This item is dedicated to... those stubborn, elusive words!

Have you ever asked the question, "What is that called?" Or, perhaps, have you ever wished that you could go to someone just knowledgeable enough to know just the word or phrase you're looking for as you begin to describe it, much like the music salesperson who responds, "Oh, yeah, I know that song; it's..." when you badly hum or sing only the first several notes of that song you are desperately striving to remember?

A vocabulary dilemma has, well, been haunting me lately--yes, I think the word "haunting" is appropriate, because, after all, this forum is really the reverse of my In & Out, entitled, "Words That Haunt Our Minds"; this forum is for those of us who all-too-well know what is the definition or description of the word or term of concern, but the single word or phrase that encompasses that concept is another matter. As I was saying, a lexical question once plagued me. The question: What is a one-word verb that means to create a cacophony (a collection of dissonant sounds)? (You may note, by the way, that this one still seems to have eluded me.)

Well, maybe this will help. And even if one's question goes indefinitely unanswered, it may be therapeutic just to get the frustrating thoughts out, just by describing them. Or maybe you will feel better believing that other people might read your question and then it will begin to nag at them, too!

Whatever your motivation, if you are experiencing that "tip-of-the-tongue" phenomenon--or worse, a multitude!--then this is the right repository for your inquiry.