A proposal for a new set of metasyntactic variables

[brooksmoses]

There are a number of standard sets of metasyntactic variables, but most of them (such as the "foo", "bar", "baz" sequence) are pretty short.

Thus, I propose adoption of a new set of variables in cases where a longer list is needed: The letters from Doctor Seuss's On Beyond Zebra: Yuzz, Wum, Um, Humpf, Fuddle, Glikk, Nuh, Snee, Quan, Thnad, Spazz, Floob, Zatz, Jogg, Flunn, Itch, Yekk, Vroo, and Hi. These are short, entertaining, pronouncable, and in general unlikely to get confused with any actual English words likely to be used in a program -- exactly the characteristics that one would desire in a metasyntactic variable.

Comments

[hopeforyou.livejournal.com]

Except "hi". Hi seems to not have those characteristics.

[nolly.livejournal.com]

I posit that a program requiring more than 3-5 metasyntactic variables needs redesign.

[oneironaut.livejournal.com]

Except in cases where qu(...)ux is appropriate.