Much ado over metathis and metathat
In the realm of catch-all terms, nothing beats “meta.” I’d be hard-pressed to define the word. Sounds like a Greek letter, but it isn’t.
If I had to use “meta” in a sentence I’d say, “I meta woman named Sharon at an estate sale yesterday.”
Yes, there’s that term “metaphysics.” What’s it mean? Since we live in a metaphysical world, maybe it’s just regular physics as opposed to some other kind of physics. That’s my guess.
I can’t think of any other kinds of physics.
Meta came to my mind thanks to a scammy email message, supposedly from MetaMask. They’re threatening to suspend my wallet. What wallet? The logo for MetaMask purports to be a fox face.
GOOGLE BREAK.
“MetaMask is a software cryptocurrency wallet used to interact with the Ethereum blockchain.”
Like that explains everything.
At least I now know that MetaMask truly exists. Furthermore, the logo really is a cute little fox face.
If you want a scam to seem believable, include an official logo. If you’re the scamee, beware of logos.
The real MetaMask says not to respond to that bogus email like the one I got. I already didn’t.
Meanwhile, maybe you’ve noticed that Facebook is now Meta. The logo is a distorted infinity sign, like somebody sat on it. My cursory research tells me Meta in the Facebook-Instagram context has something to do with the metaverse, which sounds like a bigger deal than the universe. If you’re wanna sound big, don’t restrict yourself to the universe.
When it comes to branding a business, meta is the latest buzz-prefix.
The perfect name for one of those online match-people-up sites would be MetaMatch. Seriously. Slogan: I met him-her on MetaMatch.
When it comes to established Meta brands, Metamusil obviously beat Zuckerberg to the punch. Musil wouldn’t have gotten anywhere on its own, but Metamusil sounds powerful. Shades of mucilage. Remember that product? We digress.
How many words can you think of that start with “meta”?
PAUSE TO GUESS.
Metacarpal, metamorphosis, metastatic, metal and me-Tarzan-you-Jane.
Is meta a word by itself?
Yes, the noun form is short for “meta key,” which is one of those function keys on a computer keyboard. Whatever.
As an adjective, “meta” is anybody’s dog to hunt with, meaning “behind, after or beyond.” Just pick one. That’s in English. In Greek, it means “with, across or after.” Not much better. What a handy word. Remember when I dubbed it a catch-all term? I was right.
If you’re into one-upmanship, good luck getting a leg up on “meta.” It’s a moving target. The epitome of vague.
Metatarsal. Just thought of that one.
Dictionary says it’s “any of the bones of the foot.” Really?
I’ve always wondered how anybody could say “I broke my foot.” A fourth of the bones in the human body are in the feet. “Which bone?” I always want to ask.
Now I’ve got my answer. Metatarsal.
And I’m still wondering which bone.
Why am I not surprised?
Life in the metaverse.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Much ado over metathis and metathat
