Vocabulary Dictionary (main) 1

pyrrhic (adj.)

(adj.) [attrib.] (of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor

interlinear

(adj.) written or printed between the lines of a text; (of a book) having the same text in different languages printed on alternate lines

search operator

(noun phrase) a word that can be added to an (online) search to help narrow down the results (i.e. an instruction that joins keywords to form a new, more complex query)

catachresis

(noun) the incorrect use of words, e.g. by mixing metaphors or applying terminology wrongly

it's an ill wind that blows no good

(proverb) few things are so bad that no one profits from them

nullify

(verb) [with obj.] make legally null and void, invalidate; make of no use or value (i.e. cancel out) (thus depriving something of its value or effectiveness)

smattering

(noun) a slight superficial knowledge of a language or subject; a small amount of something

mitigate

[(verb) with obj.] make less severe, serious, or painful; lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake)

trenchant

(adj.) vigorous or incisive in expression or style; (archaic or literary) (of a weapon or toll) having a sharp edge

hold to [something]

(phrasal verb) remain loyal or faithful to (i.e. abide by; continue to have a particular belief or standard); do what one has promised or decided)

pluviophilia

(noun) love or preference of rain

unforgivable

(adj.) so bad as to be unable to be forgiven or excused

vitriolic

(adj.) filled with bitter criticism or malice

accommodating

(adj.) fitting in with someone's wishes or demands in a helpful way

mushy

(adj.) soft and pulpy; excessively sentimental

reclusive

(adj.) solitary and withdrawn from the rest of the world (i.e. avoiding the company of other people)

terse

(adj.) sparing in the use of words (i.e. abrupt)

scrupulous

(adj.) (of a person or process) diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details; very concerned to avoid doing wrong

politic

(adj.) (of an action) seeming sensible and judicious under the circumstances; (also politick) [archaic] (of a person) prudent and sagacious; (verb) [no obj.] (often as noun politicking) [often derogatory] engage in political activity

implausible

(adj.) (of an argument or statement) not seeming reasonable or probable (i.e. failing to convince)

cogent

(adj.) (of an argument) clear, logical, and convincing

quasi-

(comb. form) seemingly (i.e. apparently but not really); being partly or almost

entrenched

(adj.) (of an attitude, habit, or belief) firmly established and difficult or unlikely to change (i.e. ingrained)

considerate

(adj.) careful not to cause inconvenience or hurt to others; (archaic) showing careful thought

sickening

(adj.) causing or liable to cause a feeling of nausea or disgust; (informal) causing irritation or annoyance

qua

(conj.) in the capacity of (i.e. as being) [ORIGIN Latin, ablative feminine singular of qui 'who']

shan't

(contr.) (chiefly Brit.) shall not

ne'er

(contr.) (literary or dialect) never

solicitous

(adj.) characterized by or showing interest or concern; (archaic) eager or anxious to do something

macaronic

(adj.) denoting language, esp. burlesque verse, containing words or inflections from one language introduced into the context of another; (noun) (usually macaronics) macaronic verse, esp. that which mixes the vernacular with Latin

misleading

(adj.) giving the wrong idea or impression

cheerless

(adj.) gloomy (i.e. depressing)

autophilia

(noun) love or preference of solitude / being alone; a love of one's own self (i.e. self-love, narcissism)

mysterious

(adj.) difficult or impossible to understand, explain, or identify; (of a location) having an atmosphere of strangeness or secrecy; (of a person) deliberately enigmatic

selenophilia

(noun) love or preference of the moon

second-rate

(adj.) of medicore or inferior quality

ubiquitous

(adj.) present, appearing, or found everywhere

well-heeled

(adj.) (informal) wealthy

tantamount

(adj.) [predic.] (tantamount to) equivalent in seriousness to (i.e. virtually the same as)

perky

(adj.) cheerful and lively; cheeky

nary

(adj.) informal or dialect form of not

pedagogic

(adj.) of or relating to teaching; (rare) of or characteristic of a pedagogue

sprawling

(adj.) spread out over a large area in an untidy or irregular way

thalassophilia

(noun) love of the sea

backpedal

(verb) move the pedals of a bicyle backward in order to brake; move hastily backward; reverse one's previous action or opinion

jig (verb 1-2)

[no obj.] dance a jig (a lively dance with leaping movements); [with adverbial] move up and down with a quick jerky motion

what's the (good) word?

a cordial greetings (e.g. How are (things going with) you? What have you to tell me about yourself? What good news do you have to share? What's happening?

one of the boys

an accepted member of a group, esp. a group of men

intraword switching

code-switching that occurs within a word itself (e.g. at a morpheme boundary)

be that as it may

despite that (i.e. nevertheless)

liketh

like(s) or please(s) / receive or give pleasure (Old -> Early Middle (?) English acceptable OVS word order?; akin to Spanish 'gustar') (i.e. archaic third-person singular simple present indicative form of like)

sulky (adj.)

morose, bad-tempered, and resentful; refusing to be cooperative or cheerful; expressing or suggesting gloom and bad temper

by the book

strictly according to the rules (i.e. according to the correct or established form; in the usual manner)

arcane

understood by few (i.e. mysterious or secret)

nascent (1)

(adj.) (esp. of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential

niveous

(adj.) (literary) snowy or resembling snow

cryptogenic

(adj.) (of a disease) of obscure or uncertain origin

debonair

(adj.) (of a man) confident, stylish, and charming

gangly

(adj.) (of a person) tall, thin, and awkward in movements or bearing

prolific

(adj.) (of a plant, animal, or person) producing much fruit or foilage or many offspring; (of an artist, author, or composer) producing many works; (of a sports player) high-scoring; present in large numbers or quantities (i.e. plentiful); (of a river arae, or season of the year) characterized by plentiful wildlife or produce

sensible

(adj.) (of a statement or course of action) chosen in accordance with wisdom or prudence (i.e. likely to be of benefit); (of a person) possessing or displaying prudence; (of an object) practical and functional rather than decorative; archaic readily perceived (i.e. appreciable); [predic.] (sensible of/to) able to notice or appreciate (i.e. not unaware of)

historiated

(adj.) (of an initial letter in an illuminated manuscript) decorated with designs representing scenes from the text (i.e. containing an identifiable scene or figures, sometimes relating to the text (historiated initials, first encountered in insular illumination of the first half of the 8th century, became a popular feature of medieval illumination))

glib

(adj.) (of words or the person speaking them) fluent and voluble (spoken incessantly and fluently) but insincere and shallow

decadent

(adj.) characterized by or reflecting a state of moral or cultural decline; luxuriously self-indulgent; (noun) a person who is luxuriously self-indulgent; (often Decadent) a member of a group of late-19th-cent. French and English poets associated with the Aesthetic Movement

tempestuous

(adj.) characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion; very stormy

unpardonable

(adj.) too severe to be pardoned (i.e. unforgivable)

unassailable

(adj.) unable to be attacked, questioned, or defeated

implacable

(adj.) unable to be placated; relentless (i.e. unstoppable)

addled

(adj.) unable to think clearly (i.e. confused); (of an egg) rotten

unbridled

(adj.) uncontrolled (i.e. unconstrained)

untoward

(adj.) unexpected and inappropriate or inconvenient

forbidding

(adj.) unfriendly or threatening in appearance

synchronic

(adj.) concerned with something, esp. language, as it exists at one point in time (often contrasted with diachronic)

honorary

(adj.) conferred as an honor, without the usual requirements or functions; (of a person) holding such a title or position; (Brit.) (of an office or its holder) unpaid

scrappy

(adj.) consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts; (N. Amer.) (informal) determined, argumentative, or pugnacious

referential

(adj.) containing or of the nature of references or allusions; (Linguistics) of or relating to a referent, in particular having the external world rather than than a text or language as a referent

gracious

(adj.) courteous, kind, and pleasant; elegant and tasteful, especially as exhibiting wealth or high social status; (in Christian belief) showing divine grace; (Brit.) a polite epithet used of royalty or their acts; (exclam.) expressing polite surprise

droll

(adj.) curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement; (noun) (archaic) a jester or entertainer (i.e. a buffoon)

precipitous

(adj.) dangerous high or steep; (of a change to a worse situation or condition) sudden and dramatic; (of an action) done suddenly and without careful consideration

murky

(adj.) dark and gloomy, especially due to thick mist; (of liquid) dark and dirty (i.e. not clear); not fully explained or understood, especially with concealed dishonesty or immorality

phatic

(adj.) denoting or relating to language used for general purposes of social interaction, rather than to convey information or ask questions (Utterances such as hello, how are you? and nice morning, isn't it? are phatic)

deviant

(adj.) departing from usual or accepted standards, esp. in social or sexual behavior; [derogatory] a homosexual; (noun) a deviant person or thing

deplorable

(adj.) deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad in quality (i.e. wretched because of neglect, poverty, or other misfortune)

anomalous

(adj.) deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected

abstruse

(adj.) difficult to understand (i.e. obscure)

systematic

(adj.) done or acting according to a fixed plan or system (i.e. methodical)

truculent

(adj.) eager or quick to argue or fight (i.e. aggressively defiant)

irate

(adj.) feeling or characterized by great anger

pointed

(adj.) having a sharpened or tapered tip or end; (of a remark or look) expressing criticism in a direct and unambiguous way

unwelcoming

(adj.) having an inhospitable or uninviting atmosphere or appearance; (of a person or their manner) not friendly toward someone arriving or approaching

dubious

(adj.) hesitating or doubting; not to be relied upon (i.e. suspect); morally suspect; of questionable value

derelict

(adj.) in a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect; (chiefly N. Amer.) (of a person) shamefully negligent in not having done what one should have done; (noun) a person without a home, job, or property; a piece of property, especially a ship, abandoned by the owner and in poor condition

peaceable

(adj.) inclined to avoid argument or violent conflict; free from argument or conflict (i.e. peaceful)

affected

(adj.) influenced or touched by an external factor; artifical, pretentious, an designed to impress; [predic.] (archaic) disposed or inclined in a specified way

inchoate

(adj.) just begun and so not fully formed or developed (i.e. rudimentary); (Law) (of an offense, such as incitement or conspiracy) anticipating a futher criminal act

disjointed

(adj.) lacking a coherent sequence or connection

staunch

(adj.) loyal and committed in attitude; (of a wall) of strong or firm construction

asynchronous (2-3)

(adj.) not going at the same rate and exactly together with something else, in particular: (of a machine or motor) not working in time with the alternations of current, (Astronomy) (of a satellite) revolving around the parent planet at a different rate from that at which the planet rotates; (Astronomy) (of an orbit) such that a satellite in it is asynchronous; (of two or mroe objects or events) not existing or happening at the same time

frivolous

(adj.) not having any serious purpose or value; (of a person) carefree and not serious

lowbrow

(adj.) not highly intellectual or cultured; (noun) a lowbrow person

ignoble

(adj.) not honorable in character or purpose; of humble origin or social status

unassuming

(adj.) not pretentious or arrogant (i.e. modest)

facultative

(adj.) occurring optionally in response to circumstances rather than by nature; (Biology) capable of but not restricted to a particular function or mode of life (Compare with obligate)

serendipitous

(adj.) occurring or discovered by chance in a happy or beneficial way

puce

(adj.) of a dark red or purple-brown color; (noun) a dark red or purple-brown color

floral

(adj.) of flowers; decorated with or depicting flowers; (Botany) of flora or floras; (noun) a fabric with a floral design

scholastic

(adj.) of or concerning schools and education; of or relating to secondary schools; (Philosophy & Theology) of, relating to, or characteristic of medieval scholasticism; typical of scholaticism in being pedantic or overly subtle; (noun) (Philosophy & Theology) (historical) an adherent of scholasticism (i.e. a schoolman ((historical) a teacher in a university in medieval Europe; a scholar or an educator; a scholastic theologian)); (in the Roman Catholic Church) a member of a religious order, esp. the Society of Jesus, who is between the novitiate and the priesthood

pedantic

(adj.) of or like a pedant (a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning)

metaphysical

(adj.) of or relating to metaphysics; based on abstract (typically, excessively abstract) reasoning; transcending physical matter or the laws of nature; of or characteristic of the metaphysical poets; (noun) (the Metaphysicals) the metaphysical poets

visceral

(adj.) of or relating to the viscera (the internal organs in the main cavities of the body, esp. those in the abdomen, e.g. the intestines); relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect

iconic

(adj.) of, relating to, or of the nature of an icon; (of a classical Greek statue) depicting a victorious athlete in a conventional style

vapid

(adj.) offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging

extraprofessional

(adj.) outside the ordinary limits of professional interest or duty (i.e. foreign to a profession)

forlorn

(adj.) pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely; (of an aim or endeavor) unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled (i.e. hopeless)

meek

(adj.) quiet, gentle, and easily imposed upon (i.e. submissive)

recherché

(adj.) rare, exotic, or obscure

gallant

(adj.) |ˈɡal(ə)nt| (of a person or their behavior) brave (i.e. heroic); (archaic) grand (i.e. fine); (of a man or his behavior) giving special attention and respect to women (i.e. chivalrous); (noun) |ɡəˈlænt, ɡəˈlɑnt| (dated or literary) a man who pays special attention to women; a dashing man of fashion (i.e. a fine gentleman); (verb) |ɡəˈlænt| [with obj.] (archaic) (of a man) flirt with (a woman)

marcato

(adv. & adj.) (Music) (esp. as a direction) played with emphasis

in situ

(adv. & adj.) in its original place; in position

underfoot

(adv.) under one's feet (i.e. on the ground); constantly present and in one's way

full steam (or speed) ahead

(exclam. & adv. phrase) used to indicate that one should proceed with as much speed or energy as possible; eager and energetic (i.e. gung ho)

wood nymph

(in folklore and classical mythology) a nymph inhabiting woodland, esp. a Dryad or Hamadryad; a brown American butterfly of grassy habitats and light woodlands, with large eyespots on the forewings and smaller ones on the hind wings; (also woodnyph) a dark-colored, green-throated hummingbird, found from Mexico to Argentina

boondoggle

(informal) (noun) work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value; a public project of questionable merit that typically involves political patronage and graft; (verb) [no obj.] waste money or time on unnecessary or questionable projects

thick as thieves, (as)

(informal) (of two or more people) very close or friendly (i.e. sharing secrets)

waffle

(informal) (verb) [no obj.] fail to make up one's mind; (chiefly Brit.) speak or write, esp. at great length, without saying anything important or useful; (noun) (U.S.) a failure to make up one's mind; (chiefly Brit.) lengthy but useless talk or writing

between a rock and a hard place

(informal) in a situation where one is faced with two equally difficult alternatives

fly (adj.)

(informal) stylish and fashionable; (Brit.) knowing and clever (i.e. worldly-wise)

over the top

(informal) to an excessive or exaggerated degree, in particular so as to go beyond reasonable or acceptable limits; (chiefly historical) over the parapet of a trench and into battle

good call (or bad call)

(informal) used to express approval (or criticism) of a person's decision or suggestion [with reference to decisions made by referees or umpires]

pocho

(informal, often derogatory) (noun) a US citizen of Mexican origin (i.e. a culturally Americanized Mexican; a term used by native-born Mexicans to describe Chicanos and those who have left Mexico, who typically speak English and lack fluency in Spanish, but may also be used to express pride in having both a Mexican and American heritage); (adj.) relating to US citizens of Mexican origin

sahib

(noun) (Indian) a polite title or form of address for a man

babu

(noun) (Indian) a respectful title or form of address for a man, esp. an educated one; an office worker (i.e. a clerk)

cathexis

(noun) (Psychoanalysis) the concentration of a mental energy on one particular person, idea, or object (especially to an unhealthy degree)

crème de la crème

(noun) the best person or thing of a particular kind

qi

(noun) the circulating life force whose existence and properties are the basis of much Chinese philosophy and medicine (i.e. vital energies within all living things in the form of breath and bodily fluids; it's thought that a balance of qi is essential to mantain good health, and that qi is regulated by acupuncture)

elder (adj.)

(of one or more out of a group of related or otherwise associated people) of a greater age; (the Elder) used to distinguish between related famous people with the same name

sit on the fence

(phrasal verb) avoid making a decision or choice

put (or lay) one's cards on the table

(phrasal verb) be completely open and honest in declaring one's resources, intentions, or attitude

take the floor

(phrasal verb) begin to dance on a dance floor; speak in a debate or assembly

think something out

(phrasal verb) consider something in all its aspects before taking action

fix something up

(phrasal verb) do the necessary work to improve or adapt something

throw one's hat in (or into) the ring

(phrasal verb) express a willingness to take up a challenge, esp. to enter a political race

look a gift horse in the mouth

(phrasal verb) find fault with something that has been received as a gift or favor [earlier as look a given horse in the mouth]

step something up

(phrasal verb) increase the amount, speed, or intensity of something; increase voltage using a transformer

mend one's fences

(phrasal verb) make peace with a person

avatar

(noun) (chiefly Hinduism) a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth (i.e. an incarnate divine teacher); an incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of a person or idea (e.g. a repository of knowledge); (Computing) an icon or figure representing a particular person in computer games, Internet forums, etc.

horde

(noun) (chiefly derogatory) a large group of people; an army or tribe of nomadic warriors; (Anthropology) a loosely knit small social group typically consisting of about five families

dryad

(noun) (in folklore and Greek mythology) a nymph inhabiting a forest or a tree, esp. an oak tree

behest

(noun) (literary) a person's orders or command

take one's hat off to (or hats off to)

(phrasal verb) used to state one's admiration for (someone who has done something praiseworthy)

vacillate

(verb) [no obj.] alternate or waver between different opinions or actions (i.e. be indecisive)

atone

(verb) [no obj.] make amends or reparation

invoke

(verb) [with obj.] cite or appeal to (someone or something) as an authority for an action or in support of an argument; call on (a deity or spirit) in prayer, as a witness, or for inspiration; call earnestly for; summon (a spirit) by charms or incantation; give rise to (i.e. evoke); (Computing) cause (a procedure) to be carried out

extricate

(verb) [with obj.] free (someone or something) from a constraint or difficulty

roil

(verb) [with obj.] make (a liquid) turbid or muddy by distrubing the sediment; [no obj.] (of a liquid) move in a turbulent, swirling manner; another term for rile (sense 1) ((informal) make (someone) annoyed or irritated)

expedite

(verb) [with obj.] make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly

assuage

(verb) [with obj.] make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense; satisfy (an appetite or desire)

placate

(verb) [with obj.] make (someone) less angry or hostile

incense (2)

(verb) [with obj.] make (someone) very angry

defer1

(verb) [with obj.] put off (an action or event) to a later time (i.e. postpone); (U.S.) (historical) postpone the conscription of (someone)

attenuate

(verb) [with obj.] reduce the force, effect, or value of; reduce the amplitude of (a signal, electrical current, or other oscillation); (usually as adj. attenuated) reduce the virulence of (a pathogenic organism or vaccine); reduce in thickness (i.e. make thin); (adj.) (rare) reduced in force, effect, or physical thickness

obviate

(verb) [with obj.] remove (a need or difficulty); avoid (i.e. prevent)

postulate

(verb) |ˈpɑstʃəˌleɪt| [with obj.] suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of (something) as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief; (in ecclesiastical law) nominate or elect (someone) to an ecclesiastical office subject to the sanction of a higher authority; (noun) |ˈpɑstʃələt| (formal) a thing suggested or assumed as true as the basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief; (Mathematics) an assumtpion used as a basis for mathematical reasoning

occult (noun, adj.)

(noun) (the occult) supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena; (adj.) of, involving, or relating to supernatural, mystical or magical powers or phenomena; beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or experience (i.e. mysterious); communicated only to the initiated (i.e. esoteric); (Medicine) (of a disease or process) not accompanied by readily discernible signs or symptoms; (of blood) abnormally present, e.g., in feces, but detectable only chemically or microscopically

high-mindedness

(noun) (the state/quality of having or showing) high moral principles (i.e. elevated ideals or conduct; the quality of believing that ideals should be pursued)

third age

(noun) (the third age) (Brit.) the period in life of active retirement, following middle age (esp. when viewed as an opportunity for travel, further education, etc.)

intelligentsia

(noun) (usually the intelligentsia) [treated as singular or plural] intellectuals or highly educated people as a group, esp. when regarded as possessing culture and political influence

vicissitude

(noun) (usually vicissitudes) a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant; (literary) alterantion between opposite or contrasting things

good faith

(noun) (with) honesty or sincerity of intention

t'ai chi ch'uan

(noun) a Chinese martial art and system of calisthenics, consisting of sequences of very slow controlled movements; (in Chinese philosophy) the ultimate source and limit of reality, from which spring yin and yang and all of creation

troubadour

(noun) a French medieval lyric poet composing and singing in Provençal in the 11th to 13th centuries, esp. on the theme of courtly love; a poet who writes verse to music

pandit

(noun) a Hindu scholar learned in Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy and religion, typically also a practicing priest; (Indian) a wise man or teacher; (Indian) a talented musician (used as a respectful title or form of address)

aikido

(noun) a Japanese form of self-defense and martial art that uses locks, holds, throws, and the opponent's own movements

sine qua non

(noun) an essential condition (i.e. a thing that is absolutely necessary) [ORIGIN Latin, literally '(cause) without which not']

ruminant

(noun) an even-toed ungulate mammal that chews the cud regurgitated from its rumen; a contemplative person; a person given to meditation; (adj.) of or belonging to ruminants

postmortem

(noun) an examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death; an analysis or discussion of an event held soon after it has occurred, esp. in order to determine why it was a failure; (adj.) [attrib.] of or relating to a postmortem; happening after death

Gordian knot

(noun) an extremely difficult or involved problem; (cut the Gordian knot) solve or remove a problem in a direct or forceful way, rejecting gentler or more indirect methods

warp speed

(noun) an extremely high speed

tisane

(noun) an herbal tea, consumed esp. for its medicinal properties

punctilio

(noun) a fine or petty point of conduct or procedure

ricksha

(noun) a light two-wheeled hooded vehicle drawn by one or more people, used chiefly in Asian countries; a vehicle similar to a three-wheeled bicycle, having a seat for passengers behind the driver

metaphrase

(noun) a literal, word-for-word translation, as opposed to a paraphrase; (verb) [with obj.] altering the phrasing or language of

open book

(noun) a person or thing that is easily understood or interpreted

colleen

(noun) an Irish term for a girl or young woman

idée fixe

(noun) an idea or desire that dominates the mind (i.e. an obsession; a preoccupation of mind believed to be firmly resistant to any attempt to modify it; a fixation) (although not used technically to denote a particular disorder in psychology, idée fixe is used often in the description of disorders, and is employed widely in literature and everyday English); (Music) a leitmotiv (a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation)

expletive

(noun) an oath or swear word; (Grammar) a word or phrase used to fill out a sentence or a line of verse without adding to the sense; (adjective) (Grammar) (of a word or phrase) serving to fill out a sentence or line of verse

garrulity

(noun) excessive talkativeness, especially on trivial matters

metafiction

(noun) fiction in which the author self-consciously alludes to the artificiality or literariness of a work by parodying or departing from novelistic conventions (esp. naturalism) and traditional narrative techniques

schadenfreude

(noun) pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune (i.e. "malicious joy in the misfortunes of others)

hara-kiri

(noun) ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword, formerly practiced in Japan by samurai as an honorable alternative to disgrace or execution

point man

(noun) the soldier at the head of a patrol; (esp. in a political context) a person at the forefront of an activity or endeavor

fiduciary

(adj.) (Law) involving trust, esp. with regard to the relationship between a trustee and a beneficiary; (archaic) held or given in trust; (Finance) (of a paper currency) depending for its value on securities (as opposed to gold) or the reputation of the issuer; (noun) a trustee

feral

(adj.) (especially of an animal) in a wild state, especially after escape from captivity or domestication; resembling a wild animal

sesquipedalian

(adj.) (formal) (of a word) polysyllabic (i.e. long); characterized by long words (i.e. long-winded)

perspicuous

(adj.) (formal) (of an account or representation) clearly expressed and easily understood (i.e. lucid); (of a person) able to give an account or express an idea clearly

efficacious

(adj.) (formal) (typically something inanimate or abstract) successful in producing a desired or intended result (i.e. effective)

glum

(adj.) (glummer, glummest) looking or feeling dejeted (i.e. morose)

hardscrabble

(adj.) (informal) (N. Amer.) involving hard work and struggle; yielding or earning very little in return for hard effort

mingy

(adj.) (informal) mean and stingy; unexpectedly or undesirably small

pukka

(adj.) (informal, chiefly Brit.) genuine; of or appropriate to high or respectable society: excellent

bloody

(adj.) (informal, chiefly Brit.) used to express anger, annoyance, or shock, or simply for emphasis [it may also be an exclamation or a submodifier)

exorbitant

(adj.) (of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high

abrasive

(adj.) (of a substance or material) capable of polishing or cleaning a hard surface by rubbing or grinding; tending to rub or graze the skin; (of a person or manner) showing little concern for the feelings of others (i.e. harsh); (noun) a substance used for grinding, polishing, or cleaning a hard surface

opportune

(adj.) (of a time) well-chosen or particularly favorable or appropriate; done or occurring at a favorable or useful time (i.e. well-timed)

calculated

(adj.) (of an action) done with full awareness of the likely consequences

indelible

(adj.) (of ink or a pen) making marks that cannot be removed; not able to be forgotten or removed

redolent

(adj.) [predic.] (redolent of/with) strongly reminiscent or suggestive of (something); (literary) strongly smelling of something; (archaic or literary) fragrant or sweet-smelling

apt

(adj.) appropriate or suitable in the circumstances; having a tendency to do something; quick to learn

apposite

(adj.) apt in the circumstances or in relation to something

ironclad

(adj.) covered or protected with iron; impossible to contradict, weaken, or change; (noun) (historical) a 19th-century warship with armor plating

pragmatic

(adj.) dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rathern than theoretical considerations; relating to philosophical or political pragmatism; (Linguistics) of or relating to pragmatics

contrived

(adj.) deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously; created or arranged in a way that seems artificial and unrealistic

deadpan

(adj.) deliberately impassive or expressionless; (adv.) in a deadpan manner; (verb) [with direct speech] say something amusing while affecting a serious manner

aberrant

(adj.) departing from an accepted standard; (chiefly Biology) diverging from the normal type

painstaking

(adj.) done with or employing great care and thoroughness

hedonistic

(adj.) engaged in the pursuit of pleasure (i.e. sensually self-indulgent)

disparate

(adj.) essentially different in kind (i.e. not allowing comparison); containing elements very different from one another; (noun) (disparates) (archaic) things so unlike that there is no basis for comparison

poignant

(adj.) evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret; (archaic) sharp or pungent in taste or smell

gushy

(adj.) excessively effusive

coextensive

(adj.) extending over the same space or time (i.e. corresponding exactly in extent); (of a term) denoting the same referent as another

vestigial

(adj.) forming a very small remnant of something that was once much larger or more noticeable; Biology (of an organ or part of the body) degenerate, rudimentary, or atrophied, having become functionless in the course of evolution

sardonic

(adj.) grimly mocking or cynical

adventitious

(adj.) happening or carried on according to chance rather than design or inherent nature; coming from outside (i.e. not native); (Biology) formed accidentally or in an unusual anatomical position; (Botany) (of a root) growing directly from the stem or other upper part of a plant

intractable

(adj.) hard to control of deal with; (of a person) difficult (i.e. stubborn)

florid

(adj.) having a red or flushed complexion; elaborately or excessively intricate or complicated; (of language) using unusual words or complicated rhetorical constructions; (Medicine) (of a disease of its manifestations) occurring in a fully developed form

sapid

(adj.) having a strong, pleasant taste; (of talk or writing) pleasant or interesting

decorous

(adj.) in keeping with good taste and propriety (i.e. polite and restrained)

insipid

(adj.) lacking flavor; lacking vigor or interest

crass

(adj.) lacking sensitivity, refinement, or intelligence

subordinate

(adj.) lower in rank or position; of less or secondary importance; (noun) a person under the authority or control of another within an organization; (verb) [with obj.] treat or regard as of lesser importance than something else; make subservient to or dependent on something else

impervious

(adj.) not allowing fluid to pass through; [predic.] (impervious to) unable to be affected by

unforeseen

(adj.) not anticipated or predicted

de trop

(adj.) not wanted (i.e. unwelcome)

Hegelian

(adj.) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Hegel ((1770-1831) German philosopher (in Science of Logic (1812-16), he described the three-stage process of dialectical reasoning, on which Marx based his theory of dialectical materialism) or his philosophical system; (noun) a person who accepts the philosophical principles of Hegel; an authority or expert on the writings of Hegel

this-worldly

(adj.) relating to or concerned with the physical or material world, as opposed to a spiritual one

loath

(adj.) reluctant (i.e. unwilling)

obdurate

(adj.) stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action

morose

(adj.) sullen and ill-tempered

in the cards

(informal) very possible or likely

kahuna

(noun) (in Hawaii) a wise man or shaman; (informal) an important person (i.e. the person in charge); (informal) (in surfing) a very large wave

bayou

(noun) (in the southern US) a marshy outlet of a lake or river

mensch

(noun) (informal) a person of integrity and honor

chutzpah

(noun) (informal) shameless audacity (i.e. imprudence)

gumption

(noun) (informal) shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness

dell

(noun) (literary) a small valley, usually among trees

yesteryear

(noun) (literary) last year or the recent past, especially as nostalgically recalled

steppe

(noun) (often steppes) a large area of flat unforested grassland in southeastern Europe or Siberia

unpleasantry

(noun) (unpleasantries) disagreeable matters or comments; (dated) quarreling or other disagreeable behavior

apperception

(noun) [Psychology, dated] the mental process by which a person makes sense of an idea by assimilating it to the body of ideas he or she already possesses; fully conscious perception

cyclorama

(noun) a circular picture of a 360° scene, viewed from inside; a cloth stretched tight in an arc around the back of a stage set, often used to depict the sky [ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from cyclo-, on the pattern of words such as panorama]

cosmopolis

(noun) a city inhabited by people from many different countries

logophile

(noun) a lover of words

wordsmith

(noun) a skiller user of words

scat2

(noun) improvised jazz singing in which the voice is used in imitation of an instrument (i.e. vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all); (verb) [no obj.] sing using the voice in imitation of an instrument

invective

(noun) insulting, abusive, or highly critical language

nip something in the bud

(phrasal verb) suppress or destroy something, esp. at an early stage

facetious

(adj.) treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor (i.e. flippant)

sub rosa

(adj. & adv.) (formal) happening or done in secret

blooming

(adj.) (Brit. informal) used for emphasis or to express annoyance

cryptozoic

(adj.) (Ecology) (of small invertebrates) living on the ground but hidden in the leaf litter, under stones or pieces of wood; (Cryptozoic) (adj.) (Geology) of, relating to, or denoting the period (the Precambrian) in which rocks contain no, or only slight, traces of living organisms (Compare with Phanerozoic)

high-handed

(adj.) using power or authority without considering the feelings or others

incensed

(adj.) very angry (i.e. enraged)

nyctophilia

(also scotophilia) (noun) love of or preference for darkness or night

rede

(archaic) (noun) advice or counsel given by one person to another; (verb) [with obj.] advise (someone) interpret (a riddle or dream)

in short order

(chiefly N. Amer.) immediately (i.e. rapidly)

cognate

(adj.) (Linguistics) (of a word) having the same linguistic derivation as another (i.e. from the same original word or root (e.g. English is, German ist, Latin est, from Indo-European esti); (formal) related (i.e. connected); related to or descended from a common ancestor; (noun) (Linguistics) a cognate word; (Law) a blood relative

univocal

(adj.) (Philosophy & Linguistics) (of a word or term) having only one possible meaning (i.e. unambiguous)

bada bing

(exclam.) (North American) (informal) (also bada bing, bada bang(, bada boom)) used to emphasize that something will happen effortlessly and predictably

lo

(exclam.) (archaic) used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event

willful

(adj.) (U.S.) (of an immoral or illegal act or omission) intentional (i.e. deliberate); having or showing a stubborn and determined intention to do as one wants, regardless of the consequences or effects

touch and go

(adj.) (also touch-and-go) (of an outcome, esp. one that is desired) possible but very uncertain; (noun) (touch-and-go) a manuever in which an aircraft touches the ground as in landing, and immediately takes off again

caliginous

(adj.) (archaic) misty, dim (i.e. obscure, dark)

au fait

(adj.) (au fait with) having a reasonably good or detailed knowledge of something

debilitating

(adj.) (of a disease or condition) making someone very weak and infirm; tending to weaken something

contagious

(adj.) (of a disease) spread from one person or organism to another by direct or indirect contact; (of a person or animal) likely to transmit a disease by contact with other people or animals; (of an emotion, feeling, or attitude) likely to spread and affect others

namaste

(exclam.) a respectful greeting said when giving a namaskar; (noun) another term for namaskar

pert

(adj.) (of a girl or young woman) attractively lively or cheeky; (of a young person or their speech or behavior) impudent; another term for peart ((US dialect) lively); (of a bodily feature or garment) attractive because neat and jaunty

stilted

(adj.) (of a manner of talking or writing) stiff and self-conscious or unnatural; standing on stilts

c'est la vie

(exclam.) that's life (i.e. such is life)

disarming

(adj.) (of a manner or behavior) having the effect of allaying suspicion or hostility, esp. through charm

voila

(exclam.) there it is (i.e. there you are)

supine (adj.)

(adj.) (of a person) lying face upward; (technical) having the front or ventral part upward; (of the hand) with the palm upward; failing to act or protest as a result of moral weakness or indolence

laconic

(adj.) (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words

tallyho

(exlam.) a huntsman's cry to the hounds on sighting a fox; (noun) an utterance of this; (historical) a fast horse-drawn coach; (verb) [no obj.] utter a cry of "tallyho"

extralegal

(adj.) (of an action or situation) beyond the authority of the law (i.e. not regulated by the law)

karma

(in Hinduism and Buddhism) the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences; (informal) destiny or fate, following as effect from cause

lapidary

(adj.) (of language) engraved on or suitable for engraving on stone and therefore elegant and concise; of or relating to stone and gems and the work involved in engraving, cutting, or polishing; (noun) a person who cuts, polishes, or engraves gems

well-spent

(adj.) (of money or time) usefully or profitably expended

entoptic

(adj.) (of visual images) occurring or originating inside the eye

time-honored

(adj.) [attrib.] (of a custom or tradition) respected, valued, or continued because it has existed for a long time

furtive

(adj.) attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically bcause of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble (i.e. secretive); presenting the appearance, or giving the impression, of somebody who has something to hide [ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from French furtif, -ive or Latin furtivus, from furtum 'theft']

inductive (1)

(adj.) characterized by the inference of general laws from particular instances

ebullient

(adj.) cheerful and full of energy; (archaic or literary) (of liquid or matter) boiling or agitated as if boiling

diachronic

(adj.) concerned with the way in which something, esp. language, has developed and evolved through time (often contrasted with synchronic)

sylvan

(adj.) consisting of or associated with woods (i.e. wooded); pleasantly rural or pastoral

preliminary

(adj.) denoting an action or event preceding or done in preparation for something fuller or more important; (noun) an action or event preceding or preparing for something fuller or more important; (preliminaries) business or talk, esp. of a formulaic or polite nature, taking place before an action or event; a preliminary round in a sporting competition; (preliminaries) fuller form of prelims (the pages preceding the main text of a book, including the title, contents, and preface); (phrase) (preliminary to) preparatory to (i.e. in advance of)

wayward

(adj.) difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior

discursive

(adj.) digressing from subject to subject; (of a style of speech or writing) fluent and expansive rather than formulaic or abbreviated; of or relating to discourse or modes of discourse; (Philosophy) (archaic) proceeding by argument or reasoning rather than by intuition

faraway

(adj.) distant in space or time; seeming remote from the immediate surroundings (i.e. dreamy)

interminable

(adj.) endless (often used hyperbolically)

pensive

(adj.) engaging in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought (usually marked by some sadness; note: weaker than meditative and reflective; may involve little or no thought to any purpose)

exquisite

(adj.) extremely beautiful and, typically, delicate; intensely felt; highly sensitive or discriminating; (noun) a man who is affectedly concerned with his clothes and appearance (i.e. a dandy)

disbelieving

(adj.) feeling or expressing disbelief (inability or refusal to accept that something is true or real; lack of faith in something)

meandering

(adj.) following a winding course; proceeding in a convoluted or undirected fashion; (noun) (usually meanderings) an act of following a winding course; an act of wandering in a leisurely or aimless manner; convoluted or undirected thought or language

jaunty

(adj.) having or expressing a lively, cheerful, and self-confident manner

bipolar

(adj.) having or related to two poles or extremities; (of a plant or animal species) of or occurring in both polar regions; (of a nerve cell) having two axons, one on either side of the cell body; (Electronics) (of a transistor or other device) using both positive and negative charge carriers

wistful

(adj.) having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing

resourceful

(adj.) having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties

prosaic

(adj.) having the style or diction of prose (i.e. lacking poetic beauty); commonplace (i.e. unromantic)

bombastic

(adj.) high-sounding but with little meaning (i.e. inflated)

benighted

(adj.) in a state of pitiful or contemptible intellectual or moral ignorance, typically owing to a lack of opportunity; overtaken by darkness

quiescent

(adj.) in a state or period of inactivity or dormancy (i.e. at rest, quiet, still, motionless)

concordant

(adj.) in agreement (i.e. consistent); (Geology) corresponding in direction with the planes of adjacent or underlying strata; (Medicine) (of twins) inheriting the same genetic characteristic, such as suspectibility to a disease; (Music) in harmony

incipient

(adj.) in an initial stage (i.e. beginning to happen or develop); (of a person) developing into a specified type or role

sound (adj., adv.)

(adj.) in good condition (i.e. not damaged, injured, or diseased); based on reason, sense, or judgment; competent, reliable, or holding acceptable views; financially secure; (of sleep) deep and undisturbed; (of a person) tending to sleep deeply; severe; (adv.) soundly

despondent

(adj.) in low spirits from loss of hope or courage

protracted

(adj.) lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual

fleeting

(adj.) lasting for a very short time

long-lost

(adj.) lost or absent for a long time

unforeseeable

(adj.) not able to be anticipated or predicted

irrepressible

(adj.) not able to be controlled or restrained

incontrovertible

(adj.) not able to be denied or disputed

orthogonal

(adj.) of or involving right angles (i.e. at right angles); (Statistics) (of variates) statistically independent; (of an experiment) having variates that can be treated as statistically independent

occidental

(adj.) of or relating to the countries of the Occident ((formal or literary) the countries of the West, esp. Europe and the Americas); (noun) a native or inhabitant of the Occident

vacant

(adj.) of premises having no fixtures, furniture, or inhabitants (i.e. empty; compare with unoccupied (sense 1)); (of a position or office) not filled; (of a person or their expression) having or showing no intelligence or interest

paradigmatic

(adj.) of the nature of a paradigm or model; of or denoting the relationship between a set of linguistic terms that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles (Contrasted with syntagmatic)

interstitial

(adj.) of, forming, or occupying interstices (intervening spaces, esp. very small ones); (Ecology) (of minute animals) living in the spaces between individual sand grains in the soil or aquatic sediments

meditative

(adj.) of, involving, or absorbed in meditation or considered thought (note: involves thinking of certain facts or phenomena, perhaps in the religious sense of "contemplation," without necessarily having a goal of complete understanding or of action; implies earnest sustained thought)

voluptuous

(adj.) of, relating to, or characterized by luxury or sensual pleasure (with a connotation of giving oneself up to the pleasures of the senses and suggestion of physical pleasure); (of a woman) curvaceous and sexually attractive

insolent

(adj.) showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect

etiology

(Brit. aetiology) (noun) (Medicine) the cause, set of causes, or manner of causation of a disease or condition; the causation of diseases and disorders as a subject of investigation; the investigation or attribution of the cause or reason for something, often expressed in terms of historical or mythical explanation

primeval

(Brit. also primaeval) (adj.) of or resembling the earliest ages in the history of the world; (of feelings or actions) based on primitive instinct (i.e. raw and elementary)

business as usual

(noun phrase) an unchanging state of affairs despite difficulties or disturbances

phratry

(noun) (Anthropology) a descent group or kinship group in some tribal societies

boudoir

(noun) (chiefly historical or humorous) a woman's bedroom or private room

Caliban

(noun) a brutish or brutalized man

astrophilia

(noun) a liking for celestial bodies (planets, stars, and outer space)

coup de maître

(noun) a master stroke

mondegreen

(noun) a misunderstood or misinterpreted word or phrase resulting from a mishearing of the lyrics of a song

crèche

(noun) a model or tableau representing the scene of Jesus Christ's birth, displayed in homes or public places at Christmas; (Brit.) a nursery where babies and young children are cared for during the working day

rejoinder (1)

(noun) a reply, esp. a sharp or witty one

maraschino

(noun) a strong, sweet liqueur made from a variety of small bitter cherries; a maraschino cherry (a cherry preserved in maraschino or maraschino-flavored syrup)

square meal

(noun) a substantial, satisfying, and balanced meal

retrospect

(noun) a survey or review of a past course of events or period of time [PHRASES in retrospect when looking back on a past event or situation (i.e. with hindsight)]

slough1

(noun) a swamp; (N. Amer.) a side channel or inlet, or a natural channel that is only sporadically filled with water; a situation characterized by lack of progress or activity

pedagogue

(noun) a teacher, esp. a strict or pedantic one

anepronym

(noun) a trademarked brand name now used generically, such as aspirin or kleenex

eloquence

(noun) fluent or persuasive speaking or writing

zoonym

(noun) the name of an animal

pour (or heap) scorn on

(phrasal verb) speak with contempt or mockery of

including

(prep.) containing as part of the whole being considered

militate

(verb) [no obj.] (militate against) (of a fact or circumstance) be a powerful or conclusive factor in preventing

loaf2

(verb) [no obj.] idle one's time away, typically by aimless wandering or loitering

punctuate

(verb) [with obj.] occur at intervals throughout (a continuing event or a place); (punctuate something with) interrupt or intersperse (an activity) with; insert punctuation marks in (text)

contextualize

(verb) [with obj.] place or study in context

subvert

(verb) [with obj.] undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution)

Solvitur ambulando

a Latin term which means, "it is solved by walking"or "the problem is solved by a practical experiment" (the phrase is cited in "Walking" (1861) by Henry David Thoreau and was the motto of the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society)

muskeg

a North American swamp or bog consisting of a mixture of water and partly dead vegetation, frequently covered by a layer of sphagnum (a plant of a genus that comprises the peat mosses) or other mosses

idiot savant

a person who is considered to be mentally handicapped but displays brilliance in a specific area, esp. one involving memory

mark (noun 5)

a target; (informal) a person who is easily deceived or taken advantage of

cross (adj.)

annoyed

emergent (adj.)

in the process of coming into being or becoming prominent; (Philosophy) (of a property) arising as an effect of complex causes and not analyzable simply as the sum of their effects; (Ecology) or or denoting a plant that is taller than the surrounding vegetation, esp. a tall tree in a forest; of or denoting a water plant with leaves and flowers that appear above the water surface

Occam's razor

the principle (attributed to William of Occam) that in explaining a thing, no more assumptions should be made than are necessary (the principle is often invoked to defend reductionism or nominalism) (Compare with principle of parsimony at parsimony)

reference (Semantics)

the relationships between nouns or pronouns and objects that are named by them (sometimes called "denotation"; hence, the word "John" refers to the person John, and the word ït" refers to some previously specified object)

dismal

(adj.) depressing (i.e. dreary); (of a person or a mood) gloomy; (informal) pitifully or disgracefully bad

thrice

(adv.) (chiefly formal literary) three times; [as submodifier] extremely (i.e. very)

passim

(adv.) (of allusions or references in a published work) to be found at various places throughout the text

forsooth

(adv.) [sentence adv.] (archaic or humorous) indeed (often used ironically or to express surprise or indignation); used to give an ironic politeness to questions

ergo

(adv.) [sentence adv.] therefore

banzai

(exclam.) a Japanese battle cry [early 20th cent.]; a form of greeting used to the Japanese emperor [late 19th cent.]; (adj.) (esp. of Japanese troops) attacking fiercely and recklessly

trip the light fantastic

(humorous) dance, in particular engage in ballroom dancing [from "Trip it as you go / On the light fantastic toe" (Milton's L'Allegro)]

metathesis

(noun) (Grammar) the transposition of sounds or letters in a word; (also metathesis reaction) (Chemistry) a reaction in which two compounds exchange ions, typically with precipitation of an insoluble product (also called double decomposition)

theonym

(noun) a proper name of a deity (the names of a society's gods may be useful in understanding the origin of their languages as well as their views of a particular deity; theonyms have been useful in understanding the connections of Indo-European languages)

retribution

(noun) punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved

banter

(noun) the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks; (verb) [no obj.] to talk or exchange remarks in a good-humored teasing way

poignancy

(noun) the quality of evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret

respectability

(noun) the state or quality of being proper, correct, and socially acceptable; the state or quality of being accepted as valid or important within a particular field

atrophy (verb)

(of body tissue or an organ) waste away, typically due to the degeneration of cells, or become vestigial during evolution; figurative gradually decline in effectiveness or vigor due to underuse or neglect

make head or tail (or heads or tails) of

(phrasal verb) [usually with negative] understand at all

be in good company

(phrasal verb) be in the same situation as someone important or respected

lose the (or one's) thread

(phrasal verb) be unable to follow what someone is saying or remember what one is going to say next

let something lie

(phrasal verb) take no action regarding a controversial or problematic matter

expunge

(verb) [with obj.] erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant)

sandbox (Computing)

(noun) a virtual space in which new or untested software can be run securely (i.e. an isolated area where a program can be executed with a restricted portion of the resources available); (verb) to restrict (a program, etc.) by placing it in a sandbox

sommelier

(noun) a wine steward (a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing; the role is much more specializeda nd informed than that of a wine waiter)

quip

(noun) a witty remark; (archaic) a verbal equivocation (the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself); (verb) [no obj.] make a witty remark

qualifier (Grammar)

(noun) a word or phrase, esp. an adjective, used to attribute a quality to another word, esp. a noun; (in systemic grammar) a word or phrase added after a noun to qualify its meaning

prosumer

(noun) an amateur who purchases equipment with quality or features suitable for professional use; a prospective consumer who is involved in the design, manufacture, or development of a product or service

lyricism

(noun) an artist's expression of emotion in an imaginative and beautiful way (i.e. the quality of being lyrical)

oversight

(noun) an unintentional failure to notice or do something; the action of overseeing something

rosebud

(noun) an unopened flower of a rose; (in Citizen Kane) "'...the emblem of the security, hope and innocence of childhood, which a man can spend his life seeking to regain,'...'It is the green light at the end of Gatsby's pier; the leopard atop Kilimanjaro, seeking nobody knows what; the bone tossed into the air in 2001.'" (Roger Ebert)

geiko

(noun) another name for geisha, which is usually used to refer to geisha from Western Japan, esp. Kyoto

somber

(Brit. also sombre) (adj.) dark or dull in color or tone (i.e. gloomy); oppressively solemn or sober in mood (i.e. grave)

anthropocentric

(adj.) regarding humankind as the central or most important element of existence, esp. as opposed to God or animals

logocentric

(adj.) regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (esp. applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics)

generative

(adj.) relating to or capable of production or reproduction; (Linguistics) applying principles of generative grammar

blatantly

(adv.) in an unsubtle and unashamed manner; [usually as submodifier] used to emphasize the speaker's opinion that something disapproved of is clearly the case

anomic aphasia

(noun) (Medicine) a disorder which causes problems with recalling words and names (anomia is a deficit of expressive language; it is a common symptom of patients with aphasia and Alzheimer's disease (AD))

take something amiss

(phrasal verb) to be upset or offended by something, even though no offense was intended (i.e. be offended by something that is said, typically through misinterpreting the intentions behind it)

clarity

(noun) the quality of being clear, in particular: the quality of coherence and intelligibility; the quality of being easy to see or hear (i.e. sharpness of image or sound); the quality of being certain or definite; the quality of transparency or purity

credibility

(noun) the quality of being trusted and believed in; the quality of being convincing or believable; another term for street credibility

saving grace

(noun) the redeeming grace of God; a redeeming quality or characteristic

vitriol

(noun) cruel and bitter criticism; (archaic or literary) sulfuric acid

valor

(Brit. valour) (noun) great courage in the face of danger, esp. in battle

déclassé

(adj.) having fallen in social status

brass hat

(noun) (informal) a high-ranking officer in the armed forces

digraph

(noun) a combination of two letters representing one sound, as in ph and ey; (Printing) a character consisting of two joined letters (i.e. a ligature)

methinks

(verb) [no obj. ] (archaic or humorous) it seems to me

fidelity

(noun) faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support; sexual faithfulness to a spouse or partner; the degree of exactness with which something is copied or produced

panache

(noun) flamboyant confidence of style or manner; (historical) a tuft or plume of feathers, esp. as a headdress or on a helmet

homograph

(noun) each of two or more words spelled the same but not necessarily pronounced the same and having different meanings and origins (e.g. bow1 and bow2)

endgame

(noun) the final stage of a game such as chess or bridge, when few pieces or cards remain

impetus

(noun) the force or energy with which a body moves; the force that makes something happen or happen more quickly

repository

(noun) a place, building, or receptacle where things are or may be stored; a place in which something, esp. a natural resource, has accumulated or where it is found in significant quantities; a person or thing regarded as a store of information or in which something abstract is held to exist or be found

crème de la merde

(noun) a play of words on crème de la crème, this quite literally means 'cream of the shit', for use in describing the worst person or thing of a particular kind / the worst of the worst

deluge

(noun) a severe flood; (the Deluge) the biblical Flood (recorded in Genesis 6-8); a heavy fall of rain; a great quantity of something arriving at the same time; (verb) [with obj.] (usually be deluged) inundate with a great quantity of something; flood

novella

(noun) a short novel or long short story

proverb

(noun) a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice

verity

(noun) a true principle or belief, esp. one of fundamental importance; truth

papoose

(noun) a type of bag used to carry a child on one's back; (dated, offensive) a young North American Indian child

morass

(noun) an area of muddy or boggy ground; a complicated or confused situation

esprit de corps

(noun) a feeling of pride, fellowship, and common loyalty shared by the members of a particular group

chaparral

(noun) vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes

tip one's hand

(phrasal verb) (informal) reveal one's intentions inadvertently

ait

(noun) [in place names] (Brit.) a small island in a river

coiffure

(noun) a person's hairstyle, typically an elaborate one

futhark

(noun) the runic alphabet

exclusive (adj. 4)

[predic.] (exclusive of) not including (i.e. excepting)

one-trick pony

(noun) (informal) a person or thing with only one special feature, talent, or area of expertise

-logy

(comb. form) (usually as -ology) denoting a subject of study or interest; denoting a characteristic of speech or language; denoting a type of discourse

ire

(noun) anger

totem

a natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem

foil2 (noun 2)

a person or thing that contrasts with and so emphasizes and enhances the qualities of another

raison d'état

a purely political reason for action on the part of a ruler or government, esp. where a departure from openness, justice, or honesty is involved

disparaging

adj.) expressing the opinion that something is of little worth (i.e. derogatory)

salient (adj.)

most noticeable or important; prominent (i.e. conspicuous); (of an angle) pointing outward (i.e. the opposite of re-entrant); [postpositive] (Heraldry) (of an animal) standing on its hind legs with the forepaws raised, as if leaping

stricken

past participle of strike; (adj.) seriously affected by an undesirable condition or unpleasant feeling; (of a face or look) showing great distress

teach one's grandmother to suck eggs

presume to advise a more experienced person

hat in hand

used to indicate an attitude of humility (i.e. humbly and respectfully)

I dare say / daresay

used to indicate that one believes something is probable

lo and behold

used to present a new scene, situation, or turn of events, often with the suggestion that although surprising, it could in fact have been predicted

armada

(noun) a fleet of warships

cheek (noun 2)

[in singular] impertinent talk or behavior

adage

(noun) a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth

pathos

(noun) a quality that evokes pity or sadness

inanity

(noun) silliness (i.e. stupidity)

extant

(adj.) (esp. of a document) still in existence (i.e. surviving)

lithe

(adj.) (esp. of a person's body) thin, supple, and graceful

kismet

(noun) destiny (i.e. fate)

supplant

(verb) [with obj.] supersede and replace

in (point of) fact

used to emphasize the truth of an assertion, esp. one contrary to what might be expected or what has been asserted

interlexical

(adj.) between consecutive words ((re: vocab learning) related to a new word in an L2 and already-known words in one's L1 or L2)

interlexeme

(adj.) between lexemes

brazen

(adj.) bold and without shame; (chiefly literary) made of brass; harsh in sound; (verb) [with obj. ] (brazen something out) endure an embarrassing or difficult situation by behaving with apparent confidence and lack of shame

inordinate

(adj.) unusually or disproportionately large (i.e. excessive); (archaic) (of a person) unrestrained in feelings or behavior (i.e. disorderly)

intransigent

(adj.) unwilling or refusing to change one's views or to agree about something; (noun) an intransigent person

parsimonious

(adj.) unwilling to spend money or use resources (i.e. stingy or frugal)

déraciné

(adj.) uprooted or displaced from one's geographical or social environment; (noun) a person who has been or feels displaced

verbose

(adj.) using or expressed in more words than are needed

incipit

(noun) the opening words of a text, manuscript, early printed book, or chanted liturgical text (Compare with explicit)

prosody

(noun) the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry; the theory or study of prosody; the patterns of stress and intonation in a language

paleo-fantasy

(noun) the pining for a pristine human past, mythically homogenous and predictable, of our ancestors roaming over the landscape, perfectly in tune with their bodies and the environment

eutony

(noun) the pleasantness of a word's sound; (also eutonia) a somatic form of holistic therapy that utilizes movement to effect mind-body balance and wellness (subscribes to the belief that improved health can be attained by enhancing muscle tone with intentional movement while in a state of present awareness)

fruition

(noun) the point at which a plan or project is realized; [in singular] the realization of a plan or project; (literary) the state or action of producing fruit

encroach

(verb) [no obj.] (usually encroach on/upon) intrude on (a person's territory or a thing considered to be a right); advance gradually beyond usual or acceptable limits

grope

feel about or search blindly or uncertainly with the hands; (grope for) search mentally with hesitation or uncertainty for (a word or answer); move along with difficulty by feeling objects as one goes; [with obj.] (informal) feel or fondle (someone) for sexual pleasure, esp. against their will; (noun) an act of fondling someone for sexual pleasure

bonanza

(noun) a situation or event that creates a sudden increase in wealth, good fortune, or profits; a large amount of something desirable

converse2

(noun) a situation, object, or statement that is the reverse of another, or that corresponds to it but with certain terms transposed; (Mathematics) a theorem whose hypothesis and conclusion are the conclusion and hypothesis of another; (adj.) having characteristics that are the reverse of something else already mentioned

logorrhea

(noun) a tendency to extreme loquacity (the quality of talking a great deal (i.e. talkativeness); (Psychology) a communication disorder resulting in incoherent talkativeness)

diligent

(adj.) having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties

self-effacing

(adj.) not claiming attention for oneself (i.e. retiring and modest; tending to be modest about one's achievements and avoid drawing attention to oneself in company)

insufferable

(adj.) too extreme to bear (i.e. intolerable); having or showing unbearable arrogance or conceit

bipolar disorder

(noun) a mental disorder marked by alternating periods of elation and depression

blather

(verb) [no obj.] talk long-windedly without making very much sense; (noun) long-winded talk with no real substance

resurge

(verb) to rise or grow strong again; to sweep back and forth in a powerful way

ambivalent

having mixed, uncertain, or conflicting feelings about something

stock (adj.)

[attrib.] (of a product or type of product) usually kept in stock and thus regularly available for sale; (of a phrase or expression) so regularly used as to be automatic or hackneyed; denoting a conventional character type or situation that recures in a particular genre of literature, theater, or film; denoting or relating to cinematic footage that can be regularly used in different productions, typically that of outdoor scenes used to add realism to a production shot in an indoor set

note (noun 5)

[in singular] a particular quality or tone that reflects or expresses a mood or attitude; any of the basic components of fragrance or flavor

comfort (noun 2b)

[in singular] a person or thing that helps to alleviate a difficult situation

mind (verb 2c)

[no obj.] (also mind you) used to introduce a qualification to a previous statement

defer2

[no obj.] (defer to) submit humbly to (a person or a person's wishes or qualities)

groove (verb 2)

[no obj.] (informal) dance or listen to popular or jazz music, especially that with an insistent rhythm; (dated) play popular music in an accomplished and stylish manner; enjoy oneself

boogie (verb)

[no obj.] (informal) dance to fast pop or rock music; (N. Amer.) move or leave somewhere fast

idle (verb 1-2)

[no obj.] (of a person) spend time doing nothing (i.e. be idle (suggests that a person makes a habit of avoiding work or activity)); move aimlessly or lazily

waltz (verb)

[no obj.] dance a waltz; [with obj.] guide (someone) in or as if in a waltz; [no obj.] move or act lightly, casually, or inconsiderately

privy (adj.)

[predic.] (privy to) sharing in the knowledge of (something secret or private); (archaic) hidden (i.e. secret)

study (noun 2d)

[with adj.] a person who learns a skill or acquires knowledge at a specified speed

cast1 (noun 3)

[with adj.] the form or appearance of something, esp. someone's features or complexion

would (7)

[with clause] (literary) expressing a wish or regret

but1 (conj. 2, 5; prep.; adv.)

[with negative or in questions] used to indicate the impossibility of anything other than what is being stated; [with negative] (archaic) without its being the case that; (prep.) except (i.e. apart from, other than); used with repetition of certain words to give emphasis; (adv.) no more than (i.e. only)

practice (verb)

[with obj.] (Brit. practise) perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency; carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly; actively pursue or be engaged in (a particular profession or occupation); observe the teaching and rules of (a particular religion); [no obj.] (archaic) scheme or plot for an evil purpose

hoof (verb)

[with obj.] (informal) (hoof it) go on foot; dance

buttonhole (verb 1)

[with obj.] (informal) attract the attention of and detain (someone) in conversation, typically against his or her will

pan (verb 1)

[with obj.] (informal) criticize (someone or something) severely; wash gravel in a pan to separate out (gold); (of gravel) yield gold

fast-track (verb)

[with obj.] accelerate the development or progress of (a person or project)

plight (noun)

a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation [ORIGIN Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French plit 'fold.' The -gh- spelling is by association with plight (verb)]; (verb) [with obj.] (archaic) pledge or promise solemnly (one's faith or loyalty); (be plighted to) be engaged to be married to [PHRASES plight one's troth make a solemn pledge of commitment or loyalty, especially in marriage]

cool (noun)

a fairly low temperature; a time or place at which the temperature is pleasantly low; calmness (i.e. composure; the state or feelng of being calm and in control of oneself); the quality of being fashionably attractive or impressive

disenchantment

a feeling of disappointment about someone or something you previously respected or admired (i.e. disillusionment)

Don Juan

a legendary Spanish nobleman known for his dissolute life and for seducing women; (a Don Juan) a seducer of women; a libertine (person, esp. a man, who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, esp. in sexual matters)

wingman

a pilot who flies in a position behind, and to the side of, the leader of a flying formation; a man who helps or supports another man (i.e. a friend or close associate); another term for winger (sense 1) (an attacking player on the wing in soccer, hockey, and other sports)

sentinel

a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch; (Medicine) a thing that acts as an indicator of the presence of disease; (verb) [with obj.] station a solider or guard by (a place) to keep watch [PHRASES stand sentinel (of a soldier) keep watch]

Slough of Despond

a state of hopeless depression

turn (noun 1d)

a time when one specified period of time ends and another begins

wake1 (noun 1)

a watch or vigil held beside the body of someone who has died, sometimes accompanied by ritual observances including eating and drinking; (wakes) [treated as singular] (chiefly historical) (in some parts of the UK) a festival and holiday held annually in a rural parish, originally on the feast day of the patron saint of the church [probably from Old Norse vaka]

filler1 (1e)

a word or sound filling a pause in an utterance or conversation (e.g. er, well, you know)

caustic (adj. 1-2)

able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action; sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way

appeal (verb 2d)

address oneself to (a principle or quality in someone) in anticipation of a favorable response

true to form (or type)

being or behaving as expected

retrograde (adj.)

directed or moving backward; reverting to an earlier and inferior condition; (of the order of something) reversed (i.e. inverse); (of amnesia) involving the period immediately preceding the causal event; (Geology)( of a metamorphic change) resulting from a decrease in temperature or pressure; (Astronomy & Astrology) (of the apparent motion of a planet) in a reverse direction from normal (from east to west), resulting from the relative orbital progress of the earth and the planet (i.e. the opposite of prograde); (Astronomy) (of the orbit or rotation of a planet or planetary satellite) in a reverse direction from that normal in the solar system

monolithic

formed of a single large block of stone; (of a building) very large and characterless; (of an organization of system) large, powerful, and intractably indivisible and uniform; (Electronics) (of a solid-state circuit) composed of active and passive components formed in a single chip

cache-cache

hide-and-(go-)seek

cap (or hat) in hand

humbly asking for a favor

individuotropic

living and leaning toward one kind of individualism (as opposed to being a preprogrammed robot of sorts)

give a good (or bad) account of oneself

make a favorable (or unfavorable) impression through one's performance

oblique (adj. 1a-b)

neither parallel nor at a right angle to a specified or implied line (i.e. slanting); not explicit or direct in addressing a point

come what may

no matter what happens

anodyne (adj.)

not likely to provoke dissent or offense (i.e. inoffensive, often deliberately so)

attendant (adj.)

occurring with or as a result of (i.e. accompanying); (of a person or animal) accompanying another as a companion or assistant

Pavlovian

of or relating to classical conditioning as described by I.P. Pavlov

gutter (adj.)

of the most vulgar, corrupt, or morally degraded kind

antiquated

old-fashioned or outdated (i.e. out of vogue or no longer practiced)

clip2 (verb 1f, 4)

speak (words) in a quick, precise, staccato manner; [no obj.] (informal) (chiefly U.S.) move quickly in a specified direction

dark (noun 1)

the absence of light in a place; [PHRASES in the dark in a state of ignorance about something]

Iberia

the ancient name of the Iberian Peninsula (the extreme southwestern peninsula of Europe that contains Spain and Portugal)

explicit (noun)

the closing words of a text, manuscript, early printed book, or chanted liturgical text (Compare with incipit)

the devil is in the details

the details of a matter are its most problematic aspect

character (noun 1)

the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual; the distinctive nature of something; the quality of being individual, typically in an interesting or unusual way; strength and originality in a person's nature; a person's good reputation; (dated) a written statement of someon's good qualities (i.e. a recommendation)

wonkery

the quality or activities associated with being a wonk

entrée (2)

the right to enter or join a particular sphere or group

steady (exclam.)

used to urge someone to calm down or be under control; (Nautical) (also steady as she goes) a helm order to keep a vessel steady on its present heading

arete

virtue (i.e. excellence; being the best you can be; reaching your highest human potential) (it is a central concept in Aristotelian ethics and political philosophy)

penance (noun)

voluntary self-punishment inflicted as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong; a Christian sacrament in which a member of the Church cofesses sins to a priest and is given absolution (in the Roman Catholic Church often called sacrament of reconciliation); a religious observance or other duty required of a person by a priest as part of this sacrament to indicate repentance

inflection

(Grammar) a change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function or attribute such as tense, mood, person, number, case, and gender; the process or practice of inflecting words; the modulation of intonation or pitch in the voice; the variation of the pitch of a musical note; (chiefly Mathematics) a change of curvature from convex to concave at a particular point on a curve

Cassandra

(Greek Mythology) a daughter of the Trojan king Priam, who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo (When she cheated him, however, he turned this into a curse by causing her prophecies, though true, to be disbelieved); (as noun a Cassandra) a prophet of disaster, esp. one who is disregarded

knowledge organization

(KO; also organization of knowledge, organization of information or information organization) (noun phrase) a field of study related to Library and Information Science (LIS), about activities such as document description, indexing and classification performed in libraries, databases, archives, etc. and by librarians, archivists, subject specialists and computer algorithms (as a field of study, it is concerned with the nature and quality of such knowledge organizing processes (KOP) as well as the knowledge organizing systems (KOS) used to organize documents, document representations and concepts; there exist different historical and theoretical approaches to and theories about organizing knowledge, which are related to different views of knowledge, cognition, language, and social organization - each of which tends to answer the question "What is knowledge organization?" differently)

Sto'Vo'Kor

(Klingon Mythology) a paradise where battle and feasting can eternally be shared and won, to where those who die with purpose and honor are said to join Kahless (the first Klingon emperor and a messianic figure in the Way of the Warrior) in the Black Fleet (Sto'Vo'Kor is similar to Valhalla of Earth's Viking culture)

suprasegmental

(Linguistics) (adj.) denoting a feature of an utterance other than the consonantal and vocalic components, e.g. (in English) stress and intonation

umlaut

(Linguistics) (noun) a mark ( ¨ ) used over a vowel, as in German or Hungarian, to indicate a different vowel quality, usually fronting or rounding; (esp. in Germanic languages) the process by which a back vowel becomes front in the context of another front vowel, resulting, e.g., in the differences between modern German Mann and Männer or (after loss of the inflection) English man and men; (verb) [with obj.] modify (a form or a sound) by using an umlaut

idiopathy

(Medicine) a disease or condition that arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown

kvetch

(N. Amer.) (informal) (noun) a person who complains a great deal; a complaint; (verb) [no obj.] complain

dialectic

(Philosophy) [usually treated as singular] the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions; inquiry into metaphysical contradictions and their solutions; the existence or action of opposing social forces, concepts, etc. (The ancient Greeks used the term dialectic to refer to various methods of reasoning and discussion in order to discover the truth. More recently, Kant applied the term to the criticism of the contradictions that arise from supposing knowledge of objects beyond the limits of experience, e.g., the soul. Hegel applied the term to the process of thought by which apparent contradictions (which he termed thesis and antithesis) are seen to be part of a higher truth (synthesis)); (adj.) of or relating to dialectic or dialectics (i.e. dialectical)

sail close to (or near) the wind

(Sailing) sail as nearly against the wind as possible while still making headway; to practice economy in the management of one's affairs; (informal) verge on indecency, dishonesty, or disaster; (informal) escape (punishment, detection, etc.) by a narrow margin (i.e. take a risk)

tip-of-the-tongue (phenomenon)

(TOT) (also presque vu (French pronunciation: [pʁɛsk vy])) (noun) the failure to retrieve a word from memory, combined with partial recall and the feeling that retrieval is imminent (reveals that lexical access occurs in stages; people experiencing the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon can often recall one or more features of the target word, and report a feeling of being seized by the state; has a direct-access view and inferential view that compete in explaining its occurrence; emotionally-induced retrieval often causes more TOT experiences than an emotionally neutral retrieval, but have a longer retrieval time; an occasional TOT is normal for people of all ages; TOT becomes more frequent as people age, but is only a medical condition when it becomes frequent enough to interfere with learning or daily life; monolinguals, bilinguals, and multilinguals all experience tip of the tongue states, though bilinguals seem to report significantly more TOTs for words other than proper names than monolinguals)

jones

(U.S.) (informal) (noun) a fixation on or compulsive desire for someone or something, typically a drug (i.e. an addiction); (verb) [no obj.] (jones on/for) have a fixation on (i.e. be addicted to)

your mileage may vary

(abbr. YMMV) (informal) it may work differently in your situation, or be different in your experience (often used in deal forums to indicate that the OP (original poster) was able to complete the deal but it is unlikely or uncertain that others will be able to do the same; can also be used to represent 'your market may vary' which is more appropriate for internet deal forums and more easily translates to some, esp. people foreign to the English language; often used in internet forums to indicate the likelihood of something happening is uncertain); to express a possible difference in taste, "this is just my opinion—your opinion may be different"

borough

(abbr.: bor.) (noun) a town or district that is an administrative unit, in particular: an incorporated municipality in certain US states; each of five divisions of New York City; in Alaska, a district corresponding to a county elsewhere in the US.; (Brit.) a town (as distinct from a city) with a corporation and privileges granted by a royal charter; (Brit.) historical a town sending representatives to Parliament

tongue-in-cheek

(adj. & adv.) with ironic or flippant (not showing a serious or respectful attitude) intent

au naturel

(adj. & adv.) with no elaborate treatment, dressing, or preparation; (humorous) naked

on ice

(adj. phrase) (of wine or food) kept chilled by being surrounded by ice; (especially of a plan or proposal) (adj. & adv. phrase) held in reserve for future consideration; certain of being won or of turning out well (i.e. in the bag); (of an entertainment) performed by skaters; (adv. phrase) in prison, esp. in solitary confinement

ethnotropic

(adj.) "turning toward a people / culture" (i.e. trying to accommodate people in accordance with their ethnicity and/or (sub)culture(s))

cryptobiotic

(adj.) (Biology) of, relating to, or capable of cryptobiosis; of or denoting primitive organisms of the kind presumed to have existed in earlier geological periods but to have left no trace of their existence

metamorphic

(adj.) (Geology) denoting rock that has undergone transformation by heat, pressure, or other natural agencies, e.g., in the folding of strata or the nearby intrusion of igneous rocks; of or marked by metamorphosis

sentential

(adj.) (Grammar & Logic) of or relating to a sentence; (intrasentential) of or relating to constituents with a sentence (i.e. occurring within a sentence or clause); (intersentential) occurring outside the sentence or clause level (i.e. at sentence or clause boundaries)

reflexive

(adj.) (Grammar) denoting a pronoun that refers back to the subject of the clause in which it is used, e.g., myself, themselves; (of a verb or clause) having a reflexive pronoun as its object, e.g., wash oneself; (of an action) performed as a reflex, without conscious thought; (Logic) (of a relation) always holding between a term and itself; (of a method or theory in the social sciences) taking account of itself or of the effect of the personality or presence of the researcher on what is being investigated (i.e. the circular relationships between cause and effect - a reflexive relationship is bidirectional with both the cause and the effect affecting one another in a situation that does not render both functions causes and effects; in sociology, reflexivity therefore comes to mean an act of self-reference where examination or action "bends back on", refers to, and affects the entity instigating the action or examination; to this extent it commonly refers to the capacity of an agent to recognize forces of socialization and alter their place in the social structure)

idiopathic

(adj.) (Medicine) relating to or denoting any disease or condition that arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown

bodacious

(adj.) (N. Amer., informal) excellent, admirable, or attractive; (Midwestern/Southern U.S.) extremely; (U.S.) audacious in a way considered admirable

catatonic

(adj.) (Psychiatry) of, relating to, or characterized by catatonia (abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental state (typically schizophrenia...may involve repetitive or purposeless overactivity, or catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism); (informal) of or in an immobile or unresponsive stupor

wroth

(adj.) (archaic) angry

attributable

(adj.) (attributable to) regarded as being caused by (someone or something); (often attributable to) (of a work or remark) able to be ascribed to (a particular author, artist, or speaker) (?); (of a quality or feature) able to be regarded as as characteristic of or possessed by (someone or something) (?)

lonesome

(adj.) (chiefly N. Amer.) solitary or lonely; remote and unfrequented [PHRASES by one's lonesome (informal) all alone]

clannish

(adj.) (chiefly derogatory) (of a group or their activities) tending to exclude others outside the group

evanescent

(adj.) (chiefly literary) soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing; (Physics) denoting a field or wave that extends into a region where it cannot propagate and whose amplitude therefore decreases with distance

waggish

(adj.) (dated) humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner

vociferous

(adj.) (esp of a person or speech) vehement (showing strong feeling; i.e. forceful, passionate, or intense) or clamorous (making a loud and confused noise; expressing or characterized by vehement protests or demands)

congenital

(adj.) (esp. of a disease or physical abnormality) present from birth; (of a person) having a particular trait from birth or by firmly established habit

peremptory

(adj.) (esp. of a person's manner or actions) insisting on immediate attention or obedience, esp. in a brusquely imperious way; (Law) not open to appeal or challenge (i.e. final)

hapless

(adj.) (esp. of a person) unfortunate

sacrosanct

(adj.) (esp. of a principle, place, or routine) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with

callow

(adj.) (esp. of a young person) inexperienced and immature

diaphanous

(adj.) (esp. of fabric) light, delicate, and translucent

mellow

(adj.) (esp. of sound, taste, and color) pleasantly smooth or soft (i.e. free from harshness); (archaic) (of fruit) ripe, soft, sweet, and juicy; (of wine) well-matured and smooth; (of a person) softened or matured by age or experience; relaxed and good-humored; (informal) relaxed and cheerful through being slightly drunk; (of earth) rich and loamy; (noun) make or become mellow

exoteric

(adj.) (formal) (especially of a doctrine or mode of speech) intended for or likely to be understood by the general public (the opposite of esoteric)

gustatory

(adj.) (formal) concerned with tasting or the sense of taste

normative

(adj.) (formal) establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, esp. of behavior

refractory

(adj.) (formal) stubborn or unmanageable; resistant to a process or stimulus; (Medicine) (of a person, illness, or diseased tissue) not yielding to treatment; (Medicine, rare) (of a person or animal) resistant to infection; (technical) (of a substance) resistant to heat (i.e. hard to melt or fuse); (noun) (technical) a substance that is resistant to heat

white-knuckled

(adj.) (informal) (of a person) showing signs of extreme tension due to fear or anger

snarky

(adj.) (informal) (of a person, words, or a mood) sharply critical (i.e. cutting, snide); cranky (i.e. irritable)

schmaltzy

(adj.) (informal) excessively sentimental

star-crossed

(adj.) (literary) (of a person or a plan) thwarted by bad luck

wrathful

(adj.) (literary) of or characterized by intense anger

obscure

(adj.) (obscurer, obscurest) not discovered or known about(i.e. uncertain); not clearly expressed or easily understood; not important or well known; hard to make out or define (i.e. vague); (of a color) not sharply defined (i.e. dim or dingy); (verb) [with obj.] keep from being seen (i.e. conceal); make unclear or difficult to understand; overshadow

precocious

(adj.) (of a child) having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual; (of behavior or ability) indicative of such development; (of a plant) flowering or fruiting earlier than usual

half-duplex

(adj.) (of a communications system or computer circuit) allowing the transmission of signals in both directions but not simultaneously

momentous

(adj.) (of a decision, event, or change) of great importance or significance, especially in its bearing on the future

infectious

(adj.) (of a disease or disease-causing organism) likely to be transmitted to people, organisms, etc., through the environment; likely to spread infection; likely to spread or influence others in a rapid manner

virile

(adj.) (of a man) having strength, energy, and a strong sex drive; having or characterized by strength and energy

unyielding

(adj.) (of a mass or structure) not giving way to pressure (i.e. hard or solid); (of a person or their behavior) unlikely to be swayed (i.e. resolute)

nonchalant

(adj.) (of a person or manner) feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed (i.e. not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm) [ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from French, literally 'not being concerned,' from the verb nonchaloir]

incisive

(adj.) (of a person or mental process) intelligently analytical and clear-thinking; (of an account) accurate and sharply focused

perverse

(adj.) (of a person or their actions) showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences; contrary to the accepted or expected standard or practice; (Law) (of a verdict) against the weight of evidence or the direction of the judge on a point of law; sexually perverted

presumptuous

(adj.) (of a person or their behavior) failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate (suggests overconfidence to the point of causing offense)

forthright

(adj.) (of a person or their manner or speech) direct and outspoken (i.e. straightforward); (archaic) proceeding directly forward

uninvited

(adj.) (of a person) attending somewhere or doing something without having been asked (i.e. not invited or welcome); (of a thought or act) involuntary, unwelcome, or unwarranted; involuntary or spontaneous

decrepit

(adj.) (of a person) elderly and infirm (not physically or mentally strong, esp. through age or illness); worn out or ruined because of age or neglect

companionable

(adj.) (of a person) friendly and sociable; (of a shared situation) relaxed and pleasant

eponymous

(adj.) (of a person) giving their name to something; (of a thing) named after a particular person

amenable

(adj.) (of a person) open and responsive to suggestions (i.e. easily persuaded or controlled); [predic.] (amenable to) (of a thing) capable of being acted upon in a particular way (i.e. susceptible to)

forbearing

(adj.) (of a person) patient and restrained

selective (1c)

(adj.) (of a process or agent) affecting something things and not others

studied

(adj.) (of a quality or result) achieved or maintained by careful and deliberate effort

trite

(adj.) (of a remark, opinion, or idea) overused and consequently of little import (i.e. lacking originality or freshness)

circuitous

(adj.) (of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way

apocryphal

(adj.) (of a story or statement) of doubtfut authenticity, although widely circulated as being true (also Apocryphal) of or belonging to the Apocrypha (biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of Scripture)

recondite

(adj.) (of a subject or knowledge) little known (i.e. abstruse) (denotes topics that are known and understood by only a few experts; there is often a critical suggestion that difficulty or obscurity has been deliberately sought out or magnified)

emetic

(adj.) (of a substance) causing vomiting; (informal) nauseating or revolting; (noun) a medicine or other substance that causes vomiting

mellifluous

(adj.) (of a voice or words) sweet or musical (i.e. pleasant to hear)

demure

(adj.) (of a woman or her behavior) reserved, modest, and sky; (of clothing) lending such an appearance

proverbial

(adj.) (of a word or phrase) referred to in a proverb or idiom; well known, esp. so as to be stereotypical

seminal

(adj.) (of a work, event, moment, or figure) strongly influencing later developments; of, relating to, or denoting semen; (Botany) of, relating to, or derived from the seed of a plant

invidious

(adj.) (of an action or situation) likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others; (of a comparison or distinction) unfairly discriminating (i.e. unjust)

expedient

(adj.) (of an action) convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral; (of an action) suitable or appropriate; (noun) a means of attaining an end, especially one that is convenient but considered improper or immoral

thought-through

(adj.) (of an action) fully considered and understood in all its possible effects / consequences and implications

coherent

(adj.) (of an argument, theory, or policy) logical and consistent; (of a person) able to speak clearly and logically; united as or forming a whole; (Physics) (of waves) having a constant phase relationship

blatant

(adj.) (of bad behavior) done openly and unashamedly; completely lacking in subtlety (i.e. very obvious)

circumstantial

(adj.) (of evidence or a legal case) pointing indirectly toward someone's guilt but not conclusively proving it; of, pertaining to, or derived from circumstances; of the nature of a circumstance (i.e. secondary, incidental); (of a description) containing full details (i.e. dealing with or giving circumstances; detailed; particular); pertaining to conditions of material welfare

irreconcilable

(adj.) (of ideas, facts, or statements) representing findings of points of view that are so different from each other that they cannot be made compatible; (of pople) implacably hostile to each other; (noun) (usually irreconcilables) any of two or more ideas, facts, or statements that cannot be made compatible

platonic

(adj.) (of love or friendship) intimate and affectionate but not sexual; confined to words, theories, or ideals, and not leading to practical action [ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Platonic, with reference to a discussion of love in the Symposium by Plato]; (Platonic) (adj.) of or associated with the Greek philosopher Plato or his ideas

torrential

(adj.) (of rain) falling rapidly and in copious quantities; (of water) flowing rapidly and with force

flagrant

(adj.) (of something considered wrong or immoral) conspicuously or obviously offensive

gushing

(adj.) (of speech or writing) effusive or exaggeratedly enthusiastic

periphrastic

(adj.) (of speech or writing) indirect and circumlocutory; (Grammar) (of a case or tense) formed by a combination of words rather than by inflection (such as did go and of the people rather than went and the people's)

prolix

(adj.) (of speech or writing) using or containing too many words (i.e. tediously lengthy)

elliptical

(adj.) (of speech or writing) using or involving ellipsis (the omission of speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues), especially so as to be difficult to understand; another term for elliptic (of, relating to, or having the form of an ellipse)

simplex

(adj.) (technical) composed of or characterized by a single part or structure; (of a communications system, computer circuit, etc.) only allowing transmission of signals in one direction at a time; (noun) a simple or uncompounded word

liminal

(adj.) (technical) of or relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process; occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary of threshold

dapper

(adj.) (typically of a man) neat and trim in dress, appearance, or bearing

well-considered

(adj.) (well considered when postpositive) having been thought out carefully

blimmin'

(adj.) [attrib.] (Brit. informal) used to express annoyance or for emphasis

white-knuckle

(adj.) [attrib.] (esp. of a vehicle, boat, or airplane ride) causing excitement or tension

abiding

(adj.) [attrib.] (of a feeling or memory) lasting a long time (i.e. enduring)

innermost

(adj.) [attrib.] (of thoughts or feelings) most private and deeply felt; furthest in (i.e. closest to the center)

putative

(adj.) [attrib.] generally considered or reputed to be

differential

(adj.) [attrib.] of, showing, or depending on a difference (i.e. differing or varying according to circumstances or relevant factors); constituting a specific difference (i.e. distinctive); (Mathematics) relating to infinitesimal differences or to the derivations of functions; of or relating to a difference in a physical quantity; (noun) a difference between amounts of things; (Mathematics) an infinitesimal difference between successive values of a variable; (also differential gear) a set of gears allowing a vehicle's driven wheels to revolve at different speeds when going around corners

eclectic

(adj.) [in art, philosophy, etc.] selecting what seems best from various styles, doctrines, ideas, methods, etc.; composed of elements drawn from a variety of sources, styles, etc.; (noun) a person who favours an eclectic approach, esp in art or philosophy

moving

(adj.) [often with submodifier] in motion; producing strong emotions, especially sadness or sympathy; relating to the process of changing one's residence; [attrib.] involving a moving vehicle

du jour

(adj.) [postpositive] (of food in a restaurant) available and being served on this day; (informal) used to describe something that is enjoying great but probably short-lived popularity or publicity

par excellence

(adj.) [postpositive] better or more than all others of the same kind (i.e. quintessential)

prone

(adj.) [predic.] (prone to/prone to do something) likely to or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something, typically something regrettable or unwelcome; lying flat, especially face downward; (technical) denoting the position of the forearm with the palm of the hand facing downward; (archaic) with a downward slope or direction

remiss

(adj.) [predic.] lacking care or attention to duty (i.e. negligent)

passé

(adj.) [predic.] no longer fashionable (i.e. out of date); (archaic) (esp. of a woman) past one's prime

amiss

(adj.) [predic.] not quite right (i.e. inappropriate or out of place); (adv.) wrongly or inappropriately

versatile

(adj.) able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities; (archaic) changeable (i.e. inconstant)

intelligible

(adj.) able to be understood (i.e. comprehensible); (Philosophy) able to be understood only by the intellect, not by the senses

thoughtful

(adj.) absorbed in or involving thought; showing consideration for the needs of other people (i.e. considerate); showing careful consideration or attention (note: can refer to absorption in thought or to the habit of reflection and circumspection)

copious

(adj.) abundant in supply or quantity; (archaic) profuse in speech or ideas

venerable

(adj.) accorded a great deal of respect, esp. because of age, wisdom, or character

customary (adj.)

(adj.) according to the customs or usual practices associated with a particular society, place, or set of circumstances; according to a person's habitual practice; (Law) established by or based on custom rather than common law or statute

feudal

(adj.) according to, resembling, or denoting the system of feudalism; absurdly outdated or old-fashioned

brisk

(adj.) active, fast, and energetic; (of the weather or wind) cold but fresh and enlivening; sharp or abrupt

self-deluded

(adj.) affected by the act or fact of deluding (imposing misleading beliefs upon) oneself (i.e. self-deceived; failing to recognize reality)

apprehensive

(adj.) anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen; (archaic or literary) of or relating to perception or understanding

quaint

(adj.) attractively unusual or old-fashioned

au courant

(adj.) aware of what is going on (i.e. well informed); fashionable

sullen

(adj.) bad-tempered and sulky (i.e. gloomy); (of the sky) full of dark clouds; (noun) (the sullens) (archaic) a sulky or depressed mood

misbegotten

(adj.) badly conceived, designed, or planned; contemptible (used as a term of abuse); (archaic) (of a child) illegitimate

impressionistic

(adj.) basd on subjective reactions presented unsystematically; (Impressionistic) in the style of Impressionism

conventional (1-1b)

(adj.) based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed; (of a person) concerned with what is generally held to be acceptable at the expense of individuality and sincerity; (of a work of art or literature) following traditional forms and genres

bygone

(adj.) belonging to an earlier time; (noun) (usually bygones) a thing dating from an earlier time [PHRASES let bygones be bygones forget past offenses or causes of conflict and be reconciled]

preternatural

(adj.) beyond what is normal or natural

evocative

(adj.) bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind

sedate

(adj.) calm, dignified, and unhurried; quiet and rather dull

fallible

(adj.) capable of making mistakes or being erroneous

discreet

(adj.) careful and circumspect in one's speech or actions, especially in order to avoid causing offense or to gain an advantage; intentionally unobtrusive

enervating

(adj.) causing one to feel drained of energy or vitality

contentious

(adj.) causing or likely to cause an argument (i.e. controversial); involving heated argument; (of a person) given to arguing or provoking argument; (Law) relating to or involving differences between contending parties

astringent

(adj.) causing the contraction of body tissues, typically of the skin; sharp or severe in manner or style; (of taste or smell) sharp or bitter; (noun) a substance that causes the contraction of body tissues, typically used to protect the skin and to reduce bleeding from minor abrasions

recursive

(adj.) characterized by recurrence or repetition, in particular: (Mathematics & Linguistics) relating to or involving the repeated application of a rule, definition, or procedure to successive results; (Computing) relating to or involving a program or routine of which a part requires the application of the whole, so that its explicit interpretation requires in general many successive executions

sociocentric

(adj.) communal / group-oriented (i.e. oriented toward or focused on one's own social group; tending to regard one's own social group as superior to others; socially oriented (Compare egocentric); encouraging or involving relation to a social role, group, group activity, cooperation, empathy, conformity, or knowing one's place within a hierarchy; tending to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own social group or society)

thorough

(adj.) complete with regard to every detail (i.e. not superficial or partial); performed or written with great care and completeness; taking pains to do something carefully and completely; [attrib.] absolute (used to emphasize the degree of something, typically something unwelcome or unpleasant)

flush2 (adj. 1a-b, adv., verb)

(adj.) completely level or even with another surface; (of printed text) not indented or protruding; (adv.) so as to be level or even; soas to be directly centered (i.e. squarely); (verb) [with obj.] fill in (a joint) level with a surface (i.e. to make flush)

litigious

(adj.) concerned with lawsuits or litigation; unreasonably prone to go to law to settle disputes; suitable to become the subject of a lawsuit

halcyon

(adj.) denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful; (noun) a tropical Asian and African kingfisher with brightly colored plumage; a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm

throwaway

(adj.) denoting or relating to products that are intended to be discarded after being used once or a few times; (of a remark) expressed in a casual or understated way; (noun) a thing intended or destined to be discarded after brief use or appeal

enigmatic

(adj.) difficult to interpret or understand (i.e. mysterious)

macabre

(adj.) disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury

collective

(adj.) done by people acting as a group; belonging or relating to all the members of a group; taken as a whole (i.e. aggregate); (noun) a cooperative enterprise; a collective farm

solitary

(adj.) done or existing alone: (of a place) secluded or isolated; [attrib. often with negative] single (i.e. only); (of a bird, mammal, or insect) living alone or in pairs, especially in contrast to related social forms; (of a flower or other part) borne singly; (noun) a recluse or hermit; (informal) short for solitary confinement

logy

(adj.) dull and heavy in motion or thought (i.e. sluggish)

dreary

(adj.) dull, bleak, and lifeless (i.e. depressing)

heuristic

(adj.) enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves; (Computing) proceeding to a solution by trial and error or by rules that are only loosely defined; (noun) a heuristic process or method; (heuristics) [usually treated as singular] the study and use of heuristic techniques

dichotomous

(adj.) exhibiting or characterized by a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different; (Botany) (of branching) in which the axis is divided into two branches

vicarious

(adj.) experienced through somebody else rather than at first hand, by using sympathy or the power of the imagination; done or endured by somebody as a substitute for somebody else (i.e. delegated to somebody else or performing a function that has been delegated); (Physiology) of or pertaining to the performance by one organ of the functions normally discharged by another

opportunistic

(adj.) exploiting chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principle; (Ecology) (of a plant or animal) able to spread quickly in a previously unexploited habitat; (Medicine) (of a microorganism or an infection caused by it) rarely affecting patients except in unusual circumstances, typically when the immune system is depressed

lucid

(adj.) expressed clearly (i.e. easy to understand); showing ability to think clearly, esp. in the intervals between periods of confusion or insanity; (Psychology) (of a dream) experienced with the dreamer feeling awake, aware of dreaming, and able to control events consciously; (literary) bright or luminous

pejorative

(adj.) expressing contempt or disapproval; (noun) (a word) expressing contempt or disapproval

effusive (1)

(adj.) expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner

contemplative

(adj.) expressing or involving prolonged thought; involving or given to deep silent prayer or religious meditation; (noun) a person devoted to contemplation, as a monk (note: implies slow directed consideration, often with conscious intent of achieving better understanding or spiritual or aesthetic enrichment)

fiendish

(adj.) extremely cruel or unpleasant (i.e. devilish); extremely awkward or complex

ethereal

(adj.) extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world; heavenly or spiritual; (Chemistry) (of a solution) having diethyl ether as a solvent

infinitesimal

(adj.) extremely small; (noun) (Mathematics) an indefinitely small quantity (i.e. a value approaching zero)

contrite

(adj.) feeling or expressing remorse or penitence (i.e. affected by guilt)

unitary

(adj.) forming a single or uniform entity; of or relating to a system of government or organization in which the powers of the separate constituent parts are vested in a central body; of or relating to a unit or units

sincere

(adj.) free from pretense or deceit (i.e. proceeding from genuine feelings); (of a person) saying what they genuinely feel or believe (i.e. not dishonest or hypocritical)

affable

(adj.) friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to

serviceable

(adj.) fulfilling its function adequately (i.e. usable); functional and durable rather than attractive; in working order

pregnant (2) (!)

(adj.) full of meaning (i.e. significant or suggestive)

benign

(adj.) gentle (i.e. kindly); (of a climate or environment) mild and favorable; not harmful to the environment; (Medicine) (of a disease) not harmful in effect: in particular, (of a tumor) not malignant

noxious

(adj.) harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant

cursory

(adj.) hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

pernicious

(adj.) having a harmful effect, esp. in a gradual or subtle way

cryptic

(adj.) having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure; (of a crossword) having difficult clues that indicate the solutions indirectly; (Zoology) (of coloration or marking) serving to camouflage an animal in its natural environment

piquant

(adj.) having a plesantly sharp taste or appetizing flavor; pleasantly stimulating or exciting to the mind

recalcitrant

(adj.) having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline; (noun) a person with an obstinately uncooperative attitude

pluricentric

(adj.) having more than one center (i.e. multicentric)

advisory

(adj.) having or consisting in the power to make recommendations but not to take action enforcing them; recommended by not compulsory; (noun) an official announcement, typically a warning about bad weather conditions

zoomorphic

(adj.) having or representing animal forms or gods of animal form

astute

(adj.) having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's advantage

keen

(adj.) having or showing eagerness or enthusiasm; [predic.] (keen on) interested in or attracted by (someone or something); sharp or penetrating, in particular: (of a sense) highly developed, (of mental faculties) quick to understand or function, (of the air or wind) extremely cold (i.e. biting), (of the edge or point of a blade) sharp, or (literary) (of a smell, light, or sound) penetrating (i.e. clear); [predic.] (informal, dated) excellent; (Brit.) (of prices) very low (i.e. competitive)

misguided

(adj.) having or showing faulty judgment or reasoning

sagacious

(adj.) having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment (i.e. shrewd)

inept

(adj.) having or showing no skill (i.e. clumsy)

straight-laced

(adj.) having or showing very strict moral attitudes

supranational

(adj.) having power or influence that transcends national boundaries or governments

duplex (adj. 2)

(adj.) having two parts, in particular: (of a communications system, computer circuit, etc.) allowing the transmission of two signals simultaneously in opposite directions

insular

(adj.) ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience; lacking contact with other people; of, relating to, or from an island; of or relating to the art and craftwork of Britain and Ireland in the early Middle Ages, esp. a form of Latin handwriting; (of climate) equable because of the influence of the sea; (Anatomy) of or relating to the insula of the brain

defective

(adj.) imperfect or faulty; (archaic or offensive) mentally handicapped; lacking or deficient; (Grammar) (of a word) not having all the inflections normal for the part of speech; (noun) (archaic or offensive) a mentally handicapped person

inexorable

(adj.) impossible to stop or prevent; (of a person) impossible to persuade by request or treaty

cheeky

(adj.) impudent (not showing due respect for another person (i.e. impertinent)) or irreverent (showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously), typically in an endearing or amusing way

crude

(adj.) in a natural or raw state (i.e. not yet processed or refined); (Statistics) (of figures) not yet adjusted or corrected; (of an estimate or guess) likely to be only approximately accurate; constructed in a rudimentary or makeshift way; (of an action) showing little finesse or subtlety and as a result unlikely to succeed; (of language, behavior, or a person) offensively coarse or rude, especially in relation to sexual matters; (noun) natural petroleum

context-sensitive

(adj.) in linguistic or computer syntax, pertaining to an element whose value depends on the context in which it appears; (Conker's Bad Fur Day) giving just what one needs at that moment in time

nebulous

(adj.) in the form of a cloud or haze (i.e. hazy); (of a concept or idea) unclear, vague, or ill-defined; another term for nebular ((adj.) of, relating to, or denoting a nebula or nebulae)

unfathomable

(adj.) incapable of being fully explored or understood; (of water or a natural feature) impossible to measure the extent of

twitterpated

(adj.) infatuated or obsesed (i.e. excited as overcome by romantic feelings; smitten; overcome by feeling light as a feather and knocked for a loop due to seeing a pretty face); in a state of nervous excitement

esoteric

(adj.) intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest

multiplex (adj. 1a, noun 1, verb)

(adj.) involving simultaneous transmission of several messages along a single channel of communication; (noun) a system or signal involving simultaneous transmission of several messages along a single channel of communication; (verb) [with obj.] incorporate into a multiplex signal or system

cloistered

(adj.) kept away from the outside world (i.e. sheltered); having or enclosed by a cloister, as in a monastery

gauche

(adj.) lacking ease or grace (i.e. unsophisticated and socially awkward; clumsy, tactless)

inert

(adj.) lacking the ability or strength to move; lacking vigor; chemically inactive

incompetent

(adj.) lacking the skills, qualities, or abilities to do something properly; (Law) not having the necessary legal status, validity, or powers for the purpose in question; (Medicine) describes a body part such as a muscle that does not function properly; (noun) somebody who lacks the skills, qualities, or ability to do something properly

ephemeral

(adj.) lasting for a very short time; (chiefly of plants) having a very short life cycle; (noun) an ephemeral plant

dissolute

(adj.) lax in morals; licentious (promiscious and unprincipled in sexual matters)

mutable

(adj.) liable to change; (literary) inconstant in one's affections

snaky

(adj.) like a snake in appearance (i.e. long and sinuous); of the supposed nature of a snake in showing coldness, venom, or cunning

well-thought-out

(adj.) logically considered (i.e. well and carefully reasoned; planned in an effective way)

retrospective

(adj.) looking back on or dealing with past events or situations; (of an exhibition or compilation) showing the development of an artist's work over a period of time; (of a statute or legal decision) taking effect from a date in the past; (noun) an exhibition or compilation showing the development of the work of a particular artist over a period of time

ornate

(adj.) made in an intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns; (of literary style) using unusual words and complex constructions; (of musical composition or performance) using many ornaments such as grace notes and trills

requisite

(adj.) made necessary by particular cirucmstances or regulations; (noun) a thing that is necessary for the achievement of a specified end

backhanded

(adj.) made with the back of the hand facing in the direction of movement; indirect (i.e. ambiguous or insincere); (adv.) with the back of the hand or with the hand turned backward

conducive

(adj.) making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible

scurrilous

(adj.) making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation; humorously insulting

precise

(adj.) marked by exactness and accuracy of expression or detail; (of a person) exact, accurate, and careful about details; [attrib.] used to emphasize that one is referring to an exact and particular thing [PHRASES to be precise used to indicate that one is now giving more exact or detailed information

riotous

(adj.) marked by or involving public disorder; characterized by wild and uncontrolled behavior; having a vivid, varied appearance; hilariously funny

biddable

(adj.) meekly ready to accept and follow instructions (i.e. docile and obedient); (Bridge) strong enough to justify a bid

myopic

(adj.) nearsighted; lacking imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight

skew

(adj.) neither parallel nor at right angles to a specified or implied line (i.e. askew; crooked); (Statistics) (of a statistical distribution) not symmetrical; (Mathematics) (of a pair of lines) neither parallel nor intersecting; (of a curve) not lying in a plane; (noun) an oblique angle (i.e. a slant); a bias toward one particular group or subject; (Statistics) the state of not being symmetrical; (verb) [no obj.] suddenly change direction or position; twist or turn or cause to do this; [with obj.]; [with obj.] make biased or distorted in a way that is regarded as inaccurate, unfair, or misleading; [with obj.] (Statistics) cause (a distribution) to be asymmetrical

invariant

(adj.) never changing; (noun) (Mathematics) a function, quantity, or property that remains unchanged when a specified transformation is applied

obsolete

(adj.) no longer in use (i.e. superseded by something newer, though possibly still in use); (Biology) describes a part or organ of an animal or plant that is undeveloped or no longer functional (i.e. rudimentary; vestigial); (verb) [with obj.] (chiefly U.S.) cause (a product or idea) to become obsolete by replacing it with something new

unimpeachable

(adj.) not able to be doubted, questioned, or criticized (i.e. entirely trustworthy)

spurious

(adj.) not being what it purports to be (i.e. false or fake); (of a line of reasoning) apparently but not actually vaid; (archaic) (of offspring) illegitimate

ill-conceived

(adj.) not carefully planned or considered

aloof

(adj.) not friendly or forthcoming (i.e. cool and distant); conspicuously uninvolved and uninterested, typically through distaste

reticent

(adj.) not revealing one's thought's or feelings readily

precarious

(adj.) not securely held or in position (i.e. dangerously likely to fall or collapse); dependent on chance (i.e. uncertain)

impertinent

(adj.) not showing proper respect (i.e. rude); (formal) not pertinent to a particular matter (i.e. irrelevant)

syntagmatic

(adj.) of or denoting the relationship between two or more linguistic units used sequentially to make well-formed structures (Contrasted with paradigmatic)

Stygian

(adj.) of or relating to the Styx River ((Greek Mythology) one of the rivers in the underworld, over which Charion ferried the souls of the dead); (literary) very dark

transpersonal

(adj.) of, denoting, or dealing with states or areas of consciousness beyond the limits of personal identity

infernal

(adj.) of, relating to, or characteristic of hell or the underworld; [attrib.] (informal) irritating and tiresome (used for emphasis)

sickly

(adj.) often ill (i.e. in poor health); (of a person's complexion or expression) indicative of poor health; (literary) (of a place, climate, or time) causing or characterized by unhealthiness; (of a flavor, small, color, or light) so unpleasant as to induce discomfort or nausea; excessively sentimental or mawkish

oracular

(adj.) or or relating to an oracle; (of an utterance, advice, etc.) hard to interpret (i.e. enigmatic); holding or claiming the authority of an oracle

né

(adj.) originally called (i.e. born (used before the name by which a man was originally known))

née

(adj.) originally called (i.e. born (used esp. in adding a woman's maiden name after her married name))

contrary (adj. 2)

(adj.) perversely inclined to disagree or to do the opposite of what is expected or desired

whimsical

(adj.) playfully quaint or fanciful, esp. in an appealing and amusing way; acting or behaving in a capricious manner

insidious

(adj.) proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects; treacherous (i.e. crafty)

thought-out

(adj.) produced by or showing the results of much thought (i.e. considered in all its aspects before carried out)

reflective

(adj.) providing a reflection (i.e. capable of reflecting light or other radiation); produced by reflection; relating to or characterized by deep thought (i.e. thoughtful) (note: has a strong implication of orderly, perhaps analytic, processes of thought, usually with a definite goal of understanding; suggets careful analytical deliberation, as in reappraising past experience)

acquiescent

(adj.) ready to accept something without protest, or to do what someone else wants

profligate

(adj.) recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources; licentious (i.e. dissolute); (noun) a licentious, dissolute person

respectable

(adj.) regarded by society to be good, proper, or correct; (of a person's appearance, clothes, or behavior) decent or presentable; of some merit or importance; adequate or acceptable in number, size, or amount

antiquarian

(adj.) relating to or dealing in antiques or rare books; valuable because rare or old; (noun) a person who studies or collects antiques or antiquities

psychedelic

(adj.) relating to or denoting drugs (especially LSD) that produce hallucinations and apparent expansion of consciousness; relating to or denoting a style of rock music originating in the mid 1960s, characterized by musical experimentation and drug-related lyrics; denoting or having an intense, vivid color or a swirling abstract pattern; (noun) a psychedelic drug

a priori

(adj.) relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge that proceeds from theoretical deduction rather than from observation or experience; (adv.) in a way based on theoretical deduction rather than empirical observation; (Linguistics) (of a constructed language) developed entirely from scratch, without deriving it from existing languages

a posteriori

(adj.) relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge the proceeds from observations or experiences to the decution of probable causes (compare with a priori); (loosely) of the nature of an afterthought of subsequent rationalization; (adv.) in a way based on reasoning from known facts or past events rather than by making assumption or predictions; (Linguistics) of a constructed language) developed on a basis of languages which already exist; (adv.) [sentence adverb] (loosely) with hindsight (i.e. as an afterthought)

bureaucratic

(adj.) relating to the business of running an organization, or government; overly concerned with procedure at the expense of efficiency or common sense

dialectical

(adj.) relating to the logical discussion of ideas and opinions; concerned with or acting through opposing forces

temporal1

(adj.) relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs (i.e. secular); of or relating to time; (Grammar) relating to or denoting time or tense

dépaysé

(adj.) removed from one's habitual surroundings

statutory

(adj.) required, permitted, or enacted by statute (a written law passed by a legislative body); (of a criminal offense) carrying a penalty prescribed by statute

ascendant

(adj.) rising in power or influence; (Astrology) (of a planet, zodiacal degree, or sign) just above the eastern horizon; (noun) (Astrology) the point on the ecliptic at which it intersects the eastern horizon at a particular time, typically that of a person's birth (PHRASES: in the ascendant rising in power or influence)

dejected

(adj.) sad and depressed (i.e. dispirited)

lonely

(adj.) sad because one has no friends or company; without companions (i.e. solitary); (of a place) unfrequented and remote

woebegone

(adj.) sad or miserable in appearance

daunting

(adj.) seeming difficult to deal with in anticipation (i.e. intimidating)

brooding

(adj.) seeming to contain some silent threat or danger (i.e. appearing darkly menacing); marked by, or concerned with preoccupation with troublesome, unwelcome, resentful, dark, and/or miserable thoughts

axiomatic

(adj.) self-evident or unquestionable; [attrib.] (chiefly Mathematics) relating to or containing axioms

shivery

(adj.) shaking or trembling as a result of cold, illness, fear, or excitement

devious

(adj.) showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals; (of a route or journey) longer and less direct than the most straightforward way

audacious

(adj.) showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks; showing an impudent lack of respect

deferential

(adj.) showing deference (i.e. respectful)

dauntless

(adj.) showing fearlessness and determination (i.e. not to be daunted or intimidated; intrepid; bold)

meticulous

(adj.) showing great attention to detail (i.e. very careful and precise)

punctilious

(adj.) showing great attention to detail or correct behavior

conscientious

(adj.) showing great care, attention, and industriousness in carrying out a task or role; governed by or done according to somebody's sense of right and wrong

complacent

(adj.) showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements

pat (adj. / adv.)

(adj.) simple and somewhat glib or unconvincing; (adv.) at exactly the right moment or in the right way (i.e. conveniently or opportunely)

seedy

(adj.) sordid and disreputable; shabby and squalid; (dated) unwell

multi-monolingual

(adj.) speaking or using several languages as distinct entities (via distinct monolingualisms) (while this is a misguided view of the multilingualisms of people, it may in fact be accurate of the multilingualism of intelligent personal assistants such as Siri)

studious

(adj.) spending a lot of time studying or reading; done deliberately or with a purpose in mind; showing great care or attention

prim

(adj.) stiffly formal and respectable (i.e. feeling or showing disapproval of anything regarded as improper); (verb) purse (the mouth or lips) into a prim expression

robust

(adj.) strong and healthy (i.e. vigorous); (of an object) sturdy in construction; (of a process, system, organization, etc.) able to withstand or overcome adverse conditions; uncompromising and forceful; (of wine or food) strong and rich in flavor or smell

purgative

(adj.) strongly laxative in effect; having the effect of ridding someone of unwanted feelings or memories; (noun) a laxative; a thing that rids someone of unwanted feelings or memories

moot

(adj.) subject to debate, dispute, or uncertainty, and typically not adimitting of a final decision; having no practical significance, typically because the subject is too uncertain to allow a decision; (verb) [with obj.] (usually be mooted) raise (a question or topic) for discussion (i.e. suggest (an idea or possibility)); (noun) [Brit.] an assembly held for debate, esp. in Anglo-Saxon and medieval times; a regular gathering of people having a common interest; [Law] a mock trial set up to examine a hypothetical case as an academic exercise

well adjusted

(adj.) successfully altered or moved so as to achieve a desired fit, appearance, or result; (of a person) mentally and emotionally stable

specificative

(adj.) tending or serving to specify

incorporative

(adj.) tending to incorporate or include things

reminiscent

(adj.) tending to remind one of something; suggesting something by resemblance; (of a person or their manner) absorbed in or suggesting absorption in memories

engaging

(adj.) that engages the attention (i.e. engrossing, interesting, enthralling); charming (i.e. attractive, especially of a manner or behavior)

fecundity

(adj.) the quality / condition of producing or being capable of producing an abudance of offspring or new growth (i.e. fertility); (technical) (of a woman or women) the quality / condition of being capable of becoming pregnant and giving birth

considered

(adj.) thought about or decided upon with care; regarded with respect or esteem

ineffable

(adj.) too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words; not to be uttered

categorical

(adj.) unambiguously explicit and direct

gratuitous

(adj.) uncalled for (i.e. lacking good reason, unwarranted); given or done free or charge

immutable

(adj.) unchanging over time or unable to be changed

dégagé

(adj.) unconcerned or unconstrained (i.e. relaxed); (noun) (Ballet) pointing of the foot to an open position with an arched instep slightly off the floor

offhand

(adj.) ungraciously or offensively nonchalant or cool in manner; (adv.) without previous thought or consideration

oppressive

(adj.) unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint, esp. on a minority or other subordinate group; weighing heavily on the mind or spirits (i.e. causing depression or discomfort); (of weather) excessively hot and humid

superfluous

(adj.) unnecessary, especially through being more than enough

inutile

(adj.) useless (i.e. pointless)

circumlocutory

(adj.) using many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive; long-winded

magnanimous

(adj.) very generous or forgiving, esp. toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself

torrid

(adj.) very hot and dry; full of passionate or highly charged emotions arising from sexual love; full of difficulty or tribulation

pin sharp

(adj.) very sharp or acute

archetypal

(adj.) very typical of a certain kind of person or thing; recurrent as a symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology; of, relating to, or denoting an original that has been imitated; relating to or denoting Jungian archetypes

felicitous

(adj.) well chosen or suited to the circumstances; pleasing and fortunate

illustrious

(adj.) well known, respected, and admired for past achievements

obliging

(adj.) willing to do a service or kindness (i.e. helpful)

complaisant

(adj.) willing to please others (i.e. obliging, agreeable)

intralexical

(adj.) within a single word (i.e. stemming from a word (in) itself)

unfailing

(adj.) without error or fault; reliable or constant

unguarded

(adj.) without protection or a guard; not well considered (i.e. careless)

legato

(adv. & adj.) (Music) in a smooth, flowing manner, without breaks between notes; (noun) a piece or passage marked to be performed legato

staccato

(adv. & adj.) (chiefly Music) with each sound or note sharply detached or separated from the others; (noun) a piece or passage marked to be performed staccato; a noise or speech resembling a series of short, detached musical notes

upstage

(adv. & adj.) at or toward the back of a theater stage; (informal, dated) superior (i.e. aloof); (verb) [with obj.] divert attention from (someone) toward oneself (i.e. outshine); (of an actor) move toward the back of a stage to make (another actor) face away from the audience

afoot

(adv. & adj.) in preparation or progress (i.e. happening or beginning to happen); (chiefly N. Amer.) on foot

by the by

(adv. phrase) incidentally (i.e. parenthetically (of, relating to, or inserted as a parenthesis))

theretofore

(adv.) (archaic or formal) before that time

thenceforth

(adv.) (archaic or literary) from that time, place, or point onward

afar

(adv.) (chiefly literary) at or to a distance

incidentally

(adv.) [sentence adverb] used when a person has something more to say, or is about to add a remark unconnected to the current subject (i.e. by the way); in an incidental manner (i.e. as a chance occurrence)

concededly

(adv.) admitting or acknowledging something to be true, often grudgingly or with reluctance (i.e. admittedly)

ofttimes

(adv.) archaic or poetic/literary form of often

oft

(adv.) archaic, poetic/literary, or jocular form of often

deliberately

(adv.) consciously and intentionally (i.e. on purpose); in a careful and unhurried way

ab ovo

(adv.) from the very beginning

straight (or right) away (or informal off)

(adv.) immediately

au fond

(adv.) in essence

oftentimes

(adv.) often

indeed

(adv.) used to emphasize a statement or response confirming something already suggested; used to emphasize a description, typically of a quality or condition; used to introduce a further and stronger or more surprising point; used in a response to express interest, incredulity, or contempt; expressing interest of an ironical kind with repetition of a question just asked

integrative medicine

(also "holistic" medicine) (noun) phrase) a practice of medicine that combines alternative medicine with evidence-based (/mainstream (?) medicine (proponents claim that it treats the "whole" person, focuses on wellness and health rather than on treating disease, and emphasizes the patient-physican relationship; Iit has been criticized for compromising the effectiveness of mainstream medicine through inclusion of ineffective alternative remedies, and for claiming it is distinctive in taking a rounded view of a person's health)

end-of-life (1)

(also EOL) (noun) termination of the sale or support for goods and services (i.e. a term used with respect to a product supplied to customers that indicates that the product is in the end of its useful life (from the vendor's point of view), and a vendor intends to stop marketing, selling, or sustaining it (the vendor may simply intend to limit or end support for the product)) (the time-frame after the last production date depends on the product and relates to the expected product lifetime from a customer's point of view)

general availability

(also GA) (noun) a release of software which is good enough to be made available outside the originating company - available to the general public (i.e. the marketing stage at which all necessary commercialization activities have been completed and a software product is available for purchase, depending, however, on language, region, electronic vs. media availability) (the time between a RTM and GA can be from a aweek to months in some cases before a generally available release ca be declared because of the time needed to complete all commercialization activities required by GA; at this stage, the software has "gone live")

oriental

(also Oriental) of, from, or characteristic of East Asia; (Oriental) (Zoology) of, relating to, or denoting a zoogeographical region comprising Asia south of the Himalayas and Indonesia weset of Wallace's line (distinctive animals include pandas, gibbons, tree shrews, tarsiers, and moonrats; (of a pearl or other jewel) orient; (dated, often offensive) a person of East Asian descent

release to web

(also RTW) (noun) a means of software delivery that utilizes the Internet for distribution and for which no physical media are produced

noun adjunct

(also attributive noun, noun (pre)modifier) an optional noun that modifiers another noun (i.e. a noun functioning as a pre-modifier in a noun phrase), e.g. "chicken" in "chicken soup" (it is irrelevant whether the resulting compound noun is spelled in one or two parts, and noun adjuncts can be strung together in a long sequence preceding the final noun without any theoretical limit; in such cases that a noun adjunct has an equivalent adjectivally inflected alternative, one may be more idiomatic than another or tend to adhere to a certain sense that the other does not)

autodidacticism

(also autodidactism or self-education) (noun) self-directed learning that is related to but different from informal learning (in a sense, "learning on your own" or "by yourself"; autodidacticism is a contemplative, absorptive procession; some autodidacts spend a great deal of time reviewing the resources of libraries and educational websites; one may become an autodidact at nearly any point in one's life; while some may have been informed in a conventional manner in a particular field, they may choose to inform themselves in other, often unrelated areas; from classrooms to other social settings; many autodidacts seek instruction and guidance from experts, friends, teachers, parents, siblings, and community; for autodidacts to be successful in their self-teaching, they must possess self-discipline and reflective capability)

pre-alpha

(also development releases, nightly builds) (noun) all activities performed during a software project before testing (e.g. requirements analysis, software design, software development, unit testing)

document classification

(also document categorization) (noun phrase) a problem / task in library science, information science and computer science in which a document must be assigned to one or more classes or categories, whether "manually" (or "intellectually") or algorithmically (the documents classified may be texts, images, music, etc., each kind of document of which possesses its special classification problems; documents may be classified according to their subjects or according to other attributes such as document type, author, priting year, etc.)

release candidate

(also gamma, delta, RC) (noun) a version of a program that is nearly ready for release but may still have a few bugs (i.e. the status between beta version and release version; a beta version with potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge) (in this stage of product stabilization, all product features have been designed, coded and tested through one or more beta cycles with no known showstopper-class bug; a release is called code complete when the development team agrees that no entirely new source code will be added to this release; there could still be source code changes to fix defects, changes to documentation and data files, and peripheral code for test cases or utilities)

RTM

(also going gold) (noun) release to {manufacturing / marketing} (a term used when a software product is ready to be delivered or provided to the customer; this build may be digitally signed, and a copy of the RTM build known as the "gold master" or GM is sent for mass duplication; RTM precedes general availability (GA), when the product is released to the public; the term does not define the delivery mechanism or volume, but rather only states that the quality is sufficient for mass distribution)

maiko

(also hangyoku 'half-jewel' or o-shaku 'one who pours (alcohol)') apprentice Geiko (not exactly same as geisha) in Western Japan, esp. Kyoto (the white make-up and elaborate kimono and hair of a maiko is the popular image held of geisha; their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen or koto for visitors during feasts; maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become geiko after learning how to dance the traditional kyomai dances, play the shamisen, and learning Kyō-kotoba (dialect of Kyoto), regardless of their origins)

odonym

(also hodonym) an identifying name given to a street (or road) (the street name usually forms part of the address, though addresses in some parts of the world such as Japan make no reference to street names; buildings are often given numbers along the street to further help identify them; names are often given in a two-part form - an individual name known as the specific, and an indicator of the type of street, known as the generic)

ibid.

(also ib.) (adv.) in the same source (used to save space in textual references to a quoted work that has been mentioned in a previous reference)

meta-

(also met- before a vowel or h) (comb. form) denoting a change of position or condition; denoting position behind, after, or beyond; denoting something of a higher or second-order kind; (Chemistry) denoting substitution at two carbon atoms separated by one another in a benzene ring, e.g. in 1,3 positions; (Chemistry) denoting a compound formed by dehydration

adjectival noun

(also nominalized adjective) usually now refers to an adjective used as a noun (the opposite process compared to forming a noun adjunct), as in "the Irish" meaning "Irish people" or "the poor" meaning "poor people" (though this formerly was synonymous with noun adjunct)

dvandva

(also twin or Siamese linguistic compound) (noun) (Grammar) one or more objects that could be connected in sense by the conjunction 'and', where the objects refer to the parts of an agglomeration described by the compound (i.e. a compound word neither element of which is subordinate to the other) (Dvandvas are common in some languages such as Sanskrit where the term originates, as well as Chinese, Japanese, and some Modern Indic languages such as Hindi and Urdu, but less common in English; (the term is not often found in English dictionaries); examples include Sanskrit mātāpitarau for 'mother and father', Chinese shānchuān and Japanese yamakawa (山川) for 'mountains and rivers', Modern Greek "anðrojino" (ανδρόγυνο) for "married couple (lit. man-woman)", and bittersweet and Anglo-Saxon)

shuttled off this mortal coil

(chiefly humorous) die (possible correction of spelling of putative phrase "shuffle(d) off this mortal coil", which would pose the length of our life metaphorically as the length of thread that is coiled on a spool—a metaphor related to the ancient Greek mythological figures of the Fates: as we live, the thread is unwound from the coil by the shuttle of the loom of time) [from Shakespeare's Hamlet (III. i. 67)]

pan-

(comb. form) all-inclusive, esp. in relation to the whole of a continent, racial group, religion, etc.

-babble

(combination form) forming nouns denoting confusing or pretentious jargon characteristic of a specified field or group

vernacularize

(esp. Brit. vernacularise) (verb) [with obj.] to translate into the natural speech peculiar to a people

coucou

(exclam.) (colloquial, informal) hiya / hey; peekaboo; (Bringing Up Bebe) (noun) cuckoo (the bird); cuckoo (the cry of the bird); cuckoo clock; cowslip (flower); any old vehicle, especially one that is rickety

Ooh la la

(exclam.) (humorous) (esp. in contexts stereotypically associated with France or the French) used to express surprise or excitement, sometimes with very strong sexual connotations; another way of saying "oh boy" or "oh yea" or a less severe way of saying "hell yes"; used to convey a sexual innuendo

touché

(exclam.) (in fencing) used as an acknowledgment of a hit by one's opponent; used as an acknowledgment during a discussion of a good or clever point made at one's expense by another person

au contraire

(exclam.) (often humorous) on the contrary

that will do

(exclam.) no more is needed or desirable

foregoing

(formal) (adj.) just mentioned or stated (i.e. preceding); (noun) (the foregoing) [treated as singular or plural] the things just mentioned or stated

concomitant

(formal) (adj.) naturally accompanying or associated; (noun) a phenomenon that naturally accompanies or follows something

schlep

(informal) (chiefly N. Amer.) (verb) [with obj.] haul or carry (something heavy or awkward); [no obj.] (of a person) go or move reluctantly or with effort; (noun) a tedious or difficult journey; another term for schlepper ((noun) (informal) an inept or stupid person

nosh

(informal) (noun) food; a snack or small item of food; (verb) [no obj.] eat food enthusiastically or greedily; eat between meals

bop1 (verb)

(informal) (verb) [no obj.] dance to pop music; move or travel energetically

play (or keep) one's cards close to one's chest (or vest)

(informal) be secretive and cautious about one's intentions (i.e. to keep to oneself, to be secretive, to be very cautious in one's dealing with people and giving nothing much or nothing at all away (as if one were playing cards and not permitting anyone to see any of the cards))

off the wall

(informal) eccentric or unconventional; (of a person) angry; (of an accusation) without basis or foundation

hoopla (1)

(informal) excitement surrounding an event or situation, esp. when considered to be unnecessary fuss

intersectionality

(mass noun) the theory that the overlap of various social identities, as race, gender, sexuality, and class, contributes to the specific type of systemic oppression and discrimination experienced by an individual or group (i.e. the study of intersections between forms or systems of oppression, domination or discrimination) (e.g. black feminism, which argues that the experience of being a black female cannot be understood in terms of being black, and of being female, considered independently, but must include the interactions, which frequently reinforce each other; the theory suggests that—and seeks to examine how—various biological, social and cultural categories such as gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, caste, and other axes of identity interact on multiple and often simultaneous levels, contributing to systematic injustice and social inequality)

search algorithm

(noun phrase) (Computer Science) an algorithm for finding an item with specified properties among a collection of items - such items of which may be stored individually as records in a database; or may be elements of a search space defined by a mathematical formula or procedure, such as the roots of an equation with integer variables; or a combination of the two, such as the Hamiltonian circuits of a graph

beam search

(noun phrase) (Computer Science) an optimization of the best first search graph search algorithm where only a predetermined number of paths are kept as candidates (the number of paths is the "width of the beam"; if more paths than this are generated, the worst paths are discarded; this reduces the space requirements of best first search)

genetic editing

(noun phrase) (French critique génétique, literally 'genetic criticism') an approach to scholarly editing in which an exemplar is seen as derived from a dossier of other manuscripts and events (the derivation can be through physical cut and paste; writing or drawing in a variety of media; quotation, annotation or correction; acts of physical defacement; etc.; genetic editing aims to reconstruct the sequence of actions on the manuscript and exactly which parts of the manuscript were acted upon; where multiple manuscripts have been combined (through for example cut and paste or quotation); genetic editing is strong in European, particularly French and German, textual scholarship; completed works of genetic editing are known as genetic editions; whereas traditional scholarly editing can be seen to as constructing a new document drawing together and comparing many source documents to cast light on a work, genetic editing closely examines a single extant manuscript and traces back each aspect to cast light on the work)

social loafing

(noun phrase) (Social psychology) the phenomenon of people deliberately exerting less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when they work alone (this is seen as one of the main reasons groups are sometimes less productive than the combined performance of their members working as individuals, but should be distinguished from the accidental coordination problems that groups sometime experience; many of the causes of social loafing stem from an individual feeling that his or her effort will not matter to the group)

group polarization

(noun phrase) (Social psychology) the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members (these more extreme decisions are towards greater risk if individuals' initial tendencies are to be risky and towards greater caution if individuals' initial tendencies are to be cautious; the phenomenon also holds that a group's attitude toward a situation may change in the sense that the individuals' initial attitudes have strengthened and intensified after group discussion)

diffusion of responsibility

(noun phrase) (Sociopsychology) a phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or interaction when others are present (considered a form of attribution, the individual assumes that others either are responsible for taking action or have already done so; the phenomenon tends to occur in groups of people above a certain critical size and when responsibility is not explicitly assigned)

change of pace

(noun phrase) (chiefly N. Amer.) a change from what one is used to

the big idea

(noun phrase) (chiefly ironic) a clever or important intention or scheme

mortal coil

(noun phrase) (poetic) the troubles of daily life and the strife and suffering of the world (used in the sense of a burden to be carried or abandoned) (i.e. the chaos and confusion of life); the physical body of man (containing the spirit inside)

beer sommelier

(noun phrase) (sometimes known as a cicerone) a professional who works in the alcoholic beverage industry specializing in the service and knowledge of beer (this knowledge includes an understanding of styles, brewing, ingredients, history of beer and brewing, glassware, beer service, draught systems, beer tasting and food pairings; the profession in relatively new but growing)

an ear for

(noun phrase) [in singular] (esp. in phrase to have an ear for) an ability to recognize, appreciate, and reproduce sounds, especially music or language

digital / media ecosystem

(noun phrase) a complex network or interconnected system of hardware, software and online services (e.g. operating systems, apps, add-ons, music, movies, books, and more) in which products and services interact with each other

can of worms

(noun phrase) a complicated matter likely to prove awkward or embarrassing

baptism of fire

(noun phrase) a difficult or painful new undertaking or experience [from the original sense of 'a soldier's first battle']

an old chestnut

(noun phrase) a joke or story that has become tedious because of its age and constant repetition

Non-formal learning

(noun phrase) a loosely defined term covering various structured learning situations, such as swimming sessions for toddlers, community-based sports programs and conference style seminars, which do not either have the level of curriculum, syllabus, accreditation and certification associated with 'formal learning', but have more structure than that associated with 'informal learning', which typically take place naturally and spontaneously as part of other activities (examples of non-formal learning include community-based sports programs or adult education courses, programs developed by organisations such as the Boy Scouts or Girl Guides Girl Guides, professional conferences and continuing professional development; the learner's objectives may be to increase skills and knowledge, as well as to experience the emotional rewards associated with increased love for a subject or increased passion for learning)

the elephant in the room

(noun phrase) a major problem or controversial issue that is obviously present but avoided as a subject for discussion because it is more comfortable to do so

intelligent personal assistant

(noun phrase) a mobile software agent that can perform tasks, or services, for an individual based on user input, location awareness, and the ability to access information from a variety of online sources (such as weather or traffic conditions, news, stock prices, user schedules, retail prices. etc.) (e.g. Samsung's S Voice, LG's Voice Mate, Google Now, Microsoft Cortana, HTC's Hidi and Apple's Siri)

forlorn hope

(noun phrase) a persistent or desperate hope that is unlikely to be fulfilled

a Jekyll and Hyde

(noun phrase) a person alternately displaying opposing good and evil personalities

the genuine article

(noun phrase) a person or thing considered to be an authentic and excellent example of their kind

Jack (or Jill) of all trades (and master of none)

(noun phrase) a person who can do many different types of work but who is not necessarily very competent at any of them

Jack (or Jill) of all trades, master of some

(noun phrase) a person who can do many different types of work to some degree and is particularly competent at some of them (akin to a "Renaissance man")

a labor of love

(noun phrase) a task done for pleasure, not reward (i.e. work done for interest in the work itself rather than for payment; a labor voluntarily undertaken or performed without consideration of any benefit or reward)

moment of truth

(noun phrase) a time when a person or thing is tested, a decision has to be made, or a crisis has to be faced [with allusion to the final sword-thrust in a bullfight]

history of the book

(noun phrase) an academic discipline that studies the production, transmission, circulation and dissemination of text from antiquity to the present day (the scope of the history of the book, or book history as it is also known, includes the history of ideas, history of religion, bibliography as well as practices of conservation and curation)

a shot (or stab) in the dark

(noun phrase) an act whose outcome cannot be foreseen (i.e. a mere guess)

tragedy of the commons

(noun phrase) an economics theory by Garrett Hardin, according to which the depletion of a shared resource by individuals, acting independently and rationally according to each one's self-interest, act contrary to the group's long-term best interests by depleting the common resource (the concept is often cited in connection with sustainable development, meshing economic growth and environmental protection, as well as in the debate over global warming; "commons" can include the atmosphere, oceans, rivers, fish stocks, national parks, advertising, and even parking meters; the tragedy of the commons has particular relevance in analyzing behavior in the fields of economics, evolutionary psychology, anthropology, game theory, politics, taxation, and sociology; some also see the "tragedy" as an example of emergent behavior, the outcome of individual interactions in a complex system)

tertiary source

(noun phrase) an index and/or textual consolidation of primary and secondary sources (e.g. an almanac, guide book, survey article, timeline, or user guide) (depending on the topic of research, a scholar may use a bibliography, dictionary, or encyclopedia as either a tertiary or a secondary source; as tertiary sources, encyclopedias and textbooks attempt to summarize and consolidate the source materials into an overview, but may also present subjective commentary and analysis (which are characteristics of secondary choices))

textual scholarship

(noun phrase) an umbrella term for disciplines that deal with describing, transcribing, editing or annotating texts and physical documents (textual research is mainly historically oriented; textual scholars study, for instance, how writing practices and printing technology has developed, how a certain writer has written and revised his texts, how literary documents have been edited, the history of reading culture, as well as censorship and the authenticity of texts; the subjects, methods and theoretical backgrounds of textual research vary widely, but what they have in common is an interest in the genesis and derivation of texts and textual variation in these practices; disciplines of textual scholarship include, among others, textual criticism, stemmatology, paleography, genetic criticism (critique génétique), bibliography, and history of the book; some disciplines of textual scholarship focus on certain material sources or text genres, such as epigraphy, codicology, and diplomatics; the historical roots of textual scholarship date back to the 3rd century BCE, when the scholarly activities of copying, comparing, describing and archiving texts became professionalized in the Library of Alexandria)

herd mentality

(noun phrase) describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items (examples of the herd mentality include stock market trends, superstition, home décor, etc.; social psychologists study the related topics of group intelligence, crowd wisdom, and decentralized decision making)

flight of ideas

(noun phrase) flight of ideas describes excessive speech at a rapid rate that involves causal association between ideas, links between ideas maybe with usage of puns or rhymes (it is common in mania)

the end of one's rope (or tether)

(noun phrase) having no patience or energy left to cope with something

cultural capital

(noun phrase) non-financial social assets (e.g. education, intellect, style of speech, dress, or physical appearance) that promote social mobility beyond economic means (cultural capital is a sociological concept first articulated by Pierre Bourdieu)

Informal learning

(noun phrase) one of three forms of learning defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - the other two are formal and non-formal learning (informal learning occurs in a variety of places, such as at home, work, and through daily interactions and shared relationships among members of society; for many learners this includes language acquisition, cultural norms and manners; informal learning for young people is an ongoing process that also occurs in a variety of places, such as out of school time, in youth programs at community centers and media labs; in the context of corporate training and education, the term informal learning is widely used to describe the many forms of learning that takes place independently from instructor-led programs: books, self-study programs, performance support materials and systems, coaching, communities of practice, and expert directories; informal learning for American indigenous children can take place in the community, where individuals have opportunities to observe and participate in ongoing community activities)

totum pro parte

(noun phrase) reference to a whole to describe a part of it (i.e. Latin for "the whole for a part"; it refers to a kind of synecdoche; when used in the context of language, it means that something is named after something of which it is only a part (or a limited characteristic)) (e.g. the widespread use of "America" in place of "United States of America", "United States", or "USA"; "Latin America" for "South America"; or "Europe" for the EU) (totum pro parte can be imprecise, controversial, or even offensive)

spatial empathy

(noun phrase) the awareness that an individual has to the proximity, activities, and comfort of people surrounding them (it is closely related to the notion of personal space, the concept that an individual has ownership of their immediate surroundings; and for others to invade this space represents an infringement on their privacy)

academic freedom

(noun phrase) the belief that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts (including those that are inconvenient to external political groups or to authorities) without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment

receptive language

(noun phrase) the comprehension of language (i.e. listening and understanding what is communicated; the receiving aspect of language) (it may include reading or be used solely to refer to spoken communication, include understanding of both words and gestures, and go beyond just vocabulary skills to include such abilities as that of how to correctly interpret a question as such)

harmonic convergence

(noun phrase) the name given to the world's first globally synchronized meditation, which occurred on August 16-17, 1987, which also closely coincided with an exceptional alignment of planets in our solar system; (The Legend of Korra) when Vaatu and Raava (in "The Legend of Korra") battle for the fate of the world (every 1,000 years?; also corresponding to planetary alignment)

the end of the road (or line)

(noun phrase) the point beyond which progress or survival cannot continue

productive / expressive language

(noun phrase) the production of speech and communication of a message (i.e. the "output" of language, how one expresses his or her wants and needs; speaking and writing)

sophrosyne

(noun) (/səˈfrɒsəni/) a healthy state of mind, characterized by self-control, moderation, and a deep awareness of one's true self, and resulting in true happiness (i.e. "an ancient Greek concept of an ideal of excellence of character and soundness of mind, which when combined in one well-balanced individual leads to other qualities, such as temperance, moderation, prudence, and self-control...in Greek literature sophrosyne is considered an important quality, and is expressed in opposition to the concept of hubris" (Wikipedia))

genitor

(noun) (Anthropology) a person's biological father (often contrasted with pater)

syzygy

(noun) (Astronomy) a conjunction or opposition, especially of the moon with the sun; a pair of connected or corresponding things

pas de chat

(noun) (Ballet) a jump in which each foot in turn is raised to the opposite knee

pas de bourrée

(noun) (Ballet) a sideways step in which one foot crosses behind or in front of the other

cryptobiosis

(noun) (Biology) a physiological state in which metabolic activity is reduced to an undetectable level without disappearing altogether (it is known in certain plant and animal groups adapted to survive periods of extremely dry conditions)

senescence

(noun) (Biology) the condition of process of deterioration with age; loss of a cell's power of division and growth

pater

(noun) (British informal, dated) father; (Anthropology) a person's legal father (often contrasted with genitor)

cavalier (noun 1-1b, adj.)

(noun) (Cavalier) (historical) a supporter of King Charles I in the English Civil War; (archaic or literary) a courtly gentleman, esp. one acting as a lady's escort; (archaic) a horseman, esp. a cavalryman; (adj.) showing a lack of proper concern (i.e. offhand)

checkmate

(noun) (Chess) a check from which a king cannot escape; [as exclamation] (by a player) announcing that the opponent's king is in the position of checkmate; a final defeat or deadlock; (verb) [with obj.] (Chess) put into checkmate; defeat or frustrate totally

metafile

(noun) (Computing) a piece of graphical information stored in a format that can be exchanged between different systems or software

metaverse

(noun) (Computing) a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users

Unicode

(noun) (Computing) an international encoding standard for use with different languages and scripts, by which each letter, digit, or symbol is assigned a unique numeric value that applies across different platforms and programs

bêtise

(noun) (French) a small act of naughtiness (which is a minor annoyance - bad, but not that bad) (i.e. a misdemeanor); sillyness (i.e. foolishness, folly, stupidity); (English) a foolish or ill-timed remark or action

metasomatism

(noun) (Geology) change in the composition of a rock as a result of the introduction or removal of chemical constituents

Eigengrau

(noun) (German: "intrinsic gray") (also Eigenlicht (German: "intrinsic light"), dark light, or brain gray; nowadays more commonly referred to as "visual noise" or "background adaptation") the color seen by the eye on perfect darkness (even in the absence of light, some action potentials are still sent along the optic nerve, causing the sensation of a uniform dark gray color; it is perceived as lighter than a black object because contrast is more important to the visual system than absolute brightness

indefinite article

(noun) (Grammar) a determiner (a and an in English) that introduces a noun phrase and implies that the thing referred to is nonspecific (as in she bought me a book; government is an art; he went to a public school) (typically, the indefinite article is used to introduce new concepts into a discourse)

definite article

(noun) (Grammar) a determiner (the in English) that introduces a noun phrase and implies that the thing mentioned has already been mentioned, or is common knowledge, or is about to be defined (as in the book on the table; the art of government; the famous poet and short story writer)

modifier (1a)

(noun) (Grammar) a word, esp. an adjective or noun used attributively, that restricts or adds to the sense of a head noun

phrasal verb

(noun) (Grammar) an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, typically either an adverb, as in break down, or a preposition, for example see to, or a combination of both, such as look down on

anaphora

(noun) (Grammar) the use of a word referring to or replacing a word used earlier in a sentence, to avoid repetition, such as do in I like it and so do they; (Rhetoric) the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

ambrosia

(noun) (Greek & Roman Mythology) the food of the gods; something very pleasing to taste or smell; a fungal product used as food by ambrosia beetles; another term for bee bread (honey or pollen used as food by bees); a dessert made with oranges and shredded coconut

Trojan horse

(noun) (Greek Mythology) a hollow wooden statue of a horse in which the Greeks concealed themselves in order to enter Troy; (also Trojan horse) a person or thing intended secretly to undermine or bring about the downfall of an enemy or opponent; (also Trojan horse) (Computing) a program designed to breach the security of a computer system while ostensibly performing some innocuous function

hamadryad

(noun) (Greek and Roman Mythology) a nymph who lives in a tree and dies when the tree dies; another term for king cobra

mojito

(noun) (Hispanic) a cocktail consisting of white rum, lime or lemon juice, sugar, mint, ice, and sparkling water or club soda; a (non-alcoholic) drink or flavor resembling this drink

interlinear gloss

(noun) (Linguistics and Pedagogy) a series of brief explanations (such as definitions or pronunciations) placed between a line of original text and its translation into another language (when glossed, each line of the original text acquires one or more lines of transcription known as an interlinear text or interlinear glossed text (IGT)—interlinear for short; such glosses help the reader follow the relationship between the source text and its translation, and the structure of the original language; in its simplest form, an interlinear gloss is simply a literal, word-for-word translation of the source text)

lexeme

(noun) (Linguistics) a basic lexical unit of a language, consisting of one word or several words, considered as an abstract unit, and applied to a family of words related by form or meaning (e.g. run in runs, ran, and running; and take and off as well as take off)

simple gloss

(noun) (Linguistics) a gloss in running text that may be marked by single quotations marks and follow the transcription of a foreign word, e.g. "A Cossack longboat is called a chaika 'seagull'"

diglossia

(noun) (Linguistics) a situation in which two languages (or two varieties of the same language) are used under different conditions within a community, often by the same speakers (the term is usually applied to languages with distinct "high" and "low" (colloquial) varieties, such as Arabic)

meronym

(noun) (Linguistics) a term that denotes part of something but which is used to refer to the whole of it, e.g. faces when used to mean people in I see several familiar faces present or wheels to mean automobile

generative grammar

(noun) (Linguistics) a type of grammar that describes a language in terms of a set of logical rules formulated so as to be capable of generating the infinite number of possible sentences of that language and providing them with the correct structural description

paronym

(noun) (Linguistics) a word that is a derivative of another and has a related meaning (i.e. a word that is related to another word and derives from the same root; a cognate word, such as dubious and doubtful); a word formed by adaptation of a foreign word (Contrasted with heteronym)

heteronym

(noun) (Linguistics) each of two or more words that are spelled identically but have different sounds and meanings, such as tear meaning "rip" and tear meaning "liquid from the eye"; each of two or more words that are used to refer to the identical thing in different geographical areas of a speech community, such as submarine sandwich, hoagie, and grinder; each of two words having the same meaning but derived from unrelated sources, for example preface and forward (contrasted with paronym)

polysemy

(noun) (Linguistics) the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase (i.e. diversity of meanings)

collocation

(noun) (Linguistics) the habitual juxtaposition of a particular word with another word or words with a frequency greater than chance; a pair or group of words that are habitually juxtaposed; the action of placing things side by side or in position

apocope

(noun) (Linguistics) the loss of a sound or sounds at the end of a word, e.g., in the derivation of curio from curiosity

referent

(noun) (Linguistics) the thing that a word or phrase denotes or stands for

aphasia

(noun) (Medicine) a loss of language function as a result of brain damage (e.g. via stroke, traumatic head injury, or infection)

aphonia

(noun) (Medicine) loss of ability to speak through disease of or damage to the larynx or mouth

metastasis

(noun) (Medicine) the development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from a primary site of cancer; a growth of this type

fugue

(noun) (Music) a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase (the subject) is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts; (Psychiatry) a state or period of loss of awareness of one's identity, often coupled with flight from one's usual environment, associated with certain forms of hysteria and epilepsy

crescendo

(noun) (Music) a gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music; (Music) a passage of music marked to be performed with a gradual increase of loudness; the loudest point reached in a gradually increasing sound; a progressive increase in force or intensity; the most intense point reached in this (i.e. a climax); (adv. & adj.) (Music) with a gradual increase in loudness; (verb) [no obj.] increase in loudness or intensity

coda

(noun) (Music) the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure; the concluding section of a dance, esp. of a pas de deux, or the finale of a ballet in which the dancers parade before the audience; a concluding event, remark, or section

straight arrow

(noun) (N. Amer.) (informal) an honest, morally upright person; (adj.) honest and morraly upright

way station

(noun) (N. Amer.) a stopping point on a journey; a minor station on a railroad

plain sailing

(noun) (Navigation) sailing on waters that are free of hazards or obstructions; an easy and unobstructed way, course, or plan

monism

(noun) (Philosophy & Theology) a theory or doctrine that denies the existence of a distinction or duality in some sphere, such as that between matter and mind, or God and the world; the doctrine that only one supreme being exists (Compare with pluralism)

phenomenology

(noun) (Philosophy) the science of phenomena as distinct from that of the nature of being; an approach that concentrates on the study of consciousness and the objects of direct experience

vowel reduction

(noun) (Phonetics) any of various changes in the acoustic quality of vowels, which are related to changes in stress, sonority, duration, loudness, articulation, or position in the word (e.g. for Creek language), and which are perceived as "weakening" (it most often makes the vowels shorter as well, which may then be called reduced or weak - as contrasted with unreduced full or strong vowels; absence of stress on a syllable, or on a word in some cases, is frequently associated in English with vowel reduction - many such syllables are pronounced with a centralized vowel (schwa) or with certain other "reduced" vowels)

sandhi

(noun) (Phonetics) the process whereby the form of a word changes as a result of its position in an utterance (e.g., the change from a to an before a vowel)

critical mass

(noun) (Physics) the minimum amount of fissile material needed to maintain a nuclear chain reaction; the minimum size or amount of something required to start or maintain a venture

synesthesia

(noun) (Physiology & Psychology) the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body

somatization

(noun) (Psychiatry) the production of recurrent and multiple medical symptoms with no discernible organic cause

limerence

(noun) (Psychology) (also infatuated love) the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings but not primarily for a sexual relationship (i.e. an involuntary state of mind which results from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated; limerence has been defined by one writer as "an involuntary interpersonal state that involves intrusive, obsessive, and compulsive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation from the object of interest")

graphorrhea

(noun) (Psychology) a communication disorder, expressed by excessive wordiness with minor or sometimes incoherent rambling, specifically in written work (it is sometimes classified as a mental illness, resulting in a variety of psychiatric and neurological disorders including aphasia, localized cortical lesions in the thalamus, mania, or most typically in catatonic schizophrenia; some ramblings may follow all/any grammatical rule(s) but still leave the reader confused and unsure about what the piece is about)

classical conditioning

(noun) (Psychology) a learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone

ambivert

(noun) (Psychology) a person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features (DERIVATES: ambiversion (noun))

metacognition

(noun) (Psychology) awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes (i.e. higher-order thinking that enables understanding, analysis, and control of one's cognitive processes, especially when engaged in learning)

condensation (2c-3)

(noun) (Psychology) the fusion of two or more images, ideas, or symbolic meanings into a single composite or new image, as a primary process in unconscious thought exemplified in dreams; a concise version of something, esp. a text

ego boundary

(noun) (Psychology) the point at which an individual stops and the rest of the world begins (i.e. an individual's sense of the line between herself or himself and others) (ego boundaries range from permeable (a sense of self that includes others and their issues, problems, and so on) to rigid (a sense of self as completely distinct from others); men have a thick, rigid ego boundary while women have a thin, permeable ego boundary)

cognitive dissonance

(noun) (Psychology) the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, esp. as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change (i.e. the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values (Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance focuses on how humans strive for internal consistency - when inconsistency (dissonance) is experienced, individuals tend to become psychologically uncomfortable and they are motivated to attempt to reduce this dissonance, as well as actively avoiding situations and information which are likely to increase it))

Muditā

(noun) (Pāli and Sanskrit: मुदिता) joy, especially sympathetic or vicarious joy, the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being rather than begrudging it (the traditional paradigmatic example of this mind-state is the attitude of a parent observing a growing child's accomplishments and successes, but it is not to be confounded with pride as the person feeling mudita must not have any interest or direct income from the accomplishments of the other; if we can be happy when other people are healthy and prosperous, it is called mudita; the opposite word is envy or schadenfreude) (i.e. happiness in another's good fortune; pure joy unadulterated by self-interest - being happy of the joys other beings feel; the Buddhist concept of joy - sympathetic or vicarious joy)

quality control

(noun) (QC) a system of maintaining standards in manufactured products by testing a sample of the output against the specification (i.e. a sytem for veryifying and maintaining a desired level of quality in an existing product or service by careful planning, use of proper equipment, continued inspection, and corrective action as required

litotes

(noun) (Rhetoric) ironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary (e.g. you won't be sorry, meaning you'll be glad)

aposiopesis

(noun) (Rhetoric) the device of suddenly breaking off in speech (i.e. a figure of spech wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue, as in "Get out, or else—!") (the device often portrays its users as overcome with passion (fear, anger, excitement) or modesty; an em dash or ellipsis may be used to mark the occurrence of aposiopesis with punctuation)

antonomasia

(noun) (Rhetoric) the substitution of an epithet or title for a proper name (e.g., the Bard for Shakespeare); the use of a proper name to express a general idea (e.g., a Scrooge for a miser)

bystander effect

(noun) (Social pscyhology) a phenomenon that refers to cases in which individuals do not offer any means of help to a victim when other people are present (the probability of help is inversely related to the number of bystanders - in other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help; several variables help to explain why the bystander effect occurs, including ambiguity, cohesiveness and diffusion of responsibility)

attribution

(noun) (Social psychology) a concept addressing the processes by which individuals explain the causes of behavior and events

T-V distinction

(noun) (Sociolinguistics) (from the Latin pronouns tu and vos) a contrast, within one language (e.g. Old and Middle English; and a number of Romance, Germanic, Hellenic, Celtic, Balto-Slavic, Indic, Finno-Ugric, Semitic, and other languages), between second-person pronouns that are specialized for varying levels of politeness, social distance, courtesy, familiarity, age or insult toward the addressee (languages such as modern English that, outside of certain dialects, have no syntactic T-V distinction may have semantic analogues to convey the mentioned attitudes toward the addressee, such as whether to address someone by a given or surname, or whether to use "sir" or "ma'am" in American English; under a broader classification, T and V forms are examples of honorifics

crazy wisdom

(noun) (Tibetan Buddhism) (also yeshe chölwa 'wisdom gone wild') unconventional, outrageous, or unexpected behavior, being either a manifestation of buddha nature and spiritual teaching (enlightened activity, Whylie: phrin'las) on the part of the guru, or a method of spiritual investigation undertaken by the student (it is also held to be one of the manifestations of a siddha or a mahasiddha; Georg Feuerstein equates this originally Vajrayana term with the trickster-type behavior of teachers in other Indian and Buddhist traditions such as Hinduism, Tantra and Zen; ancient Lamas might use unconventional methods to shock their students out of fixed and psychological patterns; Tibetan tülka Chögyam Trungpa re: spiritual discovery: "Instead we explore further and further and further without looking for an answer. [...] We don't make a big point or an answer out of any one thing. For example, we might think that because we have discovered one particular thing that is wrong with us, that must be it, that must be the problem, that must be the answer. No. We don't fixate on that, we go further. 'Why is that the case?' We look further and further. We ask: 'Why is this so?'...we reach the point where there is no answer...this hopelessness is the essence of crazy wisdom"

pinole

(noun) (U.S.) a sweetened flour made from ground dried corn mixed with flour made of mesquite beans, sugar, and spices; (also pinol, pinolillo) a typical pre-Hispanic drink originating with the Aztecs, who spread it throughorut Mesoamerica (it is made principally of toasted ground corn, which can then be combined with cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, ground mustard seeds, ground chia seeds, achiote, and other grasses and annual herbs; it can be prepared hot or cold and be either a watery drink or a heavier cereal, similar to oatmeal)

cowboy diplomacy

(noun) (a term used by critics to describe) the resolution of international conflicts through brash risk-taking, intimidation, military deployment, or a combination of such tactics

modus operandi

(noun) (abbr. M.O.) [usually in singular] a particular way or method of doing something, esp. one that is characteristic or well-established (used to describe someone's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations); the way something operates or works

information retrieval

(noun) (abbr.: IR) the activity of obtaining information resources relevant to an information need from a collection of information resources (searches can be based on metadata or on full-text (or other content-based) indexing; automated information retrieval systems are used to reduce what has been called "information overload"; many universities and public libraries use IR systems to provide access to books, journals, and other documents; web search engines are the most visible IR applications)

demonym

(noun) (also (traditionally) gentilic) a name for a resident of a locality that is usually, though not always, derived from the name of a locality (e.g. the demonym for a resident of Britain is Briton (or British) and for the people of the Netherlands is Dutch) (in many cases, the demonym used for the residents of a locality is also used as an adjectival (demonym) - which can be used to modify the term for an object or concept from a particular place (e.g. the English countryside); in other casees, the adjectival demonym is different from the noun term used to describe a locality's people (e.g. the Finnish language of Finns and New Zealand music of New Zealanders))

contronym

(noun) (also antagonym, autoantonym, Janus-faced words, etc.) a word with two opposite meanings, e.g. sanction (which can mean both 'a penalty for disobeying a law' and 'official permission or approval for an action') (i.e. a word with a homograph (another word of the same spelling) which is also an antonym)

endonym

(noun) (also autonym) the name given by an ethnic group to its own geographical entity (toponymy), or the name an ethnic group calls itself, often laudatory or self-aggrandizing (endonyms can be names of places (toponym), ethnic groups (ethnonym), languages (glossonym), or individuals (personal name))

glossonym

(noun) (also glottonym) the name of a language

think tank

(noun) (also policy institute, research institute, etc.) a body of experts providing advice and ideas on specific political or economic problems (an organization that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, politicla strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture)

monomyth

(noun) (also the hero's journey) a basic pattern that its proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world (this widely distributed pattern was described by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949); an enthusiast of novelist James Joyce, Campbell borrowed the term monomyth from Joyce's Finnegans Wake; Campbell held that numerous myths from disparate times and regions share fundamental structures and stages, which he summarized in The Hero with a Thousand Faces: A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder, fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won, and the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man; Campbell and other scholars, such as Erich Neumann, describe narratives of Gautama Buddha, Moses, and Christ in terms of the monomyth and Campbell argues that classic myths from many cultures follow this basic pattern)

exonym

(noun) (also xenonym) the name given to an ethnic group or to a geographical entity by another ethnic group (e.g. "Germans" for Deutsche or "Cologne" for Köln) (exonyms can be names of places (toponym), ethnic groups (ethnonym), languages (glossonym), or individuals (personal name))

bard

(noun) (archaic or literary) a poet, traditionally one reciting epics and associated with a particular oral tradition; (the Bard or the Bard of Avon) Shakespeare

knave

(noun) (archaic) a dishonest or unscrupulous man; another term for jack1 in cards

devoir

(noun) (archaic) a person's duty; (pay one's devoirs) pay one's respects formally

theriac

(noun) (archaic) an ointment or other medicinal compound used as an antidote to snake venom or other poison

queue

(noun) (chiefly Brit.) a line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed; (Computing) a list of data items, commands, etc., stored so as to be retrievable in a definite order, usually the order of insertion; (archaic) a braid of hair worn at the back; (verb) (queues, queuing or queueing, queued) [no obj.] (chiefly Brit.) take one's place in a queue; (queue up) be extremely keen to do or have something; [with obj.] (Computing) arrange in a queue

atomism

(noun) (chiefly Philosophy) a theoretical approach that regards something as interpretable through analysis into distinct, separable, and independent elements components (the opposite of holism)

holism

(noun) (chiefly Philosophy) the theory that parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection, such that they cannot exist independently of the whole, or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, which is thus regarded as greater than the sum of its parts (it is often applied to mental states, language, and ecology) (the opposite of atomism); (Medicine) the treating of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease

loremaster

(noun) (chiefly fantasy) a wise person with knowledge of history, genealogy and ancient poetry and possibly magic as well; (Jedi Lore Keeper) a broad term for a Jedi Knight who had pursued the school of thought that gave one the title of Jedi Consular within the Jedi Order (consisting of archivists, historians, and librarians, the Lore Keepers maintained the repositories of knowledge that allowed the Order to grow and learn, calling on wisdom from the Jedi Masters long since past, and contributing knowledge from the scholars of the future)

cad

(noun) (dated or humorous) a man who behaves dishonorably, esp. toward a woman

wag

(noun) (dated) a person who makes facetious jokes

troglodyte

(noun) (esp. in prehistoric times) a person who lived in a cave; a hermit; a person who is regarded as being deliberately ignorant or old-fashioned

elder statesman

(noun) (fem. elder stateswoman) a person who is experienced and well-respected, especially a politician (i.e. an influential citizen, often a retired high official, who advice is sought by government leaders, or any influential member of a company, group, etc. whose advice is respected; (Japanese History) any of the political leaders who retired from official office but continued to exert a strong influence in the government and who controlled the emperor's privy council, especially in the period 1898-1914)

patron

(noun) (fem. patroness) a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity; a customer, especially a regular one, of a store, restaurant, or theater; short for patron saint (the protecting or guiding saint of a person or place); (in ancient Rome) a patrician in relation to a client (see also client (sense 3)); (in ancient Rome) the former owner and (frequently) protector of a freed slave; (Brit.) (chiefly historical) a person or institution with the right to grant a benefice to a member of the clergy

right-hand man

(noun) (fem. right-hand woman) an indispensable helper or chief assistant

edifice

(noun) (formal) a building, esp. a large, imposing one; a complex system of beliefs

colloquy

(noun) (formal) a conversation; a gathering for discussion of theological questions; a humorous dialogue between teacher and pupil

pars pro toto

(noun) (formal) a part or aspect of something taken as representative of the whole (e.g. "Russia" for the entire former Russian Empire or former Soviet Union, "Holland" for the Netherlands, "England" or "Great Britain" for the entire UK) (pars pro toto can be imprecise, controversial, or even offensive)

approbation

(noun) (formal) approval or praise

rectitude

(noun) (formal) morally correct behavior or thinking (i.e. righteousness)

forbearance

(noun) (formal) patient self-control (i.e. restraint and tolerance); (Law) the action of refraining from exercising a legal right, especially enforcing the payment of a debt

praxis

(noun) (formal) practice, as distinguished from theory; accepted practice or custom

exordium

(noun) (formal) the beginning or introductory part, especially of a discourse or treatise (a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject)

edification

(noun) (formal) the instruction or improvement of a person morally or intellectually

skald

(noun) (historical) (in ancient Scandinavia) a composer and reciter of poems honoring heroes and their deeds

dreadnought

(noun) (historical) a type of battleship introduced in the early 20th century, larger and faster than its predecessors and equipped entirely with large-caliber guns [named after Britain's HMS Dreadnought, which was the first to be completed (1906); (archaic) a fearless person; (archaic) a heavy overcoat for stormy weather

tao

(noun) (in Chinese philosophy) the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of yin and yang and signifying the way, or code of behavior, that is in harmony with the natural order (the interpretation of Tao in the Tao-te-Ching developed into the philosophical religion of Taoism) (i.e. an English word coming from the Chinese word for "way" or "path," and referring to that in virtue of which all things happen or exist and the underlying nature of the universe (English speakers started using this metaphysical term in the early 1700s, and continue to use it today, often in light-hearted metaphorical uses beyond its original context))

feng shui

(noun) (in Chinese thought) a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (qi), and whose favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings (i.e. the Chinese art of creating harmonious surroundings that enhance the balance of yin and yang, or negative and positive forces in the universe; architects and designers have been using the principles of feng shui to help situate buildings and graves and arrange rooms since ancient times, though the word did not enter English until the late 1700s)

guru

(noun) (in Hinduism and Buddhism) a spiritual teacher, esp. one who imparts initiation; each of the ten first leaders of the Sikh religion; an influential teacher or popular expert

chakra

(noun) (in Indian thought) each of the centers of spiritual power in the human body, usually considered to be seven in number

purgatory

(noun) (in Roman Catholic doctrine) a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven; mental anguish or suffering; (adj.) (archaic) having the quality of cleansing or purifying

mahatma

(noun) (in South Asia) a person regarded with reverence or loving respect (i.e. a holy person or sage); (the Mahatma) Mahatma Gandhi; (in some forms of theosophy) a person in India or Tibet said to have supernatural powers

kamikaze

(noun) (in World War II) a Japanese aircraft loaded with explosives and making a deliberate suicidal crash on an enemy target; the pilot of an aircraft making a deliberate suicidal crash; (adj.) [attrib.] of or relating to a kamikaze attack or pilot; reckless or potentially self-destructive

historiated initial

(noun) (in an illuminated manuscript) an enlarged and decorated letter introducing an important section of a text (initials can have different levels of significance, according to the divisions of the text or their place within a program of decoration; historiated initials, as contrasted with inhabited initials, have an identifiable figure or specific scene that {forms a / is part of the} subject)

inhabited initial

(noun) (in an illuminated manuscript) an enlarged and decorated letter introducing an important section of a text (initials can have different levels of significance, according to the divisions of the text or their place within a program of decoration; inhabited initials, as contrasted with historiated initials, contain figures (human or animal) that are decorative only, without forming a subject)

gambit

(noun) (in chess) an opening in which a player makes a sacrifice, typically of a pawn, for the sake of some compensating advantage; a device, action, or opening remark, typically one entailing a degree of risk, that is calculated to gain an advantage

naiad

(noun) (in classical mythology) a water nymph said to inhabit a river, spring, or waterfall; the aquatic larva or nymph of a dragonfly, mayfly, or stonefly; a submerged aquatic plant with narrow leaves and minute flowers [Genus Najas, family Najadaceae.]

lone hand

(noun) (in euchre or quadrille) a hand played against the rest, or a player playing such a hand [PHRASES play a lone hand act on one's own without help]

fritz

(noun) (in phrase go or be on the fritz) (N. Amer.) (informal) (of a machine) stop working properly

kith

(noun) (in phrase kith and kin or kith or kin) one's friends, acquaintances, and relations

boot2

(noun) (in phrase to boot) as well (i.e. in addition)

limbo1

(noun) (in some Christian beliefs) the supposed abode of the souls of unbaptized infants, and of the just who died before Christ's coming; an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution (i.e. an intermediate state or condition); a state of neglect or oblivion

knight

(noun) (in the Middle Ages) a man who served his sovereign or lord as a mounted soldier in armor; (in the Middle Ages) a man raised by a sovereign to honorable military rank after service as a page and squire; (literary) a man devoted to the service of a woman or a cause; (dated) (in ancient Rome) a member of the class of equites; (in ancient Greece) a citizen of the second class in Athens; (in the UK) a man awarded a nonhereditary title by the sovereign in recognition of merit or service and entitled to use the honorific "Sir" in front of his name; a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse's head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three; (verb) [with obj.] (usually be knighted) invest (someone) with the title of knight [PHRASES knight in shining armor (or knight on a white charger) an idealized or chivalrous man who comes to the rescue of a woman in a difficult situation knight of the road (informal) a man who frequents the roads, for example, a traveling salesman, a vagrant, or (formerly) a highwayman]

glasnost

(noun) (in the former Soviet Union) the policy or practice of more open consultative government and wider dissemination of information, initiated by leader Mikhail Gorbachev from 1985

perestroika

(noun) (in the former Soviet Union) the policy or practice of restructuring or reforming the economic and political system. First proposed by Leonid Brezhnev in 1979 and actively promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev, perestroika originally referred to increased automation and labor efficiency, but came to entail greater awareness of economic markets and the ending of central planning (see also glasnost)

declension

(noun) (in the grammar of Latin, Greek, and other languages) the variation of the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective, by which its grammatical case, number, and gender are identified; the class to which a noun or adjective is assigned according to the manner of this variation; (literary) a condition of decline or moral deterioration

bummer

(noun) (informal) (a bummer) a thing that is annoying or disappointing; an unpleasant reaction to a hallucinogenic drug; (N. Amer.) a loafer or vagrant; (exclam.) (informal) used to express frustration or disappointment, typically sympathetically

nebbish

(noun) (informal) (chiefly N. Amer.) a person, esp. a man, who is regarded as pitifully ineffectual, timid, or submissive; a nonentity (a person or thing with no special or interesting qualities)

zinger

(noun) (informal) (chiefly N. Amer.) a striking or amusing remark; an outstanding person or thing

has-been

(noun) (informal) (derogatory) a person or thing considered to be outmoded or no longer of any significance

hanky-panky

(noun) (informal) (humorous) behavior, in particular sexual or legally dubious behavior, considered improper but not seriously so

Typhoid Mary

(noun) (informal) a carrier or transmitter of anything undesirable, harmful, or catastrophic (i.e. a transmitter of undesirable opinions, sentiments, or attitudes)

flophouse

(noun) (informal) a cheap hotel or rooming house

shtick

(noun) (informal) a gimmick, comic routine, style of performance, etc., associated with a particular person; a person's special talent, interest, or area of activity

magic bullet

(noun) (informal) a medicine or other remedy, especially an undiscovered or hypothetical one, with wonderful or highly specific properties (i.e. (Medicine) the pharmacological idea of a drug able to selectively target a disease without other effects on the body, originally defined by Paul Ehrlich as a drug for antibacterial therapy)

schnook

(noun) (informal) a person easily duped (i.e. a fool; an easily imposed-upon or cheated person, a pitifully meek person, a particularly gullible person, a cute or mischievous person or child)

patsy

(noun) (informal) a person who is easily taken advantage of, esp. by being cheated or blamed for something

groupie

(noun) (informal) a person, especially a young woman, who regularly follows a pop music group or other celebrity in the hope of meeting or getting to know them; [with modifier] (often derogatory) an enthusiastic or uncritical follower (i.e. an ardent fan of a celebrity or of a particular activity [or sphere])

whodunit

(noun) (informal) a story or play about a murder in which the identity of the murderer is not revealed until the end

go1 (noun, adj.)

(noun) (informal) an attempt or trial at something; (chiefly Brit.) a state of affairs; (chiefly Brit.) an attack or illness; (N. Amer.) a project or undertaking that has been approved; (chiefly Brit.) used in reference to a single item, action, or spell of activity; (dated) spirit, animation, or energy; vigorous activity; (adj.) [predic.] (informal) functioning properly

schlock

(noun) (informal) cheap or inferior goods or materials (i.e. trash)

moonshine

(noun) (informal) illicitly distilled or smuggled liquor; foolish talk or ideas; another term for moonlight

schmaltz

(noun) (informal) melted chicken fat; excessive sentimentality, esp. in music or movies

dreck

(noun) (informal) rubbish (i.e. trash)

old hat

(noun) (informal) used to refer to something considered uninteresting, predictable, tritely familiar, or old-fashioned (i.e. obsolete; old-fashioned)

wonk

(noun) (informal, derogatory) a studious or hardworking person (esp. a student who spends too much time studying and has little or no social life); a person who studies a subject or issue (esp. political policy) in an excessively assiduous and thorough manner (focusing on minor details); a stupid, boring, or unattractive person

dendrophilia

(noun) (less often arborphilia or dendrophily) preference or love of trees or other plants (the term may sometimes refer to a paraphilia in which people are sexually attracted to or sexually aroused by trees); the apparent preference of some plants, as orchids, to grow in or near trees

mien (1)

(noun) (literary) a person's look or manner, esp. one of a particular kind indicating their character or mood

eld

(noun) (literary) old age; former times (i.e. the past)

seminal (1)

(noun) (of a work, event, moment, or figure) strongly influencing later developments

affinity

(noun) (often affinity between/for/with) a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something; a similarity of characteristics suggesting a relationship, esp. a resemblance in structure between animals, plants, or languages; relationship, esp. by marriage as opposed to blood ties; (chiefly Biochemistry) the degree to which a substance tends to combine with another

overtone (2)

(noun) (often overtones) a subtle or subsidiary quality, implication, or connotation

mantra

(noun) (originally in Hinduism and Buddhism) a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation; a Vedic hymn; a statement or slogan repeated frequently

faux pas

(noun) (pl .same) an embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation

Sprachgefühl

(noun) (rare) intuitive feeling for the natural idiom of a language (i.e. the essential character of a language; a sensitivity to language, especially for what is grammatically or idiomatically acceptable in a given language)

paradigm

(noun) (technical) a typical example or pattern of something (i.e. a model); a worldview underlying the theories and methodology of a particular scientific subject; a set of linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles (often contrasted with syntagm); (in the traditional grammar of Latin, Greek, and other inflected languages) a table of all the inflected forms of a particular verb, noun, or adjective, serving as a model for other words of the same conjugation or declension

Maquis

(noun) (the Maquis) the French resistance movement during the German occupation (1940-45); a member of this movement; dense scrub vegetation consisting of hardy evergreen bushes and small trees, characteristic of coastal regions in the Mediterranean

agency (3)

(noun) (the ability to carry out) action or intervention, esp. such as to produce a particular effect; a thing or person that acts to produce a particular result

epitome

(noun) (the epitome of) a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type; a summary of a written work (i.e. an abstract); (archaic) a thing representing something else in miniature

monotropism

(noun) (typical of autism) when an individual has a restricted range of interests and can only pay attention to what is in his or her attention tunnel (monotropic individuals tend to become (too) focused on a certain object or activity and find difficulty in shifting their attention, whereas a polytropic individual is capable of spreading his or her attention to multiple things at one time; it is also related to monoprocessing, which is defined as the ability to only process information from one source at a time; this is a way to cope with their hypersensitivity to sensory information)

ground rule

(noun) (usually ground rules) a basaic principle; (Baseball) a rule pertaining to the limits of play on a particular field

idiosyncrasy

(noun) (usually idiosyncrasies) a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual; a distinctive or peculiar feature or characteristic of a place or thing; (Medicine) an abnormal physical reaction by an individual to a food or drug

misgiving

(noun) (usually misgivings) a feeling of doubt or apprehension about the outcome or consequences of something

musing

(noun) (usually musings) a period of reflection or thought; (adj.) characterized by reflection or deep thought

pleasantry

(noun) (usually pleasantries) an inconsequential remark made as part of a polite conversation; mild joke

scruple

(noun) (usually scruples) a feeling of doubt or hesitation with regard to the morality or propriety of a course of action; (historical) a unit of weight equal to 20 grains, used by apothecaries; (archaic) a very small amount of something, especially a quality; (verb) [no obj., usually with negative] hesitate or be reluctant to do something that one thinks may be wrong

interrobang

(noun) (‽, often represented by ?! or !?) a nonstandard punctuation mark used in various written languages and intended to combine the functions of the question mark (also called the "interrogative point") and the exclamation mark or exclamation point (known in printers' and programmers' jargon as the "bang"; the glyph is a superimposition of these two marks; e.g. What‽; Say what‽; She's pregnant‽)

paraprosdokian

(noun) /pærəprɒsˈdoʊkiən/ a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part (it is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax - for this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists; some paraprosdokians not only change the meaning of an early phrase, but they also play on the double meaning of a particular word, creating a form of syllepsis; e.g. "You can always count on the American to do the right thing—after they have tried everything else" (Winston Churchill), "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it" (Groudo Marx), "A modest man, who has much to be modest about." (supposedly Winston Churchill), "If I could just say a few words...I'd be a better public speaker" (Homer Simpson))

roundabout

(noun) British term for traffic circle; British term for merry-go-round; (historical) a close-fitting, waist-length jacket worn by men and boys; (adj.) not following a short direct route (i.e. circuitous); not saying what is meant clearly and directly (i.e. circumlocutory)

logogram

(noun) [a.k.a. logograph] a sign or character representing a word or phrase, such as those used in shorthand and some writing systems

realm

(noun) [archaic, literary, or Law] a kingdom; a field or domain of activity or interest; [Zoology] a primary biogeographical division of the earth's surface

pièce de résistance

(noun) [in singular] (esp. with reference to creative work or a meal) the most important or remarkable feature

fuss

(noun) [in singular] a display of unnecesary or excessive excitement, activity, or interest; a protest or dispute of a specified degree or kind; elaborate or complex procedures (i.e. trouble or difficulty); (verb) [no obj.] show unnecessary or excessive concern about something; move around or busy oneself restlessly; [with obj.] (Brit.) disturb or bother (someone) [PHRASES make a fuss become angry and complain make a fuss (over (or (Brit.) of)) treat (a person or animal) with excessive attention or affection]

dearth

(noun) [in singular] a scarcity or lack of something

modicum

(noun) [in singular] a small quantity of a particular thing, esp. something considered desirable or valuable

recourse

(noun) [in singular] a source of help in a difficult situation; (recourse to) the use of someone or something as a source of help in a difficult situation; the legal right to demand compensation or payment

flair

(noun) [in singular] a special or instinctive aptitude or ability for doing something well; stylishness and originality [ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from French, from flairer 'to smell,' based on Latin fragrare 'smell sweet.' Compare with fragrant]

furor

(noun) [in singular] an outbreak of public anger or excitement; (archaic) a wave of enthusiastic admiration (i.e. a craze)

zeitgeist

(noun) [in singular] the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time

inception

(noun) [in singular] the establishment or starting point of an institution or activity

Geist

(noun) [in singular] the spirit of an individual or group (depending on context, it can be translated as the English words mind, spirit, or ghost, covering the semantic field of these three Englsh nouns)

tristesse

(noun) [literary] a state of melancholy sadness

aroha

(noun) [mass noun] (NZ) love (i.e. affection); sympathy

codicology

(noun) [mass noun] the study of manuscripts and their interrelationships

prodigy

(noun) [often with modifier] a person, esp. a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities; an impressive or outstanding example of a particular quality; an amazing or unusual thing, esp. one out of the ordinary course of nature

lot (noun 1, 3-5)

(noun) [treated as singular or plural] (informal) a particular group, collection, or set of people or things; a group or a person of a particular kind (generally used in a derogatory or dismissive way); one of a set of objects such as straws, stones, or pieces of paper that are randomly selected as part of a decision-making process; the making of a decision by random selection; [in sing.] the choice resulting from a decision made by random selection; [in singular] a person's luck or condition in life, particularly as determined by fate or destiny; (chiefly N. Amer.) a plot of land assigned for sale or for a particular use; short for parking lot; an area of land near a television or movie studio where outside filming may be done; the area at a car dealership where cars for sale are kept [PHRASES all over the lot (U.S.) (informal) in a state of confusion or disorganization fall to someone's lot become someone's task or responsibility throw in one's lot with decide to ally oneself closely with and share the fate of (a person or group)]

inroad

(noun) [usually in plural] (inroads) progress (i.e. an advance); an instance of something being affected, encroached on, or destroyed by something else; a hostile attack (i.e. a raid)

commencement

(noun) [usually in singular] a beginning or start; (N. Amer.) a ceremony in which degrees or diplomas are conferred on graduating students

hiatus

(noun) [usually in singular] a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process (i.e. a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.; a missing part); (Prosody & Grammar) a break between two vowels coming together but not in the same syllable, as in the ear and cooperate

penchant

(noun) [usually in singular] a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something

vogue

(noun) [usually in singular] the prevailing fashion or style at a particular time; general acceptance or favor (i.e. popularity); (adj.) [attrib.] popular (i.e. fashionable); (verb) dance to music in such a way as to imitate the characteristic poses struck by a model on a catwalk [1980s: from the name of the fashion magazine Vogue]

buff2

(noun) [with modifier] (informal) a person who is enthusiastically interested in and very knowledgeable about a particular subject

samba

(noun) a Brazilian dance of African origin; a piece of music for the samba; a lively modern ballroom dance imitating the samba; (verb) [no obj.] dance the samba

qigong

(noun) a Chinese system of physical exercises and breathing control related to tai chi

sakko

(noun) a Japanese hairstyle, worn by maiko today, but worn in the Edo period by wives to show their dedication to their husbands (maiko wear it during a ceremony called Erikae, which marks their graduation from maiko to geiko; maiko use black wax to stain their teeth as well as this; crane and tortoiseshell ornaments are added as kanzashi; they style is twisted in many knots, and is quite striking and elaborate)

geisha

(noun) a Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song

haiku

(noun) a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world; an English imitation of this

Zen

(noun) a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition (Zen Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China in the 12th century and has had a profound cultural influence. The aim of Zen is to achieve sudden enlightenment (satori) through meditation in a seated posture (zazen), usually under the guidance of a teacher and often using paradoxical statements (koans) to transcend rational thought.); the discipline and practice of this sect

jujitsu

(noun) a Japanese system of unarmed combat and physical training (compare with judo) (i.e. a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon or only a short weapon; "jū" can be translated to mean "gentle...flexible, pliable, or yielding"; "jutsu" can be translated to mean "art" or "technique" and represents manipulating the opponent's force against himself rather than confronting it with one's own force; jujutsu developed to combat the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon; because striking against an armored opponent proved ineffective, practitioners learned that the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws - these techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against him, rather than directly opposing it)

satchel

(noun) a bag carried on the shoulder by a long strap and typically closed by a flap (i.e. a bag, often with a strap, which is often worn so that it diagonally crosses the body (satchels are traditionally used for carrying books; the back of a satchel extends to form a flap that folds over to cover the top and fastens in the front; they are often smaller than briefcases and also differ from them in being soft-sided and having straps))

rucksack

(noun) a bag with shoulder straps that allow it to be carried on someone's back, typically made of a strong, waterproof material and widely used by hikers (i.e. a backpack)

knapsack

(noun) a bag with shoulder straps, carried on the back, and typically made of canvas or other weatherproof material

pas de basque

(noun) a ballet step in three beats, with a circular movement of the front leg on the second beat; (esp. in jigs and reels) a step in three beats with one long and two short movements, transferring weight from one foot to the other

roadblock

(noun) a barrier or barricade on the road, especially one set up by the authorities to stop and examine traffic; (U.S.) any hindrance

tandem

(noun) a bicycle with seats and pedals for two riders, one behind the other; a carriage driven by two animals harnessed one in front of the other; a group of two people or machines working together; (adv.) with two or more horses harnessed behind another; alongside each other (i.e. together); (adj.) having two things arranged one in front of the other; (in tandem) alongside each other (i.e. together) or one behind another

rancor

(noun) a bitter, deeply held, and long-lasting ill will or resentment

voodoo

(noun) a black religious cult practiced in the Caribbean and the southern US, combining elements of Roman Catholic ritual with traditional African magical and religious rites, and characterized by sorcery and spirit possession; a person skilled in such practice; (verb) [with obj.] affect (someone) by the practice of voodoo

vendetta

(noun) a blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seek vengeance on the murderer or the murderer's family; a prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone

lore

(noun) a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth

pharmacopeia

(noun) a book, esp. an official publication, containing a list of medicinal drugs with their effects and directions for their use; a stock of medicinal drugs

anthroponymy

(noun) a branch of onomastics that studies anthroponyms, the names of human beings (comprising given names, surnames, clan names, matronyms, patronyms, teknonyms, nicknames, and ethnonyms (autonyms / endonyms and exonyms)) (i.e. the study of personal names)

vignette

(noun) a brief evocative description, account, or episode; a small illustration or portrait photograph that fades into its background without a definite border; a small ornamental design filling a space in a book or carving, typically based on foliage; (verb) [with obj.] portray (someone) in the style of a vignette; produce (a photograph) in the style of a vignette by softening or shading away the edges of the subject

umami

(noun) a category of taste in food (besides sweet, sour, salt, and bitter), corresponding to the flavor of glutamates, esp. monosodium glutamate

ablaut

(noun) a change of vowel in related words or forms, e.g., in Germanic strong verbs (e.g., in sing, sang, sung)

lilt

(noun) a characteristic rising and falling of the voice when speaking; a pleasant gentle accent; a pleasant, gentle swinging rhythm in a song or tune; (archaic) (chiefly Scottish) a cheerful tune; (verb) [no obj.] (often as adj. lilting) to speak, sing, or sound with a lilt

rapport

(noun) a close and harmous relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings and ideas and communicate well

correspondence

(noun) a close similarity, connection, or equivalence; communication by exchanging letters with someone; letters sent or received

cryptonym

(noun) a code name (i.e. a word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project or person) (code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage; they may also be used in industry to protect secret projects and the like from business rivals, or to give names to projects whose marketing name has not yet been determined)

cryptograph

(noun) a coded message; a device for encoding or decoding messages

fine-tooth comb

(noun) a comb with narrow teeth that are close together; [in singular] used with reference to a very thorough search or analysis of something

circumstantial speech

(noun) a communication disorder in which the focus on a conversation drifts, but often comes back to the point (in circumstantiality, unnecessary details and irrelevant remarks cause a delay in getting to the point; circumstantial speech is less severe than tangential speech in which the speaker wanders and drifts and usually never returns to the original topic, and is far less severe than logorrhea; a person afflicted with circumstantiality has slowed thinking and invariably talks at length about irrelevant and trivial details (i.e. circumstances); eliciting information from such a person can be difficult since circumstantiality makes it hard for the individual to stay on topic, though in most instances, the relevant details are eventually achieved; the disorder is often associated with schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder)

exposition (1)

(noun) a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory; [Music] the part of a movement, esp. in sonata form, in which the principal themes are first presented; the part of a play or work of fiction in which the background to the main conflict is introduced

barrage

(noun) a concentrated artillery bombardment over a wide area; a concentrated outpouring, as of questions or blows; (verb) [with obj.] (usually be barraged) bombard (someone) with something

stipulation

(noun) a condition or requirement that is specified or demanded as part of an agreement

pluralism

(noun) a condition or system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of authority, etc., coexist; a form of society in which the members of minority groups maintain their independent cultural traditions; a political theory or system of power-sharing among a number of political parties; a theory or system of devolution and autonomy for individual bodies in preference to monolithic state control; (Philosophy) a theory or system that recognizes more than one ultimate principle (Compare with monism); the practice of holding more than one office or church benefice at a time

word salad

(noun) a confused or unintelligible mixture of seemingly random words and phrases, specifically (in psychiatry) as a form of speech indicative of advanced schizophrenia (the words may or may not be grammatically correct, but semantically confused to the point that the listener cannot extract any meaning from them; the term is often used in psychiatry, as well as in theoretical linguistics to describe a type of grammatical acceptability judgment by native speakers, and in computer programming to describe textual randomization - it has thus become used as a way of criticizing very incoherent or irrational statements by rival political leaders)

conundrum

(noun) a confusing and difficult problem or question; a question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer (i.e. a riddle)

cloister

(noun) a covered walkway in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral, typically with a wall on one side and a colonnade open to a quadrangle on the other; (the cloiser) monastic life; a convent or monastery; (verb) [with obj.] seclude or shut in or as if in a convent or monastery

shibboleth

(noun) a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, esp. a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important; a "in-group" word or phrase that can be (and/or has been) used to distinguish members of a group from outsiders, esp. when used to discover hiding members of an opposing group

pas de deux

(noun) a dance for two people, typically a man and a woman (esp. a ballet duet); a close relationship between two people or things, as during an activity

double take

(noun) a delayed reaction to something unexpected, immediately after one's first reaction

alluvium

(noun) a deposit of clay, silt, sand, and gravel left by flowing streams in a river valley or delta, typically producing fertile soil

dysphemism

(noun) a derogatory or unpleasant term used instead of a pleasant or neutral one, such as "loony bin" for "mental hospital" (the opposite of euphemism)

catch-22

(noun) a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions

misanthropy

(noun) a dislike of humankind

bulkhead

(noun) a dividing wall or barrier between compartments in a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle

bedside manner

(noun) a doctor's approach or attitude toward a patient

gynocentrism

(noun) a dominant or exclusive focus on women in theory or practice, or to the advocacy of this (i.e. focus on women; a female-centered world-view (sometimes used pejoratively to imply such a focus is misandric)) (anything can be considered gynocentric when it is concerned exclusively with a female (or specifically a feminist) point of view; feminist theorists have posited the need for gynocentrism whereby women's views, needs, and desires are given primacy as the lens through which social issues are analysed and addressed)

travesty

(noun) a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something; (verb) [with obj. ] represent in a false or distorted way

backronym

(noun) a fanciful expansion of an existing acronym or word, such as "port out, starboard home" for posh (i.e. a specially constructed acronym created to fit an existing word) (backronyms may be invented with serious or humerous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology)

mystique

(noun) a fascinating aura of mystery, awe, and power surrounding someone or something; an air of secrecy surrounding a particular activity or subject that makes it impressive or baffling to those without specialized knowledge

disquiet

(noun) a feeling of anxiety or worry; (verb) [with obj.] (usually as adj. disquieted) make (someone) worried or anxious

angst

(noun) a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general; (informal) a feeling of persistent worry about something trivial

déjà vu

(noun) a feeling of having already experienced the present situation; tedious familiarity

mortification

(noun) a feeling of humiliation or shame, as through some injury to one's pride or self-respect; a cause or source of such humiliation or shame; the practical asceticism by penitential discipline to overcome desire for sin and to strengthen the will (i.e. the action of subduing one's bodily desires); the death of one part of the body while the rest is alive (i.e. gangrene, necrosis)

rapture (noun)

(noun) a feeling of intense pleasure or joy; (raptures) expressions of intense pleasure or enthusiasm about something; (the Rapture) (N. Amer.) (according tom some millenarian teaching) the transporting of believers to heaven at the Second Coming of Christ

pique1

(noun) a feeling of irritation or resentment resulting from a slight, esp. to one's pride; (verb) (piques, piquing, piqued) [with obj.] stimulate (interest or curiosity); (be piqued) feel irritated or resentful; (pique onself) (archaic) pride oneself (be especially proud of a particular quality or skill)

girl Friday

(noun) a female helper or follower (i.e. a female personal assistant or servant, especially one who is particularly competent or loyal; an especially faithful servant or one's best servant or right-hand woman

trope

(noun) a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression; a significant or recurrent theme (i.e .a motif); (verb) [no obj.] create a trope

synecdoche

(noun) a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in Cleveland won by six runs (meaning "Cleveland's baseball team")

isocolon

(noun) a figure of speech in which a sentence is composed by two or more parts (cola) perfectly equivalent in structure, length, and rhythm: it is called bicolon, tricolon, or tetracolon depending on whether they are two, three, or four (a well-known example of tricolon is Julius Caesar's "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered"))

zeugma

(noun) a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses (e.g. John and his license expired last week) or to two others of which it semantically suits only one (e.g. with weeping eyes and hearts) (compare with syllepsis)

syllepsis

(noun) a figure of speech in which a word is applied to two others in different senses (e.g. caught the train and a bad cold) or to two others of which it grammatically suits only one (e.g. neither they nor it is working) (compare with zeugma)

metaphor

(noun) a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable; a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, esp. something abstract

coup de grâce

(noun) a final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal; an action or event that serves as the culmination of a bad or deteriorating situation

terminus

(noun) a final point in space or time (i.e. an end or extremity); (Biochemistry) the end of a polypeptide or polynucleotide chain or similar long molecule; (chiefly Brit.) the end of a railroad or other transportation route, or a station at such a point (i.e. a terminal); an oil or gas terminal; (Architecture) a figure of a human bust or an animal ending in a square pillar from which it appears to spring, originally used as a boundary marker in ancient Rome

conviction (2)

(noun) a firmly held belief or opinion; the quality of showing that one is firmly convinced of what one believes or says

fez

(noun) a flat-topped conical red hat with a black tassel on top, worn by men in some Muslim countries (formerly the Turkish national headdress)

metalanguage

(noun) a form of language or set of terms used for the description or analysis of another language (compared with obj. language (sense 1 - a language described by means of another language)); (Logic) a system of propositions about propositions

paradigm shift

(noun) a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions (i.e. a change in the basic assumptions, or paradigms, within the ruling theory of science)

beer garden

(noun) a garden, typically one attached to a bar or tavern, where beer is served

malaise

(noun) a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify

precept

(noun) a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought; a writ or warrant

coup d'œil

(noun) a glance that takes in a comprehensive view

clusivity

(noun) a grammatical distinction between inclusive and exclusive first-person pronouns and verbal morphology, also called inclusive "we" and exclusive "we" (inclusive "we" including the addressee and exclusive "we" excluding the addressee)

garden path sentence

(noun) a grammatically correct sentence that starts in such a way that a reader's most likely interpretation will be incorrect - the reader is lured into a parse that turns out to be a dead end (garden path sentences are used in psycholinguistics to illustrate the fact that when human beings read, they process language one word at a time; "garden path" refers to the saying "to be led down the garden path", meaning "to be misled"; garden path sentences are less common in spoken communication because the prosodic qualities of speech (such as the stress and the tone of voice) often serve to resolve ambiguities in the written text; garden path sentences mostly appear in analytic languages, where word order is heavily relied upon to establish the grammatical case and function in a sentence, as synthetic languages mostly avoid this type of ambiguity because the relationship of a word to the surrounding words is marked by the way the word is modified; e.g. "time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana", "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.", "The government plans to raise taxes were defeated")

traitorous identity

(noun) a group member's criticism of particular attitudes and actions—for example, sexist jokes—that are accepted and normative within the group

triad

(noun) a group or set of three connected people or things; a chord of three musical notes, consisting of a given note with the third and fifth above it; a Welsh form of literary composition with an arrangement of subjects or statements in groups of three; (also Triad) a secret society originating in China, typically involved in organized crime; a member of such a society

score (2)

(noun) a group or set of twenty or about twenty; (scores of) a large amount or number of something

cicerone

(noun) a guide who gives information about antiquities and places of interest to sightseers (i.e. an old term for a guide, one who conducts visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc., and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest); another name for a beer sommelier

incense (1)

(noun) a gum, spice, or other substance that is burned for the sweet smeel it produces; the smoke or perfume of incense; (verb) [with obj.] perfume with incense or a similar fragrance

command structure

(noun) a hierarchy of authority in which each rank is accountable to the one directly superior (i.e. a system in a military or civil organization by which instructions are passed from one person to another)

goulash

(noun) a highly seasoned Hungarian soup or stew of meat and vegetables, flavored with paprika; (in informal bridge) a redealing of the four hands (unshuffled, with each hand arranged in suits and order of value) after no player has bid (the cards are usually dealt in batches of five, five, and three, and the resulting hands may have very uneven distributions)

homonym

(noun) a homograph; a homophone; (Biology) a Latin name that is identical to that of a different organism, the newer of the two names being invalid

homestead

(noun) a house, esp. a farmhouse, and outbuildings; (Law) a person's or family's residence, which comprises the land, house, and outbuildings, and in most states in exempt from forced sale for collection of debt; (historical) (as provided by the federal Homestead Act of 1862) an area of pubic land in the West (usually 160 acres) granted to any U.S. citizen willing to settle on and farm the land for at least five years; (in southern Africa) a hut or cluster of huts occupied by one family or clan, standing alone or as part of a traditional African village

behemoth

(noun) a huge or monstrous creature; something enormous, esp. a big and powerful organization

juggernaut

(noun) a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force or institution

dovetail

(noun) a joint formed by one or more tapered projections (tenons) on one piece that interlock with corresponding notches or recesses (mortises) in another; a tenon used in a dovetail joint, typically wider at its extremity; (verb) [with obj.] join together by means of a dovetail; fit or cause to fit together easily and conveniently

discrepancy

(noun) a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts

Dulcinea

(noun) a lady for whom one has hopeless devotion and love, esp. unrequited love

pluricentric language

(noun) a language with several standard versions - several centers, each of which provide a national variety with at least some of its own (codified) norms (pluricentric languages are generally used across the boundaries of individual political entities, so that the language and ethnic identity of its native speakers do not coincide; e.g. English, French, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese; any language that has only one standardized version, such as Russian and Japanese, is monocentric)

tote bag

(noun) a large bag used for carrying a number of items (i.e. a large and often unfastened bag, with parallel handles that emerge from the sides of its pouch (the archetypal tote is made of sturdy cloth, perhaps with thick leather at handles or bottom; leather versions often have a pebbled surface; common fabrics include heavy canvas, jute, heavy nylon and other easy-care synthetics, recycled matter, and natural fibers))

messenger bag

(noun) a large bag with a long strap, worn across the body (i.e. (also called a courier bag) a type of sack, usually made out of some kind of cloth (natural or synthetic), that is worn over one shoulder with a strap that winds around the chest resting the bag on the lower back (messenger bags are often used by bicycle messengers, though they are now also an urban fashion icon))

portmanteau

(noun) a large trunk or suitcase, typically made of stiff leather and opening into two equal parts.; [as modifier] consisting of or combining two or more separable aspects or qualities

coffee-table book

(noun) a large, expensive, lavishly illustrated book, esp. one intended only for casual reading

widow (Printing)

(noun) a last word or short last line of a paragraph falling at the top of a page or column and considered undesirable

savant

(noun) a learned person, esp. a distinguished scientist (see also idiot savant)

skein

(noun) a length of thread or yarn, loosely coiled and knotted; a tangled or complicated arrangement, state, or situation; a flock of wild geese or swans in flight, typically in a V-shaped formation

predisposition

(noun) a liability or tendency to suffer from a particular condition, hold a particular attitude, or act in a particular way

underscore

(noun) a line drawn under a word or phrase for emphasis; (on a computer or typewriter keyboard) a short horizontal line (_) on the baseline; (verb) [with obj.] underline (something); emphasize

syntagm

(noun) a linguistic unit consisting of a set of linguistic forms (phonemes, words, or phrases) that are in a sequential relationship to one another (often contrasted with paradigm); the relationship between two syntagms

quest

(noun) a long or arduous search for something; (in medieval romance) an expedition made by a knight to accomplish a prescribed task; (verb) [no obj.] search for something; [with obj.] (literary) search out (i.e. seek out)

corridor

(noun) a long passage in a building from which doors lead into rooms. (Brit.) a passage along the side of a railroad car, from which doors lead into compartments; a belt of land linking two other areas or following a road or river [PHRASES

glossophilia

(noun) a love of language, be it foreign or native (the term refers to people with a love for language and the structure of language; glossophiles dedicate themselves to the learning of foreign languages and intensely study as many languages as possible; it is not uncommon for glossophiles to be proficient in many languages)

logophilia

(noun) a love of words (logophiles may be interested in word games, such as crosswords, or Scrabble, and in the extreme, derive enjoyment from reading things commonly given less notice, such as labels)

philomath

(noun) a lover of learning (i.e. a seeker of knowledge and facts (vs. possessor already in multiple fields as per a "polymath); philomathy is similar to, but distinguished from, philosophy in that "soph", the latter suffix, specifies "wisdom" or "knowledge", rather than the process of acquisition thereof)

fen1

(noun) a low and marshy or frequently flooded area of land; (the Fens) flat low-lying areas of eastern England, formerly marshland but largely drained for agriculture since the 17th century; (Ecology) wetland with alkaline, neutral, or only slightly acidic peaty soil (compare with bog)

brontide

(noun) a low muffled sound like distant thunder heard in seismic regions especially along seacoasts and over lakes and thought to be caused by feeble earth tremors (i.e. a rumbling noise heard occasionally in some parts of the world, probably caused by seismic activity)

elixir

(noun) a magical or medicinal potion; a preparation that was supposedly able to change metals into gold, sought by alchemists; (also elixir of life) a preparation supposedly able to prolong life indefinitely; a medicinal solution of a specified type

{man / guy} Friday

(noun) a male helper or follower (i.e. a male personal assistant or servant, especially one who is particularly competent or loyal; an especially faithful servant or one's best servant or right-hand man)

squire

(noun) a man of high social standing who owns and lives on an estate in a rural area, esp. the chief landowner in such an area; (Brit. informal) used by a man as a friendly or humorous form of address to another man; (archaic) a title given to a magistrate, lawyer, or judge in some rural districts; (historical) a young nobleman acting as an attendant to a knight before becoming a knight himself; (verb) [with obj.] (of a man) accompany or escort (a woman); (dated) (of a man) have a romantic relationship with (a woman)

illuminated manuscript

(noun) a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders (marginalia) and miniature illustrations (in the most strict definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript only refers to manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, but in both common usage and modern scholarship, the term is now used to refer to any decorated or illustrated manuscript from the Western traditions; comparable Far Eastern works are always described as painted, as are Mesoamerican works, and Islamic manuscripts may be referred to as illuminated, illustrated or painted, though using essentially the same techniques as Western works; the earliest surviving substantive illuminated manuscripts are from the period AD 400 to 600, initially produced in Italy and the Eastern Roman Empire - the significance of these works lies not only in their inherent art historical value, but in the maintenance of a link of literacy offered by non-illuminated texts as well, for had it not been for the monastic scribes of Late Antiquity, most literature of Greece and Rome would have perished in Europe)

dieresis

(noun) a mark (¨) placed over a vowel to indicate that it is sounded in a separate syllable, as in naïve, Brontë; the division of a sound into two syllables, esp. by sounding a diphthong as two vowels; (Prosody) a natural rhythmic break in a line of verse where the end of a metrical foot coincides with the end of a word

hallmark

(noun) a mark stamped on articles of gold, silver, or platinum in Britain, certifying their standard of purity; a distinctive feature, esp. one of excellence; (verb) [with obj.] stamp with a hallmark; designate as distinctive, esp. for excellence

bazaar

(noun) a market in a Middle-Eastern country; a fundraising sale of goods, typically for charity; (dated) a large shop selling miscellaneous goods

safeguard

(noun) a measure taken to protect someone or something or to prevent something undesirable; (verb) [with obj.] protect from harm or damage with an appropriate measure

cure-all

(noun) a medicine or other remedy that will supposedly cure any ailment; a solution to any problem

remedy

(noun) a medicine or treatment for a disease or injury; a means of counteracting or eliminating something undesirable; a means of legal reparation; the margin within which coins as minted may differ from the standard fineness and weight; (verb) [with obj.] set right (an undesirable situation)

knight errant

(noun) a medieval knight wandering in search of chivalrous adventures

minstrel

(noun) a medieval singer or musician, esp. one who sang or recited lyric or heroic poety to a musical accompaniment for the nobility; (chiefly historical) a member of a band of entertainers with blackened faces who performed songs and music ostensibly of black American origin

rendezvous

(noun) a meeting at an agreed time and place, typically between two people; a place used for such a meeting; a place, typically a bar or restaurant, that is used as a popular meeting place; (verb) [no obj.] meet at an agreed time and place

paranoia

(noun) a mental condition characterized by delusions of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically elaborated into an organized system. It may be an aspect of chronic personality disorder, of drug abuse, or of a serious condition such as schizophrenia in which the person loses touch with reality; suspicion and mistrust of people or their actions without evidence or justification

envoy

(noun) a messenger or representative, esp. one on a diplomatic mission; short for envoy extraordinary ((plural envoys extraordinary) a minister plenipotentiary, ranking below an ambassador and above a chargé d'affaires)

euphemism

(noun) a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing; the opposite of dysphemism

mélange

(noun) a mixture (i.e. a medley)

diorama

(noun) a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in minature or as a large-scale museum exhibit; (chiefly historical) a scenic painting, viewed through a peephole, in which changes in color and direction of illumination simulate changes in the weather, time of day, etc.; a miniature movie set used for special effects or animation

tae kwon do

(noun) a modern Korean martial art similar to karate

cadence (1)

(noun) a modulation or inflection of the voice; a modulation in reading aloud as implied by the structure and ordering of words and phrases in written text; a fall in pitch of the voice at the end of a phrase or sentence; rhythm

cairn

(noun) a mound of rough stones built as a memorial or landmark, typically on a hilltop or skyline; a prehistoric burial mound made of stones; (also cairn terrier) a small terrier of a breed with short legs, a longish body, and a shaggy coat [perhaps so named from being used to hunt among cairns]

Gestalt psychology

(noun) a movement in psychology founded in Germany in 1912, seeking to explain perceptions in terms of gestalts rather than by analyzing their constituents (re: "the whole is other than the sum of the parts", often incorrectly translated as "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts": the idea is not of addition, of a whole (gestalt) having an indendepent existence)

nymph

(noun) a mythological spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden inhabiting rivers, woods, or other locations (chiefly literary a beautiful young woman); an immature form of an insect that does not change greatly as it grows, e.g. a dragonfly, mayfly, or locust...; a mainly brown butterfly that frequents woods and forest glades

patronymic

(noun) a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor, typically by the addition of a prefix or suffix, e.g. Johnson, O'Brien, Ivanovich; (adj.) denoting or relating to a name derived from the name of a father or male ancestor

matronymic

(noun) a name derived from the name of a mother or female ancestor; (adj.) denoting or relating to a name derived from the name of a mother or female ancestor

charactonym

(noun) a name given to a literary character that is descriptive of a quality or trait of the character (the name of a literary character that is especially suited to his or her personality)

chrematonym

(noun) a name of a politico-economic or commercial or cultural institution or thing (i.e. a catch-all category; the name of any unique cultural object of value, whether manmade or in a natural state, such as a weapon, musical instrument, jewel, garment, etc.) (many chrematonyms arise through a process of deliberate name creation)

aurora

(noun) a natural electrical phenomenon characterized by the appearance of streamers of reddish or greenish light in the sky, usually near the northern or southern magnetic pole [borealis from Latin, 'northern,' based on Greek Boreas, the god of the north wind; australis from Latin, 'southern,' from Auster 'the south, the south wind.'] [The effect is caused by the interaction of charged particles from the sun with atoms in the upper atmosphere. In northern and southern regions it is respectively called aurora borealis or Northern Lights and aurora australis or Southern Lights.]; [in singular] (literary) the dawn

snowclone

(noun) a neologism for a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different variants" (the term "snowclone" can be applied to both the original phrase and to any new phrase that uses its formula; a snowclone conveys information by using a familiar verbal formula and the cultural knowledge of the audience; the original and the variant express similar relationships and can be understood using the same trope)

retronym

(noun) a new term created from an existing word in order to distinguish it from the meaning that has emerged through progress or technological development (i.e. a type of neologism that provides a new name for something to differentiate the original from a more recent form or version) (advances in technology are often responsible for retronym coinage; e.g. cloth diaper (because diaper now more commonly refers to a disposable diaper), physical book, cow milk)

layman (-woman)

(noun) a nonordained (female) member of a church; a person without professional or specialized knowledge in a particular subject

Moore's paradox

(noun) a paradox that concerns the apparent absurdity involved in asserting a first-person present-tense sentence such as, "It's raining, but I don't believe that it is raining" or "It's raining, but I believe that it is not raining" (the first author to note this apparent absurdity was G.E. Moore; while appearing absurd, these 'Moorean' sentences nevertheless can be true, (logically) consistent and not (obviously) contradictions; the term 'Moore's paradox' is attributed to Ludwig Wittgenstein; there is currently no generally accepted explanation of Moore's paradox in the philosophical literature; however, while it remains a philosophical curiosity, Moorean-type sentences are used by logicians, computer scientists, and those working in the artifical intelligence community as examples of cases in which a knowledge, belief, or information system is unsuccessful in updating its knowledge / belief / information store in light of new or novel information

penumbra

(noun) a partial outer shadow that is lighter than the darker inner shadow umbra, e.g. the area between complete darkness and complete light in an eclipse; an indistinct area, especially a state in which something is unclear or uncertain; the outer region or periphery of something; (Astronomy) a grayish area surrounding the dark center of a sunspot

perspective (2)

(noun) a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something (i.e. a point of view); true understanding of the relative importance of things (i.e. a sense of proportion) [PHRASES in (or out of) perspective showing the right (or wrong) relationship between visible objects; correctly (or incorrectly) regarded in terms of relative importance]

parlance

(noun) a particular way of speaking or using words, esp. a way common to those with a particular job or interest

cri de cœur

(noun) a passionate appeal, complaint, or protest

promenade

(noun) a paved public walk, typically one along a waterfront at a resort; a leisurely walk, or sometimes a ride or drive, typically one taken in public so as to meet or be seen by others; (in country dancing) a movement in which couples follow one another in a given direction, each couple having both hands joined; archaic term for prom; (verb) [no obj.] take a leisurely walk, ride, or drive in public, esp. to meet or be seen by others; [with obj.] take a promenade through (a place); [with obj.] (dated) escort (someone) about a place, esp. so as to be seen by others

rendition

(noun) a performance or interpretation, esp. of a dramatic role or piece of music; a visual representation or reproduction; a translation or transliteration; (also extraordinary rendition) the practice of sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners

vigil

(noun) a period of keeping awake during the time usually spent asleep, esp. to keep watch or pray; a stationary, peaceful demonstration in support of a particular cause, typically without speeches; (in the Christian church) the eve of a festival or holy day as an occasion of religious observance; (vigils) nocturnal devotions (prayers or religious observances)

epoch

(noun) a period of time in history or a person's life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics; the beginning of a distinctive period in the history of someone or something; (Geology) a division of time that is a subdivision of a period and is itself subdivided into ages, corresponding to a series in chronostratigraphy; (Astronomy) an arbitrarily fixed date relative to which planetary or stellar measurements are expressed

eponym

(noun) a person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc. is named or thought to be named; a name or noun formed in such a way

charlatan

(noun) a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill (i.e. a fraud)

faddist

(noun) a person following a fad or given to fads, as one who seeks and adheres briefly to a passing variety of unusual diets, beliefs, etc. (i.e. an adherent of an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, esp. one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities)

polymath

(noun) a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning (i.e. a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas and who is known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems; the term is often used to describe great thinkers of the Renaissance and Enlightenment and corresponds to the term "Renaissance man")

attaché

(noun) a person on the staff of an ambassador, typically with a specialized area of responsibility; short for attaché case (a small, flat, rectangular case used for carrying documents)

counterpart

(noun) a person or thing holding a position or performing a function that corresponds to that of another person or thing in another place; (Law) one of two or more copies of a legal document

precursor (1)

(noun) a person or thing that comes before another of the same kind (i.e. a forerunner)

growler

(noun) a person or thing that growls; a small iceberg that rises a little above the water; (informal) a pail or other container used for carrying drink, esp. draft beer; an electromagnet with two poles designed to test for short circuits in the windings of an armature; (historical) a four-wheeled hansom cab

damper (1)

(noun) a person or thing that has a depressing, subduing, or inhibiting effect; (put a damper on) have a depressing, subduing, or inhibiting effect on

enigma

(noun) a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand

buffer

(noun) a person or thing that prevents incompatible or antagonistic people or things from coming into contact with or harming each other; (also buffer solution) (Chemistry) a solution that resists changes in pH when acid or alkali is added to it (typically involving a weak acid or alkali together with one of its salts); (Computing) a temporary memory area or queue used when transferring data between devices or programs operating at different speeds; (verb) [with obj.] lessen or moderate the impact of (something); treat with a chemical buffer; (Computing) store (data) in a bufer while it is being processed or transferred

agent (2)

(noun) a person or thing that takes an active role or produces a specified effect; (Grammar) the doer of an action, typically expressed as the subject of an active verb or in a by phrase with a passive verb

emissary

(noun) a person sent on a special mission, usually as a diplomatic representative

pedestrian

(noun) a person walking along a road or in a developed area; (adj.) lacking inspiration or excitement (i.e. dull)

character witness

(noun) a person who attests to another's moral conduct and good reputation in a court of law

interloper

(noun) a person who becomes involved in a place or situation where they are not wanted or are considered not to belong

opsimath

(noun) a person who begins (or continues) to learn or study (only) late in life

joiner

(noun) a person who constructs the wooden components of buildings, such as stairs, doors, and door and window frames; (informal) a person who readily joins groups or campaigns (i.e. a person who belongs to many clubs, associations, societies, etc., often from indiscriminate enthusiasm, for increased status, to make business or social contacts, or the like)

dilettante

(noun) a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge; (archaic) a person with an amateur interest in the arts

killjoy

(noun) a person who deliberately spoils the enjoyment of others through resentful or overly sober behavior

well-wisher

(noun) a person who desires happiness or success for another, or who expresses such a desire

misanthrope

(noun) a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society

pathfinder

(noun) a person who goes ahead and discovers or shows others a path or way; an aircraft or its pilot sent ahead to locate and mark the target area for bombing; [usually as modifier] an experimental plan or forecast; ((Mars) Pathfinder) an unmanned American spacecraft that landed on Mars in 1997, deployign a small robotic rover (Sojourner) to explore the surface and examine the rocks

ne'er-do-well

(noun) a person who is lazy and irresponsible; (adj.) [attrib.] lazy and irresponsible

spotter

(noun) a person who looks for or observes a particular thing as a hobby or job; an aviator or aircraft employed in locating or observing enemy positions; a person who observes or assists a gymnast or weightlifter during a performance or practice in order to minimize the chance of injury to the gymnast or weightlifter; (U.S.) (informal) a person employed by a company or business to keep watch on employees or customers; (Bouldering) a person who takes care that a falling boulderer lands safely on his/her feet to prevent injuries; (Trust falls) a member of a group designated to catch another member of it who deliberately allows him- or herself to fall, as part of an ostensible trust-building game

loner

(noun) a person who prefers not to associate with others (i.e. a person who avoids or does not actively seek human interaction) (intentional reasons for solitude include spiritual, mystic and religious considerations, while unintentional reasons involve being introverted, highly sensitive, extremely shy, or having various mental disorders; the modern term "loner" can be used with a negative connotation in the belief that human beings are social creatures and those that do not participate are deviant; being a loner is sometimes depicted culturally as a positive personality trait, as indicative of being independent and responsible; a loner may or may not be one by choice, and may correspondingly enjoy solitude and/or be lonely at times; people may isolate themselves out of self-hatred, misanthropy or self-consciousness, perhaps feeling social alientation even though their isolation is self-imposed; people will also tend to isolate themselves when they are unable to connect, either emotionally or intellectually, with those around them)

lone wolf

(noun) a person who prefers to act or be alone (i.e. an individual who prefers solitude, is introverted, or who works alone (in literature,lone wolves are aloof and emotionally unable or unwilling to directly interact with other characters in the story; a stereotypical lone wolf will be dark or serious in personality, often taciturn, and manifestly distinct in their reserved nature; a similar concept is the lone wolf of a particular group, who spends enough time with a group to be considered a member but not enough to be very close to the other members))

arbiter

(noun) a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter; a person whose views or actions have great influence over trends in social behavior

kindred spirit

(noun) a person whose interests or attitudes are similar to one's own

wiseacre

(noun) a person with an affectation of wisdom or knowledge, regarded with scorn or irritation by others (i.e. a know-it-all)

Renaissance man (or woman)

(noun) a person with many talents or areas of knowledge (i.e. a person who has acquired profound knowledge or proficiency in more than one field; a person who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences)

aptronym

(noun) a person's name that is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation

Joneses

(noun) a person's neighbors or social equals; (keep up with the Joneses) try to emulate or not be outdone by one's neighbors

constitution (3)

(noun) a person's physical state with regard to vitality, health, and strength; a person's mental or psychological makeup

alter ego

(noun) a person's secondary or alternative personality; an intimate and trusted friend

milieu

(noun) a person's social environment (i.e. the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops) (it includes the culture that the individual was educated or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom they interact; the interaction may be in person or through communication media, even anonymous or one-way, and may not imply equality of social status, and thus is the social environment a broader concept than that of social class or social circle; also has the meaning of "middle" in French)

autonomy (Social Psychology)

(noun) a personality trait characterized by a focus on personal achievement independence, and a preference for solitude, often labeled as an opposite of sociotropy

sociotropy

(noun) a personality trait characterized by excessive investment in interpersonal relationships and usually studied in the field of social psychology (people with sociotropy tend to have a strong need for social acceptance, which causes them to be overly nurturant towards people who they do not have close relationships with; sociotropy can be seen as the opposite of autonomy, because those with sociotropy are concerned with interpersonal relationships, whereas those with autonomy are more concerned with independence and do not care so much for others; sociotropy has been correlated with feminine sex-role orientation in many research experiments; sociotropy is notable in that it interacts with interpersonal stress or traumatic experience to influence subsequent depression)

groupshift

(noun) a phenomenon in which the initial positions of individual members of a group are exaggerated toward a more extreme position (when people are in groups, they make decisions about risk differently from when they are alone; in the group, they are likely to make riskier decisions, as the shared risk makes the individual risk less)

soundscape

(noun) a piece of music considered in terms of its component sounds; the sounds heard in a particular location, considered as a a whole

linchpin

(noun) a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position; a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization

toponym

(noun) a place name, especialy one derived from a topographical feature

foothold

(noun) a place where a person's foot can be lodged to support them securely, esp. while climbing; [usually in singular] a secure position from which further progress may be made

wildcard

(noun) a playing card that can have any value, suit, color, or other property in a game at the discretion of the player holding it; a person or thing whose influence is unpredictable or whose qualities are uncertain; (Computing) a character that will match any character or sequence of characters in a search; an opportunity to enter a sports competition without having to take part in qualifying matches or be ranked at a particular level; a player or team granted a wild card; (Futurology) a low-probability, high-impact event (a concept that may be introduced into anticipator decision-making activity in order to increase ability of organizations and governments to adapt to surprises arising in turbulent (business) environments)

cusp

(noun) a pointed end where two curves meet, in particular: (Architecture) a projecting point between small arcs in Gothic tracery; a cone-shaped prominence on the surface of a tooth, especially of a molar or premolar; (Anatomy) a pocket or fold in the wall of the heart or a major blood vessel that fills and distends if the blood flows backward, so forming part of a valve; (Mathematics) a point at which the direction of a curve is abruptly reversed; each of the pointed ends of a crescent, especially of the moon; (Astrology) the initial point of an astrological sign or house; a point of transition between two different states

biocide

(noun) a poisonous substance, esp. a pesticide (i.e. a chemical substance or microorganisms which can dter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism by chemical or biological means (?)); the destruction of life (i.e. a form of omnicide that affects every living thing, not just humans - toward everything in the entire world, or universe, facing extinction)

folk etymology

(noun) a popular but mistaken account of the origin of a word or phrase; the process by which the form of an unfamiliar or foreign word is adapted to a more familiar form through popular usage

peregrine

(noun) a powerful falcon found on most continents, breeding chiefly on mountains and coastal cliffs and much used for falconry [translating the modern Latin taxonomic name, literally 'pilgrim falcon,' because the bird was caught full-grown as a passage hawk, not taken from the nest; Falco peregrinus, family Falconidae]; (adj.) (archaic) coming from another country (i.e. foreign or outlandish)

predilection

(noun) a preference or special liking for something (i.e. a bias in favor of something)

regimen

(noun) a prescribed crouse of medical treatment, way of life, or diet for the promotion or restoration of health; (archaic) a system of government

tenet

(noun) a principle or belief, esp. one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy

gradient well-formedness

(noun) a problem that arises in the analysis of data in generative linguistics, in which a linguistic entity is neither completely grammatical nor completely ungrammatical (a native speaker may judge a word, phrase or pronunciation as "not quite right" or "almost there", rather than dismissing it as completely unacceptable or fully accepting as well-formed; thus, the acceptability of the given entity lies on a "gradient" between well-formedness and ill-formedness; some generative linguists think that ill-formedness might be strictly additive, thus trying to figure out universal constraints by acquiring scalar grammaticality judgements from informants; generally, however, gradient well-formedness is considered an unsolved problem in generative linguistics)

shore2

(noun) a prop or beam set obliquely against something weak or unstable as a support; (verb) [with obj.] (shore something up) support or hold up something with props or beams; support or assist something that would otherwise fail or decline

hydronym

(noun) a proper name of a body of water, such as a river, lake, or ocean (mor than most toponyms, as linguistic items hydronyms are very conservative, with successor peoples often retaining the name given a body of water)

je ne sais quoi

(noun) a quality that cannot be described or named easily

riposte

(noun) a quick clever reply to an insult or criticism; (Fencing) a quick return thrust following a parry; (verb) [with direct speech] make a quick clever reply to an insult or criticism; [no obj.] make a quick return thrust in fencing

chrysalis

(noun) a quiescent insect pupa, especially of a butterfly or moth; the hard outer case of this, especially after being discarded; a preparatory or transitional state

alcove

(noun) a recess, typically in the wall of a room or of a garden

annal

(noun) a record of the events of one year; a record of one item in a chronicle

leitmotif

(noun) a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation

glokaya kuzdra

(noun) a reference to a meaningless but grammatically correct Russian language phrase, similar to the English language phrases using the psuedoword "gostak" (it was suggested by Russian linguist Lev Shcherba and is part of a longer phrase; in the phrase, all word stems are meaningless, but all affixes are real and used in a grammatically correct way; Shcherba used it in his lectures to emphasize the importance of grammar in acquiring foreign languages)

necronym

(noun) a reference to, or name of, a person who has died (many cultures have taboos and traditions associated with referring to such a person - these vary from the extreme of never again speaking the person's real name, often using some circumlocution instead, to the opposite extreme of commemorating it incessantly by naming other things or people after the deceased; while this varies from culture to culture, the use of necronyms is quite common)

habitué

(noun) a resident of or frequent visitor to a particular place

rumba

(noun) a rhythmic dance with Spanish and African elements, originating in Cuba; a piece of music for the rumba; a ballroom dance imitative of the rumba; (verb) [no obj.] dance the rumba

buffoon

(noun) a ridiculous but amusing person (i.e. a clown)

bangle

(noun) a rigid bracelet or anklet

venture

(noun) a risky or daring journey or undertaking; a business enterprise involving considerable risk; (verb) [no obj.] dare to do something or go somewhere that may be dangerous or unpleasant; dare to do or say something that may be considered audacious (often used as a polite expression of hesitation or apology); [with obj.] expose (something) to the risk of loss (PHRASES: at a venture (archaic) trusting to chance rather than to previous consideration or preparation nothing ventured, nothing gained (proverb) you can't expect to achieve anything if you never take any risks

milk run

(noun) a routine, uneventful journey, especially by plane (i.e. (Slang) a routine trip or undertaking, especially one presenting little danger or difficulty

metarule

(noun) a rule governing the content, form, or application of other rules

flashback

(noun) a scene in a movie, novel, etc. set in a time earlier than the main story; a sudden and disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past, typically as the result of psychological trauma or taking LSD

bedlam

(noun) a scene of uproar and confusion; (archaic) an asylum for the insane

diplomatics

(noun) a scholarly discipline centered on the critical analysis of documents - particularly, but not exclusively, historical documents (it focuses on the conventions, protocols and formulae that have been used by document creators, and uses these to increase understanding of the processes of document creation, of information transmission, and of the relationships between the facts which the documents purport to record and reality; the discipline originally evolved as a tool for studying and determining the authenticity of the official charters and diplomas, and later appreciated re: other types of documents such as private letters, and, most recently, to the metadata of electronic records; diplomatics is one of the auxiliary sciences of history; it should not be confused (as it often is) with its sister-discipline of palaeography - in fact, its techniques have more in common with those of the literary disciplines of textual criticism and historical criticism)

meta-communication

(noun) a secondary communication (including indirect cues) about how a piece of information is meant to be interpreted (it is based on idea that the same message accompanied by different meta-communication can mean something entirely different, including its opposite, as in irony; the term was brought to prominence by Gregory Bateson to refer to "communication about communication", which he expanded to: "all exchanged cues and propositions about (a) codification and (b) relationship between the communicators"; metacommunication may or may not be congruent, supportive or contradictory of that verbal communication)

epiphenomenon

(noun) a secondary effect or byproduct that arises from but does not causually influence a process, in particular: (Medicine) a secondary symptom, occurring simultaneously with a disease or condition but not directly related to it; a mental state regarded as a byproduct of brain activity

backchannel

(noun) a secondary or covert route for the passage of information; (Psychology) a sound or gesture made to give continuity to a conversation by a person who is listening to another

autodidact

(noun) a self-taught person (i.e. a self-teacher)

coup de théâtre

(noun) a sensational or dramatically sudden action or turn of events, esp. in a play

metadata

(noun) a set of data that describes and gives information about other data

rationale

(noun) a set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or a particular belief

anecdote

(noun) a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person; an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay; the depiction of a minor narrative incident in a painting

envoi

(noun) a short stanza concluding a ballade or (literary) an author's concluding words

diacritic

(noun) a sign, such as an accent or cedilla, which when written above or below a letter indicates a difference in pronunciation from the same letter when unmarked or differently marked; (adj.) (of a mark or sign) indicating a difference in pronunciation

parable

(noun) a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels

runabout

(noun) a small car, motorboat, or light aircraft, esp. one used for short trips

ukulele

(noun) a small four-stringed guitar of Hawaiian origin

pecadillo

(noun) a small, relatively unimportant offense or sin

haversack

(noun) a small, sturdy bag carried on the back or over the shoulder, used esp. by soldiers and hikers (i.e. a bag with a single shoulder strap (although similar to a backpack, the single shoulder strap differentiates this type from other backpacks; there are exceptions to this general rule))

quagmire

(noun) a soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot; an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation

underpinning

(noun) a solid foundation laid below ground level to support or strengthen a building; a set of ideas, motives, or devices that justify or form the basis for something

panacea

(noun) a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases

diphthong

(noun) a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sounds begins as one vowel and moves toward another (as in coin, loud, and side; often contrasted with monophthong, triphthong); a digraph representing the sound of a diphthong or single vowel (as in feat); a compund vowel character (i.e. a ligature (such as æ))

wallflower

(noun) a southern European plant of the cabbage family, with fragrant yellow, orange-red, dark red, or brown flowers, cultivated for its early spring blooming [Cheiranthus cheiri, family Brassicaceae]; (informal) a person who has no one to dance with or who feels shy, awkward, or excluded at a party (i.e. a descriptive term for someone with an introverted personality type, but one that still seeks out and partakes in social events on a fairly regular basis (they are often socially competent enough to be liked and to attend group gatherings, but may choose or feel the need to blend in and remain silent; the term was originally used to refer to women, and only in the context of dances - more recently the term has been expanded to include men and other social gatherings))

scholar

(noun) a specialist in a particular branch of study, especially the humanities (i.e. a distinguished academic); (chiefly archaic) a person who is highly educated or has an aptitude for study; a student holding a scholarship; (archaic) a student

utterance

(noun) a spoken word, statement, or vocal sound; the action of saying or expressing something aloud; (Linguistics) an uninterrupted chain of spoken or written language

judo

(noun) a sport of unarmed combat derived from jujitsu and intended to train the body and mind (it involves using holds and leverage to unbalance the opponent) (focuses on principles of maximum efficiency, minimum effort; and mutual welfare and benefit; and contrasts with jujitsu in being a martial way instead of a martial art, correspondingly a route to self-improvement and the betterment of society in general)

reverie

(noun) a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts (i.e. a daydream); (Music) an instrumental piece suggesting a dreamy or musing state; (archaic) a fanciful or impractical idea or theory

ivory tower

(noun) a state of privilieged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world

lassitude

(noun) a state of weariness accompanied by listlessness or apathy (i.e. a state of physical or mental weariness; lack of energy)

axiom

(noun) a statement or proposition that is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true (chiefly Mathematics) a statement or proposition on which an abstractly defined structure is based

crag

(noun) a steep or rugged cliff or rock face

repertoire

(noun) a stock of plays, dances, or pieces that a company or a performer knows or is prepared to perform; the whole body of items that are regularly performed; a stock of skills or types of behavior that a person habitually uses

reminiscence

(noun) a story told about a past event remembered by the narrator; the enjoyable collection of past events; (reminiscences) a collection in literary form of incidents and experiences that someone remembers; a characteristic of one thing reminding or suggestive of another

mire

(noun) a stretch of swampy or boggy ground; soft and slushy mud or dirt; (Ecology) a wetland area or ecosystem based on peat; a situation or state of difficulty, distress, or embarrassment from which it is hard to extricate oneself; (verb) [with obj.] cause to become stuck in mud; cover or spatter with mud; (mire someone/something in) involve someone or something in (a difficult situation)

technophilia

(noun) a strong enthusiasm for technology, especially new technologies such as personal computers, the Internet, mobile phones, and home cinema (the term is used in sociology to examine individuals' interactions with society and is contrasted with technophobia; the technophile regards most or all technology positively, adopts new forms of technology enthusiastically and sees it as a means to improve life, whilst some may even view it as a means to combat social problems; the term technophilia is used as a way of highlighting how technology can evoke in humans strong positive futuristic feelings, though the reverential attitude towards technology that technophilia produces can sometimes inhibit realistic appraisals of the social and environmental impacts of technology on society; technophiles do not fear of the effects of technological developments on society, as do technophobes)

brogue

(noun) a strong outdoor shoe with ornamental perforated patterns in the leather; (historical) a rough shoe of untanned leather, formerly worn in parts of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands

twang

(noun) a strong ringing sound such as that made by the plucked string of a musical instrument or a released bowstring; a nasal or other distinctive manner of pronunciation or intonation characteristic of the speech of an individual, area, or country; (verb) make or cause to make a twang; [with obj.] utter (something) with a nasal twang

blunder

(noun) a stupid or careless mistake; (verb) [no obj.] make such a mistake (i.e. act or speak clumsily); move clumsily or as if unable to see

bossa nova

(noun) a style of Brazilian music derived from samba but placing more emphasis on melody and less on percussion; a dance to this music

closed book

(noun) a subject or person about which one knows nothing

foray

(noun) a sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory, esp. to obtain something (i.e. a raid); an attempt to become involved in a new activity or sphere; (verb) [no obj.] make or go on a foray

frisson

(noun) a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear (i.e. a thrill)

coup de main

(noun) a sudden surprise attack, esp. one made by an army during war

coup de foudre

(noun) a sudden unforeseen event, in particular an instance of love at first sight

coup

(noun) a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government; a notable or successful stroke or move; an unusual or unexpected but successful tactic in card play; a contusion caused by contact of the brain with the skull at the point of trauma; (historical) (among North American Indians) an act of touching an armed enemy in battle as a deed of bravery, or an act of first touching an item of the enemy's in order to claim it

lethologica

(noun) a temporary but debilitating disorder characterized by an inability to recall words, phrases, or names (i.e. the inability to remember the correct word)

proclivity

(noun) a tendency to choose or do something regularly (i.e. an inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing)

trial balloon

(noun) a tentative measure taken or statement made to see how a new policy will be received

language coaching

(noun) a term which normally refers to English language learning and teaching but with a special emphasis on a coach encouraging learner independence or autonomous learning in higher-level learners of the languge (as a greater proportion of the globalized world used English as a lingua franca, there are also greater numbers of competent users of English who benefit more from a coach providing language support than a teacher in the traditional sense; starts from the basis of a sound transmission of language knowledge but additionally incorporates the traditional principles of coaching such as goal-setting, confidentiality and other ethical guidelines, the giving of a more active role for and learning by the coachee, adaptability and ability of the coach to tailor-make and suit everything to the coachee, continuous feedback and acknowledgement, and transmission of information via free and open coaching conversations)

field test

(noun) a test carried out in the environment in which a product or device is to be used; (verb) (field-test) [with obj.] test (something) in the environment in such a way

cryptogram

(noun) a text written in code; a symbol or figure with secret or occult significance

Equity Theory

(noun) a theory that recognizes various and intersectional spheres of power dynamics that create locations of domination/subordination based on value-judgments assigned to various concepts or actualities (e.g. race, gender) (unlike Egalitarianism, Equity Theory tackles how to create equality without treating everyone like they are all the same; people are not all exactly the same, and differing social actors in differing social locations face differing challenges within the social environment; barriers, physical, social, and discursive, create inequality of access and require individualized approaches to be overcome; Equity Theory is an intersectional approach to ethics, human rights, and socio-political thought)

veneer

(noun) a thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material; a layer of wood used to make plywood; [in singular] an attractive appearance that covers or disguises someone or something's true nature or feelings; (verb) [with obj.] (usually as adj. veneered) cover (something) with a decorative layer of fine wood; cover or disguise (someone or something's true nature) with an attractive appearance

sop

(noun) a thing given or done as a concession of no great value to appease someone whose main concerns or demands or not being met; a piece of bread dipped in gravy, soup, or sauce; (verb) [with obj.] (sop something up) soak up liquid using an absorbent substance; (archaic) wet thoroughly (i.e. soak)

antecedent

(noun) a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another; (antecedents) a person's ancestors or family and social background; (Grammar) a word, phrase, clause, or sentence to which another word (esp. a following relative pronoun) refers; (Logic) the statement contained in the "if" clause of a conditional proposition; (Mathematics) the first term in a ratio; (adj.) preceding in time or order (i.e. previous or preexisting); denoting a grammatical antecedent

congener

(noun) a thing or person of the same kind or category as another; an animal or plant of the same genus as another; a minor chemical constituent, esp. one that gives a distinctive character to a wine or liquor or is responsible for some of its physiological effects

accessory

(noun) a thing that can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive; a small article or item of clothing carried or worn to complement a garment or outfit (Law) someone who gives assistance to the perpetrator of a crime, without directly committing it, sometimes without being present; (adj.) [attrib.] (chiefly technical) contributing to or aiding an activity or process in a minor way (i.e. subsidiary or supplementary); (phrase) (accessory before (or after ) the fact) (Law, dated) a person who incites or assists someone to commit a crime (or knowingly aids someone who has committed a crime)

prerequisite

(noun) a thing that is required as a prior condition for something else to happen or exist; (adj.) required as a prior condition

superordinate

(noun) a thing that represents a superior order or category within a system of classification; a person who has authority over or control of another within an organization; (Linguistics) a word whose meaning includes the meaning of one or more other words; (adj.) superior in status

ligature

(noun) a thing used for tying or binding something tightly; a cord or thread used in surgery, esp. to tie up a bleeding artery; (Music) a slur or tie; (Printing) a character consisting of two or more joined letters, e.g., æ, fl); a stroke that joins adjacent letters in writing or printing; (verb) [with obj.] bind or connect with a ligature

moor1

(noun) a tract of open uncultivated upland (an area of high or hilly land) (i.e. a heath (an area of open uncultivated land, especially in Britain, with characteristic vegetation of heather, gorse, and coarse grasses; vegetation dominated by dwarf shrubs of the heath family)) a tract of open land preserved for shooting; (U.S. or dialect) a fen

namaskar

(noun) a tradition Indian greeting or gesture of respect, made by bringing the palms together before the fact or chest and bowing

hogan

(noun) a traditional Navajo hut of logs and earth

wake2

(noun) a trail of disturbed water or air left by the passage of a ship or aircraft; used to refer to the aftermath or consequences of something

gloss2

(noun) a translation or explanation of a word or phrase; an explanation, interpretation, or paraphrase; (verb) [with obj.] (usually Be glossed) provide an explanation, interpretation, or paraphrase for (a text, word, etc.); [no obj.] (gloss on/upon) (archaic) write or make comments, esp. unfavorable ones, about (something)

Jabberwocky sentence

(noun) a type of sentence of interest in neurolinguistics (in "Jabberwocky", Lewis Carroll uses correct English grammar and syntax, but many of the words are made up and merely suggest meaning - thus, nonsense words that render the sentences thereof semantically meaningless; correspondingly, such sentences allow for the study of syntactic processing in the absence of sematic content)

catholicon

(noun) a universal remedy (i.e. a panacea); a comprehensive treatise (a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject)

dale

(noun) a valley, esp. a broad one

troponym

(noun) a verb conveying a meaning that is a particular case of the meaning of another verb (e.g. to duel is a troponym of to fight, to write is a troponym of to communicate) (i.e. a lexeme (verb?) that portrays a more specific 'manner' relation of another lexeme (verb?), e.g. to nibble or gorge is a certain manner of eating, and to traipse or mince is a certain manner of walking)

archetype

(noun) a very typical example of a certain person or thing; an original that has been imitated; a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology; (Psychoanalysis) (in Jungian psychology) a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, and supposed to be present in the collective unconscious

vote of confidence

(noun) a vote showing that a majority continues to support the policy of a leader or governing body

convention (1-1a)

(noun) a way in which something is usually done, esp. within a particular area or activity; behavior that is considered acceptable or polite to most members of a society

counterculture

(noun) a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm (i.e. the culture and lifestyle of those people, especially among the young, who reject or oppose the dominant values and behavior of society)

wiki

(noun) a website that allows collaborative editing of its content and structure by its users

yenta

(noun) a woman who is a gossip or busybody

portmanteau word

(noun) a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others, for example motel (from 'motor' and 'hotel') or brunch (from 'breakfast' and 'lunch')

microtoponym

(noun) a word indicating an uninhabited place (cf. toponym)

mononym

(noun) a word indicating the "single name" as generally applied to people, e.g. Madonna or Plato (in some cases, that name has been selected by the individual, who may have originally been given a polynym ("multiple name"), while in other cases, it has been determined by the custom of the country or by some interested segment; in the case of historical figures, it may be the only one of the individual's names that has survived and is still known today)

hyponym

(noun) a word of more specific meaning than a general or superordinate term applicable to it (e.g. spoon is a hyponym of cutlery; contrasted with hypernym) (i.e. a word or phrase whose semantic field is included within that of another field)

double entendre

(noun) a word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which is usually risqué or indecent; humor using such words or phrases

Americanism

(noun) a word or phrase peculiar to or originating in the U.S.; the qualities regarded as definitive of America or Americans

Anglicism

(noun) a word or phrase that is peculiar to British English; the quality of being typically English or of favoring English things; a word or phrase borrowed from English into a foreign language

hypernym

(noun) a word with a broad meaning that more specific words fall under (e.g. color is a hypernym of red; contrasted with hyponym) (i.e. a superordinate; a word or phrase whose semantic field is broader than that of a hyponym)

modifier (Grammar)

(noun) a word, esp. an adjective or noun used attributively, that restricts or adds to the sense of a head noun

vocable

(noun) a word, especially with reference to form rather than meaning (i.e. in the broadest sense of the word, any meaningful sound uttered by people, such as a word or term, that is fixed by their language and culture; the term is currently used for utterances not considered words such as uh-huh and uh-uh, and can also be noted in music, magical incantations, and pause fillers)

metonym

(noun) a word, name, or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated (e.g. Washington is a metonym for the federal government of the US and Hollywood for the U.S. film industry; "the pen is mightier than the sword")

macron

(noun) a written or printed mark (¯) used to indicate a long vowel in some languages and phonetic transcription systems, or a stressed vowel in verse

au pair

(noun) a young foreign person, typically a woman, who helps with housework or child care in exchange for room and board; (adj.) of, relating to, or employed under such an arrangement

celibacy

(noun) abstinence from marriage and sexual relations, typically for religious reasons

bidialectalism

(noun) adding a standard dialect to a linguistic repertoire that already possesses a non-standard dialect (with a goal akin to bilingualism) (i.e. the teaching of Standard English - or a standard language in general - to pupils who normally use a nonstandard dialect) (ANTH 421); facility in using two dialects of the same language

cotillion

(noun) an 18th-century French dance based on the contredanse; (U.S.) a quadrille; (U.S.) a formal ball, esp. one at which debutantes are presented

tabula rasa

(noun) an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals (i.e. a clean slate); the human mind, esp. at birth, viewed as having no innate ideas

academician

(noun) an academic (i.e. an intellectual); a member of an academy, esp. of the Royal Academy of Arts, the Académie Française, or the Russian Academy of Sciences

knockout

(noun) an act of knocking someone out, esp. in boxing; (informal) an extremely attractive or impressive person or thing; (Brit.) a tournament in which the loser in each round is eliminated

soliloquy

(noun) an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, esp. by a character in a play; a part of a play involving such an act

pastime

(noun) an activity that someone does regularly for enjoyment rather than work (i.e. a hobby)

epithet

(noun) an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned; an epithet as a term of abuse

innuendo

(noun) an allusive or oblique remark or hint, typically a suggestive or disparaging one

footnote

(noun) an ancillary piece of information printed at the bottom of a page; a thing that is additional or less important; (verb) [with obj.] add a footnote or footnotes to (a piece of writing)

plateau

(noun) an area of relatively level high ground; [as modifier] denoting a group of American Indian peoples of the plateau country of western Canada and the U.S., including the Nez Percé; a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress; (verb) [no obj.] reach a state of little or no change after a time of activity or progress

plenum (1)

(noun) an assembly of all the members of a group or committee [influenced by Russian plenum 'plenary session']

bluff1

(noun) an attempt to deceive someone into believing that one can or will do something:

pretense

(noun) an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true; a false display of feelings, attitudes, or intentions; the practice of inventing imaginary situations in play; (pretense to) a claim, esp. a flase or ambitious one

accolade

(noun) an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit; an expression of praise or admiration; a touch on a person's shoulders with a sword at the bestowing of a knighthood

rhapsody

(noun) an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling (Music) a free instrumental composition in one extended movement, typically one that is emotional or exuberant in character; (in ancient Greece) an epic poem, or part of it, of a suitable length for recitation at one time

meme

(noun) an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation; a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc. that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users

compersion

(noun) an empathetic state of happiness and joy experienced when another individual experiences happiness and joy (it is sometimes identified with parents' pride in their children's accomplishments or one's own excitement for friends' and others' successes; it is commonly used to describe when a person experiences positive feelings when a lover is enjoying another relationship, especially in the context of polyamory; it is an opposite of jealousy...schadenfreude is generally considered to be the antonym of compersion)

factotum

(noun) an employee who does all kinds of work (i.e. a general servant or a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities)

cosmorama

(noun) an exhibition of perspective pictures of different places in the world, usually world landmarks (careful illumination and lenses are uses to give the images greater realism; cosmorama was also the named of an entertainment in 19th century London, at 207-209 Regent Street, at which the public could view scenes of distant lands and exotic subjects through optical devices that magnified the pictures)

pundit

(noun) an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public; variant spelling of pandit

guise

(noun) an external form, appearance, or manner of presentation, typically concealing the true nature of something

golden age

(noun) an idyllic, often imaginary past time of peace, prosperity, and happiness; the period when a specified art, skill, or activity is at its peak

poker face

(noun) an impassive expression that hides one's true feelings; a person with a poker face

churl

(noun) an impolite and mean-spirited person; (archaic) a miser; (archaic) a person of low birth (i.e. a peasant)

tour de force

(noun) an impressive performance or achievement that has been accomplished or managed with great skill

kaffeeklatsch

(noun) an informal social gathering at which coffee is served (i.e. an afternoon meeting where people (usually referring to women, particularly Hausfrauen) chitchat while drinking coffee or tea and having cake); talking or gossip at an informal gathering where coffee is served

epigraph

(noun) an inscription on a building, statue, or coin; a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme [ORIGIN late 16th cent. (denoting the heading of a document or letter): from Greek epigraphē, from epigraphein 'write on']

diversion

(noun) an instance of turning something aside from its course; (Brit.) an alternative route for use by traffic when the usual road is temporarily closed (i.e. a detour); an activity that diverts the mind from tedious or serious concerns (i.e. a recreation or pastime); something intended to distract someone's attention from something more important

case in point

(noun) an instance or example that illustrates what is being discussed

timepiece

(noun) an instrument, such as a clock or watch, for measuring time

addendum

(noun) an item of additional material, typically omissions, added at the end of a book or other publication; (Engineering) the radial distance from the pitch circle of a cogwheel, worm wheel, etc. to the crests of the teeth or ridges

bad form

(noun) an offense against current social conventions

consul

(noun) an official appointed by a government to live in a foreign city and protect and promote the government's citizens and interests there; (in ancient Rome) one of the two annually elected chief magistrates who jointly ruled the republic; any of the three chief magistrates of the first French republic (1799-1804) (Jedi Consular) the title of one of three distinct branches which a member of the Jedi Order could decide to study under following their ascension to the rank of Jedi Knight (led by the Council of Reconciliation, the Consulars sought diplomatic measures in spreading peace and harmony across the Galactic Republic; refraining from drawing their lightsabers (many Consulars wielded green lightsabers) except as a measure of last resort, Consulars spent a great deal of time studying the mysteries of the Force)

directive

(noun) an official or authoritative instruction; (adj.) involving the management or guidance of operations

conjecture

(noun) an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information; an unproven mathematical or scientific theorem; (in textual criticism) the suggestion or reconstruction of a reading of a text not present in the original source; (verb) [with obj.] form an opinion or supposition about (something) on the basis of incomplete information; (in textual criticism) propose (a reading)

pariah

(noun) an outcast (historical) a member of a low caste in southern India

vagary

(noun) an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behavior

gaffe

(noun) an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator (i.e. a blunder)

reprobate

(noun) an unprincipled person (often used humorously or affectionately); (Christian Theology, archaic) (especially in Calvinism) a sinner who is not of the elect and is predestined to damnation; (adj.) unprincipled (often used as a humorous or affectionate reproach); (Christian Theology, archaic) (in Calvinism) predestined to damnation; (verb) [with obj.] (archaic) express or feel disapproval of

character study

(noun) analysis or portrayal in literature of the traits of character of an individual; a work of fiction in which the delineation of the central character's personality is more important than the plot; a realistic portrait in one of the plastic arts or in photography typically of an anonymous sitter whose face or figure reveals strong personality or character traits

metasequoia

(noun) another term for dawn redwood (a coniferous tree with deciduous needles, known only as a fossil until it was found growing in southwestern China in 1941 (also called metasequoia; Metasequoia glyptostroboides, family Taxodiaceae]

gaucherie

(noun) awkward, embarrassing, or unsophisticated ways

pablum

(noun) bland or insipid intellectual fare, entertainment, etc. (i.e. pap)

alacrity

(noun) brisk and cheerful readiness

effervescence

(noun) bubbles in a liquid (i.e. fizz); vivacity and enthusiasm

solicitude

(noun) care or concern for someone or something

diligence

(noun) careful and persistent work or effort

metanoia

(noun) change in one's way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion

liaison

(noun) communication or cooperation that facilitates a close working relationship between people or organizations; a person who acts as a link to assist communication or cooperation between groups of people; a sexual relationship, especially one that is secret and involves unfaithfulness to a partner; the binding or thickening agent of a sauce, often based on egg yolks; (Phonetics) (in French and other languages) the sounding of a consonant that is normally silent at the end of a word because the next word begins with a vowel

carte blanche

(noun) complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best

abandonware

(noun) computer software that is no longer distributed or supported by the developer or copyright holder

brevity

(noun) concise and exact use of words in writing or speech; shortness of time [PHRASES brevity is the soul of wit (proverb) the essence of a witty statement lies in its concise wording and delivery [from Shakespeare's Hamlet II. ii. 90]]

sedition

(noun) conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch

dialogue

(noun) conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie; a discussion between two or more people or groups, esp. one directed toward exploration of a particular subject or resolution of a problem; (verb) [no obj.] take part in a conversation or discussion to resolve a problem; [with obj.] provide (a movie or play) with a dialogue. [PHRASES dialogue of the deaf a discussion in which each party is unresponsive to what the other says]

repartee

(noun) conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies

comity

(noun) courtesy and considerate behavior toward others; an association of nations for their mutual benefit; (also comity of nations) the mutual recognition by nations of the laws and customs of others

display script

(noun) decorative script, generally incorporating higher grade letter forms and sometimes employing a variety of colours (display script is often used, along with an enlarged initial, to emphasize major textual openings)

verbicide

(noun) deliberate distortion of the sense of a word (as in punning); one who distorts the sense of a word

gravitas

(noun) dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner

dissension

(noun) disagreement that leads to discord

chagrin

(noun) distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated; (verb) (be chagrined) feel distressed or humiliated

homophone

(noun) each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling, e.g. new and knew; each of a set of symbols denoting the same sound or group of sounds

douchery

(noun) engagement in the actions of a douche ((informal) (also **********) an obnoxious or contemptible person, typically a man)

gusto

(noun) enjoyment or vigor in doing something (i.e. zest); [in singular] (archaic) a relish or liking; (archaic) style or artistic execution

hubris

(noun) excessive pride or self-confidence/arrogance; (in Greek tragedy) excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis (i.e. a downfall caused by an inescapable agent; retributive justice; a goddess usually portrayed as the agent of divine punishment for wrongdoing or presumption)

impunity

(noun) exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action

parsimony

(noun) extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources [PHRASES principle (or law) of parsimony the scientific principle that things are usually connected or behave in the simplest or most economical way, especially with reference to alternative evolutionary pathways (compare with Occam's razor)]

joie de vivre

(noun) exuberant enjoyment of life (i.e. an exultation of spirit) (it "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do... And joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything, a comprehensive joy, a philosophy of life, a Weltanschauung; Robert's Dictionnaire says joie is sentiment exaltant ressenti par toute la conscience, that is, involves one's whole being"; 20th century proponents of self-actualization such as Abraham Maslow or Carl Rogers saw, as one of the by-products, the rediscovery of what the latter called "the quiet joy in being one's self...a spontaneous relaxed enjoyment, a primitive joie de vivre" ; joie de vivre has also been linked to D. W. Winnicott's concept of a sense of play, and of access to the true self)

fodder

(noun) food, esp. dried hay or feed, for cattle and other livestock; a person or thing regarded only as material for a specific use (See also cannon fodder); verb [with obj.] give fodder to (cattle or other livestock)

concord

(noun) formal agreement or harmony between people or groups; a treaty; (Grammar) agreement between words in gender, number, case, person, or any other grammatical category that affects the forms of the words; (Music) a chord that is pleasing or satisfactory in itself

largesse

(noun) generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others; money or gifts given generously

liberality

(noun) generous provision of money, time, or another asset (i.e. the quality of giving or spending freely; the quality of being open to new ideas and free from prejudice)

logomania

(noun) great enthusiasm for words (i.e. obsessive interest in words); aphasia in its most general sense; a pathologically excessive (and often incoherent) talking (a form of mental unsoundness characterized by garrulity (excessive talkativeness, especially on trivial matters))

mannerism

(noun) habitual gesture of way of speaking or behaving (i.e. an idiosyncrasy); (Psychiatry) an ordinary gesture or expression that becomes abnormal through exaggeration or repetition; excessive or self-conscious use of a distinctive style in art, literature, or music; (Mannerism) a style of 16th-century Italian art preceding the Baroque, characterized by unusual effects of scale, lighting, and perspective, and the use of bright, often lurid colors (it is particularly associated with the work of Pontormo, Vasari, and the later Michaelangelo)

injury

(noun) harm or damage that is done or sustained; a particular form or instance of harm; (a) wrong or injustice done or suffered; (Law) any wrong or violation of the rights, property, reputation, etc. of another for which legal action to recover damages may be made [PHRASES do oneself an injury) (informal) suffer physical harm or damage]

historicity

(noun) historical authenticity

herstory

(noun) history viewed from a female or specifically feminist perspective

omnicide

(noun) human extinction as a result of human action (most commonly referring to extinction through nuclear or biological warfare, but also applying to extinction through means such as global anthropogenic ecological catastrophe)

eudaimonia

(noun) human flourishing (i.e. happiness; welfare); in Aristotle's works, it was (based on older Greek tradition) used as the term for the highest human good, and so it is the aim of practical philosophy, including ethics and political philosophy, to consider (and also experience) what is really is, and how it can be achieved

finesse

(noun) intricate and refined delicacy; artful subtlety, typically that needed for tactful handling of a difficulty; (in bridge and whist) an attempt to win a trick with a card that is not a certain winner; verb [ with obj. ] do (something) in a subtle and delicate manner; slyly attempt to avoid blame or censure when dealing with (a situation or action); (in bridge and whist) play (a card that is not a certain winner) in the hope of winning a trick with it

naiveté

(noun) lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment; innocence or unsophistication

polymathy

(noun) learning in many field (i.e. encyclopedic knowledge)

bibliothecary

(noun) librarian; (adj.) pertaining to a librarian or library

deliberation

(noun) long and careful consideration or discussion; slow and careful movement or thought

photophilia

(noun) love of light, or preference of living or spending time in lighted conditions; the necessity, in some plant species, for exposure to strong light

bibliophilia

(noun) love or preference of books

coimetrophilia

(noun) love or preference of cemetaries

turophilia

(noun) love or preference of cheese

cinephilia

(noun) love or preference of films and the cinema; avid moviegoing

ombrophilia

(noun) love or preference of large amounts of rainfall

limnophilia

(noun) love or preference of ponds or mashes

rheophilia

(noun) love or preference of running water

chionophilia

(noun) love or preference of snow

nemophilia

(noun) love or preference of the woods/forests

retrophilia

(noun) love or preference of things (chracteristic) of the past

ceraunophilia

(noun) love or preference of thunder and lightning

xenophilia

(noun) love or preference of unknown/foreign objects or people (i.e. an attraction to or love of foreign people, manners or culture; according to some sources, cultural xenophilia can be connected with cultural cringe, or the feeling that one's own culture is inferior; it may also be area-specific); (science fiction) love (esp. sexual love) between humans and extraterrestrials; (Anthropology) not so much the love of difference as freedom from from the fear of difference, and a healthy curiosity and desire to understand strangers who anthropologists have always seen as precious repositories of human knowledge

equanimity

(noun) mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, esp. in a difficult situation

delinquency

(noun) minor crime, esp. that committed by young people; (formal) neglect of one's duty; a failure to pay an outstanding debt

myopia

(noun) nearsightedness; lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight

realia

(noun) objects and material from everyday life, esp. when used as teaching aids

ascendancy

(noun) occupation of a position of dominant power or influence

nihongami

(noun) one of many traditional Japanese hairstyles, dating to the Edo period, today most often seen on maiko (traditionally, two sides of the hair stick out until it curves to the back; the hair is pulled in the back as well as in the front)

never-was

(noun) one that has attained no rank, success, or eminence (fame or recognized superiority, especially within a particular sphere or profession) (i.e. a person who has not achieved success or fame, despite considerable effort) (unlike a has-been, who at least had once enjoyed noteworthy stature, a never-was simply fails to become prominent; normally refers to a person unsuccessful in athletics, the entertainment industry, or other creative arts)

bibliognost

(noun) one that has comprehensive knowledge of books and bibliography

veld

(noun) open, uncultivated country or grassland in southern Africa (it is conventionally classified by altitude into highveld, middleveld, and lowveld)

candor

(noun) openness, honesty or directness, whether refreshing or distasteful (i.e. frankness)

filigree

(noun) ornamental work of fine (typically gold or silver) wire formed into delicate tracery; a thing resembling such fine ornamental work

hanafuda

(noun) playing cards of Japanese origin that are used to play a number of games; a game played with such cards (there are twelve suits, representing months, each of which is designated a flower and has four cards)

dramatic license

(noun) poetic license that involves the glamorization of real-world occupations for the sake of exciting television or cinematic experience (e.g. omitting mundane aspects of occupations and presenting other aspects with much more action, suspense, or drama than would be experienced in reality)

phronesis

(noun) practical or ethical wisdom; it is a central concept in Aristotelian ethics and political philosophy

sciaphilia

(noun) preference of living in shady or dark areas (as opposed to photophilia)

naches

(noun) pride or gratification, esp. at the achievements of one's children (or at the achievements of another or one's own doing good by helping someone or some organization); congratulations

fine print

(noun) printed matter in small type; inconspicuous details or conditions printed in an agreement or contract, esp. ones that may prove unfavorable

palaver

(noun) prolonged and idle discussion; (dated) a parley or improvised conference between two sides; (verb) [no obj.] talk unnecessarily at length

standby, (on)

(noun) readiness for duty or immediate deployment; the state of waiting to secure an unreserved place for a journey or performance, allocated on the basis of earliest availability; a person waiting to secure a place on standby; a person or thing ready to be deployed immediately, especially if needed as backup in an emergency; an operational mode of an electrical appliance in which the power is switched on but the appliance is not actually functioning

temperance (virtue)

(noun) self-restraint in the face of temptation or desire (i.e. the espousal of moderation, marked by personal restraint (upheld as a virtue throughout time and across cultures, it was one of the cardinal virtues in Greek philosophy, being believed that no virtue could be sustained in teh face of inability to control oneself, if the virtue was opposed to some desire; temperance is generally defined by control over excess, so that is has many such classes, such as abstinence, chastity, modesty, humility, prudence, self-regulation, forgiveness and mercy - each of which involves restraining some impulse, such as sexual desire, vanity, or anger))

meta

(noun) short for meta key ((Computing) a function key on a keyboard that is activated by simultaneously holding down a control key); (adj.) (of a creative work) referring to itself or to the conventions of its genre (i.e. self-referential)

frippery

(noun) showy or unnecessary ornament in architecture, dress, or language; a tawdry (showy but cheap and of poor quality) or frivolous (not having any serious purpose or value) thing

grit

(noun) small, loose particles of stone or sand; [as modifier] (with numeral) indicating the grade of fineness of an abrasive; (also gritstone) a coarse sandstone; courage and resolve (i.e. strength of character); (verb) [with obj.] clench (the teeth), especially in order to keep one's resolve when faced with an unpleasant or painfult duty; move with or make a grating sound

perfectionist

(noun) somebody who demands or seeks to achieve nothing less than perfection; a believer in the philosophical doctrine of perfectionism (a doctrine holding that religious, moral, social, or political perfection is attainable, especially the theory that human moral or spiritual perfection should be or has been attained); (adj.) refusing to accept any standard short of perfection

migraineur

(noun) someone who suffers from migraine headaches

anomaly

(noun) something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected; (Astronomy) the angular distance of a planet or satellite from its last perihelion or perigree

metapsychology

(noun) speculation concerning mental processes and the mind-body relationship, beyond what can be studied experimentally

verbiage

(noun) speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions

kimchi

(noun) spicy pickled cabbage, the national dish of Korea

sprezzatura

(noun) studied carelessness, esp. as a characteristic quality or style of art or literature (i.e. a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it; the ability of the courtier to display an easy facility in accomplishing difficult actions which hides the conscious effort that went into them; a form of defensive irony - the ability to disguise what one really desires, feels, thinks, and means or intends behind a mask of apparent reticence and nonchalance)

krummholz

(noun) stunted windblown trees growing near the tree line on mountains

savoir faire

(noun) the ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations

self-discipline

(noun) the ability to control one's feelings and overcome one's weaknesses (i.e. the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it)

metalinguistic awareness

(noun) the ability to objectify language as a process as well as an artifact (the concept of metalinguistic awareness is helpful to explaining the execution and transfer of linguistic knowledge across langauges (e.g. code switching as well as translation among bilinguals); metalinguistics can be classified as the ability to consciously reflect on the nature of language, by recognizing that language has a potential greater than that of simple symbols, that words are separable form their referents, and that language has a structure that can be manipulated; it is also known as "metalinguistic ability", which can be defined similarly as metacognition ("knowing about knowing"); it can also be defined as the ability to reflec ton the use of language)

total recall

(noun) the ability to remember with clarity every detail of the events of one's life or of a particular event, object, or experience

intuition

(noun) the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning; a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning

excommunication

(noun) the act or state of being excluded or expelled from membership or participation in any group, association, etc. (esp. in the sacraments and services of the Christian church)

accentuation

(noun) the action of emphasizing something; the prominence of a thing relative to the normal; the manner in which accents are apparent in pronunciation, or indicated in writing

containment

(noun) the action of keeping something harmful under control or within limits; the action or policy of preventing the expansion of a hostile country or influence

Anglicisation

(noun) the action of making something English in form or character (i.e. the process of coverting oral or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker; or in general, of altering something so that it becomes English in form or character)

repression

(noun) the action of subduing someone or something by force; the restraint, prevention, or inhibition of a feeling, quality, etc.; the action or process of suppressing a thought or desire in oneself so that it remains unconscious

suppression

(noun) the action of suppressing something such as an activity or publication; (Medicine) stoppage or reduction of a discharge or secretion; (Biology) the absence or nondevelopment of a part or organ that is normally present; (Genetics) the canceling of the effect of one mutation by a second mutation; (Psychology) the restraint or repression of an idea, activity, or reaction by something more powerful; (Psychoanalysis) the conscious inhibition of unacceptable memories, impulses, or desires; prevention of electric interference

transposition

(noun) the action of transposing something; a thing that has been produced by transposing something

deflection

(noun) the action or process of deflecting or being deflected; the amount by which something is deflected

attrition

(noun) the action or process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of someone or something through sustained attack or pressure; the gradual reduction of a workforce by employees' leaving and not being replaced rather than by their being laid off; wearing away by friction (i.e. abrasion); (in scholastic theology) sorrow, but not contrition, for sin

amalgamation

(noun) the action, process, or result of combining or uniting

excrescence (phonology)

(noun) the addition of a consonant, as in somepthing for something, a -> an, or Old English thunor -> English thunder

Kabbalah

(noun) the ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible, first transmitted orally and using esoteric methods (including ciphers) (it reached the height of its influence in the later Middle Ages and remains significant in Hasidism)

verisimilitude

(noun) the appearance of being true or real

cryptography

(noun) the art of writing or solving codes

proxy

(noun) the authority to represent someone else, esp. in voting; a person authorized to act on behalf of another; a document authorizing a person to vote on another's behalf; a figure that can be used to represent the value of something in a calculation

philology

(noun) the branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development, and relationships of a language or languages (i.e. the study of language in written historical sources...a combination of literary studies, history, and linguistics); literary or classical scholarship

ethos

(noun) the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations

koine

(noun) the common language of the Greeks from the close of the classical period to the Byzantine era; a common language shared by various peoples (i.e. a lingua franca)

professionalism

(noun) the competence or skill expected of a professional (i.e. professional character, spirit, or methods; the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or professional person; the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well); the practicing of an activity, especially a sport, by professional rather than amateur players

netiquette

(noun) the correct or acceptable way of communicating on the Internet (i.e. a set of social conventions that facilitate interaction over networks, ranging from Usenet and mailing lists to blogs and forums)

well-wishes

(noun) the desire of one person of happiness or success for another, or expression of one of such a desire (i.e. good or kindly wishes; wishes of happiness; verbal or written displays of concern for a friend or family member's well-being)

nomenclature

(noun) the devising or choosing of names for things, esp. in a science or other discipline; the body or system of such names in a particular field; (formal) the term or terms applied to someone or somethings

dualism

(noun) the division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasted aspects, or the state of being so divided; (Philosophy) a theory or system of thought that regards a domain of reality in terms of two independent principles, esp. mind and matter (Cartesian dualism; Compare with idealism, materialism, and monism); the religious doctrine that the universe contains opposed powers of good and evil, esp. seen as balanced equals; in Christian theology, the heresy that in the incarnate Christ there were two coexisting persons, human and divine; the quality or condition of being dual (i.e. duality)

détente

(noun) the easing of hostility or strained relations, esp. between countries

gooseberry

(noun) the edible, acid, globular, sometimes spiny fruit of certain prickly shrubs belonging to the genus Ribes, of the saxifrage family, especially R. uva-crispa (or R. grossularia); a shrub bearing this fruit; (Brit. informal) an extra person who is present when two other people (such as lovers) want to be alone together (often in the phrase play gooseberry) (i.e. (chiefly UK) an additional person who is neither necessary nor wanted in a given situation; third/fifth wheel)

luminescence

(noun) the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated, as in flourescence and phosphorescence

stoicism

(noun) the endurance of pain or hardship without a display of feelings and without complaint; (Stoicism) an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of Citium (The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge, and that the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason (also identified with Fate and Providence) that governs nature, and are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain)

self-censorship

(noun) the exercising of self-control over what one says and does, esp. to avoid castigation

intentionality

(noun) the fact of being deliberate or purposive; (Philosophy) the quality of mental states (e.g., thoughts, beliefs, desires, hopes) that consists in their being directed toward some object or state of affairs

prevalence

(noun) the fact or condition of being prevalent (i.e. commonness)

logology

(noun) the field of recreational linguistics, an activity that encompasses a wide variety of word games and wordplay (some of the topics in logology are lipograms, acrostics, palindromes, tautonyms, isograms, pangrams, bigrams, trigrams, tetragrams, transdeletion pyramids,and pangrammatic windows; the term logology was formerly used to refer to the science of word studies but was adopted by Dmitri Borgmann to refer to recreational linguistics)

denouement

(noun) the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved; the climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear

orphan (Printing)

(noun) the first line of a paragraph set as the last line of a page or column, considered undesirable; a word, part of a word, or very short line that appears by itself at the end of a paragraph (orphans result in too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a page)

artistic license

(noun) the freedom to depart from the facts of a matter or from the conventional rules of language when speaking or writing in order to create an effect (i.e. a colloquial term, sometimes a euphemism, used to denote the distortion of fact, alteration of the conventions of grammar or language, or rewording of pre-existing text made by an artist in the name of art)

umbra

(noun) the fully shaded inner region of a shadow cast by an opaque object, esp. the area on the earth or moon experiencing the total phase of an eclipse; (Astronomy) the dark central part of a sunspot; (chiefly literary) shadow or darkness

Generation X

(noun) the generation born after that of the baby boomers (roughly from the early 1960s to mid 1970s), often perceived to be disaffected (dissatisfied with the people in authority and no longer willing to support them) and directionless

Generation Y

(noun) the generation born in the 1980s and 1990s, comprising primarily the children of the baby boomers and typically perceived as increasingly familiar with digital and electronic technology

Generation Z

(noun) the generation of people born after the Millenial Generation (there is no agreement on the name or exact range of birth dates: some sources start this generation at the mid or late 1990s or from the mid 2000s to the present day)

Romance

(noun) the group of Indo-European languages descended from Latin, principally French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Occitan, and Romanian; (adj.) of, relating to, or denoting this group of languages

right hand (noun)

(noun) the hand of a person's right side; the region or direction on the right side of a person or thing; the most important position next to someone; an efficient or indispensable assistant

bibliography (1c)

(noun) the history or systematic description of books, their authorship, printing, publication, editions, etc.

stemmatology

(noun) the humanistic discipline that attempts to reconstruct the transmission of a text (especially a text in manuscript form) on the basis of relations between the various surviving manuscripts (sometimes using cladistic analysis)

nemesis

(noun) the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall; a long-standing rival (i.e. an archenemy); a downfall caused by an inescapable agent; (often Nemesis) retributive justice

bellwether

(noun) the leading sheep of a flock, with a bell on its neck; an indicator or predictor of something

quality assurance

(noun) the maintenance of a desired level of quality in a service or product, especially by means of attention to every stage of the process of delivery or production (i.e. a way of preventing mistakes or defects in manufactured products and avoiding problems when delivering solutions or services to customers; "part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled") (this defect prevention in quality assurance differs subtly from defect detection and rejection in quality control, and has been referred to as a shift left as it focuses on quality earlier in the process; QA is applied to physical products in pre-production to verify what will be made meets specifications and requirements, and during manufacturing production runs by validating lot samples meet specified quality controls; QA is also applied to software to verify that features and functionality meet business objectives, and that code is relatively bug free prior to shipping or releasing new software products and versions; quality assurance comprises administrative and procedural activities implemented in a quality system so that requirements and goals for a product, service or activity will be fulfilled)

epiphany

(noun) the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12); the festival commemorating the Epiphany on January 6; a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being; a moment of sudden revelation or insight

pedagogy

(noun) the method and practice of teaching, esp. as an academic subject or theoretical concept

yin-yang

(noun) the mingling of the cosmic forces of yin and yang: yin is the negative, dark and feminine principle (passive and associated also with earth and cold), while yang is the positive, bright, and masculine principle (active and also associated with heaven and heat) (in Chinese philosophy, the interaction and balance of yin and yang are thought to influence the destinies of all creatures and things

quorum

(noun) the minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid

multi-monolingualism

(noun) the misguided view of multilingualism as an addition of several monolingualisms

raison d'être

(noun) the most important reason or purpose for someone or something's existence

ethnonym

(noun) the name applied to a given ethnic group (ethnonyms can be divided into exonyms (where the name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people, e.g. Germans) and endonyms (names created and used by the ethnic group itself, e.g. die Deutschen))

serendipity

(noun) the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way

hinterland

(noun) the often uncharted areas beyond a coastal district or a river's banks; an area surrounding a town or port and served by it; an area lying beyond what is visible or known

ellipsis

(noun) the omission of speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues

glocalization

(noun) the practice of conducting business according to both local and global considerations

groupthink

(noun) the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility (i.e. a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an incorrect of deviant decision-making outcome (group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative ideas or viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside infleunces))

androcentrism

(noun) the practice, conscious or otherwise, of placing male human beings or the masculine point of view at the center of one's view of the world and its culture and history (i.e. the evaluation of the world and people in it - including women and people of other sexes or genders - according to the standards of maleness; an ideological focus on males and men, and issues affecting them, possibly to the detriment of non-males)

Hispanicization

(noun) the process by which a place or person become influenced by Hispanic culture; a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-Hispanic becomes Hispanic; (Castellanisation) the replacement of indigenous languages in the former Spanish colonies and the minority languages in Spain itself by Castilian (the dialect of Spanish spoken in Castile, which is standard [Spain] Spanish)

catharsis

(noun) the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions (i.e. an experience or feeling of spiritual release and purification brought about by an intense emotional experience; (Psychology) the process of bringing to the surface repressed emotions, complexes, and feelings in an effort to identify and relieve them, or the result of this process); according to Aristotle, a purifying of the emotions that is brought about in the audience of a tragic drama through the evocation of intense fear and pity; (Medicine, rare) purgation (i.e. cleansing or purging of the bowels)

triage

(noun) the process of sorting victims, as of a battle or disaster, to determine medical priority in order to increase the number of surviors; the determination of priorities for action in an emergency; the process of determining the most important people or things from amongst a large number that require attention; (verb) [with obj.] assign degrees of urgency to (wounded or ill patients)

providence

(noun) the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power; (Providence) God or nature as providing such care; timely preparation for future eventualities

hedonism

(noun) the pursuit of pleasure (i.e. sensual self-indulgence); the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life

discretion

(noun) the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information; the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation

sincerity

(noun) the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy

coherence

(noun) the quality of being logical and consistent; the quality of forming a unified whole; (Linguistics) the property of unity in a written text or a segment of spoken discourse that stems from the links among its underlying ideas and from the logical organization and development of its thematic content (compare cohesion)

caliber

(noun) the quality of someone's character or the level of someone's skill; the standard reached by something; the internal diameter or bore of a gun barrel; the diameter of a bullet, shell, or rocket; the diameter of a circular body, such as a tube, blood vessel, or fiber

accuracy

(noun) the quality of state of being correct or precise; (technical) the degree to which the result of a measurement, calculation, or specification conforms to the correct value or a standard (compare with precision)

precision

(noun) the quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate; [as modifier] marked by or adapted for accuracy and exactness; (technical) refinement in a measurement, calculation, or specification, especially as represented by the number of digits given (compare with accuracy)

sonder

(noun) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you'll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk

normal science

(noun) the regular work of scientists experimenting within a settled paradigm or explanatory framework (it slowly accumulates detail in accord with established broad theory, without questioning or challenging the underlying assumptions of that theory)

acquiescence

(noun) the reluctant acceptance of something without protest

self-sacrifice

(noun) the sacrifice of one's interests, desires, etc., as for duty or the good of another

petrichor

(noun) the scent of rain on dry earth, or the scent of dust after rain (i.e. the distinctive scent which accompanies the first rain after a long warm dry spell)

cryptozoology

(noun) the search for and study of animals whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the Loch Ness monster and the yeti

hyphen

(noun) the sign (-) used to join words to indicate that they have a combined meaning or that they are linked in the grammar of a sentence (as in pick-me-up, rock-forming), to indicate the division of a word at the end of a line, or to indicate a missing or implied element (as in short- and long-term); another term for hyphenate

idiolect

(noun) the speech habits peculiar to a particular person (i.e. "a variety of language that is unique to a person, as manifested by the patterns of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation that they use" (Wikipedia))

redundancy

(noun) the state of being no longer needed or useful; the use of words or data that could be omitted without loss of meaning or function (i.e. repetition or superfluity of information); (Engineering) the inclusion of extra components that are not strictly necessary to functioning, in case of failure in other components; (chiefly Brit.) the state of being no longer employed because there is no more work available

cachet

(noun) the state of being respected or admired (i.e. prestige) a distinguishing mark or seal; (Philately) a printed design added to an envelope to commemorate a special event; a flat capsule enclosing a dose of unpleasant-tasting medicine

oblivion

(noun) the state of being unaware of unconscious of what is happening; the state of being forgotten, especially by the public; extinction; (Law, historical) amnesty or pardon

contrition

(noun) the state of feeling remorseful and penitent; (in the Roman Catholic Church) the repentenace of past sins during or after confession

languor

(noun) the state of feeling, often pleasant, or tiredness or inertia; an oppressive stillness of the air

dereliction

(noun) the state of having been abandoned and become dilapidated; (usually dereliction of duty) the shameful failure to fulfill one's obligations

composure

(noun) the state or feelng of being calm and in control of oneself

vellichor

(noun) the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time—filled with thousands of old books you'll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured (for lovers of books, there is nothing more distinctive and melancholy than the sight and smell of old books, redolent of dust and decayed hopes)

lexical stress

(noun) the stress placed on syllables within words (some languages have fixed stress, meaning that the stress on virtually any multisyllable word falls on a particular syllable (such as the first or the penultimate), while others like English have variable stress, where the position of stress in a word in not predictable in that way; sometimes more than one level of stress, such as primary stress and secondary stress, may be identified, yet in the case of same languages, lexical stress may be found to be entirely lacking)

prosodic stress

(noun) the stress placed on words within sentences (this is one of the three components of prosody, along with rhyme and intonation; it includes phrasal stress (the default emphasis of certain words within phrases or clauses) and contrastive stress (used to highlight an item - a word, or occasionally just part of a word - that is given particular focus))

cryptology

(noun) the study of codes, or the art of writing and solving them

toponymy

(noun) the study of place names (including their origins, meanings, use, and typology)

software release life cycle

(noun) the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software

scholasticism

(noun) the system of theology and philosophy taught in medieval European universities, based on Aristotelian logic and the writings of the early Church Fathers and having a strong emphasis on tradition and dogma; narrow-minded insistence on traditional doctrine

gospel (1)

(noun) the teaching or relevation of Christ; (also gospel truth) a thing that is absolutely true; a set of principles or beliefs

linguistic exactitude

(noun) the tendency to be accurate and careful about minor linguistic details

apex

(noun) the top or highest part of something, esp. one forming a point; (Geometry) the highest point in a plane or solid figure, relative to a base line or plane; (Botany) the growing point of a shoot; the highest level of a hierarchy, organization, or other power structure regarded as a triangle or pyramid; (verb) [no obj.] reach a high point or climax

neocolonialism

(noun) the use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries, esp. former dependencies

periphrasis

(noun) the use of indirect and circumlocutory speeech or writing; an indirect and circumlocutory phrase; (Grammar) the use of separate words to express a grammatical relationship that is otherwise expressed by inflection, e.g., did go as opposed to went and more intelligent as opposed to smarter

circumlocution

(noun) the use of many words where fewer would do, esp. in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive (roundabout speech refers to using many words to describe something for which a concise (and commonly known) expression exists; circumlocution is often used by aphasics and people learning a new language, where in the absence of a word the subject can simply be described; euphemism, innuendo, and equivocation and types of circumlocution)

polysyndeton

(noun) the use of several conjunctions in close succession, esp. where some could otherwise be omitted (as in "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy"; it is a stylistic scheme used to achieve a variety of effects: it can increase the rhythm of prose, speed or slow its pace, convey solemnity or even ecstasy and childlike exuberance; another common use of polysyndeton is to create a sense of being overwhelmed, or in fact directly overwhelm the audience by using conjunctions, rather than commas, leaving little room for a reader to breathe)

solipsism

(noun) the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist

word stock

(noun) the vocabulary of a language, dialect, or idiolect

Fourth World

(noun) those countries and communities considered to be the poorest and most underdeveloped of the Third World; those communities that form politically and economically disadvantaged minorities within societies, owing to factors such as urban deprivation or discrimination against tribal peoples

duress

(noun) threats, violence, constraints, or other action brought to bear on someone to do something against their will or better judgment; (Law) constraint illegally exercised to force someone to perform an act; (archaic) forcible restraint or imprisonment

tin ear

(noun) tone-deafness; (idiomatic) insensitivity to and inability to appreciate the elements of performed music or the rhythm, elegance, or nuances of language; (idiomatic) insensitivity to the nuances of current situation or subtleties of a craft; (idiomatic) indifference to somebody else's attitudes and moods

bog

(noun) wet muddy ground too soft to support a heavy body; (Ecology) wetland with acid, peaty soil, typically dominated by peat moss (compare with fen1; (usually the bog) (Brit.) (informal) a bathroom; (verb) [with obj.] (usually be bogged down) cause (a vehicle, person, or animal) to become stuck in mud or wet ground; (be bogged down) (of a person or process) be unable to make process; [no obj.] (bog off) (Brit.) (informal) go away; [no obj.] (bog in) (Australian / NZ) start a task enthusiastically

good form

(noun) what complies with current social conventions

metamessage

(noun) what we take from a message expressed (i.e. an underlying meaning or implicit message; "those message that are conveyed between the lines of [what] we explicitly say or write, possibly due to the purpose, context, or timing of the message and/or the relationship between the people communicating")

havoc

(noun) widespread destruction; great confusion or disorder; (verb) [with obj.] (archaic) lay waste to (i.e. devastate); (play havoc with) completely disrupt (i.e. cause serious damage to)

diction

(noun)the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing; the style of enunciation in speaking or singing

forward (adj. 4)

(of a person) bold or familiar in manner, esp. in a presumptuous way

professional (adj.)

(of a person) engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime; having or showing the skill appropriate to a professional person (i.e. competent or skillful); worthy of or appropriate to a professional person (i.e. characterized by or conforming the technical or ethical standards of a profession; exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace); (informal) (derogatory) denoting a person who persistently makes a feature of a particular activity or attribute

congenial

(of a person) pleasant because of a personality, qualities, or interests that are similar to one's own; (of a thing) pleasant or agreeable because suited to one's taste or inclination

remote (adj.)

(of a place) situated far from the main centers of population (i.e. distant); (of an electronic device) operating or operated by means of radio or infrared signals; distant in time; distantly related; having very little connection with or relationship to; (of a person) aloof and unfriendly in manner; (Computing) denoting a device that can only be accessed by means of a network (compare with local); (of a chance or possibility) unlikely to occur

bleak1 (adj.)

(of an area of land) lacking vegetation and exposed to the elements; (of a building or room) charmless and inhospitable (i.e. dreary); (of the weather) cold and miserable; (of a situation or future prospect) not hopeful or encouraging (i.e. unlikely to have a favorable outcome); (of a person or a person's expression) cold and forbidding)

get (or have) one's ducks in a row

(phrasal verb) (N. Amer.) (informal) get (or have) one's facts straight; get (or have) everything organized)

put someone up to

(phrasal verb) (informal) encourage someone to do (something wrong or unwise)

keep (or lose) one's cool

(phrasal verb) (informal) maintain (or fail to maintain) a calm and controlled attitude

tip the scales (or balance)

(phrasal verb) (of a circumstance or event) be the deciding factor; make the critical difference

wind down

(phrasal verb) (of a mechanism, esp. one operated by clockwork) gradually lose power; (informal) (of a person) relax after stress or excitement; (also wind something down) draw or bring gradually to a close

mark time

(phrasal verb) (of troops) march on the spot without moving forward; pass one's time in routine activities until a more favorable or interesting opportunity presents itself

sink in

(phrasal verb) (of words or facts) be fully understood or realized

have (or get) something down to a fine art

(phrasal verb) achieve a high level of skill, facility, or accomplishment in some activity through experience

force the pace

(phrasal verb) adopt a face pace in a race in order to tire out one's opponents quickly

bell the cat

(phrasal verb) attempt something formidable or dangerous together (i.e. take the danger of a shared enterprise upon oneself [an allusion to a fable in which the mice (or rats) suggest hanging a bell around the cat's neck to have warning of its approach]; to attempt, or agree to perform, an impossibly difficult task)

be part and parcel of

(phrasal verb) be an essential feature or element of

hold all the cards

(phrasal verb) be in a very strong or advantageous position

take liberties

(phrasal verb) behave in an unduly familiar manner toward a person; treat something freely, without strict faithfulness to the facts or to an original

waltz (or walk) Matilda

(phrasal verb) carry a bundle of possessions while traveling

think something through

(phrasal verb) consider all the possible effects or implications of something (i.e. fully consider an action, and understand all its consequences)

work (or run) oneself in the ground

(phrasal verb) exhaust oneself by working (or running) very hard

play the — card

(phrasal verb) exploit the specified issue or idea mentioned, esp. for political advantage

make something of

(phrasal verb) give or ascribe a specified amount of attention or importance to; understand or derive advantage from; [with negative or in questions] conclude to be the meaning or character of

have a tiger by the tail

(phrasal verb) have embarked on a course of action that proves unexpectedly difficult but that cannot easily or safely be abandoned

mend one's ways

(phrasal verb) improve one's habits or behavior

split hairs

(phrasal verb) make small and overfine distinctions

force someone's hand

(phrasal verb) make someone do something

play one's cards right

(phrasal verb) make the best use of one's assets and opportunities

cross someone's path

(phrasal verb) meet or encounter someone

let something slide

(phrasal verb) negligently allow something to deteriorate

run into the ground

(phrasal verb) pursue a topic until it has been thoroughly discussed or exhausted (i.e. ruin or destroy; push something so far that it is, in effect, buried)

tip one's hat (or cap)

(phrasal verb) raise or touch one's hat or cap as a way of greeting or acknowledging someone (i.e. take off, raise, or touch one's hat in salutation)

pin someone down

(phrasal verb) restrict the actions or movement or an enemy by firing at them; force someone to be specific and make their intentions clear

find one's feet

(phrasal verb) stand up and become able to walk; establish oneself in a particular field (i.e. to grow in confidence in a new situation as one gains experience)

pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire

(phrasal verb) succeed in a hazardous undertaking for someone else's benefit [with reference to the fable of a monkey using a cat's paw to extract roasting chestnuts from a fire]

sow (or plant) dragon's teeth

(phrasal verb) take action that is intended to prevent trouble, but which actually brings it about

have (something) down to a science

(phrasal verb) to be able to manage all the details of doing something very well (i.e. to have perfected something or achieved practiced ease and confidence in carrying it out)

to be led down (or up) the garden path

(phrasal verb) to be misled (i.e. to give someone misleading clues or signals)

have something down pat

(phrasal verb) to learn something so well that you do not have to think about how to do or say it

find one's feet with [another]

(phrasal verb) to understand or know what to expect from a people or their culture, jokes, etc. [which may require more than learning (of) the respective language, traditions, and texts] (i.e. an unnerving business of ethnographic research that never more than distantly succeeds, which consists neither of trying to become natives nor of mimicing them but of conversing with them (in a widened sense of the term in which it encompasses much more than talk)]

take the liberty

(phrasal verb) venture to do something without first asking permission

logomachy

(plural logomachies) (rare) an argument about, or with words (i.e. a controversy marked by verbiage)

boondocks

(plural noun) (informal) rough, remote, or isolated country

calisthenics

(plural noun) [treated as singular or plural] gymnastic exercises to achieve bodily fitness and grace of movement

metalinguistics

(plural noun) [treated as singular] the branch of linguistics that deals with metalanguages, self-reference in language, and the philosophy of science as it applies to linguistics

stemmatics

(plural noun) [treated as singular] the branch of study concerned with analyzing the relationship of surviving variant versions of a text to each other, esp. so as to reconstruct a lost original

metaphysics

(plural noun) [usually treated as singular] the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space (Metaphysics has two main strands: that which holds that what exists lies beyond experience (as argued by Plato), and that which holds that objects of experience constitute the only reality (as argued by Kant, the logical positivists, and Hume). Metaphysics has also concerned itself with a discussion of whether what exists is made of one substance or many, and whether what exists is inevitable or driven by chance); abstract theory or talk with no basis in reality

onomastics

(plural noun) [usually treated as singular] the study of the history and origin of proper names, especially personal names (i.e. the study of the origin, history, and use of proper names) (an orthonym is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onomastic study; onomastics have been used extensively in gender studies, to infer the gender of personal names in quantitative research)

proceedings

(plural noun) an event or series of activities involving a formal or set procedure; (Law) action taken in a court to settle a dispute; a published report of a set of meetings or a conference

mores

(plural noun) the essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community (i.e. norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance; include an aversion for societal taboos, such as incest or pederasty, and distinguish the difference between right and wrong)

trappings

(plural noun) the outward signs, features, or objects associated with a particular situation, role, or thing; a horse's ornamental harness

folkways

(plural noun) the traditional behavior or way of life of a particular community or group of people (i.e. norms for routine or casual interaction, e.g. ideas about appropriate greetings and proper dres in different situations; folkways draw a line between right and rude)

ephemera

(plural noun) things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time; items of collective memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity

supra-

(prefix) beyond (i.e. transcending); above

(as) right as rain

(prep. phrase) (informal) (of a person) feeling completely well or healthy, typically after an illness or minor accident

as clear as mud

(prep. phrase) (informal) not at all easy to understand

in (or into) the groove

(prep. phrase) (informal) performing consistently well or confidently; indulging in relaxed and spontaneous enjoyment, especially dancing

on a dime

(prep. phrase) (informal) used to refer to a manuever that can be performed by a moving vehicle or person within a small area or short distance

off the cuff

(prep. phrase) (informal) without preparation (as if from impromptu notes made on one's shirt cuffs)

in order

(prep. phrase) according to a particular sequence; in the correct condition for operation or use; in accordance with the rules of procedure at a meeting, legislative assembly, etc.; appropriate in the circumstances

on cue, (right)

(prep. phrase) as if planned to happen exactly at that moment (i.e. at exactly the right moment, or exactly when you expect)

at one's convenience

(prep. phrase) at a time or place that suits one [SYNONYMS at a suitable time, at your leisure, in your own time, whenever you {can/wish}, in a spare moment]

from the floor

(prep. phrase) delivered by an individual member at a meeting, not by a representative on the platform

at length

(prep. phrase) in detail (i.e. fully); after a long time

in the raw

(prep. phrase) in its true state (i.e. not made to seem better or more palatable than it actually is); (informal) (of a person) naked

on one's own ground

(prep. phrase) in one's own territory or concerning one's own range of knowledge or experience

in the flesh

(prep. phrase) in person rather than via telephone, a movie, the written word, or other means

beside oneself

(prep. phrase) overcome with worry or anger (i.e. distraught)

on edge

(prep. phrase) tense, nervous, or irritable

on the fence

(prep. phrase) undeciced about something (i.e. not able to decide something)

in check

(prep. phrase) under control; (Chess) (of a king) directly attacked by an opponent's piece or pawn; (of a player) having the king in this position

vis-à-vis

(prep.) in relation to (i.e. with regard to); as compared with (i.e. as opposed to); (adv.) (archaic) in a position facing a specified or implied subject (noun) a person or group occupying a corresponding position to that of another person or group in a different area or domain (i.e. a counterpart); a face-to-face meeting

apropos

(prep.) with reference to (i.e. concerning); (adv.) [sentence adv.] (apropos of nothing) used to state a speaker's belief that someone's comments or acts are unrelated to any previous discussion or situation; (adj.) [predic.] very appropriate to a particular situation

before (2-3)

(prep., conj., & adv.) in front of; [prep.] in front of and required to answer to (a court of law, tribunal, or other authority); in preference to (i.e. with a higher priority than)

still waters run deep

(proverb) a quiet or placid manner may conceal a more passionate nature

fortune favors the brave/bold

(proverb) a successful person is often one who is willing to take risks

a stitch in time saves nine

(proverb) if you sort out a problem immediately, it may save a lot of extra work later

discretion is the better part of valor

(proverb) it is better to avoid a dangerous situation than to confront it

blood is thicker than water

(proverb) relationships and loyalties within a family are the strongest and most important ones

a watched pot/kettle never boils

(proverb) something you are waiting for will not happen while you are concentrating on it

the darkest hour is just before the dawn

(proverb) when things seem to be at their worst, they are about to start improving

you can't have your cake and eat it (too)

(proverb) you can't enjoy both of two desirable but mutually exclusive alternatives

more haste, less speed

(proverb) you make better progress with a task if you don't try to do it too quickly

alpha (1e)

(short for alpha test) (noun) the first phase of the release life cycle to begin software testing (e.g. via white-, black-, and/or gray-box techniques; alpha software can be unstable and could cause crashes or data loss; the alpha phase usually ends with a feature freeze, indicating that no more features will be added to the software)

beta (1c)

(short for beta test) (noun) (informal) the software development phase following alpha, which generally begins when the software is feature complete but likely to contain a number of known or unknown bugs (software in the beta phase will generally have many more bugs in it than completed software, as well as speed/performance issues and may still cause crashes or data loss; the focus of beta testing is reducing impacts to users, often incorporating usability testing; this is typically the first time that the software is available outside of the organization that developed it; a beta version software is often useful for demonstrations and previews within an organization and to prospective customers; some developers refer to this stage as a preview, prototype, technical preview / technology preview (TP), or early access)

epistolize

(verb) (Brit. epistolise) [no obj.] to write a letter; [with obj.] to write a letter to

demean (2)

(verb) (demean oneself) conduct oneself in a particular way

see(ing) red

(verb) (informal) become very angry suddenly

ingratiate

(verb) (ingratiate onself) bring oneself into favor with someone by flattering or trying to please them

slough2

(verb) (usually slough something off) shed or remove (a layer of dead skin); get rid of (something undesirable or no longer required); [no obj.] (slough off) (of dead skin) drop off (i.e. be shed); [no obj.] (slough away/down) (of soil or rock) collapse or slide into a hole or depression; (noun) the dropping off of dead tissue from living flesh

paraphrase

(verb) [ with obj. ] express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, esp. to achieve greater clarity; (noun) a rewording of something written or spoken by someone else

hasten

(verb) [no obj., with infinitive] be quick to do something; [with adverbial of direction] move or travel hurriedly; [with obj.] cause (something) to happen sooner than it otherwise would

collocate

(verb) [no obj.] (Linguistics) (of a word) be habitually juxtaposed with another with a frequency greater than chance; [with obj.] (rare) place side by side or in a particular relation; (noun) |ˈkɒləkət| (Linguistics) a word that is habitually juxtaposed with another with a frequency greater than chance

metastasize

(verb) [no obj.] (Medicine) (of a cancer) spread to other sites in the body by metastasis

peregrinate

(verb) [no obj.] (archaic or humorous) travel or wander around from place to place

rankle

(verb) [no obj.] (archaic) (of a wound or sore) continue to be painful (i.e. fester); (of a comment, event, or fact) cause annoyance or resentment that persists; [with obj.] annoy or irritate (someone)

despond

(verb) [no obj.] (archaic) become dejected and lose confidence; (noun) a state of unhappiness and low spirits

augur

(verb) [no obj.] (augur well/badly/ill) (of an event or circumstance) portend a good or bad outcome; [with obj.] portend or bode (a specified outcome); [with obj.] (archaic) foresee or predict; (noun) (in ancient Rome) a religious official who observed natural signs, esp. the behavior of birds, interpreting these as an indication of divine approval or disapproval of a proposed action

recrudesce

(verb) [no obj.] (formal) to break out afresh, as a sore, disease, or anything that has been quiescent (i.e. recur)

hanker

(verb) [no obj.] (hanker after/for/to do something) feel a strong desire for or to do something

indulge

(verb) [no obj.] (indulge in) allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of; become involved in (an activity, typically one that is undesirable or disapproved of); (informal) allow oneself to enjoy a particular pleasure, esp. that of alcohol; [with obj.] satisfy or yield freely to (a desire or interest); [with obj.] allow (someone) to enjoy a desired pleasure

fleet4

(verb) [no obj.] (literary) move or pass quickly; [with obj.] pass (time) rapidly; fade away (i.e. be transitory)

editorialize

(verb) [no obj.] (of a newspaper, editor, or broadcoasting organization) make comments or express opinions rather than just report the news

meander

(verb) [no obj.] (of a river or road) follow a winding course; (of a person) wander at random; (of a speaker or text) proceed aimlessly or with little purpose; (noun) (usually meanders) a winding curve or bend of a river or road; [in singular] a circutious (longer than the most direct way) journey, esp. an aimless one; an ornamental pattern of winding or interlocking lines, e.g., in a mosaic

founder3 (verb 1a-b)

(verb) [no obj.] (of a ship) fill with water and sink; (of a plan or undertaking) fail or break down, typically as a result of a particular problem or setback

frolic

(verb) [no obj.] (of an animal or person) play and move around cheerfully, excitedly, or energetically; play about with someone in a flirtatious or sexual way; (noun) (often frolics) a playful action or movement; flirtatious or sexual activity or actions; (adj.) (archaic) cheerful, merry, or playful

partake

(verb) [no obj.] (partake in) (formal) join in (an activity); (partake of) be characterized by (a quality); (partake of) eat or drink (something)

perk1

(verb) [no obj.] (perk up) become more cheerful, lively, or interesting; to act, or carry oneself, in a jaunty manner; to put oneself forward briskly or presumptuously; [with obj.] (perk someone / something up) make someone or something more cheerful, lively, or interesting; (often perk up or perk out) (N. Amer.) to raise smartly or briskly (i.e. to make trim or smart, to straighten up, to erect, to make a jaunty or saucy display of); (perk (ears) (up) / perk up (ears)) to lift (the ears) in a quick or alert way (often used figuratively of a person); (adj.) (dialect) perky (i.e. pert)

smack (2)

(verb) [no obj.] (smack of) have a flavor of (i.e. taste of); suggest the presence or effects of (something wrong or unpleasant); (noun) (a smack of) a flavor or taste of; a trace or suggestion of

relent

(verb) [no obj.] abandon or mitigate a harsh intention or cruel treatment; (especially of bad weather) become less severe or intense

acquiesce

(verb) [no obj.] accept something reluctantly but without protest

kowtow

(verb) [no obj.] act in an excessively subservient manner; (historical) kneel and touch the ground with the forehead in worship or submission as part of Chinese custom; (noun) (historical) an act of kowtowing as part of Chinese custom

fraternize

(verb) [no obj.] associate or form a friendship with someone, esp. when one is not supposed to

dissent

(verb) [no obj.] hold or express opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially expressed; separate from an established or orthodox church because of doctrinal disagreement; (noun) the expression or holding of opinions at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially held; (also Dissent) refusal to accept the doctrines of an established or orthodox church (i.e. Nonconformity)

digress

(verb) [no obj.] leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing

lounge

(verb) [no obj.] lie, sit, or stand in a relaxed or lazy way; (noun) a public room, as in a hotel, theater, or club, in which to sit and relax; a spacious area in an airport with seats for waiting passengers; short for cocktail lounge; a couch or sofa, especially a backless one having a headrest at one end

transpire

(verb) [no obj.] occur (i.e. happen); prove to be the case; [with clause] (usually it transpires) (of a secret or something unknown) come to be known (i.e. be revealed); (Botany) (of a plant or leaf) give off water vapor through the stomata

regress

(verb) [no obj.] return to a former or less developed state; return mentally to a former stage of life or a supposed previous life, especially through hypnosis or mental illness; [with obj.] (Statistics) calculate the coefficient(s) of regresion of (a variable) against or on another variable; [no obj.] (Astronomy) move in a retrograde direction; (noun) the action of returning to a former or less developed state; (Philosophy) a series of statements in which a logical procedure is continually reapplied to its own result without approaching a useful conclusion (e.g., defining something in terms of itself)

waver

(verb) [no obj.] shake with a quivering motion; become unsteady or unreliable; be undecided between two opinions or courses of action (i.e. be irresolute)

flounder1

(verb) [no obj.] struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud; struggle mentally (i.e. show or feel great confusion; be in serious difficulty

recoil (v.)

(verb) [no obj.] suddenly spring or flinch bar in fear, horror, or disgust; feel fear, horror, or disgust at the thought or prospect of something (i.e. shrink mentally); (of a gun) move abruptly backward as a reaction on firing a bullet, shell, or other missile; rebound or spring back through force of impact of elasticity; (recoil on/upon) (of an action) have an adverse reactive effect on (the originator); (noun) the action of recoiling

cower

(verb) [no obj.] to cringe, crouch, or move backward (defensively) in fear

endeavor

(verb) [no obj.] try hard to do or achieve something; (noun) an attempt to achieve a goal; earnest and industrious effort, esp. when sustained over a period of time; an enterprise or undertaking

metamorphose

(verb) [no obj.] undergo metamorphosis, esp. into the adult form; change or cause to change completely in form or nature; [with obj.] (Geology) subject (rock) to metamorphism

saunter

(verb) [no obj.] walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort; (noun) a leisurely stroll

amble

(verb) [no obj.] walk or move at a slow, relaxed pace; (noun) a walk at a slow, relaxed pace, esp. for pleasure

reaffirm

(verb) [reporting verb] state again as a fact (i.e. assert again strongly); [with obj.] confirm the validity or correctness of (something previously established)

declaim

(verb) [reporting verb] utter or deliver words or a speech in a rhetorical or impassioned way, as if to an audience; [no obj.] (declaim against) forcefully protest against or criticize (something)

induce (4)

(verb) [with obj.] (Logic) derive by inductive reasoning (reasoning characterized by the inference of general laws from particular instances)

eke (verb)

(verb) [with obj.] (eke something out) manage to support oneself or make a living with difficulty; make an amount or supply last longer by using or consuming it frugally; obtain or create, but just barely

canonize

(verb) [with obj.] (in the Roman Catholic Church) officially declare (a dead person) to be a saint; regard as being above reproach or of great significance; accept into the literary or artistic canon; sanction by Church authority

sully

(verb) [with obj.] (literary or ironic) damage the purity or integrity of (i.e. defile)

endue

(verb) [with obj.] (literary) endow or provide with a quality or ability

illume

(verb) [with obj.] (literary) light up (i.e. illuminate)

bespeak

(verb) [with obj.] (of an apperance or action) suggest (i.e. be evidence of); order or reserve (something) in advance; (archaic) speak to

circumstantiate

(verb) [with obj.] (rare) set forth or support with circumstances or details

transfix

(verb) [with obj.] (usually Be transfixed) cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment; pierce with a sharp implement or weapon

unfetter

(verb) [with obj.] (usually as adj. unfettered) release from restraint or inhibition

transliterate

(verb) [with obj.] (usually be transliterated) write or print (a letter or word) using the closest corresponding letters of a different alphabet or language

parse (verb)

(verb) [with obj.] analyze (a sentence) into its parts and describe their syntactic roles; [no obj.] be able to be parsed (i.e. lend itself to parsing); (Computing) analyze (a string or text) into logical syntactic components, typically in order to test comformability to a logical grammar; examine or analyze minutely

deduce

(verb) [with obj.] arrive at (a fact or a conclusion) by reasoning (i.e. draw as a logical conclusion); (archaic) trace the course or derivation of

posit

(verb) [with obj.] assume as a fact (i.e. put forward as a basis of argument); (posit something on) base something on the truth of (a particular assumption); [with obj.] put in position (i.e. place); (noun) (Philosophy) a statement that is made on the assumption that it will prove to be true

incur

(verb) [with obj.] become subject to (something unwelcome or unpleasant) as a result of one's own behavior or actions

evoke

(verb) [with obj.] bring or recall to the conscious mind; elicit (a response); invoke (a spirit or deity)

reconstruct

(verb) [with obj.] build or form (something) again after it has been damaged or destroyed; reorganize (something); form an impression, model, or re-enactment of (a past event or thing) from the available evidence

wreak

(verb) [with obj.] cause (a large amount of damage or harm); inflect (vengeance); (archaic) avenge (someone who has been wronged)

enervate

(verb) [with obj.] cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality (i.e. weaken); (adj.) (literary) lacking in energy or vitality

deflect

(verb) [with obj.] cause (something) to change direction by interposing something (i.e. turn aside from a straight course); [no obj.] (of an object) change direction after hitting something; cause (someone) to deviate from an intended purpose; cause (something) to change orientation; to keep (something, such as a question) from affecting or being directed at a person or thing

demean (1)

(verb) [with obj.] cause a severe loss in the dignity of and respect for (someone or something); (demean oneself) do something that is beneath one's dignity

engender

(verb) [with obj.] cause or give rise to (a feelng, situation, or condition); [archaic] (of a father) beget (offspring)

confound (verb)

(verb) [with obj.] cause surprise or confusion in (someone), esp. by acting against their expectations; prove (a theory, expectation, or prediction) wrong; defeat (a plan, aim, or hope); (archaic) overthrow (an enemy); (often be confounded with) mix up (something) with something else so that the individual elements become difficult to distinguish

bulldoze

(verb) [with obj.] clear (ground) or destroy (buildings, trees, etc.) with a bulldozer; use insensitive force when dealing with (someone or something)

equate

(verb) [with obj.] consider (one thing) to be the same as or equivalent to another; [no obj.] (equate to/with) (of one thing) be the same as or equivalent to (another); cause (two or more things) to be the same in quantity or value

comprise

(verb) [with obj.] consist of (i.e. be made up of); make up (i.e. constitute)

envisage

(verb) [with obj.] contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event; form a mental image of (something not yet existing or known)

gild

(verb) [with obj.] cover thinly with gold; give a specious or false brilliance to [PHRASES gild the lily try to improve what is already beautiful or excellent]

denigrate

(verb) [with obj.] criticize unfairly (i.e. disparage)

consign

(verb) [with obj.] deliver (something) to a person's custody, typically in order for it to be sold; send (goods) by a public carrier; (consign someone / something to) assign (i.e. commit decisively or permanently)

disavow

(verb) [with obj.] deny any responsibility or support for

disenfranchise

(verb) [with obj.] deprive (someone) of the right to vote; deprive (someone) of a right or privilege; (archaic) deprive (someone) of the rights and privileges of a free inhabitant of a borough, city, or country

impugn

(verb) [with obj.] dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of (a statement or motive) (i.e. call into question)

elude

(verb) [with obj.] evade or escape from (a danger, enemy, or pursuer), typically in a skillful or cunning way; (of an idea or fact) fail to be grasped or remembered by (someone); (of an achievement, or something desired or pursued) fail to be attained by (someone); avoid compliance with or subjection to (a law, demand, or penalty)

modulate

(verb) [with obj.] exert a modifying or controlling influence on; vary the strength, tone, or pitch of (one's voice); alter the amplitude or frequency of (an electromagnetic wave or other oscillation) in accordance with the variations of a second signal, typically one of a lower frequency; [no obj.] (Music) change from one key to another; [no obj.] (modulate into) change from one form or condition into (another)

quantify

(verb) [with obj.] express or measure the quantity of; (Logic) define the application of (a term or proposition) by the use of all, some, etc., e.g., "for all x if x is A then x is B; to give quantity to (something regarded as having only quality) (i.e. to limit by a quantifier; to bind by prefixing a quantifier)

extrapolate

(verb) [with obj.] extend the application of (a method or conclusion, esp. one based on statistics) to an unknown situation by assuming that existing trends will continue or similar methods will be applicable; estimate or conclude (something) in this way; (Mathematics) extend (a graph, curve, or range of values) by inferring unknown values from trends in the known data

disenchant

(verb) [with obj.] free (someone) from illusion (i.e. disappoint)

garner

(verb) [with obj.] gather or collect (something, esp. information or approval); (archaic) store (i.e. deposit); (noun) (archaic) a storehouse (i.e. a granary)

ennoble

(verb) [with obj.] give (someone) a noble rank or title; lend greater dignity or nobility of character to

employ

(verb) [with obj.] give work to (someone) and pay them for it; keep occupied; make use of; (noun) [in singular] the state or fact of being employed for wages or a salary; (archaic) employment

confer

(verb) [with obj.] grant or bestow (a title, degree, benefit, or right); [no obj.] have discussions (i.e. exchange opinions)

contain

(verb) [with obj.] have or hold (someone or something) within; be made up of (a number of things) (i.e. consist of); (of a number) be divisble by (a factor) without a remainder; control or restrain (oneself or a feeling); prevent (a sever problem) from increasing in extent or intensity

transgress

(verb) [with obj.] infringe or go beyond the bounds of (a moral principle or other established standard of behavior); (Geology) (of the sea) spread over (an area of land)

inculcate

(verb) [with obj.] instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction; teach (someone) an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction

dispel

(verb) [with obj.] make (a doubt, feeling, or belief) disappear

debilitate

(verb) [with obj.] make (someone) weak and infirm; hinder, delay, or weaken

ameliorate

(verb) [with obj.] make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better

elucidate

(verb) [with obj.] make (something) clear (i.e. explain)

dignify

(verb) [with obj.] make (something) seem worthy and impressive; give an impressive name to (someone or something that one considers worthless)

perpetuate

(verb) [with obj.] make (something, typically un undesirable situation or an unfounded belief) continue indefinitely (i.e. to cause something to continue or keep happening); preserve (something valued) from oblivion or extinction

anglicize

(verb) [with obj.] make English in form or character

utilize

(verb) [with obj.] make practical and effective use of

check (Chess)

(verb) [with obj.] move a piece or pawn so that (the opposing king) is under attack; (noun) a move by which a piece or pawn directly attacks the opponent's king (if the defending player cannot counter the attack, the king is checkmated); (exclam.) used by a chess player to announce that the opponent's king has been placed in check

outstrip

(verb) [with obj.] move faster than and overtake (someone else); exceed

supervene

(verb) [with obj.] occur later than a specified or implied event or action, typically in such a way as to change the situation; (Philosophy) (of a fact or property) be entailed by or consequent on the existence or establishment of another

commandeer

(verb) [with obj.] officially take possession or control of (something), esp. for military purposes; take possession of (something) without authority; enlist (someone) to help in a task, typically against the person's will

preclude

(verb) [with obj.] prevent from happening (i.e. make impossible); (preclude someone from) (of a situation or condition) prevent someone from doing something

propose

(verb) [with obj.] put forward (an idea or plan) for consideration or discussion by others; nominate (someone) for an elected office or as a member of a society; put forward (a motion) to a legislature or committee; [no obj.] make an offer of marriage to someone [PHRASES propose a toast ask a group of people at a social occasion to drink to the health and happiness of a specified person]

propound

(verb) [with obj.] put forward (an idea, theory, or point of view) for consideration by others

disparage

(verb) [with obj.] regard or represent as being of little worth

spurn

(verb) [with obj.] reject (e.g. a person, offer, gift or advances) with disdain or contempt; (archaic) strike, tread, or push away with the foot; (noun) (archaic) an act of spurning

defamiliarize

(verb) [with obj.] render unfamiliar or strange (used esp. in the context of art and literature) (i.e. the artistic technique of presenting to audience common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, in order to enhance perception of the familiar; a central concept in 20th-century art and theory, ranging over movements including Dada, postmodernism, epic theatre, and science fiction, it is also used as a tactice by recent movements such as culture jamming

mend

(verb) [with obj.] repair (something that is broken or damaged); [no obj.] return to health (i.e. heal); improve (an unpleasant situation, esp. a disagreement); (noun) a repair in a material; (mend (one's) fences) make peace with a person; (mend one's ways) improve one's habits or behavior; (on the mend) improving in health or condition (i.e. recovering)

garble

(verb) [with obj.] reproduce (a message, sound, or transmission) in a confused and distorted way; (noun) a garbled account or transmission

reconcile

(verb) [with obj.] restore friendly relations between; cause to coexist in harmony (i.e. make or show to be compatible); make (one account) consistent with another, esp. by allowing for transactions begun but not yet completed; settle (a disagreement); (reconcile someone to) make someone accept (a disagreeable or unwelcome thing)

purge

(verb) [with obj.] rid (someone) of an unwanted feeling, memory, or condition, typically giving a sense of cathartic release; free someone from (an unwanted feeling, memory, or condition); remove (a group of people considered undesirable) from an organization or place in an abrupt or violent manner; remove a group of undesirable people from (an organization or place) in an abrupt or violent way; (Law) atone for or wipe out (contempt of court); physically remove (something) completely; [no obj.] (often as noun purging) evacuate one's bowels, especially as a result of taking a laxative; (noun) an abrupt or violent removal of a group of people from an organization or place; (dated) a laxative

extirpate

(verb) [with obj.] root out and destroy completely (like eradicate, implies the utter destruction of something)

repatriate

(verb) [with obj.] send (someone) back to their own country; [no obj.] return to one's own country; send or bring (something, esp. money) back to one's own country; (noun) a person who has been repatriated

absolve

(verb) [with obj.] set or declare (someone) free from blame, guilt, or responsibility; (Christian Theology) give absolution for (a sin)

wring

(verb) [with obj.] squeeze and twist (something) to force liquid from it; extract (liquid) by squeezing and twisting something; break (an animal's neck) by twisting it forcibly; squeeze (someone's hand) tightly, esp. with sincere emotion; obtain (something) with difficulty or effort; cause pain or distress to; (noun) [in singular] an act of squeezing or twisting something [PHRASES wring one's hands clasp and twist one's hands together as a gesture of great distress, esp. when one is powerless to change the situation]

induce (1-2a, 3)

(verb) [with obj.] succeed in persuading or influencing (someone) to do something; bring about or give rise to; (Medicine) bring on (the birth of a baby) artificially, typically by the use of drugs; bring on childbirth in (a pregnant woman) artificially, typically by the use of drugs

supersede

(verb) [with obj.] take the place of (a person or thing previously in authority or use) (i.e. supplant)

demassify

(verb) [with obj.] to cause (society or a social system) to become less uniform or centralized (i.e. diversify or decentralize); to break (something standardized or homogeneous) into elements that appeal to individual tastes or special interests

deprave

(verb) [with obj.] to make morally bad or evil (i.e. vitiate, corrupt)

desecrate

(verb) [with obj.] treat (a sacred place or thing) with violent disrespect (i.e. violate)

infantilize

(verb) [with obj.] treat (someone) as a child or in a way that denies their maturity in age or experience

intuit

(verb) [with obj.] understand or work out by instinct

parry

(verb) [with obj.] ward off (a weapon or attack), especially with a countermove; answer (a question or accusation) evasively; (noun) an act of parrying

attest

(verb) [with or w/o object] provide or serve as clear evidence of; [no obj.] declare that something exists or is the case; be a witness to (i.e. certify formally)

swoon

(verb) faint from extreme emotion; be emotionally affected by someone or something that one admires (i.e. become ecstatic); (noun) an occurrence of fainting

croon

(verb) hum or sing in a soft, low voice, esp. in a sentimental manner; say in a soft, low voice; (noun) [in singular] a soft, low voice or tone

quicken

(verb) make or become faster or quicker; [no obj.] spring to life (i.e. become animated); [with obj.] stimulate; [with obj.] give or restore life to; (archaic) (of a woman) reach a stage in pregnancy when movements of the fetus can be felt; (archaic) (of a fetus) begin to show signs of life; [with obj.] (archaic) make (a fire) burn brighter

steal (verb)

(verb) take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it; dishonestly pass off (another person's ideas) as one's own; take the opportunity to give or share (a kiss) when it is not expected or when people are not watching; (in various sports) gain (an advantage, a run, or possession of the ball) unexpectedly or by exploiting the temporary distraction of an opponent; (Baseball) (of a base runner) advance safely to (the next base) by running to it as the pitcher begins the delivery; [no obj.] move somewhere quietly or surreptitiously; [with obj.] direct (a look) quickly and unobtrusively

hyphenate

(verb) |ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt| [with obj.] write with a hyphen; (noun)|ˈhaɪfənɪt| a person who is active in more than one occupation or sphere

consummate

(verb) |ˈkɑnsəˌmeɪt| [with obj.] make (a marriage or relationship) complete by having sexual intercourse; complete (a transaction or attempt) (i.e. make perfect); (adj.) |ˈkɑnsəmət| showing a high degree of skill and flair (i.e. complete or perfect)

bugger

(vulgar slang) (chiefly Brit.) (noun) a contemptible or pitied person, typically a man; used as a term of affection or respect, typically grudgingly; (derogatory) a person who commits buggery (anal intercourse); (verb) [with obj.] sodomize; (exclam.) used to express annoyance or anger [PHRASAL VERBS bugger off [usually in imperative] go away]

wind someone up

({prep./adj.} phrase) (usually be wound up) make tense or angry; (Brit. informal) tease or irritate someone

sprachbund

(/ˈsprɑːkbʊnd/; German: [ˈʃpʁaːxbʊnt], "federation of languages") a group of languages that have become similar in some way because of geographical proximity and langauge contact (they may be genetically unrelated or only distantly related and, where genetic affiliations are unclear, the sprachbund characteristics might give a false appearance of relatedness)

paleography

(Brit. palaeography) (noun) the study of ancient writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts

démodé

(adj.) out of fashion

premonition

(noun) a strong feeling that something is about to happen, esp. something unpleasant

mend one's pace

(phrasal verb) (dated) go faster (i.e. alter one's pace to match a companion)

translate (verb 1)

[with obj.] express the sense of (words or text) in another langauge; [no obj.] be expressed or be capable of being expressed in another language; [with obj.] (translate something into/translate into) convert or be converted into (another form or medium)

a hair's breadth

(noun phrase) a very small amount or margin

savory2

(Brit. savoury) (adj.) (of food) belonging to the category that is salty or spicy rather than sweet; [usually with negative] morally wholesome or acceptable; (noun) (chiefly Brit.) a savory dish, esp. a snack or an appetizer

steady on

(Brit.) (informal) used to tell someone to be calmer, to stop thinking or saying foolish or unreasonable things, etc.

protologism

(Brit.) (noun) a newly coined word or phrase defined in the hope that it will become common (i.e. a recently created term possibly in narrow use but not yet acknowledged)

puerile

(adj.) childishly silly and trivial

transverse

(adj.) situated or extending across something

bibliosoph

(noun) someone who knows about books

epenthesis

(noun) the insertion of a sound or letter within a word, e.g., the b in thimble

sway

(verb) move or cause to move slowly or rhythmically backward and forward or from side to side; [with obj.] control or influence (a person or course of action); (literary) rule (i.e. govern); (noun) a rhythmical movement from side to side; rule (i.e. control) [PHRASES hold sway have great power or influence over a particular person, place, or domain]

draw out

(verb) remove (i.e. extract); extend beyond a minimum in time (i.e. protract2); to cause to speak freely

congeal

(verb) solidify or coagulate, esp. by cooling;take shape or coalesce, esp. to form a satisfying whole (i.e. made fixed, as ideas, sentiments, or principles)

ruminate

(verb) think deeply about something; (of a ruminant) chew the cud

spare

(verb) to refrain from harming or destroying (i.e. leave uninjured; forebear to punish, hurt, or destroy); to deal gently or leniently with (i.e. show consideration for); to save from a strain, discomfort, embarrassment, or the like, or from a particular cause of it; to refrain from, forbear, omit, or withold, as action or speech; to refrain from employing, as some instrument or recourse

mystify

(verb) utterly bewilder or perplex (someone); make obscure or mysterious

obligate (adj.)

[attrib.] (Biology) restricted to a particular function or mode of life (Often contrasted with facultative)

hiraeth

[hɨraɪ̯θ] (noun) a Welsh word that literally translated into English as 'longing', though in Welsh the concept of yearning for a place removed in space or time is far more powerful and evocative than it is in English (The University of Wales, Lampeter attempts to define it as homesickness tinged with grief or sadness over the lost or departed; it is a mix of longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness, or an earnest desire for the Wales of the past; hiraeth bears considerable similarities with the Portuguese concept of saudade (a key theme in Fado music), Brazilian Portuguese "banzo" (more related to homesickness), Galician morriña, Romanian dor)

compromise (verb)

[no obj.] settle a dispute by mutual concession; [with obj.] (archaic) settle (a dispute) by mutual concession; [no obj.] accept standards that are lower than is desirable; [with obj.] weaken (a reputation or principle) by accepting standards that are lower than is desirable; [with obj.] bring into disrepute or danger by indiscreet, foolish, or reckless behavior; cause to become vulnerable or function less effectively

caper1 (verb)

[no obj.] skip or dance about in a lively or playful way

mantle1 (noun)

a loose sleeveless cloak or shawl, worn esp. by women; a covering of a specified sort; (also gas mantle) a fragile mesh cover fixed around a gas jet, kerosene wick, etc., to give an incandescent light when heated (Ornithology) a bird's back, scapulars, and wing coverts, esp. when of a distinctive color; (Zoology) an outer or enclosing layer of tissue, esp. (in mollusks, cirripedes, and brachiopods) a fold of skin enclosing the viscera and secreting the substance that produces the shell; an important role or responsibility that passes from one person to another [with allusion to the passing of Elijah's cloak (mantle) to Elisha (2 Kings 2:13)]; (Geology) the region of the earth's interior between the crust and the core, believed to consist of hot, dense silicate rocks (mainly peridotite); the corresponding part of another planetary body

the die is cast

an event has happened or a decision has been made that cannot be changed

snag (noun)

an unexpected or hidden obstacle or drawback; a sharp, angular, or jagged projection; a rent or tear in fabric caused by such a projection; a dead tree

pin something down

define something precisely

smooth sailing

easy progress (i.e. (idiomatic, uncountable) used to describe an activity that is not encountering any problems)

bother (noun)

effort, worry, or difficulty; (a bother) a person or thing that causes worry or difficulty; [with negative] a nuisance or inconvenience

operative (adj.)

functioning; having effect; [attrib.] (of a word) having the most relevance or significance in a phrase or sentence; of or relating to surgery

on the mend

improving in health or condition (i.e. recovering)

for old times' sake

in memory of former times; in acknowledgment of a shared past

in quest of

in search of

opaque (adj.)

not able to be seen through; not transparent; (esp. of language) hard or impossible to understand (i.e. unfathomable)

cohesion

the action or fact of forming a united whole; (Physics) the sticking together of particles of the same substance; (Linguistics) the property of unity in a written text or a segment of spoken discourse that stems from links among its surface elements, as when words in one sentence are repeated in another, and especially from the fact that some words or phrases depend for their interpretation upon material in preceding or following text (as in the sequence Be assured of this. Most people do not want to fight. However, they will do so when provoked, where this refers to the two sentences that follow, they refers back to most people, do so substitutes for the preceding verb fight, and however relates the clause that follows to the preceding sentence) (compare coherence)

leverage (noun 1a-c)

the exertion of force by means of a lever or an object used in the manner of a lever; mechanical advantage gained in this way; the power to influence a person or situation to achieve a particular outcome

decor

the furnishing and decoration of a room; the decoration and scenery of a stage

incident (noun 1e)

the occurrence of dangerous or exciting things

detachment (1)

the state of being objective or aloof

coulda, shoulda, woulda

to do something istead of saying you can do something (i.e. statement to express that is of no use to dwell on what should have, could have, or would have happened / been done (said to attempt to shorten a discussion that focuses on the past, thus providing no solution to the actual problem))

kibitz

verb [no obj.] (informal) look on and offer unwelcome advice, esp. at a card game; speak informally (i.e. chat)

conversely

(adv.) introducing a statement or idea that reverses one that has just been made or referred to

state of affairs (or things)

(noun phrase) a situation or set of circumstances

tundra

(noun) a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen

recrudescence

(noun) breaking out afresh or into renewed activity (i.e. revival or reappearance in active existence)

dudette

(noun) the female equivalent of dude, though dude is also used as a unisex term (used less often than dude)

appetency

(noun) (archaic) a longing or desire; a natural tendency or affinity

breezy

(adj.) pleasantly windy; appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk

hit (noun 2e-f)

(Computing) an instance of identifying an item of data that matches the requirements of a search; an instance of a particular website being accessed by a user

Oh là là

(French) (exclam..) Oh dear!; My oh my!; Oh my goodness! [can indicate surprise, disappointment, commiseration, distress, annoyance... any moderately strong reaction to something that was just said or done; note that there is no connotation of sexiness or impropriety in French; it can be strengthened with additional là's, always in pairs]

Nemesis

(Greek Mythology) a goddess usually portrayed as the agent of divine punishment for wrongdoing or presumption (hubris)

Valhalla

(Scandinavian Mythology) a hall in which heroes killed in battle were believed to feast with Odin for eternity

facile

(adj.) (esp. of a theory or argument) appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue (i.e. superficial); (of a person) having a superficial or simplistic knowledge or approach; (of success, esp. in sports) easily achieved (i.e. effortless); acting or done in a quick, fluent, and easy manner

profuse

(adj.) (esp. of something offered or discharged) exuberantly plentiful (i.e. abundant); (archaic) (of a person) lavish (i.e. extravagant)

tenebrous

(adj.) (literary) dark (i.e. shadowy or obscure)

comme il faut

(adj.) [predic.] correct in behavior or etiquette

hell-bent

(adj.) [predic.] determined to achieve something at all costs

expressive

(adj.) effectively conveying thought or feeling; [predic.] (expressive of) conveying (the specified quality or idea)

quixotic

(adj.) exceedingly idealistic (i.e. unrealistic and impractical)

synchronous

(adj.) existing or occurring at the same time; (of a satellite or its orbit) making or denoting an orbit around the earth or another celestial body in which one revolution is completed in the period taken for the body to rotate about its axis

prissy

(adj.) fussily and excessively respectable

inclusive

(adj.) including or covering all the services, facilities, or items normally expected or required; [predic.] (inclusive of) containing (a specified element) as part of a whole; [postpositive] with the inclusion of the extreme limits stated; not excluding any section of society or any party involved in something; (of language) deliberately nonsexist, especially avoiding the use of masculine pronouns to refer to both men and women

misplaced

(adj.) incorrectly positioned; not appropriate or correct in the circumstances; (of an emotion) directed unwisely or to an inappropriate object; [attrib.] temporarily lost

unidirectional

(adj.) moving or operating in a single direction

Iberian

(adj.) relating to or denoting Iberia, or the countries of Spain and Portugal; (noun) a native of Iberia, esp. in ancient times; the extinct Romance language spoken in the Iberian peninsula in late classical times (it forms an intermediate stage between Latin and modern Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese; also called Ibero-Romance); the extinct Celtic language spoken in the Iberian peninsula in ancient times, known only from a few inscriptions, place names, and references by Latin authors (also called Celtiberian)

epistolary

(adj.) relating to or denoting the writing of letters or literary works in the form of letters

contingent

(adj.) subject to chance; (of losses, liabilities, etc.) that can be anticipated to arise if a particular event occurs; (Philosophy) true by virtue of the way things in fact are and not by logical necessity; (contingent on/upon) occurring or existing only if (certain other circumstances) are the case (i.e. dependent on); (noun) a group of people united by some common feature, forming part of a larger group; a body of troops or police sent to join a larger force in an operation

protean

(adj.) tending or able to change frequently or easily; able to do many different things (i.e. versatile)

nonconfrontational

(adj.) tending to deal with situations calmly and diplomatically (i.e. not aggressive or hostile)

anaptyxis (phonology / phonetics)

(also svarabhakti) (noun) the insertion of a vowel between two consonants in pronunciation, as in filim for film, Proto-Germanic akraz -> Old English æcer, /Dəwaɪt/ for Dwight, or Latin spatha -> Spanish espada

gestalt

(noun) (Psychology) an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts

astraphilia

(noun) (also astropophilia, keraunophilia) a liking for lightning, thunder, and rain (i.e. a special fondness for thunderstorms)

yore

(noun) (in phrase of yore) (literary)

bestie

(noun) (informal) a person's best friend

Parisienne

(noun) a Parisian girl or woman; (adj.) (esp. of a girl or woman) Parisian

chignon

(noun) a knot or coil of hair arranged on the back of a woman's head

vortex

(noun) a mass of whirling fluid or air, esp. a whirlpool or whirlwind; something regarded as a whirling mass

neologism

(noun) a newly coined word or expression; the coining or use of new words

beau geste

(noun) a noble and generous act

Weltanschauung

(noun) a particular philosophy or view of life; the worldview of an individual or group

quandary

(noun) a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation; a difficult situation (i.e. a practical dilemma)

vote of no confidence (or vote of censure)

(noun) a vote showing that a majority does not support the policy of a leader or governing body

prurience

(noun) an excessive interest in sexual matters

fabric

(noun) cloth, typically produced by weaving or knitting textile fibers; the walls, floor, and roof of a building; the body of a car or aircraft; the essential structure of anything, esp. a society or culture

fortitude

(noun) courage in pain or adversity

deference

(noun) humble submission and respect [PHRASES in deference to out of respect for (i.e. in consideration of)]

lee

(noun) shelter from wind or weather given by a neighboring object, especially nearby land; (also lee side) the sheltered side (i.e. the side away from the wind; contrasted with weather)

asyndeton

(noun) the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence, e.g. veni, vidi, vici / "I came, I saw, I conquered" (its use can have the effect of speeding up the rhythm of a passage and making a single idea more memorable)

collectivism

(noun) the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it; the theory and practice of the ownership of land and the means of production by the people or the state

textual criticism

(noun) the process of attempting to ascertain the original wording of a text

plasticity

(noun) the quality of being easily shaped or molded; (Biology) the adaptability of an organism to changes in its environment or differences between its various habitats

epigraphy

(noun) the study and interpretation of ancient inscriptions; epigraphs collectively

vote with one's feet

(verb) (informal) indicate an opinion by being present or absent

fret1

(verb) [no obj.] be constantly or visibly worried or anxious; [with obj.] cause (someone) worry or distress; [with obj.] gradually wear away (something) by rubbing or gnawing; form (a channel or passage) by rubbing or wearing away; [no obj.] flow or move in small waves (noun) [in singular] (chiefly Brit.) a state of anxiety or worry

gallivant

(verb) [no obj.] go around from one place to another in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment

overindulge

(verb) [no obj.] have too much of something enjoyable, esp. food or drink; [with obj.] gratify the wishes of (someone) to an excessive extent

meddle

(verb) [no obj.] interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern; (meddle with) touch or handle (something) without permission

accost

(verb) [with obj.] approach and address (someone) boldly or aggressively

expiate

(verb) [with obj.] atone for (guilt or sin)

embellish

(verb) [with obj.] make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features; make (a statement or story) more interesting or entertaining by adding extra details, esp. ones that are not true

hispanicize

(verb) influence a place or person by Hispanic culture; make something Hispanic via cultural and/or linguistic change; (castilianize / castilianise) replace (an indigenous language of the Spanish colonies or minority langauge in Spain itself) by/with Castilian

trip (verb 2)

[no obj.] walk, run, or dance with quick light steps; (of words) flow lightly and easily

transpose (verb)

[with obj.] cause (two or more things) to change places with each other; transfer to a different place or context; write or play (music) in a different key from the original; (Mathematics) transfer (a term), with its sign changed, to the other side of an equation; translate into another language

vitrify

[with obj.] convert (something) into glass or a glasslike substance, typically by exposure to heat

grill (verb)

[with obj.] cook (something) using a grill; [with obj.] (informal) subject (someone) to intense questioning or interrogation

exact (verb)

[with obj.] demand and obtain (something, esp. a payment); inflict (revenge) on someone

mantle (verb)

[with obj.] literary clothe in or as if in a mantle (i.e. cloak or envelop) (archaic) (of blood) suffuse (the face); [no obj.] (of the face) glow with a blush; [no obj.] (archaic) (of a liquid) become covered with a head or froth; [no obj.] (of a bird of prey on the ground or on a perch) spread the wings and tail, esp. so as to cover captured prey

floor (verb)

[with obj.] provide (a room or area) with a floor; (informal) knock (someone) to the ground, esp. with a punch; baffle or confound (someone) completely

collar (verb)

[with obj.] put a collar on; [with obj.] (informal) seize, grasp, or apprehend (someone); approach aggressively and talk to (someone who wishes to leave)

dispatch (verb)

[with obj.] send off to a destination or for a purpose; deal with (a task, problem, or opponent) quickly and efficiently; kill

hone (verb)

[with obj.] sharpen (a blade); refine or perfect (something) over a period of time; give greater strength or firmness to (the body of a part of the body)

accismus

a feigned refusal of something earnestly desired (the refusal of which may sometimes be considered as virtue, sometimes as vice); (Rhetorics) a type of irony via a figure of {speech / refutation} in which one pretends indifference and refuses something while actually wanting it (i.e. affectual refusal; coyness; an affected or false refusal) (e.g. "Oh, you shouldn't have done it", "Thank you, but I'm not worthy of such an honor", "I am sure they are sour" (the fox in Aesop's fable pretending he doesn't care for the grapes that he cannot grasp))

gostak

a meaningless noun that is used in the phrase "the gostak distims the doshes", which is an example of how it is possible to derive meaning from the syntax of a sentence even if the referents of the terms are entirely unknown (the phrase was coined in 1903 by Andrew Ingraham but is best known through its quotation in 1923 by C.K. Ogden and I.A. Richards in their book The Meaning of Meaning, and has been since referred to in a number of cultural contexts)

charter (noun 1-1a)

a written grant by a country's legislature or sovereign power, by which an institution such as a company, college, or city is created and its rights and privileges defined; a written constitution or description of an organization's functions

steady (adj.)

firmly fixed, supported, or balanced (i.e. not shaking or moving); not faltering or waving (i.e. controlled); (of a person) sensible, reliable, and self-restrained; regular, even, and continuous in development, frequency, or intensity; not changing (i.e. regular and established); (of a ship) moving without deviation from its course