Week in Words

By ERIN MCKEAN

Brand Names

Alfisti

If he's to convince the brand's fans, known as "Alfisti," he has to come up with engines that are worthy of the brand's racing heritage.

Volkswagen enthusiasts are sometimes known as "dubbers" (from the letter W of "VW"); the word "tifosi" ("fanatics" or "fans" in Italian) can be used to refer to the supporters of the Ferrari Formula One racing team.

United Skates

jammer

One skater on each team, known as the jammer and sporting a star on her helmet, tries to lap the other team's skaters. Starting with the jammer's second pass through the opposition, her team gets a point for each opponent she laps.

The other positions in roller derby include blockers (who try to prevent the other team's jammer from passing) and pivots (who lead the pack, help their own jammer go faster and block the opposing jammer). There are also inside, outside and back blockers.

Exit Right, Go Left

jughandle

Known as the "Jersey Left," drivers must exit right and travel into a U-shaped lane across the road to eventually turn left. Jughandles were originally designed to help safely slow traffic, but increases in traffic volumes now lead some of them to backup.

A similar traffic-control feature, in both use and naming style, is the "Michigan left," which replaces left turns on divided highways with special crossover lanes permitting U-turns followed by right turns.

The Importance of Being Ernst

decalcomania

"Drawing Surrealism" demonstrates the subconscious could be unleashed in art through double images (Salvador Dalí), "automatic" drawing (Joan Miró, André Masson), collage (Joseph Cornell—yes, an American) and "decalcomania" (two wet surfaces pressed together and then pulled apart, a favorite technique of Max Ernst).

The word decalcomania comes from roots meaning "to transfer a tracing" and "madness" or "craze"—referring to the popularity of the technique.

A version of this article appeared February 9, 2013, on page C4 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Week in Words.