The deserved popular XKCD web comic strip makes a good point here that had occurred independently to me after seeing videos of the terrible Japan tsumani last year: Efforts to discourage use of the term “tidal wave” misguided, because while it’s true that they’re not caused by tides, they behave a lot like a rapidly rising tide. But I never got around to saying that except possibly in a conversation or two, so XKCD deserves the credit:
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