Words You Have Taught Me — June 2019
#9 — a memories of Memorial Day listicle
curated by Joe Váradi
The latest in literary lingo, journalist jargon, author’s argot and pencil pusher pidgin that I soaked up here since the last time we did this …
I’m starting to think that there is a conspiracy to come up with new words faster than I can catalog them. Hey — just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean it ain’t happening.
Note of interest: this edition contains two terms that were new to me which are near-synonyms: verdigris and viridian. 😲
With this 9th edition of #WYHTM, you have cumulatively taught me over 250 novel words, terms and acronyms on this site — keep ‘em coming!
adaptogenic
(in herbal medicine) a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress
from Jeremy Glass
Antykithera mechanism
ancient mechanical calculator (sometimes described as the first mechanical computer) designed to predict astronomical positions and eclipses which has been dated to about 205 BC; named after the Greek island in the Aegean Sea where it was discovered on a shipwreck in 1900
from Ella Alderson
chichi
attempting stylish elegance but achieving only an overelaborate pretentiousness
Not sure whether to pronounce this CHee-CHee, or SHee-SHee … Sarah Lofgren, tie-breaker, please?
dematting
removing densely tangled clumps of fur in a pet’s coat
from Kathy Salzberg
diurnal
of, relating to the daytime; occurring every day; (botany) opening during the day and closing at night … same root as the word “journal”
from James Lewis Huss
elide
omit (a sound or syllable) when speaking; to join, to merge
from Sam McKenzie Jr.
ennuyer
(French) to bother, to trouble
from Christina Ward
Feynman point
the sequence of six 9s occuring in the decimal representation of the number Pi (π), starting at the 762nd decimal place
from Ali Kayaspor
Gamayun
a prophetic bird of Russian folklore; it is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge and lives on an island in the east, close to paradise
from Michael Stang
grok
to understand profoundly and intuitively
per Merriam-Webster: grok may be the only English word that derives from Martian […] grok was introduced in Robert A. Heinlein’s 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land
from Remington Write
headcanon
(slang) elements and interpretations of a fictional universe accepted by individual fans, but not found within or supported by the official canon
from rstevens
Horse’s Neck
a cocktail consisting of ginger ale, a twist of lemon peel, and liquor, typically brandy
from Tom Gregg
ixora
a class of tropical flowering plants and shrubs with clusters of very small, brightly colored four-petal flowers
from Michelle Muses
kambo
the poisonous secretion of the giant monkey frog, or Phyllomedusa bicolor, native to Amazon rainforest; or the traditional ritual that uses this poison to purify the body and treat various health conditions
from Zoe Cormier
lariat
a long light rope used with a running noose to catch livestock or with or without the noose to tether grazing animals
from Bonnie Flach
mbalax and Wolof
mbalax — the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia; it is a fusion of popular music from the diaspora, the West, and afropop such as jazz, soul, Latin, Congolese rumba, and rock blended with sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of the Wolof
Wolof — the largest ethnic group of Senegal, also found in Gambia and Mauritania
from Gail Pellett
McGurk effect
a perceptual phenomenon or illusion that demonstrates an interaction between hearing and vision in speech perception
from Krisztián Komándi
nipper
(informal) child, esp. a small boy
from Slk.🎈, a.k.a. S Lynn Knight
omnibibulous
one who enjoys beverages, especially alcoholic, of all kind; one who isn’t picky about what alcoholic drinks he/she consumes
from (wait for it) Stephen M. Tomic
palimpsest
a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain
from Rebeca Ansar
perga
(Spanish) “ a tall, cardboard-made cup that can hold up to a pint and a half of lager”
Common in Cuba, as I learned from Mario Lopez-Goicoechea‘s story.
pleonasm
the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning; redundant phrasing
Examples from Edith Zimmerman’s story: free gift, tuna fish, entered into, revert back …
proxemics
the branch of knowledge that deals with the amount of space that people feel it necessary to set between themselves and others
from Dana Berghes
san-nakji
Korean raw dish that features young live octopus cut into pieces and served immediately, so that the tentacles are still wiggling on the plate due to neural reflex actions
from Kyrie Gray
Selectric
the IBM Selectric was a highly successful line of electric typewriters introduced to the market in 1961
This is not a very useful term to know, but I’m including it as a vehicle to feature Tiffany Quay Tyson’s very funny work.
tarantism
a psychological illness characterized by an extreme impulse to dance, prevalent in southern Italy from the 15th to the 17th century, and widely believed at the time to have been caused by the bite of a tarantula
from Ann Litts
thrip
tiny, slender winged insects with unique asymmetrical mouthparts, they feed on plant sap; also referred to as thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, storm bugs, harvest bugs
from L M Glegg
tocayos
(Spanish) “namesake”, term of endearment for people who share the same last name
from Brenda Fredericks
tracery
ornamental stone openwork, typically in the upper part of a Gothic window
from D Abboh
triple talaq
(Arabic) talaq means “divorce”, esp. when initiated by the husband; triple talaq is a form of Islamic divorce recognised by some Muslims in India, which allows a husband to divorce his wife by stating the word talaq three times orally or in writing
from Safecity India
verdigris
a bright bluish-green encrustation or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation
from Lise Colas
viridian
a bluish-green pigment consisting of hydrated chromium hydroxide
from Mary Holden
and finally …
996 work culture
work culture expected of employees in many companies in China, including some tech giants — it refers to working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 6 days a week
from Athirah Syamimi
and James Stanier
Thanks for your attention & contributions. Here are the previous installments of #WYHTM:
