Why Do Players Say "Boardwipe" and not "Boardwiper?"
General forum
Posted on April 8, 2025, 9:25 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
"Boardwipe" is a common slang term for a card that can destroy all permanents, or all permanents of a specific type, that are currently on the battlefield, with Wrath of God and Damnation being two of the best-known examples, but I wonder why players are using that term, rather than saying "boardwiper," since the word "wipe" is a verb, while "wiper" is a noun, which means that it is the more appropriate term, at least from the perspective of one who was once and English major (before changing to history, and then technical support).
What does everyone else say, about this subject? Why do players say "boardwipe" instead of "boardwiper?"
It also should be noted that "wipe" is a noun - an object with which you wipe (verb) can be called a wipe (noun). The Oxford English Dictionary notes this particular noun usage dates back to at least 1708.
April 8, 2025 10:49 p.m.
I understand it like this: you call the CARD a WIPE (like wipes for cleaning stuff, you are cleaning the board of creatures or whatever is the permanent that card deals with)
April 9, 2025 2:07 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #7
Caerwyn, that makes sense, so I thank you, for explaining that.
April 10, 2025 9:46 p.m.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerund
Like how asswipe can be a verb or noun, so can boardwipe.
April 11, 2025 11:46 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #9
KongMing that makes sense, so I thank you, for sharing that information.
legendofa says... #2
There's a technical name for that: denominalization. More colloquially, it's just called verbing, and it's a pretty common way to express ideas.
I don't know exactly why people do it, but English is a pretty good language to do it in, even if it sounds informal and slang-y.
After looking around a bit, it's actually a pretty well-established tradition. I can say that I'm going to the store and take a look at the fishing catch before the track meet, and it sounds completely normal.
April 8, 2025 10:37 p.m.