などnerdetc./and so on

The defining characteristic of a nerd is an obsession with a particular subject. The subject could be Star Trek, computers, insects, etc.—it doesn't really matter. The key thing is that the nerd just won't let go of it.

Nerds love to talk about their subject of interest in never-ending detail. They can go on and on for hours or days about it.

Some of the biggest offenders are the culture nerds. You probably know a Japanese culture nerd. When asked what they like about Japan, instead of giving a short list of their favorites and ending it with "etc." like a normal person, they'll go on and on about their likes: anime, karate, Japanese food, J-pop, the Japanese language, Samurai movies, Pocky, kendo, kanji, Japanese game shows, movies about monsters invading Tokyo—just end the list with "and so on" and let the other person get on with their life already! What's wrong with just saying "anime, karate, the food, etc."!

Don't make the mistake of asking a Japanese culture nerd what his or her favorite とくさつ　are. You might expect them to say "Godzilla, Super Giant, etc." but what you'll probably get is a listing of every monster movie, superhero series, and mecha drama ever produced...

jekor
2009-05-22