

For example:

Q: Wordplay on WebDAV - DAV - caDAVer

There is this software tool called cadaver that is used to connect to Web DAV repositories over the Web. Below the author of the tool explains how he came up with the name..

Now was the word cadaver chosen because it contains the word DAV or is there some other reason why we have the letters "ca" prefixed to the word DAV?

Frequently Asked Questions

-> Why this horrible name? It's a play on words: WebDAV - DAV - caDAVer. Gettit?

From the About page:

  • Avoiding asking questions relating to: Criticism, discussion, and analysis of English literature.

So does wordplay fall under this?

5
  • 1
    Nah, I don't "geddit". I know it's only an "example", but do you seriously think such a question would be of interest to linguists, etymologists, and {serious} English language enthusiasts. Personally, I'm more interested in knowing how you manage to misspell word as work (not a promising start on a site dedicated to English!).
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Dec 4, 2013 at 0:53
  • @FumbleFingers - Thank you for your reply. I found some questions on wordplay (here's one) and wanted to double check if I was missing something.. but I am convinced now that it's just poor wordplay. After going through the link, I agree wordplay would not be a serious topic for this site. Oh the misspelling.. that might have been caused by muscle memory.
    – Kent Pawar
    Commented Dec 4, 2013 at 6:43
  • 1
    Fair enough. As it happens, I downvoted (but didn't closevote) the "poultry in motion" question. I always thought it reflected badly on ELU that one of our highest-voted questions was from someone asking us to explain the Dalai Lama "pizza" joke. That one seems to have been permanently deleted now, so I guess TPTB also think such questions aren't suitable for this site. Personally, I'm in complete agreement with Matt's answer here (sometimes it's OK, mostly it's not).
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Dec 4, 2013 at 14:06
  • @Fumble - Stop blushing; that's an ELL question, not an ELU question. (ELL's top questions are all about free beer and pizza, evidently.)
    – J.R.
    Commented Dec 5, 2013 at 11:13
  • @J.R.: oic. I wondered why I couldn't find it on ELU - it was here (but deleted) a couple of years ago when I whinged about it on meta.The mods must have moved it since then, which is fine by me. I suppose "wordplay" occurs in all languages, but it does no harm to have a few well-known examples on ELL (the Dalai Lama himself could have benefited from reading it before facing that imbecilic interviewer! :)
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Dec 5, 2013 at 14:19

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

This particular question is answered in caDAVer's FAQ: it's called that because cadaver has the letters DAV in it. That's what the line you've quoted says to me. I don't think it's a matter of opinion. Of course, if you're still unsure you're better off asking the person who created the name than you are asking us.

With respect to questions about word play. They should be taken on a case by case basis. Much like when someone asks about the meaning of lyrics — sometimes that's OK, sometimes (mostly) it's not.

If the question boils down to opinion, then it's not suitable. If there is a fact, that is not found in a general reference, that needs to be explained, then it is suitable.

1
  • Thank you... that sums it up well.
    – Kent Pawar
    Commented Dec 4, 2013 at 14:21

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .