universidad de cuenca facultad de filosifía, letras y ciencias de la

UNIVERSIDAD DE CUENCA
FACULTAD DE FILOSIFÍA, LETRAS Y CIENCIAS
DE LA EDUCACIÓN
TITLE: LEXICAL UPDATE: CATEGORY-DIRECTED SEARCH OF
STATE-OF-THE-ART DICTIONARIES
Tesis previa a la obtención del
Título de Licenciado en
Ciencias de la Educación,
Especialidad de Lengua y
Literatura-Inglés
Director:
Dr. Ion Youman
Autores:
Sandra Cabrera
Guillermo Pacheco
Cuenca-Ecuador
2005
1
THE CONTENT OF THIS WORK IS THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF ITS AUTHORS
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank God, for letting
me enjoy this world. Also, Dr. Ion
Youman for taking the risk of directing
this thesis and trusting us. Thank you
Bill for being the best partner. Thanks
to all my friends who always are
encouraging me, any time, anywhere.
And finally, special thanks to my family
because without their advice and love,
I would not have been able to achieve
my goal.
SANDY
Gratitude is one of the greatest virtues
the man can have; that is why I would
like to thank God for giving me a very
responsible director, Dr. Ion Youman,
and a hardworking partner, Sandy.
Thanks a lot to my parents for
inculcating in me moral principles and
making me a responsible man. Thanks
to my sisters, nieces, and nephew for
helping me accomplish this important
goal in my life.
BILL
3
DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to all my
nephews and nieces: Luis Damián,
Cristopher, Gisell, Gabriel, Pamela,
Dominic, and little Adriana. This is
for you, because you are my
happiness, my force, and my life. I
want you all to succeed in your lives
and I will always be proud of you. I
love you so much.
SANDY
To my dear parents, Yerma and
Vicente, my sisters, Ma. Lourdes and
Sonia, my nieces, Karen and Carlita,
and my nephew, Carlitos, for being my
full-time support and giving me all
your affection and love. To Ion and
Sandy and to all my good friends who one way or another - were there
holding me up.
BILL
4
ABSTRACT
This thesis is designed to be a reference book, primarily for the students of
the Department of English Language and Literature of the School of Philosophy of
the University of Cuenca. But it can also be of use and interest to any person who is
curious about English words, and their origins.
The introduction gives a brief outline of how the thesis was conceived, and
how it is organized. The basic working material is a set of three dictionaries, which,
for the sake of convenience, we have called the “black” dictionary (American
Heritage Dictionary, 3rd edition [1992]; the “white” dictionary (American Heritage
Dictionary, 4th edition [2000]; and the “red” dictionary (Merriam-Webster College
Dictionary, 11th edition [2003]. The idea was to comb through the white and red
dictionaries, to find all the words they contained that were not in the black
dictionary. Thus, we could be sure that we had rounded up all the words that came
into the language after 1992… up till 2003: 10 years-worth of neologisms.
Incidentally, we were even able to include some words that we knew were
neologisms that were not in any of the dictionaries, like “refuse bin” and “rack”
(woman’s breast).
Naturally, this was a long and painstaking process – as we expected it to be.
Also, naturally, at the end of our search we had an enormous corpus of “new words”
– 6, 775 to be exact. If that had been the end of our task, to unearth these 6,775
words and nothing else, we would have been able to say that we had made an
acceptable (but not remarkable) thesis. Luckily, right from the beginning we had a
clear idea of what we were going to do with all these words.
5
We had 25
etymological categories into which we were going to classify them. These categories
were not entirely new: most of them have been mentioned in other books on
etymology. Some of them, of course, we could claim as entirely original to this
thesis – some of the categories of jargon, for example. “Jargon – crime” is a
category that we believe is unique to this dictionary.
So, once we had the 6,775 words, we had to examine each one, to see where
to place it in the context of this thesis. We discovered that many words fit into more
than one category. “Arroz con pollo,” for example, was a clear candidate for both
“loan word” and “jargon – cookery.”
And the last part of our task, once we had the new words all categorized, was
to provide a short chapter on suggestions for using this thesis. Once we had finished
that small chapter at the end, we felt that our thesis was complete, after two years of
hard labor. But that is what we expected, at the beginning.
It is our hope that this thesis will be of use for students of English at the
University of Cuenca, and for anyone else who has an interest in improving
vocabulary… or just “playing with words.”
6
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………..
3
II. PRESENTATION OF CATEGORIES ……………………………….
12
III. DISTRIBUTION OF THE NEW WORDS FOUND INTO THE 25
CATEGORIES ……………………………………………………….
13
ACRONYM …………………………………………………………..
13
BACK-FORMATION ……………………………………………….
16
COINAGE…………………………………………………………….
23
CONUNDRUM……………………………………………………….
24
DIMINUTIVE………………………………………………………...
26
EPONYM……………………………………………………………..
28
EUPHEMISM…………………………………………………………
37
FOLK ETYMOLOGY………………………………………………...
38
GENERAL…………………………………………………………….
42
HOBSON-JOBSON…………………………………………………...
138
HYBRID……………………………………………………………….
140
JARGON……………………………………………………………….
142
12.1
12.2
12.3
12.4
12.5
12.6
12.7
12.8
12.9
12.10
12.11
12.12
12.13
12.14
12.15
12.16
12.17
12.18
12.19
12.20
12.21
ART……………………………………………………....
BOTANY………………………………………………...
BUSINESS……………………………………………….
COMMUNICATIONS…………………………………...
COMPUTERS…………………………………………….
COOKERY……………………………………………….
CRIME…………………………………………………....
DANCE…………………………………………………...
ECOLOGY………………………………………………..
EDUCATION……………………………………………..
ELECTRONICS…………………………………………..
ENTERTAINMENT………………………………………
FASHION…………………………………………………
GAMES……………………………………………………
GRAMMAR………………………………………………
JOURNALISM……………………………………………
LAW……………………………………………………….
LINGUISTICS………………………………………….....
LITERATURE…………………………………………….
MECHANICS……………………………………………..
MEDICINE………………………………………………..
7
143
146
149
158
161
173
187
189
191
194
197
200
206
211
214
222
223
225
233
236
236
12.22
12.23
12.24
12.25
12.26
12.27
12.28
12.29
12.30
12.31
12.32
MILITARY………………………………………………..
MUSIC…………………………………………………….
PHILOSOPHY…………………………………………….
POLITICS………………………………………………….
PRINTING…………………………………………………
PSYCHOLOGY……………………………………………
RELIGION…………………………………………………
SCIENCE…………………………………………………..
SOCIOLOGY………………………………………………
SPORTS……………………………………………………
ZOOLOGY…………………………………………………
248
253
260
261
265
267
272
278
285
289
304
LOAN WORD………………………………………………………………. 309
MISNOMER………………………………………………………………… 326
NEW CONNOTATION……………………………………………………. 327
ONOMATOPOEIA………………………………………………………… 329
REGIONALISM……………………………………………………………
331
SLANG……………………………………………………………………… 338
OFFENSIVE SLANG……………………………………………………… 343
VULGAR SLANG…………………………………………………………
345
TABOO DEFORMATION………………………………………………… 347
TOPONYM…………………………………………………………………
347
TRUNCATION……………………………………………………………
354
ZYGONYM……………………………………………………………….
356
ZYGOPHONE……………………………………………………………… 362
IV. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………
364
V. APPENDIX: SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THIS DICTIONARY……… 366
VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………
8
371
I.
INTRODUCTION
Everyone knows what a dictionary is for: it is to help people with the meanings
of words they don’t know, principally. Sometimes it also helps with the
pronunciation of words, and occasionally it gives a form of a word that is unfamiliar.
But 9 times out of 10 people consult a dictionary to learn the meaning of a word.
It is easy to imagine the classic situation. A person is reading something –
anything, a newspaper, a magazine article, a novel, a “how-to” book, a textbook –
and suddenly he or she comes across a word that is totally new. That person has
never seen that word before. Always, the first step for the reader in such a situation
is to try to deduce the meaning of this new word from the context, and at least half
the time this is possible. For example, if the reader reads “... Maloney was having a
terrible day, indeed. After crushing his finger trying to replace the concrete well top,
he got to town just too late to catch the last WATER TAXI to the mainland.
‘Damn!’ was the only word that came to his mind... incessantly,” then he might think
“WATER TAXI!
That’s a new word for me.
Wonder what it means.”
But
probably, in this case, the reader will not recur to a dictionary, for the simple reason
that he can deduce what the new word means by himself. He knows what a TAXI is,
and he has seen the noun WATER used as an adjective before, as in WATER
BUFFALO, WATER GUN, and WATER POLO. Therefore it requires no great
jump of the imagination to deduce what a WATER TAXI might be: it is just a boat
that performs on water the service that a normal taxi, a car, does on land. It is a
“boat taxi.” This deduction is made especially easy by the fact that the “water taxi”
9
that Maloney missed was “the last one to the mainland.” So Maloney is on an island,
and he needed to get transportation to the mainland – the WATER TAXI.
Only 1 reader in 10 would stop reading, in this situation, and look up the
word WATER TAXI in a dictionary.
It is too easy to deduce the meaning
independently. But now let’s suppose the same reader is reading and comes across
the phrase “... a PHAT beat moving through my body...” Now what is the reader to
do? PHAT is a word he has never seen before, and there is no way he can deduce its
meaning from the context. It could be anything, positive or negative, pleasant or
unpleasant. Uncontrollable? Irregular? Wild? Sexy? Pleasurable? Annoying? It
could have any one of these meanings.
This, therefore, is the “classic” situation where a reader will go to the
dictionary. The word has piqued his curiosity, and he thinks it is worth the time and
trouble to satisfy his doubt, so as to be able to understand what he is reading better.
Also, as a secondary consideration, he knows in the back of his mind that he should
learn the meaning of a word that is new to him, so that if he sees it again or hears
someone use it he will not be a “dodo”; he will be “in.” Probably the reader also
contemplates the possibility that he or she will even use the word – especially if it is
a word he or she likes.
Now let’s imagine the situation where the reader does take the time and
trouble to look up an unknown word, like PHAT; and there in the dictionary, to his
or her surprise, there is a blank space where PHAT should be. The dictionary
doesn’t have it. What is his or her reaction?
10
Undoubtedly, it is one of annoyance. Here he or she has taken all the trouble
to stop reading, go to the dictionary, look up the word, and it isn’t there! What a
shuck! He or she has lost faith in his or her dictionary. The next time he or she
comes across an unknown word in his or her reading he or she will be less willing to
look it up, because he or she will think “It’s probably not in that stupid dictionary
anyway.” He or she will like that dictionary that much less.
And – and this is what is important – he or she will make a mental note that
his or her dictionary is out of date. It’s time to buy a new one.
This is what happens to dictionaries all the time – they get out of date. And
the more out of date they become, the more they lose their value. Nobody would
look in an “old” dictionary for a word that is obviously new. Who would be so
foolish as to look in a 1960 dictionary for a word like AIDS or DVD? No one... or at
least not after a few fruitless consultations. Sooner or later, every dictionary user
realizes that the dictionary he or she has been using since he or she bought it is losing
its efficacy. It has to be replaced.
Now that we have established this general principal, that dictionaries get out
of date, we have to think about the dictionary-makers. They also know this fact
about dictionary life – that they get “old.” For them, however, the problem is more
immediate and practical.
They want the general public to keep buying their
dictionary, and they know that people will not pay good money for a dictionary that
they know is out of date. The public demands that a dictionary they are going to buy
be up to date. So the obvious question for the dictionary-makers is, How often do we
have to update our dictionary?
11
Of course the ideal would be for the dictionary-makers to produce a new
edition of their dictionaries every month, with all the new words that have come into
existence in the course of that month in it. But this is obviously impossible. It takes
a matter of years to produce a dictionary. As soon as one edition of a dictionary is
“finished” and circulated for sale in bookstores it is “fossilized” – it can’t be
changed, even though new words are still coming into existence every day, and
inevitably the “finished” dictionary is becoming partially obsolete with every day
that goes by.
Another possible solution available to the dictionary-makers is to produce
weekly or monthly “supplements” to their dictionaries, and in fact all the major
modern dictionary-makers, like Houghton Mifflin, Merriam-Webster, and PrentissHall, do this. They try to keep their dictionaries up to date by publishing periodical
updates. But this is a clumsy and unsatisfactory solution. No buyer of a dictionary
wants to think that he or she will have to go back to the bookstore every month to get
the new supplement to his or her dictionary. Furthermore, it makes the task of
looking up a new word all that much harder. If a reader comes across a new word
and looks it up in his or her dictionary and doesn’t find it, then he or she has to recur
to the supplements, and if these are numerous it may take him or her quite a while to
finally find the word. All in all, the average reader will not go to so much trouble.
He or she will simply make a mental note of the word and plan to find out about it
later. It is only a real word-hound who will have the patience to track down each and
every unknown neologism in the supplements of the dictionaries that are available.
12
The dictionary companies have taken the obvious middle road towards the
solution of this problem. They know that they can’t just produce one, definitive,
“finished” dictionary. Updates are necessary. They also know that “supplements”
are not sufficient, as updates. What has to happen is that they have to produce a new
“finished” dictionary periodically.
The important question is, therefore, how
periodically? How often must a dictionary-maker produce a new edition of its
dictionary, in order to stay in competition?
The obvious answer is, as often as possible.
All reputable dictionary
companies realized long ago that as soon as one edition of their dictionary is
published, work has to be begun immediately on the next edition, and that work has
to be carried forward with all possible expediency. The time necessary to produce
the next, newest edition of the dictionary will depend on how much time and effort
the company dedicates to the task. The more staff it employs on the job, the sooner it
will be finished. But of course there are economic limitations. No dictionary-maker
can hire 100,000 workers just to work on a new edition of its dictionary. The end
product would be very good, doubtless, but the company would probably go out of
business, too.
There has to be a mean, between the requirement for new dictionary editions
and the feasibility of producing them. For the people at Merriam-Webster this mean
has worked out to be “once a decade” – every 10 years or so. And this seems to be a
reasonable figure, to which other dictionary-makers try to adhere. The 3rd edition of
the American Heritage Dictionary, for example, appeared in 1992, and the 4th edition
13
in 2000 – only 8 years... very good. The people at Houghton Mifflin (the publisher
of the “American Heritage”) must have worked extra hard.
So we can take “a decade” as the average periodicity for the appearance of a
new edition of any one specific dictionary. Luckily, the times of appearance of the
different dictionaries overlap.
For example, the newest American Heritage
Dictionary, the 4th edition, appeared in 2000, after a lapse of 8 years. But that did not
mean that we had to wait another 8 years to have a completely up-to-date dictionary
at our fingertips, because in 2003 there appeared the new edition of the MerriamWebster Dictionary. So only 3 years had to elapse between the appearance of one
up-to-date dictionary and another.
And probably before 2008, when we could
reasonably expect the next American Heritage Dictionary to come out, there will be
another, different dictionary produced by some other dictionary-maker.
So, fortunately for people who like to have up-to-date dictionaries available
all the time, it is possible to do so simply by having more than one dictionary on
hand. All he or she has to do is to buy each “hot” new edition of each dictionary as it
comes out.
It is the basic premise of this thesis that there are such people – people who
want to have a definitive and exhaustive reference for new words all the time. And,
in addition to the number of such people that already exist, the authors of this thesis
assume that there should be a lot more such people, and that there would be many
more if they had the corresponding reference. People are innately curious about
words – especially people who are interested in studying the English language.
14
However, in our environment it is absurd to think of the average student of
English buying each and every new dictionary as it comes out – for economic
reasons, as well as due to the fact that these dictionaries are not always available. It
takes a lot of planning and effort to get just one of these up-to-the-minute
dictionaries, let alone several. And that is where this thesis comes in.
Luckily for the students of English at the University of Cuenca, the authors of
this thesis are possessed of 1) several of the most up-to-date dictionaries, and 2)
desire and interest in producing a collation of the findings to be garnered from these
dictionaries.
The authors’ goal is to produce a new reference work, which
synthesizes and correlates all the newest linguistic advances in the field of
lexicography. The end product will be a special new dictionary which focuses upon
new words exclusively. We leave the “standard,” often-repeated and oft-cited words
untouched. We assume that even relatively old dictionaries have them. A word like
SEXY doesn’t interest us at all. It may be fairly new; it wouldn’t be found, for
example, in a dictionary of 1940. But the American Heritage Dictionary of 1969 has
it. And every dictionary since then of course has it. It is not one of the “totally new”
words that we are interested in. Even SNAFU (situation normal all fucked up)
doesn’t interest us, because although it is not in the 1969 dictionary, it is in the 1992
American Heritage Dictionary, the penultimate edition, and of course in the 2000
edition, the latest one. A word like FUBAR, however, is one of “our” words,
because it is not in the 1992 dictionary. It only became a dictionary word as of the
2000 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary (fucked up beyond all
recognition). These are the words that are the target of this thesis – the really new
ones.
15
Of course we will have the same problem as the dictionary-makers: once our
reference work is “finished” it will begin to become obsolete, due to the fact that the
English language never rests. It never “takes a break.” New words are coming into
existence every day, and once we publish our work it will be impossible to include
them any more.
But we believe that the task we have set ourselves is worth the
effort because at least we will have the newest reference work available here in
Cuenca. At least we can be sure that we will have all the new words up to 2004
(since we will be including new words as they come out up to the time of the
completion of our thesis). And this in itself is a worthwhile task, which will prove to
be of inestimable value to students of English in our environment.
This thesis has a dual approach. The first one is the collection of new words
into one corpus. This is a formidable task, considering that the new edition (11th) of
the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary claims to have included 10,000 new
words and 100,000 “changes,” including many thousands of new meanings given to
traditional words.
However, not all these new words and new meanings of words will enter into
our thesis.
Some of them are too restricted in meaning (scientific words, for
example, like RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS, or trademarks, like REDUX,
or simply too esoteric and arcane words to be pertinent, like PITJANTJATJARA [an
aboriginal Australian people]). On the other hand, the “changes” in words will be
harder to find, since a head-word search will not uncover them, and sometimes they
occur in the most unexpected places, as with AVATAR, which has gone from being
a Hindu word with a religious connotation (“incarnation”) to being a computer word
16
(a computer user’s personally-selected image to represent himself or herself).
However, although this task of word collection will require a lot of time and work,
the authors of the thesis are not daunted. They are ready to accept the challenge.
The second part of the thesis involves the organization of this enormous body
of new words. For the purpose, the authors have already devised a 25-category
system, which will make the words more understandable and easier to reference, and
also provide a directed-search database, so that a person who consults the final endproduct dictionary will know exactly where to look for what he or she wants, and
what he or she is looking at, specifically, once he or she finds it.
For the sake of convenience, we use colors to refer to the dictionaries that
enter into this thesis. The “oldest” dictionary, the one we use as the starting point,
the “base” for our search, is the 3rd edition of the American Heritage Dictionary,
published in 1992. This is the “black” dictionary. The “middle-aged” dictionary, the
“white” one, is the 4th edition of the same American Heritage Dictionary, published
in 2000.
And the newest dictionary, the “red” one, is the Merriam-Webster
Collegiate Dictionary, published in 2003.
17
II.
PRESENTATION OF THE CATEGORIES
Our search of the white and red dictionaries is organized according to 25
categories of words, which are:
1. ACRONYM
14. MISNOMER
2. BACK-FORMATION
15. NEW CONNOTATION
3. COINAGE
16. ONOMATOPOEIA
4. CONUNDRUM
17. REGIONALISM
5. DIMINUTIVE
18. SLANG
6. EPONYM
19. OFFENSIVE SLANG
7. EUPHEMISM
20. VULGAR SLANG
8. FOLK ETYMOLOGY
21. TABOO DEFORMATION
9. GENERAL
22. TOPONYM
10. HOBSON-JOBSON
23. TRUNCATION
11. HYBRID
24. ZYGONYM
12. JARGON
25. ZYGOPHONE
13. LOAN WORD
Some categories, of course, will be of more general interest, and be more
frequently consulted, than others. But for ease of reference, we have presented these
categories in alfabetical order.
18
III. DISTRIBUTION OF THE NEW WORDS FOUND
INTO THE NEW CATEGORIES
1. ACRONYM (47)
An acronym is “a word formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the
successive parts or major parts of a compound term” (red dictionary). These words
tend to be ephemeral; at least many of them are. For example, 20 years ago the
acronyms SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization), NORML (National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), PAHO (Pan-American Health
Organization), and USIS (United States Information Service) were all “alive” and
commonly circulated. But nowadays they are extinct, simply because their referents
ceased to exist. On the other hand, new acronyms are coming into existence all the
time, like AIDS and SARS.
A
AIDS: A disease of the human immune system which renders the subject highly
vulnerable to life-threatening conditions. [Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome]
B
BIOS: The set of routines stored in read-only memory that enable a computer to start
the operating system and to communicate with the various devices in the system,
such as disk drives, keyboard, monitor, printer, and communications ports. [Basic
Input Output System]
C
CARE PACKAGE: A package of useful or pleasurable items that is sent or given as
a gift to another (as a college student). [from CARE package, a charity parcel sent to
needy Europeans after World War II]
CD-ROM: A compact disk that functions as read-only memory. [Compact Disk
Read-Only Memory]
19
D
DINK: A couple with two incomes and no children; also a member of such a couple.
[Double Income, No Kids]
DRAM: Dynamic RAM.
E
ELVE: An extremely dim, short-lived, expanding disk of reddish light found above
thunderstorms and believed to be created by electromagnetic pulses from intense
lightning. [Emission of Light and Very low-frequency perturbations from
Electromagnetic pulse sources]
F
FAQ /făk/: A list of frequently asked questions and their answers about a given
subject. [Frequently Asked Questions]
FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FUBAR /foobär/: Utterly botched or confused. [Fucked Up Beyond All
Recognition]
G
GIFT: A technique of assisted reproduction in which eggs and sperm are inserted
directly into a woman's fallopian tubes, where fertilization may occur. [Gamete Intra
Fallopian Transfer]
GIF: A computer file format for the compression and storage of digital video
images; also such an image itself. [Graphic Interchange Format]
J
JAP: usually disparaging Jewish American Princess.
K
KOMSOMOL: A Russian Communist youth organization. [Russian, from
Kommunisticheskiĭ Soyuz Molodezhi, “Communist Union of Youth”]
KWIC: A computer-generated index alphabetized on a keyword that appears within
a brief context. [Key Word In Context]
L
LAN /lăn/: A system that links together electronic office equipment, such as
computers and word processors, and forms a network within an office or building.
[Local Area Network]
LIDAR /līdär/: 1. A method of detecting distant objects and determining their
position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysis of pulsed laser light reflected
from their surfaces. 2. The equipment used in such detection. [LIght + raDAR]
M
MACHO: Any of various massive dark objects, such as a brown dwarf star or large
planet, in the outermost regions of a galaxy, that may explain the observed
anomalous rotation of most galaxies. [Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Object]
20
MIDI /mĭdē/: 1. A standard for representing musical information in a digital format.
2. Software that conforms to this standard, used for composing and editing electronic
music. [Musical Instrument Digital Interface]
MIME: A communications protocol that allows for the transmission of data in many
forms, such as audio, binary, or video. [Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions]
MODEM: A device that converts signals produced by one type of device (as a
computer) to a form compatible with another (as a telephone). [MOdulator +
DEModulator]
MOO: An object-oriented mud. [Mud Object Oriented]
MPEG /ĕmpĕg/: 1. Any of a set of standards established for the compression of
digital video and audio data. 2. A file of digital video and audio data that has been so
compressed: downloaded an MPEG of the new video from the Internet. [Moving
Pictures Experts Group]
MUD: A computer program, usually running over the Internet, that allows multiple
users to participate in virtual-reality role-playing games. [Multi-User Dungeon,
Multi- User Dimension, and Multi-User Domain]
N
NAIRU /nāroo/: The lowest unemployment rate that an economy can accommodate
without causing inflation. [Non Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment]
NSAID /ĕnsād, ĕnsĕd/: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (as aspirin and
ibuprofen.) [Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug]
P
PET scan: A sectional view of the body constructed by Positron-Emission
Tomography.
PHAT /făt/: Excellent; first-rate: phat fashion; a phat rapper. Earlier sexy: She’s
phat. [Pretty Hot And Tempting]
PIN: Personal Identification Number.
POMO: 1. Postmodern. 2. Postmodernist. [Post Modern]
R
RAM: A memory device in which information can be accessed in any order.
[Random Access Memory]
REIT /rīt/: A company that purchases and manages real estate or real estate loans,
using money invested by its shareholders. [Real Estate Investment Trust]
ROM: Memory hardware that allows fast access to permanently stored data, but
prevents addition to or modification of the data. [Read-Only Memory]
S
SARS: Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
SHAPE: Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe.
SPOOL: To store (data sent to a printer) in a buffer, allowing the program that sent
the data to the printer to resume its normal operation. [Simultaneous Peripheral
Operations On Line]
21
SPOOLER: A computer program that sequences print jobs by temporarily storing
them in a buffer and sending each to the printer when the printer is able to process it.
Also print spooler. [SPOOL + -er]
SLIP: Serial Line Internet Protocol.
STEN: A light simple 9-millimeter British submachine gun. [R. V. Shepherd, 20th
century English army officer + H. J. Turpin, 20th century English civil servant +
Enfield, England]
SWAT: Special Weapons And Tactics (police).
T
TACAN /tăkăn/: A system of navigation that uses ultrahigh frequency signals to
determine the distance and bearing of an aircraft from a transmitting station.
[TACtical Air Navigation]
TOEFL /tōf∂l/: A trademark for a standardized examination for proficiency in
English as a foreign language. [Test Of English as a Foreign Language]
W
WAN /wăn/: A communications network that uses such devices as telephone lines,
satellite dishes, or radio waves to span a larger geographic area than can be covered
by a LAN. [Wide Area Network]
WASP: 1. A white Protestant of Anglo-Saxon ancestry. 2. A white, usually
Protestant member of the American upper social class. [White Anglo-Saxon
Protestant]
WILCO: Used especially in radio communications to indicate agreement or
compliance. [WILL COmply]
WIMP: A subatomic particle that has a large mass and interacts with other matter
primarily through gravitation. [Weakly Interacting Massive Particle]
X
XYZ /ĕkswīzē/: Used to indicate to someone that the zipper of his or her pants is
open. [eXamine Your Zipper]
2. BACK-FORMATION (174)
A back-formation is “a word formed by subtraction of a real or supposed affix
from an already-existing longer word, as BURGLE from BURGLAR” (red
dictionary). This process has become very popular in the last half century or so,
because it is so easy and convenient.
22
A
alliterate: 1. To use alliteration in speech or writing. 2. To have or contain
alliteration. To form or arrange with alliteration. [from ALLITERATION]
alt-rock: Alternative rock music.
alum: An alumna or alumnus.
anime: A style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful
art, futuristic settings, violence, and sex.
auding: The process of hearing, recognizing, and interpreting spoken language.
[AUDITING]
autolyze: To cause to undergo autolysis (breakdown of a cell). To undergo
autolysis.
B
barbie: Barbecue.
b-ball: Basketball.
beano: A noisy festive celebration. [< bean feast, festive occasion]
Beat Generation: A group of American writers and artists popular in the 1950s and
early 1960s, influenced by Eastern philosophy and religion and known especially for
their use of non-traditional forms and their rejection of conventional social values. [<
beatific]
binocs: Binoculars.
bioterror: Bioterrorism: a bioterror attack.
boho: Bohemian.
brux: To clench or grind one's teeth. [< bruxism]
bunk: Empty talk; nonsense. [< bunkum]
C
cab: Cabernet sauvignon; a dry red wine often used in blends.
callithump: A noisy boisterous band or parade. [from callithumpian, adjective,
alteration of English dialect gallithumpian, disturber of order at elections in 18th
century]
cammie: 1. Camouflage fabric. 2. used in plural Garments made from camouflage
fabric.
capitated: Of, relating to, participating in, or being a health-care system in which a
medical provider is given a set fee per patient (as by an HMO) regardless of
treatment required. [from capitation]
carb: 1. A carburetor. 2. A carbohydrate.
carbo: A carbohydrate.
cel: A transparent sheet of celluloid on which objects are drawn or painted in the
making of animated cartoons. [< celluloid]
cine: Motion picture. [probably from French cinè, short for cinema, “cinema”]
cognize: Know, understand. [from cognizance]
combust: 1. To catch fire; burst into flame: The fire started when a pile of oily rags
spontaneously combusted. 2. To undergo combustion; burn: As the fuels were
combusting they gave off noxious vapors. 3. To become suddenly angry or agitated:
The defendant combusted when he heard the verdict. 4. To cause to burn; ignite. 5.
To cause to become angry or violent: riots that are combusting whole provinces.
23
comp time: Compensatory time.
congrats: Congratulations: sent him my congrats.
contempo: Contemporary, present-day: contempo music.
coin-op: A self-service laundry where the machines are operated by coins.
commie: Communist.
comp: To provide with something free: A hotel comping celebrities for their rooms;
also To provide free of charge: Their meals were comped. [short for complimentary
(= given free)]
cred: Credibility; specifically the ability to gain acceptance as a member of a
particular group or class: “used…his new street cred to develop contacts.”
crip: 1. Used as a disparaging term for a person or animal that is partially disabled or
unable to use a limb or limbs. 2. Something that is easily accomplished, especially an
undemanding academic course. [< cripple]
cyber- : Having to do with cybernetics : cyberpunk ; cyberspace. [from cyber(netic)]
D
defrag: To defragment.
deke: To fake (an opponent) out of position (as in ice hockey.) To deke an opponent.
[from decoy]
delish: Delicious.
delt: A deltoid muscle. Often used in the plural.
demo: 1. a. A demonstration, as of a product or service. b. A brief tape or recording
illustrating the abilities of a musician or other performer. 2. A product, such as an
automobile, used for demonstration and often sold later at a discount.
destruct: The intentional, usually remote-controlled destruction of a space vehicle,
rocket, or missile after launching, as for defective performance or reasons of safety.
[from destruction]
dinge: Grime or squalor; dinginess.
dipso: A person who has a compulsion to drink alcohol; a dipsomaniac.
dis: 1. To treat with disrespect or contempt: insult. 2. To find fault with: criticize.
[from disrespect]
D-mark: A deutsche mark.
Dobe: Doberman pinscher.
Dow: Dow Jones average.
Down's: Down syndrome: a Down’s patient.
dreads: Dreadlocks.
E
ecoterror: ecoterrorism.
ed: Education: Diver’s ed. Adult ed.
elucubrate: To produce (a written work) by working long and diligently. [<
elucubration]
enviro: An environmentalist.
Euro: The common basic monetary unit of most countries of the European Union.
expat: An expatriate.
24
F
fanfic: Fiction written by fans as an extension of an admired work or series of works,
especially a television show, often posted on the Internet or published in fanzines.
fave: One that is preferred above others or likely to win; a favorite.
financials: Financial statistics: reviewed the company's financials.
fud: Fuddy-duddy.
G
Gen-X: Of or relating to Generation X.
glute: A gluteus muscle.
grad school: Graduate school.
H
handwrite: To write by hand. [from handwritten]
high-tech also hi-tech: Of, relating to, or resembling high technology.
hols: Vacation. [from holidays]
homey: A homeboy or homegirl.
horn-rims: Eyeglasses with frames made of horn or a hornlike material, such as
tortoiseshell. [from horn-rimmed (glasses)]
I
improv: Of, relating to, or being improvisation and especially an improvised comedy
routine.
incent: To incentivize: would use tax breaks to incent corporations to invest in their
future. [from incentive]
Indian-wrestle: To engage in Indian wrestling.
indie: 1. One, such as a studio or producer, that is unaffiliated with a larger or more
commercial organization. 2. An artistic work produced by an independent company
or group: His film showed that indies could... take in millions at the box office. 3. Of,
relating to, or being an indie: an album of indie rock. An indie film company.
[ind(ependent) + -y]
Indy car: A single-seat open-cockpit racing car with the engine in the rear. [from
Indianapolis, Indiana]
ISO /īĕs-ō/: An organization, the International Organization for Standardization, that
sets standards in many businesses and technologies, including computing and
communications. [from Greek isos, “equal”]
J
Jap: Usually disparaging Japanese.
jeopard: Jeopardize.
jig: Black: A person belonging to any of various population groups having dark
pigmentation of the skin. [short for JIGABOO, black person (conundrum)]
juvie: Juvenile: juvie court.
25
K
killer app: A computer application of such great value or popularity that it assures
the success of the technology with which it is associated; a feature or component that
in itself makes something worth having or using.
kilo: Kilogram.
klepto: A person who has a compulsion to steal; a kleptomaniac.
kudo: A praising remark; an accolade or compliment: Children's book author
Virginia Hamilton added another kudo to her prize-laden career. [from kudos]
L
lab: Labrador retriever.
lax: Lacrosse. [< shortening & alteration (x as symbol for -crosse)]
lez: Used as a disparaging term for a lesbian.
lib: Liberation.
lit: Literature: enjoyed my course in French lit.
lit crit: Literary criticism.
locomote: To move from one place to another. [locomotion]
Logo: 1. Logotype. 2. An identifying statement: motto.
low-cal: Having comparatively fewer calories than what is standard or typical: lowcal snack foods.
M
mage /māj/: A magician or sorcerer.
mag tape: Magnetic tape.
mag wheel: A wheel made from a magnesium alloy.
marge: Margarine.
med: Medication, usually used in plural: took pain meds.
merch: Merchandise.
mic: Variant of mike A microphone.
microcap: 1. Of or relating to companies with very small capitalizations, especially
less than 250 million dollars. 2. Of or relating to mutual funds that invest in the stock
of such companies.
mil: A million dollars.
moc: Moccasin.
mod con: A modern convenience, usually used in plural. [< modern convenience]
multiculti: Multicultural.
N
narco: Narcotic.
narcotraffic: Narcotrafficking.
no-till: A system for planting crops without plowing, using herbicides to control
weeds and resulting in reduced soil erosion and the preservation of soil nutrients. [<
no-tillage]
nova: Cured and smoked salmon, especially salmon that has been cured in a mixture
of salt and sugar and smoked at a low temperature. [< Nova Scotia salmon]
nympho: A female who is affected with nymphomania; a nymphomaniac.
26
O
op: Optical art.
orienteer: A person who engages in orienteering [from orienteering]
Osmose: To diffuse or cause to diffuse by osmosis; Absorb effortlessly.
Oz2: Australia.
P
Paki: Used as a disparaging term for a person from Pakistan or neighboring
countries or for the descendant of such a person. [< Pakistani]
pash: 1. A romantic infatuation: She develops a sudden pash for Richard... a
widower with a... son. 2. The object of such an infatuation. [< passion]
perv: Pervert.
phiz: Face. [< physiognomy]
photo op: Photo opportunity.
phreak: Phreaker. (see jargon crime)
pop eye: An eye staring and bulging (as from excitement). [from pop-eyed]
porno: Of, relating to, involved in, or being pornography.
postdoc: 1. Postdoctoral. 2. One engaged in postdoctoral study or research.
postgrad: Postgraduate.
post-op also postop: Postoperative: post-op care; post-op complications.
pre-k: Prekindergarten.
pre-op also preop: Preoperative: pre-op testing; a pre-op patient.
prepreg: A reinforcing or molding material (as paper or glass cloth) already
impregnated with a synthetic resin. [pre- + impregnated]
prez or Prez: President. Often used with the.
propman: A man in charge of stage properties.
proxy marriage: A marriage celebrated in the absence of one of the contracting
parties who is represented at the ceremony by a proxy.
pyro: A person who has a compulsion to set fires; a pyromaniac.
R
ragga: A style of reggae music that incorporates hip-hop and rhythm and blues
elements. [from ragamuffin (from the style of clothes worn by the music's fans)]
roomie: A roommate.
ro-ro: A ship designed and equipped to allow vehicles (as automobiles or tanks) to
be driven on or off. [roll on, roll off]
roto: Rotogravure.
Russky: A Russian.
S
self-exam: Self-examination.
senesce: To reach later maturity; grow old. [from senescent]
serge: To overcast (the raw edges of a fabric) to prevent unraveling. [from serging,
type of overcast stitch]
skywrite: To letter by skywriting. To do skywriting. [from skywriting]
slo-mo: Slow-motion.
27
small cap: 1. Of or relating to relatively small companies that have little equity and a
small number of shares of common stock outstanding. 2. Of or relating to mutual
funds that invest in the stock of such companies. A small cap company.
smarm: Smarmy speech or behavior. [from smarmy]
soaper: Soap opera.
spaz or spazz: One who is considered clumsy or inept. To be clumsy or inept. [short
for spastic, and spasm]
sport-ute: A sport-utility vehicle.
standing O: A standing ovation.
street cred: Acceptability or popularity, especially among young people in urban
areas. [street + cred(it)]
swashbuckle: To act as a swashbuckler, as in a movie or play. [from swashbuckler]
syph: Syphilis.
sysadmin: A system administrator.
sysop: A system operator.
T
tech: Technology: the triumph of tech is far from complete.
telco: A telephone company.
tele: Television.
telepath: One who communicates by telepathy.
teleport: To transfer by teleportation. [from teleportation]
tender: 1. An often breaded strip of usually breast meat: chicken tenders. 2. The
tenderloin of a chicken. [< tenderloin]
thesp: Actor. [< thespian]
trad: Traditional.
tranny: Transmission.
T rex: Tyrannosaur.
Trot: An adherent of Trotskyism.
tumesce: To become or cause to become tumescent.
V
vamp: A woman who uses her charm or wiles to seduce and exploit men. [<
vampire]
veg out: To spend time idly or passively. [< vegetate]
verb sap: Verbum sap.
verbum sap: Enough said — used to indicate that something left unsaid may or
should be inferred. [short for New Latin verbum sapientis a word to the wise (is
sufficient)]
vid: Video.
W
webcam: A camera designed to take digital photographs and transmit them over the
Internet or other network.
Westie: West Highland white terrier.
whizzy: Wizardly: whizzy technology.
wienie: Frankfurter. [< wienerwurst]
28
3. COINAGE (5)
A coinage is “something (as a word) made up or invented” (red dictionary). This
process of word formation is slower-paced than some others, like acronymization
and back-formation. There are, of course, many coinages that are used commonly,
but most of them are traditional, like the “ivy league” (New York sports editor
Stanley Woodward) and the “iron curtain” (Winston Churchill). Therefore, they are
not included here in our compilation, which deals only with words formed or
invented after 1992.
B
bread and circuses: Offerings, such as benefits or entertainments, intended to
placate discontent or distract attention from a policy or situation. [translation of Latin
panis et circenses, a phrase coined by the Roman poet Juvenal: panem, accusative
singular of panis, “bread” + et, “and” + circenses, “circus games”]
D
deep throat: An informant who divulges damaging information under cover of
anonymity. [from the nickname given to such an informant in the Watergate scandal
by Bob Woodward, United States journalist, from the title of a pornographic film
(1972)]
G
Generation X: The generation following the post-World War II baby boom,
especially people born in the United States and Canada from the early 1960s to the
late 1970s. [after Generation X, a novel by Douglas Coupland (born 1961), Canadian
writer]
M
MacGuffin or McGuffin: An object, event, or character in a film or story that serves
to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance.
[coined by Alfred Hitchcock]
S
Siwash: A small usually inland college that is notably provincial in outlook: cheer
for dear old Siwash. [George Fitch, American author]
29
4. CONUNDRUM (35)
A conundrum, literally, is “a riddle.” In our study of words, we use it to refer to a
word that has no known etymology – a word that just “showed up,” somehow, in
the English lexicon. Its etymology is a “riddle.”
B
banjax: Damage, ruin; also smash.
blivit: 1. Something annoying or pointless: this homework is such a blivit it’s an
insult. 2. Something difficult or impossible to name: Hand me that blivit.
[conundrum]
brumby: A wild or unbroken horse.
C
cheesed off: Angry, irritated.
D
ditzy: Eccentrically silly, giddy, or inane.
doobie: A marijuana cigarette: joint.
F
fad: A practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal: craze.
female condom: A flexible sheath consisting of a loose-fitting polyurethane sheath
closed at one end, that is inserted intravaginally before sexual intercourse.
fewtrils: Things of little value: trifles.
flivver: A small cheap usually old automobile.
flooey: Awry, askew: go flooey.
G
gally: Frighten, terrify.
gobo: 1. A dark strip (as of wallboard) to shield a motion-picture or television
camera from light. 2. A device to shield a microphone from sound.
H
haver: To hem and haw.
hissy: Tantrum.
J
jigaboo: Used as a disparaging term for a black person.
30
L
Lapsang souchong: A souchong tea having a pronounced smoky flavor and aroma.
larrikin: A person given to comical or outlandish behavior.
M
mungo: Reclaimed wool of poor quality and very short staple.
N
noogie: The act of rubbing one's knuckles on a person's head so as to produce a
mildly painful sensation.
P
pash: Head.
portobella or portabello: A mature, very large cremini mushroom.
punnet: A small basket for fruits or vegetables.
Q
quod: Prison.
R
redd: A spawning nest made by a fish, especially a salmon or trout.
rozzer: Police officer.
S
sleazy: 1. a. Shabby, dirty, and vulgar; tawdry: sleazy storefronts with torn industrial
carpeting and dirt on the walls. b. Dishonest or corrupt; disreputable: Some sleazy
characters hang around casinos. 2. Made of low-quality materials; cheap or shoddy.
3. Thin and loosely woven; flimsy: The coat has a sleazy lining.
splore: 1. Frolic, carousal. 2. Commotion.
spod: One who spends an inordinate amount of time exchanging remarks in
computer chatrooms or participating in discussions in newsgroups or on bulletin
boards.
stramash: 1. Disturbance, racket. 2. Crash, smashup.
swipes: Poor, thin, or spoiled beer; also beer.
T
tantrum: A fit of bad temper; also hissy.
W
wank: 1. To masturbate. Often used with off. An act of masturbation. 2. A detestable
person.
wanker: 1. A person who masturbates. 2. A detestable person.
wifty: Ditzy.
31
5. DIMINUTIVE (31)
A diminutive is a word “indicating small size and sometimes the state or quality
of being familiarly known, lovable, pitiable, or contemptible.” (red dictionary)
A
anchoveta: A small anchovy (Cetengraulis mysticetus) of the Pacific coast of
America from southern California to Peru. [Spanish anchoveta, diminutive of
anchova]
B
baby boomlet: A small or secondary baby boom (as in the United States in the
1980's and 90's).
barquette: A small boat-shaped pastry shell. [French, diminutive of barque, “bark”
(ship)]
bimbette: A woman considered as sexually provocative and mentally vacuous. [<
BIMBO]
boychik or boychick: A boy or young man. [BOY + Eastern Yiddish -chik,
diminutive suffix]
bubkes: The least amount; beans: won't win bubkes this year: also nothing: received
bubkes at nomination time. [Yiddish, short for kozebubkes, literally, “goat
droppings,” diminutive of bub, bob “bean”]
C
capellini: Angel-hair pasta. [Italian, plural of capellino, diminutive of capello,
“hair,” from Latin capillus]
casita: A small house. [Spanish, diminutive of casa]
cavalletti: A series of timber jumps that are adjustable in height for schooling
horses. [Italian, plural of cavalletto, “trestle,” diminutive of cavallo, “horse,” from
Latin caballus]
clootie: chiefly Scottish used as a name of the devil. [diminutive of cloot, “cloven
hoof”]
colonnette: A small, relatively thin column, often used for decoration or to support
an arcade. [French, diminutive of colonne, “column”]
cookie1: A collection of information, usually including a username and the current
date and time, stored on the local computer of a person using the World Wide Web,
used chiefly by websites to identify users who have previously registered or visited
the site. [Dutch koekje, diminutive of koek, “cake,” from Middle Dutch koeke]
cookie2: A person, usually of a specified kind: a lawyer who was a tough cookie.
32
F
featurette: A short film; a short documentary film about the making of a full-length
movie.
G
gordita: A deep-fried pocket of cornmeal dough filled with a savory mixture.
[Mexican Spanish, diminutive of gorda, “thick tortilla,” from Spanish, feminine of
gordo, “fat, thick,” from Late Latin gurdus “dull, blunt”]
graticule: The network of lines of latitude and longitude upon which a map is drawn.
[French, from Latin craticula, “fine latticework,” diminutive of cratis, “wickerwork,
hurdle”]
guillemet: Either of a pair of punctuation marks («) or (») used in some languages,
such as French and Russian, to mark the beginning and end of a quotation. [French,
diminutive of Guillaume, “William” (the name of its supposed inventor)]
H
hosel: The socket or neck in the head of a golf club into which the shaft is inserted.
[Diminutive of HOSE]
L
langostino: Any of several edible crustaceans (as of the genus pleuroncodes) that are
or resemble small lobsters or large shrimp. [Spanish, diminutive of langosta, “spiny
lobster, locust,” from Latin locusta]
O
orecchiette /ōrākēetā/: Small oval pasta. [Italian, plural of orecchietta, diminutive of
orecchia, “ear,” from Latin auricula]
P
paczki: A round Polish pastry similar to a doughnut, usually filled with fruit and
topped with sugar or icing. [Polish paczki, pl. of paczek, “bud, doughnut,”
diminutive of pak, “bud”]
picadillo: A spicy Spanish and Latin American dish made of seasoned ground meat
and vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and onions. [American Spanish, from
Spanish, “minced meat,” diminutive of picado, “mincing,” from past participle of
picar, “to prick, to mince,” from Old Spanish, from Vulgar Latin picare, “to prick”]
Q
quesadilla: A flour tortilla folded in half around a savory filling, as of cheese or
beans, then fried or toasted. [American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of
quesada, type of cheesecake, from queso, “cheese,” from Old Spanish, from Latin
caseus]
33
R
rapini: A vegetable plant (Brassica rapa) related to the turnip and grown for its
pungent leafy shoots. [Italian, pl. diminutive of rapa, “turnip,” from Latin rapa, pl. of
rapum]
S
selkie also silkie: A creature or spirit in Scottish and Irish folklore that has the form
of a seal but can also assume human form. [Dialectal diminutive of seal]
sopaipilla or sopapilla: A crisp, puffy, deep-fried pastry often served with honey or
syrup. [American Spanish, diminutive of Spanish sopaipa, fried dough sweetened
with honey, from earlier xopaipa, from Mozarabic xupaipa, diminutive of úppa,
súppa, bread soaked in oil, from Old Spanish sopa, food soaked in liquid, of
Germanic origin]
souvlaki: Shish kebab. [Modern Greek soublakia, plural of soublaki, from
diminutive of soubla, “skewer,” from Middle Greek, from Latin subula, “awl,” from
suere, “to sew”]
spadille: The highest trump in various card games (as ombre). [French, from
Spanish espadilla, diminutive of espada, “broadsword, spade” (in cards)]
spaetzle: A small dumpling cooked by running batter through a colander into boiling
water. [German spätzle, from German dialect, diminutive of spatz, “sparrow,
dumpling”]
T
tagliatelle: 1. Pasta in narrow flat strips. 2. A dish made with such strips of pasta.
[Italian, pl. diminutive of fettucia, “ribbon,” possibly diminutive of fetta, “slice”]
V
vaporetto: A motorboat serving as a canal bus in Venice, Italy. [Italian, diminutive
of vapore, “steamboat,” from French vapeur, from bateau, “steamboat”]
6. EPONYM (121)
An eponym is a common word that is derived from the name of a real or
fictitious person or group.
A
Allen wrench: A tool consisting of an L-shaped bar with a hexagonal head, used to
turn screws with hexagonal sockets. [< Allen Manufacturing Co., Hartford, Conn]
34
ampulla of Lorenzini: Any of the pores on the snouts of marine sharks and rays that
contain receptors highly sensitive to weak electric fields. [< Stefano Lorenzini,
Italian physician]
amsinckia: An annual herb of the genus Amsinckia, native to southern California,
with rough, bristly, pubescent herbage and large, coiled, yellow to orange flowers.
[after Wilhelm Amsinck, German botanist]
Antaean: Relating to or suggestive of Antaeus, a giant wrestler who could not be
defeated as long as he remained in contact with the earth. Hercules defeated him by
lifting him off the ground.
areocentric: Of or relating to a reference system based at the center of the planet
Mars. [< Greek Ars, Ares, the planet Mars + -centric]
Asperger’s Syndrome: A psychiatric disorder, most often noted during the early
school years, characterized by impairments in social interaction and repetitive
behavior patterns. [after Hans Asperger (1906-1980), Austrian pediatrician]
B
bananas Foster: A dessert of bananas flamed (as with rum) and served with ice
cream. [< Richard Foster, friend of New Orleans restaurateur Owen E. Brennan, at
whose restaurant the dish was first made]
Belinda: The satellite of Uranus that is ninth in distance from the planet. [after
Belinda, heroine of “The Rape of the Lock” by Alexander Pope]
Bianca: The satellite of Uranus that is third in distance from the planet. [after
Bianca, sister of Katherine in “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare]
billi-bi: A soup of mussel stock, white wine, and cream served hot or cold. [French,
alteration of Billy B., perhaps from William B. Leeds, Jr. (died 1972), American
industrialist]
bogart: 1. Bully, intimidate: activists bogarted their way into the . . . offices 2. To
use or consume without sharing: bogart a joint. [< Humphrey Bogart, American film
actor]
C
campbellite: sometimes offensive Disciple. [Alexander Campbell, American (Irishborn) founder of Disciples of Christ]
Capraesque: Of or evocative of the movies of Frank Capra, often promoting the
positive social effects of individual acts of courage. [Frank
Capra,
American
filmmaker]
Cavalier King Charles spaniel: Any of a breed of toy spaniels developed in Great
Britain from English toy spaniels and having a tapered muzzle and a long silky coat.
[< cavalier + King Charles spaniel, a breed of toy spaniel, from Charles II of
England]
Cobb salad: Tossed salad made typically with chopped chicken or turkey, tomatoes,
bacon, hard-boiled eggs, blue cheese, and lettuce and dressed with a vinaigrette.
[probably from Robert H. Cobb, American restaurateur]
Cook's tour: A rapid or cursory survey or review. [Thomas Cook & Son, English
travel agency]
35
coon cheese: A sharp cheddar cheese that has been cured at higher than usual
temperature and humidity and that is usually coated with black wax. [Edward W.
Coon, patenter in 1926 of a method for curing cheddar at a high temperature]
D
Darwin's finches: Finches of a subfamily (Geospizinae) having great variation in
bill shape and confined mostly to the Galápagos Islands. [Charles Darwin]
Desdemona: The satellite of Uranus that is fifth in distance from the planet.
[Desdemona, the wife of Othello in Shakespeare's “Othello”]
Disneyesque: Resembling or suggestive of the films, television productions, or
amusement parks made by Walt Disney or his organization. [Walter Elias Disney,
American film producer]
Disneyfication: The transformation (as of something real or unsettling) into
carefully controlled and safe entertainment or an environment with similar qualities:
the Disneyfication of a downtown.
Draize test: A test to determine the degree to which a substance such as a cosmetic
or pharmaceutical irritates human tissues, in which a small amount of the substance
is applied directly in the eye of a rabbit, and the rabbit is then monitored. [After John
Henry Draize, American pharmacologist]
dragon lady: An overbearing or tyrannical woman; also a glamorous often
mysterious woman. [character in the comic strip “Terry and the Pirates” by Milton
Caniff]
Duncan Phyfe: Of, relating to, or constituting furniture designed and built by or in
the style of Duncan Phyfe, American cabinetmaker.
Durham Rule: A legal hypothesis under which a person is not judged responsible
for a criminal act that is attributed to a mental disease or defect. [Monte Durham,
20th century American litigant]
duxelles: A garnish or stuffing made especially of finely chopped sautéed
mushrooms. [< Louis Chalon, Marquis d’Uxelles]
E
Earl Grey: A black-tea blend flavored with bergamot oil. [Charles Grey, 2d Earl
Grey, English statesman]
Edgar: A statuette awarded annually by a professional organization for notable
achievement in mystery-novel writing. [Edgar Allan Poe, regarded as father of the
detective story]
F
fagin: An adult who instructs others (as children) in crime. [Fagin, character in
Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist]
fanny: Vulva. [perhaps from Fanny, nickname of Frances]
feifoa also pineapple guava: An evergreen shrub (Acca sellowiana) native to South
America and cultivated as an ornamental and for its sweet, tart fruit.[New Latin
Feijoa, former genus name, after João da Silva Feijó, Brazilian soldier and naturalist]
foley: 1. A technical process by which sounds are created or altered for use in a film,
video, or other electronically produced work. 2. A person who creates or alters
36
sounds using this process. [after Jack Foley, pioneering sound effect editor at
Universal Studios in the 1930s.]
Foucauldian: Of, relating to, or characteristic of the philosophy of Michel Foucault.
[Michel Foucault, French philosopher and historian]
G
gal: The centimeter-gram-second unit of acceleration, equal to one centimeter per
second per second.[after Galileo Galilei]
Gatsbyesque: Resembling or characteristic of the title character or the world of the
novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald; luxuriously decadent.
Gloomy Gus: A person who is habitually gloomy. [from a comic-strip character
created by Frederick Burr Opper, American cartoonist]
graham cracker: A slightly sweet, usually rectangular cracker made with wholewheat flour. [After Sylvester Graham, American cleric and social reformer]
Granny Smith: A variety of apple having fruit with green skin and tart, tough flesh.
[After Maria Ann Smith, Australian woman to whom its development is attributed]
grinch: One who spoils the sport or pleasure of others. [from the Grinch, character in
the children's story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1957) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor
Geisel)]
G-spot: A mass of tissue that is held to exist on the anterior vaginal wall and to be
highly erogenous when stimulated. [Grafenberg spot, from Ernst Grafenberg,
American (German-born) gynecologist]
H
Hashimoto's disease: An autoimmune disorder marked by goiter, chronic
inflammation of the thyroid, and often hypothyroidism. [after Hakaru Hashimoto,
Japanese physician.]
Hawking radiation: 1. A form of radiation believed to emanate from black holes,
arising from the creation of pairs of subatomic particles in the space adjacent to the
black hole, with one particle falling into the black hole and the other radiating away.
The energy lost to such radiated particles is believed to cause the eventual
disappearance of the black hole. [after Stephen William Hawking, American
physicist]
hawkshaw: Detective. [from Hawkshaw, detective in the play “The Ticket of Leave
Man” (1863) by Tom Taylor]
hobbit: A member of a fictitious peaceful and genial race of small humanlike
creatures that dwell underground. [from The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien]
holmesian: Of, characteristic of, or suggestive of the detective Sherlock Holmes.
[Sherlock Holmes, detective in stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]
Horatio Alger: Of, relating to, or resembling the fiction of Horatio Alger in which
success is achieved through self-reliance and hard work.
J
jack cheese: Monterey jack. [after David Jacks, 19th-century California landowner]
37
K
Kalashnikov: Any of a series of assault rifles of Soviet design, especially the AK47. [after Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov (born 1919), Soviet arms engineer]
Kawasaki disease: An acute illness of unknown cause that chiefly affects infants
and children and is characterized especially by fever, rash, conjunctivitis,
inflammation of lips and tongue, and swollen lymph nodes of the neck. [Tomisaku
Kawasaki, Japanese pediatrician]
Kegel exercises: Repetitive contractions by a woman of the pelvic muscles that
control the flow in urination in order to strengthen these muscles especially to control
or prevent incontinence or to enhance sexual responsiveness during intercourse.
[Arnold H. Kegel, died 1976, American gynecologist]
Kinsey scale: A classification system for gauging sexual orientation, designed by
American sexologist Alfred Kinsey, and ranging from 0 (exclusively heterosexual) to
6 (exclusively homosexual).
L
lavaliere also lavalliere: A pendant worn on a chain around the neck [French
lavaliere, type of necktie, from the Duchess de La Valliere]
lavalier microphone: A small microphone hung around the neck of the user. [from
the Duchess de La Valliere]
life of Riley: A carefree comfortable way of living. [from the name Riley or Reilly]
Lippes loop: An S-shaped plastic intrauterine device. [Jack Lippes, b1924,
American gynecologist]
M
Macoun: A variety of apple having medium fruit with a red skin and white, crisp
flesh. [William Macoun, Canadian farmer]
Maginot Line: 1. A line of defensive fortifications built before World War II to
protect the eastern border of France but easily outflanked by German invaders. 2. A
defensive barrier or strategy that inspires a false sense of security. [< Andre Maginot,
French minister of war]
Mary Janes: A trademark used for patent leather shoes for girls, usually having a
low heel and a single strap that fastens at the side. [from the name Mary Jane]
Matilda: The pack or bundle containing the personal belongings of a swagman; a
swag. [from the name Matilda]
Maxwell's demon: An imaginary creature who is able to sort hot molecules from
cold molecules without expending energy, thus bringing about a general decrease in
entropy and violating the second law of thermodynamics. [After James Clerk
Maxwell, American physicist]
medusahead: A grass (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) with long bristly awns that is
native to Europe and has become naturalized in western North America. [Medusa,
gorgon killed by Perseus in Greek mythology]
merkin: A pubic wig for women. [Alteration of obsolete malkin, lower-class
woman, from Malkin, diminutive of the personal name Matilda.]
Moonie: A member of the Unification Church. [after Sun Myung Moon, founder of
the sect]
38
Moore's law: An axiom of microprocessor development holding that processing
power doubles about every 18 months, especially relative to cost or size. [Gordon E.
Moore, b1929, American computer industry executive]
Mornay sauce: A cheese-flavored cream sauce. [Philippe de Mornay, French
Huguenot leader during the reigns of Henry III and Henry IV.]
Munchausen syndrome: A psychological disorder characterized by the repeated
fabrication or causation of disease symptoms or trauma for the purpose of gaining
medical attention or treatment. [after Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von
Münchhausen (because the fabricated diseases recalled his fictionalized accounts of
his life)]
Munchausen syndrome by proxy: A psychological disorder in which a parent or
other caregiver gains attention from medical professionals by repeatedly causing or
fabricating disease symptoms in a child.
O
odyssey: 1. An extended adventurous voyage or trip. 2. An intellectual or spiritual
quest: an odyssey of discovery. [after the Odyssey, the younger of the two surviving
ancient Greek epic poems]
Ophelia: The satellite of Uranus that is second in distance from the planet. [Ophelia,
maiden in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”]
P
Pac-Man defense: A stratagem used to prevent a hostile takeover, by which the
target company tries to acquire the bidder. [after Pac-Man, trademark for a video
game in which a character gobbles up its opponents]
Pascal's triangle: A triangle of numbers in which a row represents the coefficients
of the binomial series. The triangle is bordered by ones on the right and left sides,
and each interior entry is the sum of the two entries above. [after Blaise Pascal,
French philosopher and mathematician]
Pascal's wager: An argument according to which belief in God is rational whether
or not God exists, since falsely believing that God exists leads to no harm whereas
falsely believing that God does not exist may lead to eternal damnation. [after Blaise
Pascal]
pavlova: A dessert of Australian and New Zealand origin consisting of a meringue
shell topped with whipped cream and usually fruit. [Anna Pavlova, Russian
ballerina]
Phillips: Of, relating to, or being a screw having a head with a cross slot, or the
corresponding screwdriver. [from Phillips, a trademark, from Henry M. Phillips,
American engineer]
Pickwickian: 1. Simple and kind: a Pickwickian uncle. 2. Meant or understood in an
idiosyncratic or unusual way: a word used in a Pickwickian manner. [after Mr.
Pickwick, central character in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, by
Charles Dickens]
pied piper: 1. One that offers strong but delusive enticement. 2. A leader who
makes irresponsible promises. 3. A charismatic person who attracts followers. [the
Pied Piper, hero of a German folktale who charmed the rats of Hamelin, Germany,
into a river]
39
Ponzi scheme: An investment swindle in which high profits are promised from
fictitious sources and early investors are paid off with funds raised from later ones.
[after Charles Ponzi, Italian-born speculator who organized such a scheme]
Portia: The satellite of Uranus that is seventh in distance from the planet. [after
Portia, rich heiress in “The Merchant of Venice,” by William Shakespeare]
R
Reed-Sternberg cell: A giant binucleated or multinucleated macrophage that is
characteristic of Hodgkin's disease. [after Dorothy M. Reed, American pathologist,
and Carl Sternberg, Austrian pathologist]
Reuben1: A grilled sandwich of corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut usually
on rye bread. [probably from Reuben Kulakofsky, American grocer]
Reuben2: A statuette awarded annually by a professional organization for notable
achievement in cartoon artistry. [Reuben L. Goldberg, American cartoonist]
Rosalind: The satellite of Uranus that is eighth in distance from the planet. [after
Rosalind, daughter of the banished duke in “As You Like It,” by William
Shakespeare.]
roscoe: Handgun: a firearm (as a revolver or pistol) designed to be held and fired
with one hand. [probably from the name Roscoe]
Roth IRA: An individual retirement account in which a person can set aside aftertax income up to a specified amount each year. Earnings on the account are tax-free,
and tax-free withdrawals may be made after age 59 1/2. [after William Victor Roth,
Jr., U.S. congressman]
RU 486: An oral drug that can terminate pregnancy by interfering with the action of
progesterone and preventing the attachment of a fertilized ovum to the uterine wall.
[Roussel UCLAF, a French pharmaceutical company that makes it + 486, project
number]
russet Burbank: A long rounded potato with a rough brown skin. [after Luther
Burbank, American botanist]
S
Saint Elmo's fire: A visible electric discharge on a pointed object, such as the mast
of a ship or the wing of an airplane, during an electrical storm. Also called
corposant. [after Saint Elmo, fourth-century A.D. patron saint of sailors]
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: A hypothesis holding that the structure of a language
affects the perceptions of reality of its speakers and thus influences their thought
patterns and worldviews. [after Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, American
linguists]
Scheherezade: A skilled woman storyteller. [after the fictional queen Scheherezade,
skilled narrator of the tales in the anonymous The Arabian Nights]
Schmeisser: Any of various German automatic weapons designed for use by
individual troops during World War II, especially either of two types of submachine
gun. [after Hugo Schmeisser, 20th-century German arms engineer (to whom this type
of weapon was mistakenly attributed by Allied military men)]
Secchi depth /sĕkē/: A measure of the cloudiness or turbidity of surface water. [after
the Secchi disk]
40
Secchi disk: A disk, divided into black and white quarters, used to gauge water
clarity by measuring the depth at which it is no longer visible from the surface. [after
Pietro Angelo Secchi, Italian astronomer hired to test such a disk]
Sertoli cell: Any of the elongated, striated cells of the seminiferous tubules of the
testis, to which spermatids attach for nourishment during spermatogenesis. [after
Enrico Sertoli, Italian histologist]
sillimanite: A brown, gray, white, or pale green mineral, used as a gemstone and for
ornamental carvings. Also called fibrolite. [after Benjamin Silliman, American
chemist and educator]
slim-jim: Notably slender. [slim + Jim, nickname for James]
Southern blot analysis: A technique for identifying specific sequences of DNA in
which DNA fragments are separated by electrophoresis, transferred to nitrocellulose,
and identified with a suitable probe. [after Edwin Mallor Southern, British
biochemist]
spotted dick: A pudding made with suet and currants or raisins. [dialect dick
pudding, probably from the name Dick]
Stanislavski method: A technique in acting by which an actor strives to empathize
with the character being portrayed so as to effect a realistic interpretation.
[Konstantin Stanislavsky, Russian actor and director]
Stanley Cup: 1. A championship hockey tournament played each year by qualifying
teams from the National Hockey League. 2. The trophy awarded for this
championship, shaped like a bowl mounted on a pedestal. [after Frederick Arthur,
Lord Stanley of Preston, governor general of Canada and donator of the trophy for
the winning team in the 1893-1894 season]
Sten: A light simple 9-millimeter British submachine gun. [R. V. Shepherd, 20th
century English army officer + H. J. Turpin, 20th century English civil servant +
Enfield, England]
stent: 1. A device used to support a bodily orifice or cavity during skin grafting or to
immobilize a skin graft following placement. 2. A slender thread, rod, or catheter
inserted into a tubular structure, such as a blood vessel, to provide support during or
after anastomosis. [after Charles R. Stent, English dentist]
student's t distribution: T distribution. [Student, pen name of W. S. Gosset, died
1937, British statistician]
Sycorax: The satellite of Uranus that is 17th in distance from the planet. [after
Sycorax, witch who is the mother of Caliban in “The Tempest,” by William
Shakespeare]
T
tarte tatin: A caramelized apple tart that is baked with pastry on top and then
inverted for serving. [French, Tatin tart, after the Tatin sisters of Lamotte-Beuvron,
France]
Taylorism: A factory management system developed in the late 19th century to
increase efficiency by evaluating every step in a manufacturing process and breaking
down production into specialized repetitive tasks. [Frederick W. Taylor, American
engineer]
Thompson seedless: A round-berried, green, seedless or nearly seedless variety of
grape widely cultivated in the United States for table use and for drying as raisins.
[after W. B. Thompson, American horticulturist]
41
tiki bar: A restaurant or bar decorated in a simulated Polynesian theme that usually
serves exotic cocktails. [< Maori & Marquesan Tiki, first man or creator of first man]
tortoni: Ice cream made of heavy cream often with minced almonds and chopped
maraschino cherries and often flavored with rum. [probably from Tortoni, 19th
century Italian restaurateur in Paris]
Trombe wall: A masonry wall that is usually separated from the outdoors by a glass
wall and is designed to absorb solar heat and release it into the interior of a building.
[Félix Trombe, French designer]
Trotskyism: The political, economic, and social principles advocated by Trotsky;
especially the theory and practice of communism developed by or associated with
Trotsky and usually including adherence to the concept of worldwide revolution as
opposed to socialism in one country. [Leon
Trotsky,
Russian
revolutionary
theoretician]
Turing machine: A hypothetical computing device capable of storing information
and responding to computational questions, used in mathematical studies of
computability. [Alan Mathison Turing, who conceived such a machine]
U
Uncle Tom: 1. A black who is overeager to win the approval of whites (as by
obsequious behavior or uncritical acceptance of white values and goals). 2. A
member of a low-status group who is overly subservient to or cooperative with
authority: The worst floor managers and supervisors by far are women… Some of
them are regular Uncle Toms. 3. To behave like an Uncle Tom.
Uzi: Any of various compact submachine guns having a caliber of 9 millimeters,
originally designed in Israel in the 1950s. [after Uzi el-Gal, 20th-century Israeli army
officer and weapons designer]
V
Van Allen belt: A belt of intense radiation in the magnetosphere composed of
energetic charged particles trapped by the earth's magnetic field; also a similar belt
surrounding another planet. [James A. Van Allen, American physicist]
Very light: A pyrotechnic signal in a system of signaling using white or colored
balls of fire projected from a special pistol. [Edward W. Very, died 1910, American
naval officer]
W
Whorfian hypothesis: A theory in linguistics: one's language determines one's
conception of the world. [Benjamin Lee Whorf, American anthropologist]
Wilms' tumor: A malignant tumor of the kidney that is associated with certain
genetic abnormalities and chiefly affects young children. [after Max Wilms, German
surgeon]
Williams syndrome: A rare genetic disorder marked especially by hypercalcemia of
infants, heart defects, characteristic facial abnormalities, and mild to moderate
mental retardation but a high verbal aptitude. [J. C. P. Williams, New Zealand
physician]
willy: Penis. [from the name Willy]
42
wisha: Used as an intensive or to express surprise. [Irish mhuise, muise, probably
alteration of Muire, “Mary” (Jesus' mother)]
Z
zerk: A grease fitting. [Oscar U. Zerk, Austrian-born American inventor]
7. EUPHEMISM (10)
A euphemism is “a substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one
that may offend or suggest something unpleasant” (red dictionary).
D
differently abled: Disabled, challenged.
disorderly house: Bordello.
downsize: 1. To reduce in number or size: a corporation that downsized its
personnel in response to a poor economy. 2. To dismiss or lay off from work:
workers who were downsized during the recession. To become smaller in size by
reductions in personnel: Corporations continued to downsize after the economy
recovered.
G
golden years: The advanced years in a lifetime: active well into their golden years.
R
revenue enhancement: An increase in taxes.
rightsize: 1. To reduce (as a workforce) to an optimal size. 2. To undergo a
reduction to an optimal size.
S
sex worker: A person whose work involves sexually explicit behavior; prostitute.
T
thirtysomething: Of, relating to, or being a person who is in his or her thirties:
thirtysomething parents; a thirtysomething topless waitress.
V
vertically challenged: Short: he is a vertically challenged guy.
43
W
woman of the street: Prostitute.
8. FOLK ETYMOLOGY (61)
Folk etymology refers to “transformation of words so as to give them an apparent
relationship to other, better-known or better-understood words.” In general, we use
the term to include any derivation that is curious or complicated and that can only be
explained by recurring to individualized explanations.
B
banana slug: A large slug (Ariolimax columbianus) of the northwestern forests of
North America, ranging in color from black to white but often having a bright yellow
body with black spots.
banjo clock: A pendulum clock having a round face, a relatively narrow elongated
case, and a rectangular box at the bottom.
b-boying: A style of urban dance that combines energetic footwork with tumbling
and spins, usually performed to funk music. [Probably from b(reak)-boy, one who
dances in this style]
berk: Fool. [probably short for Berkeley (or Berkshire) hunt, rhyming slang for
cunt]
Billy Yank: A Union soldier during the American Civil War.
bitsy: Bitty. [Alteration of bitty]
black bag: 1. A bag in which physicians traditionally carry instruments and a stock
of drugs, as on a house call. 2. A physician's stock of drugs.
Black Country: A highly industrialized region of west-central England centered on
Birmingham. It was named for the grime accumulated from factory smoke and other
industrial pollutants.
bloviate: To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner: the rural Babbitt
who bloviates about ‘progress’ and ‘growth’. [Mock-Latinate formation, from blow]
blue water: The open sea; deep water.
bumbershoot: An umbrella. [Alteration of umbrella + alteration of (para)chute]
bumf or bumph: Chiefly British Slang 1. Printed matter, such as pamphlets, forms,
or memorandums, especially of an official nature and deemed of little interest or
importance. 2. Toilet paper. [Short for bum fodder : bum + FODDER]
bumfuzzle: Chiefly Southern U.S. To confuse. [Probably bum- (probably alteration
of BAMBOOZLE) + fuzzle (perhaps blend of FUDDLE and FUZZY)]
44
C
callithump: A noisy boisterous band or parade. [back-formation from
CALLITHUMPIAN, adjective, alteration of English dialect GALLITHUMPIAN,
disturber of order at elections in 18th century]
D
def: Cool: very good. [probably alteration of death (from the phrase “to death” =
excessively: love you to death)]
F
filmi: Music composed for the Indian popular film industry, using traditional and
modern instruments, with melodies and vocal styles derived from Indian folk and
classical music.
foosball: A table game resembling soccer in which the ball is moved by
manipulating rods to which small figures of players are attached. [probably
modification of German tischfussball, from tisch, “table” + fussball, “soccer,” from
fuss, “foot” + ball, “ball”]
G
gangsta: 1. A member of an urban street gang. 2. A performer of gangsta rap.
[alteration of GANGSTER]
gazoo: Wazoo.
goanna: Any of several large Australian monitor lizards (genus Varanus of the
family Varanidae). [alteration of IGUANA]
H
hizzoner: Used as a title for a man holding the office of mayor. [alteration of his
honor]
ho: Whore. [alteration of whore]
J
jerry-rigged: Organized or constructed in a crude or improvised manner: a jerryrigged plan. [probably blend of JERRY-BUILT and JURY-RIGGED]
Joe Six-Pack: An ordinary man; a blue-collar worker. [from the stereotype of a sixpack of beer as a workingman's drink]
K
kazoo: Wazoo: anus. [imitative of the sound of a toy musical instrument with a
membrane that produces a buzzing sound when a player hums or sings into the
mouthpiece]
M
mau-mau: To attack or denounce vociferously, especially so as to intimidate: In
years past, [the civil rights leadership]... would mau-mau the government or the
corporate sector or the white community.
45
McJob: A job, usually in the retail or service sector, that is low paying, often
temporary, and offers minimal or no benefits or opportunity for promotion.
[Mc(Donald's), trademark of a fast-food restaurant chain (from its mass-produced
nature) + job]
mondo: Enormous; huge: a mondo list of pizza toppings. Extremely; very: a mondo
big mistake. [from mondo bizarro, “very bizarre,” from Italian Mondo (Cane), (A
Dog's) World, name of movie with bizarre scenes that was a cult favorite in the
1960s]
O
octothorpe: The symbol (#) also number sign. [alteration (influenced by octo-), of
earlier octalthorpe, “the pound key” probably humorous blend of octal, “an eightpoint pin used in electronic connections” (from the eight points of the symbol), and
the name of Oglethorpe, James Edward]
oldfangled: Old-fashioned [from NEW-FANGLED]
omerta: A rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about
certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization. [< Italian
omerta, perhaps from dialectal alteration of umilta, “humility, modesty,” <Latin
humilitas]
onion snow: A light snow in late spring, after onions have been planted.
P
Pakeha: A New Zealander of European descent; a non-Maori New Zealander.
[Maori pkeh; perhaps akin to pakepakeh, pkehakeha, imaginary pale-skinned beings]
pedalo: A small recreational paddleboat powered by pedals. [French pédalo, from
pédale, “pedal” + -o (perhaps as in MECCANO, children's construction set)]
pharming: The production of pharmaceuticals from genetically altered plants or
animals. [blend of PHARMACEUTICAL and FARMING]
phat: Excellent; first-rate: phat fashion; a phat rapper. Earlier, sexy She’s phat.
[p(retty) h(ot) a(nd) t(empting)]
pigeon: An object of special concern; an affair or matter. [alteration of pidgin]
plugola: Advertising or publicity that is intended for self-promotion and not paid for
or underwritten by an independent sponsor: fourteen minutes of traditional ads and
eight of plugola.
poboy or po-boy or po'boy: A large sandwich consisting of a long roll split
lengthwise and filled with layers of meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and condiments.
Also called sub, also called regionally Cuban sandwich, grinder, hero, hoagie,
Italian sandwich, torpedo, wedge, zep. [variant of POOR BOY]
polypay: Any of a breed of beige-colored sheep developed in the United States,
raised for meat and wool and valued for their hardiness and frequent lambing.
[[POLY- (from its having been bred from multiple breeds) + PAY (from its good
return from labor and investment)]
pooch: To bulge; protrude. Used with out: a little roll of flab that pooches out above
the tight waists of their spandex trunks. [alteration of pouch.]
poontang: 1. Sexual intercourse with a woman. 2. Used as a disparaging term for a
woman. [perhaps from French putain, “prostitute,” from Old French, from pute,
46
feminine of put, “foul, stinking,” from Latin putidus, from putere, “to be rotten,
stink”]
pram: Baby carriage.
Q
quamish: Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Sick in the stomach; nauseated.
[alteration of QUALMISH]
R
rassle: To engage in wrestling or wrestle with. [dialectal alteration of WRESTLE]
roofie: A tablet of the sedative flunitrazepam. [probably alteration (influenced by
roof), of Rohypnol]
S
salaryman: A Japanese corporate businessman. [Anglicization of Japanese
sarariman, “salaried man”: [English SALARY + English MAN]
scuzzball: An unpleasant, dirty, or dangerous person: creep. compare
GREASEBALL [scuzz-, back-formation from SKUZZY + BALL]
sleazeball: A sleazy person. 1. a. Lacking firmness of texture: flimsy. b. Carelessly
made of inferior materials. 2. Marked by low character or quality, scuzzball.
[<SLEAZY + BALL]
spam: Unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses.
Junk e-mail. [from a skit on the British television series “Monty Python's Flying
Circus” in which chanting of the word SPAM overrides the other dialogue]
sportif: Sporty. [French, sporting, “of sports,” from sport, “sport,” from English]
stark-naked: Bare-naked. [alteration by folk etymology from obsolete start-naked,
naked to the tail, from Middle English stert-naked: stert, “tail” + NAKED]
sunchoke: Jerusalem artichoke, in both senses also called girasol. 1. A North
American sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus) having yellow, rayed flower heads and
edible tubers. 2. The tuber of this plant, eaten as a vegetable. [sun + artichoke]
swan: To declare; swear. Used in the phrase I swan as an interjection. [probably
alteration of dialectal (I) s' warrant, (I) shall warrant]
T
tawdry: 1. Gaudy and cheap in nature or appearance. 2. Shameful or indecent:
tawdry secrets. 3. Cheap and gaudy finery. [From tawdry lace, “lace necktie,”
alteration of Saint Audrey's lace (sold at the annual Saint Audrey's fair, Ely,
England), after Saint Audrey (Saint Etheldreda), queen of Northumbria, who died in
679 of a throat tumor, supposedly because she delighted in fancy necklaces as a
young woman.]
titfer: Hat. [by shortening & alteration from tit for tat, rhyming slang for hat
(cockney)]
tittie: Sister. [probably baby talk alteration of sister]
tweener: A player who has some but not all of the necessary characteristics for each
of two or more positions (as in football or basketball). [<BETWEEN]
47
V
veejay: An announcer of a program (as on television) that features music videos. [<
VIDEO + DEEJAY]
W
waitron: Waitperson. [blend of WAITER or WAITRESS and -tron (suggesting the
machinelike impersonality of such work), from NEUTRON, taken as a genderneutral term]
walkathon: A walk covering a considerable distance organized especially to raise
money for a cause. [< WALK + MARATHON]
9. GENERAL (2,491)
In this category we have put all the “new words” that do not enter into one of the
other categories, like hobson-jobson, back-formation, coinage, etc. We could also
call this category simply “neologisms.” Of course all the 6,775 new words that we
found in the black, white, and red dictionaries are neologisms, but for the sake of
convenience we have separated off those that can be grouped together into specific
categories. This category, “general,” contains all the words that could not be so
grouped.
A
abacterial: Not caused by or characterized by the presence of bacteria: abacterial
prostatitis.
abdominoplasty: Plastic surgery of the abdomen in which excess fatty tissue and
skin are removed, usually for cosmetic purposes.
abduction: 1. The action of abducting: the condition of being abducted. 2. The
unlawful carrying away of a woman for marriage or intercourse.
aberrant: Deviating from the usual or natural type: Atypical.
ableism: Discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities.
abluted: Washed clean.
aboil: 1. Being at the boiling point: boiling. 2. Intensely excited or stirred up: the
meeting was aboil with controversy.
abortion pill: A drug taken orally to induce abortion especially early in pregnancy.
48
about-face: 1. A reversal of direction. 2. A reversal of attitude, behavior, or point
of view.
about-turn: About-face.
ab ovo: From the beginning. [Latin, literally, “from the egg”]
ABS: Abbr. A tough rigid plastic used especially for automobile parts and building
materials.
absolute humidity: The amount of water vapor present in a unit volume of air.
abstrusity: 1. The quality or state of being difficult to understand: abstruseness. 2.
Something that is difficult to understand.
abubble: 1. Being in the process of bubbling. 2. Being in a state of agitated activity
or motion: astir.
abyssal plain: Any of the great flat sediment-covered areas of ocean floor.
accessorial: 1. Of or relating to an accessory: accessorial liability. 2. Of, relating to,
or constituting an accession: supplementary: accessorial services.
accidie /ăks∂dē/: A spiritual torpor and apathy: ennui: acedia.
accountability: The quality or state of being accountable; an obligation or
willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions: public officials
lacking accountability.
accountancy: The profession or practice of accounting.
acedia: Apathy, boredom. [Late Latin, from Greek akēdeia, “indifference,” a-, “a-”+
kēdos, “care”]
achingly: 1. In an aching manner: achingly sad songs. 2. Extremely, exceedingly:
achingly complicated.
acid snow: Acid precipitation in the form of snow.
acquired taste: Something or someone that is not easily or immediately liked or
appreciated.
actioner: A film dominated by a high degree of exciting action.
action figure: A small-scale figure (as of a superhero) used especially as a toy.
actionless: Marked by inaction: immobile.
act out: To translate into action: unwilling to act out their beliefs.
actual cash value: Money equal to the cost of replacing lost, stolen, or damaged
property after depreciation.
act up: 1. To act in a way different from that which is normal or expected: as a. To
behave in an unruly, recalcitrant, or capricious manner: the children were acting up.
b. Show off. c. To function improperly: this typewriter is acting up again. 2. To
become active or acute after being quiescent: her rheumatism started to act up.
adaptationist: Explaining or seeking to explain the evolution of traits in terms of
their adaptive function or survival value.
adaptive optics: A telescopic system that improves image resolution by
compensating for distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence.
ad eundem: To, in, or of the same rank — used especially of the honorary granting
of academic standing or a degree by a university to one whose actual work was done
elsewhere. [New Latin ad eundem gradum]
adipose tissue: Connective tissue in which fat is stored and which has the cells
distended by droplets of fat.
add-in: 1. Something designed or intended for use in conjunction with another. 2.
An accessory software program that extends the capabilities of an existing
application.
49
adirondack chair: An outdoor armchair having an angled back and seat made of
wide, usually wooden slats.
adjustable-rate mortgage: A mortgage whose interest rate is raised or lowered at
periodic intervals according to the prevailing interest rates in the market.
administrative law: Law dealing with the establishment, duties, and powers of and
available remedies against authorized agencies in the executive branch of the
government.
administratrix: A woman who is an administrator especially of an estate.
advertence: 1. The quality or practice of being advertent; heedfulness. 2. The action
of being attentive; attention or consideration.
aerobrake: To decelerate (as a spacecraft) by passage through a planetary
atmosphere.
aerobraking: The use of atmospheric drag rather than onboard thrusters to reduce
the velocity of a satellite or spacecraft.
aeroelasticity: Distortion (as from bending) in a structure (as an airplane wing or a
building) caused by aerodynamic forces.
aerogel: A highly porous solid formed from a gel, such as silica gel, in which the
liquid is replaced with a gas.
aero space plane: An airplane designed to be able to reach low earth orbit.
affinity card: A credit card sponsored by an organization, such as a university or
business, that receives part of the card user's fees.
Africana: Materials (as books, documents, or artifacts) relating to African history
and culture.
Africanism: 1. A characteristic feature (as a custom or belief) of African culture. 2.
A characteristic feature of an African language occurring in a non-African language.
3. Allegiance to the traditions, interests, or ideals of Africa.
Afrocentric: Centered or focused on Africa or African peoples, especially in relation
to historical or cultural influence: a string of small black-owned art galleries in Los
Angeles's Afrocentric cultural district.
afterguard: 1. The sailors stationed on the poop or after part of a ship. 2. The
decision-making members of a sailboat racing team usually including a helmsman,
tactician, and navigator.
afternoons: In the afternoon repeatedly; on any afternoon: goes to school
afternoons.
afterschool: 1. Taking place immediately following school classes: afterschool
activities. 2. Of or being a program designed to provide care for and educational
enhancement to children in the hours immediately following school classes.
agarose: A polysaccharide obtained from agar that is the most widely used medium
for gel electrophoresis procedures.
agate ware: 1. Pottery veined and mottled to resemble agate. 2. An enameled iron or
steel ware for household utensils.
agaze: Engaged in the act of gazing.
agelong: Lasting for an age: everlasting.
age-mate: One who is of about the same age as another.
age spot: A benign, localized brownish patch on the skin, often occurring in old age
and usually in fair-skinned people with sun-damaged skin.
agita /ăJĭt∂/: A feeling of agitation or anxiety. [South Italian dialect pronunciation of
Italian acido, literally, “heartburn,” “acid,” from Latin acidus]
50
aglare: Glaring: his eyes aglare with fury.
air-breathing: Of, employing, or being an engine that requires air for combustion.
airbus: A commercial passenger jet with a short to medium range.
air guitar: 1. An imaginary guitar that one pretends to play. 2. The action of
playing air guitar.
air-kiss: A facial expression in which the lips are pursed as if kissing.
airmanship: Skill in piloting or navigating aircraft.
air-minded: Interested in aviation or in air travel.
air rage: An airline passenger's uncontrolled anger that is usually expressed in
aggressive or violent behavior.
alarums and excursions: 1. Loud, frantic, or excited activity; clamor. 2. The sounds
of war or warlike activity. Used as a stage direction for moving of soldiers across
stage, as in Shakespeare's plays. [Early Modern English, sudden attacks and sallies]
Alaska Native: A member of any of the aboriginal peoples of Alaska, including
American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut peoples.
albinotic: 1. Of, relating to, or affected with albinism. 2. Tending toward albinism.
[albino + -tic (as in melanotic)]
alderwoman: A woman who is a member of the municipal legislative body in a
town or city in many jurisdictions. [alder(man) + woman]
alfalfa weevil: A weevil native to Europe that has widely infested North American
alfalfa crops.
aliasing: The static distortion in digital sound caused by a low sampling rate.
Alice-in-Wonderland: Suitable to a world of fantasy or illusion. Unreal. [Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll]
alienage: The status of an alien.
alienation of affection: The wrongful or injurious act of interfering with an
affectionate relationship so that one person loses affection for the other.
Alife /ālīf/: The simulation of biological phenomena through the use of computer
models, robotics, or biochemistry.
aliteracy: The quality or state of being able to read but uninterested in doing so.
alkaline battery: A long-lived dry cell with an alkaline electrolyte that decreases
corrosion of the cell.
all but: Very nearly: almost: would be all but impossible.
all-day: Continuing all through the day: an all-day examination.
all-embracing: Applying to or including everything: an all-embracing definition of
art.
all hours: a very late time: stayed up until all hours.
alligator clip: A spring-loaded clip with serrated jaws, often used to make temporary
electrical connections.
all in: Tired, exhausted: after a day of wood-splitting he was all in.
all of: Fully: she's all of 20 years old.
all over: 1. In eagerly affectionate, attentive, or aggressive pursuit of: the band's fans
were all over them. 2. In or into a state marked by all-out criticism of: the press was
all over the coach after the loss.
all that: To an indicated or suggested extent or degree: so: didn't take his threats all
that seriously.
all-wheel: Acting especially independently on or by means of all four wheels of an
automotive vehicle: all-wheel drive.
51
almond-eyed: Having narrow slanted almond-shaped eyes.
along of: Because of.
alphabet soup: A hodgepodge especially of initials (as of the names of
organizations).
alpha wave: A pattern of smooth, regular electrical oscillations in the human brain
that occur when a person is awake and relaxed. As recorded by the
electroencephalograph, alpha waves have a frequency of 8 to 13 hertz.
alterity: Otherness; specifically the quality or state of being radically alien to the
conscious self or a particular cultural orientation.
alternative medicine: A variety of therapeutic or preventive health care practices,
such as homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, and herbal medicine, that do not
follow generally accepted medical methods and may not have a scientific explanation
for their effectiveness.
ambivert: A person having characteristics of both extrovert and introvert. [ambi- + vert (as in introvert)]
amen cadence: A cadence with the subdominant chord immediately preceding the
tonic chord.
ammunition clip: A metal container or frame for holding cartridges to be loaded
into an automatic rifle or pistol.
amplidyne: A rotating magnetic amplifier with specialized windings that allow
small changes in power input to produce large changes in power output.
ancilla /ănsĭl∂/: An aid to achieving or mastering something difficult.
androcentric: Centered or focused on men, often to the neglect or exclusion of
women: an androcentric view of history; an androcentric health-care system.
anelastic: Relating to the property of a substance in which there is no definite
relation between stress and strain.
angle shot: A picture taken with the camera pointed at an angle from the horizontal.
anglomania: A strong predilection for anything English.
anhedonia: The absence of pleasure or the ability to experience it.
animal control: An office or department responsible for enforcing ordinances
relating to the control, impoundment, and disposition of animals.
animatism: A belief that all animate and inanimate objects are infused with a
common life force.
anno Hebraico: In a specified year of the Jewish calendar.
anno Hegirae: In a specified year of the Islamic calendar.
annus horribilis: A disastrous or unfortunate year.
antecessor: One who precedes; a predecessor.
anthropogenic: 1. Of or relating to anthropogenesis. 2. Caused by humans:
anthropogenic degradation of the environment.
antiaging: Delaying or lessening the effects of aging, especially on the skin: an
antiaging cream.
antiangiogenic: Of or relating to a naturally occurring substance, drug, or other
compound that can destroy or interfere with the fine network of blood vessels needed
by tumors to grow and metastasize.
antianxiety drug: Any of a group of drugs, such as the benzodiazepines, that are
used to treat anxiety without causing excessive sedation.
antidrug: Acting against or opposing illicit drugs or their use: antidrug activists;
an antidrug program.
52
antihuman: Acting or being against humanity.
antihypertensive: A substance that is effective against high blood pressure.
antilife: Antagonistic or antithetical to life or to normal human values.
anting: Bird behavior in which ants are rubbed on the feathers to obtain chemicals
(as formic acid) from the ants.
antiskate: A control mechanism on a phonograph turntable designed to compensate
for the natural tendency of a pivoted tone arm to pull toward the center.
API: 1. Application programming interface. 2. Asian and Pacific Islander.
appealing: Attractive; inviting: an appealing manner; an appealing idea.
applecart: A plan, system, situation, or undertaking that may be disrupted or
terminated: upset the applecart.
apple-knocker: Rustic.
Arab League: An association of Arab states established in 1945 to promote
cooperation among member nations in matters relating to economic and social
development and foreign policy.
arbitral: Of or relating to arbiters or arbitration.
archaeoastronomy: The study of the knowledge, interpretations, and practices of
ancient cultures regarding celestial objects or phenomena.
armband: A band worn around the upper arm, often as identification or as a symbol
of mourning or protest.
armored car: A lightly armored truck used to transport cash and other valuables.
arms race: A race between hostile nations to accumulate or develop weapons; an
ever escalating race or competition.
arrestant: A substance that stimulates an insect to stop locomotion.
artificial life: The simulation of biological phenomena through the use of computer
models, robotics, or biochemistry.
assisted living: A living arrangement in which people with special needs, especially
seniors with disabilities, reside in a facility that provides help with everyday tasks
such as bathing, dressing, and taking medication.
assisted reproduction: The use of medical techniques, such as drug therapy,
artificial insemination, or in vitro fertilization, to enhance fertility.
assisted suicide: Suicide accomplished with the aid of another person, especially a
physician.
assistive: Designed for use by disabled people: an assistive communications device;
assistive technology.
associate’s degree: An academic degree conferred by a two-year college after the
prescribed course of study has been successfully completed.
athwart ships: Across a ship from side to side.
at-risk: Being endangered, as from exposure to disease or from a lack of parental or
familial guidance and proper health care: efforts to make the vaccine available to atrisk groups of children.
at sign: The symbol @ especially when used as part of an Internet user's e-mail
address.
attack dog: 1. A dog trained to attack on command or on sight. 2. A person noted
for harsh, personal, and usually public verbal attacks against others: a political attack
dog.
attractor: One that attracts: flowers that are excellent attractors of hummingbirds.
audiobook: A recording of a book or magazine being read.
53
audit trail: A record of a sequence of events (as actions performed by a computer)
from which a history may be reconstructed.
autoerotic asphyxia: A form of sexual masochism in which oxygen flow to the
brain is reduced, as by controlled strangulation or suffocation, in order to enhance the
pleasure of masturbation.
autoexposure: A camera system that automatically adjusts the exposure according to
ambient lighting.
automatic writing: Writing produced without conscious intention as if of telepathic
or spiritualistic origin.
autosexing: Exhibiting different characters in the two sexes at birth or hatching:
autosexing chickens.
Aztlán: 1. In Aztec legend, the original home of the Aztec people, held to have been
located in northwest Mexico. 2. The American Southwest, specifically the territory
of northern Mexico ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in
1848. The term is used especially by Chicano-rights activists.
B
baby buster: A member of a baby-bust generation
baby bust: A sudden decline in the birthrate, especially the one in the United States
from about 1961-1981.
baby oil: Usually fragrant mineral oil that is used especially to moisturize and
cleanse the skin; also any of various oils used similarly.
babyproof: Made safe for babies or young children; childproof.
bachelorette: An unmarried woman.
backchat: 1. Back talk. 2. Gossipy or bantering conversation.
back date: To mark or supply with a date that is earlier than the actual date:
backdate a check.
backfill: Material used to refill an excavated area.
backflow: A flow of fluid in the opposite direction of its regular flow.
back-office: Of or relating to the inner workings of a business or institution; internal:
back-office operations.
back-order: To assign to the status of back order.
back order: A business order yet to be fulfilled because stock is unavailable.
back-scratching: The reciprocal exchange of favors, services, assistance, or praise.
backslash: A backward virgule (\).
backsplash: An upright surface or border, as of tile, that protects the wall behind a
sink or stove.
bad boy: A person who flouts convention: a literary bad boy.
bakeware: Dishes used for baking and serving food.
baking sheet: A flat rectangular metal pan, often with at least one rolled-up edge,
used for baking.
balancing act: An attempt to cope with several often conflicting factors or situations
at the same time.
ballbuster: A person who is relentlessly aggressive, intimidating, or domineering.
ball mill: A pulverizing machine consisting of a rotating drum which contains
pebbles or metal balls as the grinding implements.
balloon payment: A final loan payment that is significantly larger than the payments
preceding it.
54
ballot box: 1. A box in which a voter deposits his or her marked ballot. 2. The
process or method of voting, especially in secret: The popularity of the party's
platform will be decided by the ballot box.
bandpass filter: A filter designed to transmit a particular band of electromagnetic
frequencies while excluding those of higher or lower frequencies.
bang-bang: 1. a. Having a sudden, forceful, or attention-grabbing effect; punchy:
bang-bang headlines. b. Executed or happening so quickly as to make judgment (as
by an umpire or referee) difficult: a bang-bang play at first base. 2. Characterized
by violent or fast-paced action: a bang-bang movie.
bar car: A railroad passenger car with facilities for serving refreshments and drinks.
bareboat: A boat chartered without its crew.
bargain-basement: 1. Of inferior quality or worth. 2. Markedly inexpensive:
bargain-basement rates.
barista: A person who makes and serves coffee (as espresso) to the public.
barrel-chested: Having a large rounded chest: a barrel-chested athlete.
barrel vault: A simple continuous vault, typically semicircular in cross section; Also
called tunnel vault, wagon vault.
barrier island: A long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland,
built up by the action of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast from
erosion by surf and tidal surges.
basically: 1. In a basic way; fundamentally or essentially: throughout the ordeal, he
remained basically the same. 2. For the most part; chiefly: they basically do what
they are supposed to.
bathing beauty: a woman in a bathing suit who is a contestant in a beauty contest.
bathythermograph: An instrument that records water temperature in relation to
ocean depth.
bat out: To compose especially in a casual, careless, or hurried manner: batted out a
first draft of the memo.
B-boy: A male who engages in the pursuit of hip-hop culture or adopts its styles.
[b, probably from break (solo instrumental passage) or break beat]
beachboy: A male beach attendant (as at a club or hotel).
beam splitter: A mirror or prism or a combination of the two that is used to divide a
beam of radiation into two or more parts.
beauty part: The most desirable or beneficial aspect of something.
beauty queen: A beautiful and glamorous woman or girl; specifically a winner of a
beauty contest.
bed-hop: Sleep around.
bed rest: Confinement of a sick person to bed.
beer and skittles: A situation of agreeable ease: won't be all beer and skittles.
beer belly: A protruding abdomen, especially as the result of habitual beer drinking.
beer garden: An outdoor tavern or an outdoor area adjoining a tavern where alcohol
is served. [Translation of German biergarten : bier, “beer” + garten, “garden”]
bee-stung: Full and sensuous. Used of lips.
beggar-thy-neighbor: Relating to or being an action or policy that produces gains
for one group at the expense of another: followed beggar-thy-neighbor policies in
imposing taxes.
55
behavioral genetics: The study of the genetic underpinnings of behavioral
phenotypes such as eating or mating activity, substance abuse, social attitudes,
violence, and mental abilities.
bell curve or bell-shaped curve: The symmetrical curve of a normal distribution.
bells and whistles: Nonessential features or enhancements intended especially to
add commercial appeal.
belly pack: A waist pack, especially as worn with the pouch over the stomach.
belter: A singer with a powerful voice.
belt up: Shut up.
Beltway: 1. The beltway surrounding Washington, D.C. 2. The political
establishment of Washington, D.C., including federal officeholders, lobbyists,
consultants, and media commentators.
benchtop: Suitable (as in size or configuration) for convenient use on a laboratory
workbench: a benchtop centrifuge.
beneficials: Organisms (as ladybugs, lacewings, and bacteria) that feed on or
parasitize pests of crops, gardens, and turf.
benign neglect: A policy or attitude of ignoring a situation instead of assuming
responsibility for managing or improving it.
benthic: 1. Of, relating to, or occurring at the bottom of a body of water. 2. Of,
relating to, or occurring in the depths of the ocean.
beta decay: The radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus accompanied by emission of
a beta particle.
beta test: The final stage in the testing of new software before its commercial
release, conducted by testers other than its developers.
beta version: The version of a software product used in a beta test.
bias-belted tire: A pneumatic tire with a belt (as of steel or fiberglass) to help
prevent punctures that is under the tread and on top of the plies of cords which form
the tire's carcass and which are set diagonally to the center line of the tread.
bicomponent: Being a fiber made of two polymers having slightly different physical
properties so that the fiber has a permanent crimp and fabrics made from it have
inherent bulk and stretchability.
bicycle shorts: Tight-fitting shorts made usually of spandex and worn chiefly by
bicyclists.
bidirectional: Moving or operating in two usually opposite directions: bidirectional
data flow; a bidirectional microphone.
big boy: Big gun.
big C: Cancer.
big cheese: Boss, big gun.
big crunch: A hypothetical cosmological event in which all matter in the universe
collapses to a singularity and which is posited to be a possible fate of the universe if
the density of matter in it is sufficiently high.
big gun: One that is powerful or influential: the big guns for the prosecution were
its expert witnesses.
big hair: Long hair dressed so as to puff out from the head, as by teasing or ratting.
big picture: The entire perspective on a situation or issue — used with the.
big science: Scientific research involving large amounts of money and often large
teams of researchers.
56
big screen: The motion picture medium often as contrasted to television: a story
adapted for the big screen.
big sister: A woman who assumes the role of an older sister, as by providing
guidance or protection.
binge eating: Consumption of large amounts of food in a short period of time,
especially as a symptom of bulimia.
biobehavioral: Of, relating to, or involving the interaction of behavior and
biological processes: a biobehavioral approach to health.
biocontainment: The containment of extremely pathogenic organisms (as viruses)
usually by isolation in secure facilities to prevent their accidental release especially
during scientific research.
biofilm: A thin usually resistant layer of microorganisms (as bacteria) that form on
and coat various surfaces (as of water pipes and catheters).
biofouling: The impairment or degradation of something, such as a ship's hull or
mechanical equipment, as a result of the growth or activity of living organisms.
bioinformatic: The collection, classification, storage, and analysis of biochemical
and biological information using computers especially as applied to molecular
genetics and genomics.
biomagnetism: 1. The magnetic field created by a living organism. 2. The effect of
an external magnetic field on living organisms.
biomimetic: The study of the formation, structure, or function of biologically
produced substances and materials (as enzymes or silk) and biological mechanisms
and processes (as protein synthesis or photosynthesis) especially for the purpose of
synthesizing similar products by artificial mechanisms which mimic natural ones.
biomineralization: The formation or accumulation of minerals by organisms
especially into biological tissues or structures (as bones, teeth, and shells).
biomorph: A non-representational form or pattern that resembles a living organism
in shape or appearance.
biopharmaceutical: A pharmaceutical derived from biological sources and
especially one produced by biotechnology.
biophilia: An appreciation of life and the living world.
biopiracy: The commercial development of naturally occurring biological materials,
such as plant substances or genetic cell lines, by a technologically advanced country
or organization without fair compensation to the peoples or nations in whose territory
the materials were originally discovered.
bioprospect: To search for substances that are produced by living organisms and
may be of medicinal or commercial value.
bioremediation: The use of biological agents, such as bacteria or plants, to remove
or neutralize contaminants, as in polluted soil or water.
biosolid: Solid organic matter recovered from a sewage treatment process and used
especially as fertilizer.
biotechnology: The use of microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeasts, or biological
substances, such as enzymes, to perform specific industrial or manufacturing
processes. Applications include the production of certain drugs, synthetic hormones,
and bulk foodstuffs as well as the bioconversion of organic waste and the use of
genetically altered bacteria in the cleanup of oil spills. 2. The application of the
principles of engineering and technology to the life sciences.
57
bioturbation: The restructuring of sedimentary deposits (as in a lake bottom or
seabed) by moving organisms (as worms and burrowing clams).
biphasic pill: A drug, such as an oral contraceptive, in which the dosage level
changes during the number of days it is taken.
birch beer: A carbonated soft drink flavored with herb extracts, traditionally of birch
tree bark.
birth name also birthname: The name given to a person at birth, especially that of
an adoptee before he or she is renamed.
bite-size: 1. Of a size that can be eaten in one bite: bite-size pieces of chicken. 2.
Being or made small or brief especially so as to be easily manageable: bite-size
tasks; bite-size essays.
black dwarf star: The remains of a white dwarf star after it has expended all of its
energy and is no longer emitting detectable radiation.
black smoker: A vent in a geologically active region of the sea floor from which
issues superheated water laden with minerals (as sulfide precipitates); also a rock
chimney covering such a vent.
blank slate: Something that has yet to be marked, determined, or developed:
Neurobiologists have been arguing for decades over whether embryonic neurons are
blank slates or prefabricated units destined for a particular fate.
blaze orange: A very bright orange, often used to set something apart from its
surroundings.
blended family: A stepfamily.
block diagram: A diagram (as of a system, process, or program) in which labeled
figures (as rectangles) and interconnecting lines represent the relationship of parts.
block party: An outdoor public party organized by the residents of a neighborhood
or city block.
blood-and-guts: 1. Depicting or marked by great violence or zeal: a blood-and-guts
book; blood-and-guts competition. 2. Dealing with fundamental concerns: bloodand-guts issues.
blue jet: A discharge of blue light that starts from the top of active thunderstorm
clouds and proceeds upwards.
blue screen: A photographic technique in which a subject is filmed in front of a blue
background so as to allow matte compositing of the film with other footage; also the
blue background.
boarding pass: A pass that authorizes a passenger to board an aircraft.
boat shoe: A moccasin-like canvas or leather shoe having a rubber sole designed to
provide traction on wet surfaces.
body mass index: Abbr. BMI A measurement of the relative percentages of fat and
muscle mass in the human body, in which weight in kilograms is divided by height in
meters and the result used as an index of obesity.
bohemian: 1. a. A native or inhabitant of Bohemia. b. The group of Czech dialects
used in Bohemia. 2. a. Vagabond, wanderer; especially gypsy. b. A person (as a
writer or an artist) living an unconventional life usually in a colony with others.
boiling: 1. Heated to or past the boiling point: a kettle of boiling water. 2. Very
angry or upset; seething. Used as an intensive: fainted because it was boiling hot;
boiling mad over the mistake.
bolt from the blue: A complete surprise; something totally unexpected.
bombé: Used of furniture Curving or bulging outward.
58
bombed-out: 1. Destroyed by bombing: a bombed-out factory. 2. Extremely
dilapidated or run-down: a bombed-out inner-city neighborhood.
bombinate: To buzz; hum. [Late Latin bombus, “a rumbling, buzzing”]
Bondo: A trademark for a variety of materials used to repair automobile bodies.
bonesetter: A person, especially one who is not a licensed physician, who sets
broken or dislocated bones.
boneyard: 1. A cemetery. 2. A place where the bones of wild animals accumulate. 3.
A place where refuse, especially discarded cars, are kept or accumulate.
bonk: Hit: bonked him over the head.
book-match: To match the grains of (as two sheets of veneer) so that one sheet
seems to be the mirror image of the other.
bordereau /bôrd∂rō/: A detailed memorandum, especially one that lists documents
or accounts. [French, probably from bord, “edge, margin,” from Old French bort, of
Germanic origin.]
borescope: An optical device (as a prism or optical fiber) used to inspect an
inaccessible space (as an engine cylinder).
bosomed: Having a bosom of a specified kind. Often used in combination: fullbosomed.
bottle club: A club serving patrons previously purchased or reserved alcoholic
drinks after normal legal closing hours.
bottling: A beverage and especially a wine that is bottled at a particular time.
bottom-up: Progressing from small or subordinate units to a larger or more
important unit, as in an organization.
box wrench: A wrench having a closed, ring-like end designed to fit over a nut or
bolt.
brained: Having a brain. Often used in combination: small-brained reptiles.
bow tie: Something (as pasta) resembling a bow tie in shape.
boy toy: A usually young man considered as an object of sexual desire.
bragging rights: Entitlement to boast about one's status, superiority, or achievement.
breakout: Being or relating to a sudden or smashing success especially in
comparison to previous efforts: a breakout book.
breasted: Having a specified kind of breast or breasts. Often used in combination:
small-breasted; a red-breasted bird.
brick-and-mortar: Located or serving consumers in a physical facility as distinct
from providing remote, especially online, services: brick-and-mortar classrooms; a
brick-and-mortar bookstore.
bride wealth: A payment in the form of money, property, or other valuable asset that
is made by or on behalf of a prospective husband to the bride's family in certain
cultures or societies.
bright-line: Providing an unambiguous criterion or guideline especially in law: a
bright-line distinction.
bromidic: Stale, trite, or commonplace through overuse; clichéd: bromidic gags in
sitcoms. [<bromine, a liquid element with a highly irritating vapor, <French brome,
<Greek brōmos, “stench”]
brown-bag: 1. To take (lunch) to work, typically in a brown paper bag. 2. To take
(liquor) into a public establishment, such as a restaurant, that does not serve alcohol.
bucket truck: A truck equipped with a cherry picker.
59
buffalo plaid: A plaid with large squares of two different colors, especially red and
black. [Said to be named after the herd of buffalo owned by the plaid's designer in
the 1850s]
bug light: An outdoor electric light that gives off a usually yellow illumination
designed not to attract insects.
building sickness: An illness affecting workers in office buildings, characterized by
skin irritations, headache, and respiratory problems, and thought to be caused by
indoor pollutants, microorganisms, or inadequate ventilation.
bulk up: To gain weight especially by becoming more muscular. To cause to bulk
up.
bullnose: A rounded edge, corner, or projection, as on a stairstep or paving stone.
bullshot: A drink made of vodka and bouillon.
bunny slope: A gentle incline for skiing used especially by novice skiers.
bunker mentality: An attitude of extreme defensiveness and self-justification based
on an often exaggerated sense of being under persistent attack from others.
business end: The part of a weapon or tool, usually at the front, that inflicts damage
or performs work.
bustline: 1. An arbitrary line encircling the fullest part of the bust. 2. Body
circumference at the bust.
butcher paper: Heavy brown or white paper used especially for wrapping meats.
butterfly chair: A lightweight chair consisting of a single piece of canvas suspended
from a collapsible metal frame.
buzzcut or buzz cut: A closely cropped haircut. [From the use of electric clippers
instead of scissors]
buzz phrase: A phrase used as a buzzword.
buzz term: A buzzword.
buzzword: 1. A word or phrase connected with a specialized field or group that
usually sounds important or technical and is used primarily to impress laypersons:
“Sensitivity” is the buzzword in the beauty industry this fall. 2. A stylish or trendy
word or phrase.
by-catch: The portion of a fishing catch that is discarded as unwanted or
commercially unusable.
by-your-leave: A request for permission: rudely helped herself to the dessert without
a by-your-leave.
C
caca: Excrement. [baby talk]
cache /kăš/: 1. a. A hiding place used especially for storing provisions. b. A place for
concealment and safekeeping, as of valuables. c. A store of goods or valuables
concealed in a hiding place: maintained a cache of food in case of emergencies.
[French, from cacher, “to hide,” from Old French, “to press, hide,” from Vulgar
Latin coācticāre, “to store, pack together,” frequentative of Latin coāctāre, “to
constrain,” from coāctus, past participle of cōgere, “to force”]
cadette: A member of a program of the Girl Scouts for girls in the sixth through
ninth grades in school.
café: 1. A usually small and informal establishment serving various refreshments (as
coffee); restaurant. 2. Barroom. 3. Cabaret, nightclub.
callable: Capable of being called: a dog not callable by any name.
60
call slip: A form filled out by a library patron to request a particular book.
Camp Fire Boy: A boy who is a member of the Campfire Boys and Girls, an
organization for children aged 7 through 18 that strives to instill good values and
teach practical skills. Before 1975, the organization was limited to girls.
cancer family: A group of blood relatives in which cancer has occurred. The cause
may be genetic, as in familial cancer, or common exposure to a carcinogenic or
oncogenic agent.
candy-coat: To minimize the unpleasantness of; sugar-coat: trust is damaged when
doctors seem overoptimistic, or candy-coat the truth.
candy corn: A small piece of candy shaped like a kernel of corn.
can't-miss: Certain to have a favorable result, performance, or reception: surefire: a
can't-miss prospect.
care and feeding: The providing of what is needed for sustenance, well-being, or
efficient operation: machines that don't need a lot of care and feeding.
carnivora: Carnivorous mammals.
cash-strapped: Lacking sufficient money.
casting couch: A couch in an entertainment executive's office on which aspiring
actresses are reputed to perform sexual acts in exchange for desired roles; the
practice of abusing one's power to obtain sexual partners.
catastrophe theory: Mathematical theory and conjecture that uses topology to
explain events (as an earthquake or a stock market crash) characterized by major
abrupt changes.
catfacing: A disfigurement or malformation of fruit suggesting a cat's face in
appearance.
cat's meow: A highly admired person or thing.
caulifloweret: A bite-size piece of cauliflower.
causality paradox: A hypothetical effect that would result if an individual were to
travel back in time and cause changes to the circumstances that led to his or her
current actions.
cellar master: A person who supervises the making of wine in a winery,
certified milk: Milk produced in dairies that operate under the rules and regulations
of an authorized medical milk commission.
channeler: A person who conveys thoughts or energy from a source believed to be
outside the person's body or conscious mind; specifically one who speaks for
nonphysical beings or spirits.
channel-hopping: Channel surfing.
channel surfing: The action or practice of surfing through television programs
usually by use of a remote control.
charged: 1. Possessing or showing strong emotion: attacked the author in a highly
charged review. 2. Capable of arousing strong emotion: a politically charged
subject; also exciting: a highly charged palette of bold colors.
charm school: A school or course in which polite manners and proper etiquette are
taught.
cheat sheet: 1. A sheet containing information (as test answers) used secretly for
cheating. 2. A written or graphic aid (as a sheet of notes) that can be referred to for
help in understanding or remembering something complex.
chemical fingerprint: A unique pattern indicating the presence of a particular
molecule, based on specialized analytic techniques such as mass- or x-ray-
61
spectroscopy, used to identify a pollutant, drug, contaminant, or other chemical in a
test sample.
cherry-pick: To select the best or most desirable. To select as being the best or most
desirable; also to select the best or most desirable from: cherry-picked the art
collection.
cherry picker: 1. A maneuverable vertical boom with an open bucket or cage at the
end from which a worker can perform aerial work such as pruning trees or repairing
electrical lines. 2. A vehicle equipped with such a boom.
chest-thumping: Conduct or expression marked by pompous or arrogant selfassertion: political chest-thumping.
chicken-and-egg: Of, relating to, or being a cause-and-effect dilemma. [from the
proverbial question: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”]
childly: Childlike.
chill: To spend time in pleasant idleness: We´ll just sit here by the river and chill
for a while.
chill out: often used in the imperative To calm down: go easy: relax.
chin-wag: Conversation, chat.
chipboard: A pasteboard made from discarded paper.
chirpy: 1. Characterized by chirping tones: a bird with a chirpy song. 2. Tending to
chirp: a chirpy parakeet. 3. Cheerful and good-humored: a chirpy radio announcer.
chock-full: Full to the limit; as full as possible: a report chock-full of errors.
chocolatier: 1. One who makes or sells chocolate. 2. A place where chocolate is
made or sold.
chocolaty: Made of or like chocolate; also: having a rich chocolate flavor.
chop mark: An indentation made on a coin to attest weight, silver content, or
legality.
chowderhead: Dolt, blockhead. [alteration of dialect jolterhead, blockhead]
ciphertext: A text in encrypted form, as opposed to the plain text.
Civitan: A member of a major national and international service club. [Civitan club]
civic-minded: Concerned with civic interests or active in community affairs.
claiming race: A horse race in which each entry is offered for sale for a specified
price that must be deposited before the race.
claw foot: The foot of a piece of furniture designed to resemble an animal's foot and
claws.
claybank: A horse of yellowish color.
click stop: A turnable control device (as for a camera diaphragm opening) that
engages with a definite click at specific settings.
cliff-hang: To await the outcome of a suspenseful situation.
cliffhanger: 1. A melodramatic serial in which each episode ends in suspense. 2. A
suspenseful situation occurring at the end of a chapter, scene, or episode. 3. A
contest so closely matched that the outcome is uncertain until the end.
climate-controlled: Having the temperature and humidity regulated by a heating and
cooling system: a climate-controlled theater.
clinkety-clank: A repeated usually rhythmic clanking sound: the clinkety-clank of a
loose tire chain.
clip-clop: The sound made by or as if by a horse walking on a hard surface.
closeted: Being in a state of secrecy or cautious privacy: a closeted homosexual
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closed-cell: Consisting of numerous small sealed cavities usually filled with air:
closed-cell foam.
cloud-cuckoo-land: A realm of fantasy or of whimsical or foolish behavior.
[translation of Greek nephelokokkygia]
cloud street: A row of cumulus clouds.
clueless: 1. Having or providing no clue: a clueless case for the police to solve. 2.
Completely or hopelessly bewildered, unaware, ignorant, or foolish: clueless about
what they want.
C-note: A 100-dollar bill.
coaster wagon: A child's toy wagon often used for coasting.
coatrack: A stand or rack fitted with pegs, hooks, or hangers and used for the
temporary storage of garments.
coffee hour: 1. A usually fixed occasion of informal meeting and chatting at which
refreshments are served. 2. Coffee break.
cohousing: A living arrangement that combines private living quarters with common
dining and activity areas in a community whose residents share in tasks such as
childcare.
coign of vantage: An advantageous position.
collateral damage: Injury inflicted on something other than an intended target;
specifically civilian casualties of a military operation.
collectible: An object that is collected by fanciers; especially one other than such
traditionally collectible items as art, stamps, coins, and antiques.
collective security: The maintenance by common action of the security of all
members of an association of nations.
collocate: To locate together; especially to place (two or more units) close together
so as to share common facilities.
colorway: A color or arrangement of colors: fabric sold in a variety of colorways.
comaker: One that participates in an agreement; specifically one who stands to
meet a financial obligation in the event of the maker's default.
combat zone: An area in a city characterized by economic depression and criminal
activity: a combat zone rife with condemned buildings used by drunks, addicts, and
prostitutes.
comb-over: An arrangement of hair on a balding man in which hair from the side of
the head is combed over the bald spot.
come-along: A small portable winch usually consisting of a cable attached to a
hand-operated ratchet.
comfort zone: 1. The temperature range within which one is comfortable. 2. The
level at which one functions with ease and familiarity.
coming-of-age: The attainment of prominence, respectability, recognition, or
maturity.
commodity: 1. Something useful that can be turned to commercial or other
advantage: Left-handed, power-hitting third basemen are a rare commodity in the
big leagues. 2. An article of trade or commerce, especially an agricultural or mining
product that can be processed and resold. 3. Advantage; benefit.
Commonwealth of Independent States: An association of former Soviet republics
that was established in December 1991 by Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus to help ease
the dissolution of the Soviet Union and coordinate interrepublican affairs. Other
63
members include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
common year: A calendar year having 365 days; a year without an intercalary
period.
company man: A man whose primary allegiance is to his employer.
company woman: A woman whose primary allegiance is to her employer.
compartmentation: Division into separate sections or units.
compassion fatigue: A jaded attitude on the part of a contributor toward appeals for
donations or charitable aid.
compensatory time: Time off given to an employee in place of overtime pay.
completist: One who wants to make something (as a collection) complete.
complexity theory: The study of how order, structure, and pattern arise from
extremely complicated, apparently chaotic systems.
computer age: The current era as characterized by the development, applications,
and sociopolitical consequences of computer technology.
computernik: A computer enthusiast or expert.
computerphobe: A person who experiences anxiety about computers and especially
about their use.
comradery: Camaraderie; comradeship.
concealer: A facial cosmetic used to cover blemished skin.
concentrator: One that concentrates: as a. An industrial plant that produces
concentrates from ores. b. A mirror or group of mirrors that focus sunlight for use as
an energy source. c. A device in a computer network that collects data from separate
low-volume transmission channels and retransmits it over a single high-volume
channel.
concertina wire: Barbed wire that is extended in a spiral for use as a barrier, as on a
fence.
conch: A native or resident of the Florida Keys. .
concupiscible: Driven by or filled with strong sexual desire; concupiscent.
conferencing: The holding of or participation in a conference, often through
computer or telecommunications technology.
connectivity: The quality or condition of being connected or connective.
connect-the-dots: done or proceeding in a series of simple and usually predictable
steps: a movie with a connect-the-dots plot.
consequentialism: The view that the value of an action derives solely from the value
of its consequences.
conspicuity: The quality of being conspicuous; obviousness.
conspicuity tape: Highly reflective tape, used especially as a safety enhancement to
make an object more noticeable.
conspicuous consumption: The acquisition and display of expensive items to attract
attention to one's wealth or to suggest that one is wealthy.
conspiration: 1. The act or an instance of conspiring. 2. A joint effort directed
toward a goal.
constative: Relating to or being an utterance that asserts or states something that can
be judged as true or false, such as: the cat is on the mat. A constative utterance, such
as an assertion.
continental slope: The descent from the continental shelf to the ocean bottom.
64
contingent worker: A temporary or part-time worker, usually one working under
contract for a fixed period or a specific project.
controlling: Inclined to control others' behavior: domineering.
consuming: Ardent or deeply felt: a consuming interest; a consuming passion.
conventional wisdom: The generally accepted belief, opinion, judgment, or
prediction about a particular matter.
convergence: The merging of distinct technologies, industries, or devices into a
unified whole.
cookbook: Involving or using step-by-step procedures whose rationale is usually not
explained: a cookbook approach.
cookie-cutter: Appearing to be mass-produced; identical in appearance: cookiecutter tract housing in suburbia.
cooling-off: Designed to allow passions to cool or to permit negotiation between
parties: a cooling-off period.
copay: A copayment.
copayment: A fixed fee that subscribers to a medical plan must pay for their use of
specific medical services covered by the plan.
coproduct: A product produced together with another product.
Cornhusker: A native or resident of Nebraska — used as a nickname.
corporate-wide: Extending throughout or involving an entire corporation.
correction fluid: A liquid used to paint over typing or writing errors.
corridor: 1. a. A tract of land forming a passageway, such as one that allows an
inland country access to the sea through another country. b. Restricted airspace for
the passage of aircraft. c. The restricted path followed by a spacecraft on a particular
mission. 2. A thickly populated strip of land connecting two or more urban areas: the
Boston-Washington corridor.
cosmetic case: A small piece of luggage especially for cosmetics.
costumery: 1. Articles of costume considered as a group. 2. The art of costuming.
cottage curtains: A double set of upper and lower straight-hanging window
curtains.
counterintuitive: Contrary to what intuition or common sense would indicate:
Scientists made clear what may at first seem counterintuitive, that the capacity to be
pleasant toward a fellow creature is... hard work.
country house: A residence in the country, especially a mansion or other large
dwelling on a country estate.
cozy up: To attain or try to attain familiarity, friendship, or intimacy; ingratiate
oneself: cozying up to the boss.
crack baby: An infant born to a mother who used crack cocaine during pregnancy.
crack cocaine: Chemically purified, very potent cocaine in pellet form that is
smoked through a glass pipe and is considered highly and rapidly addictive. [From
its preparation by breaking cocaine crystals into pellets.]
cradle-to-grave: 1. Present or in effect throughout a person's lifetime: cradle-tograve health insurance. 2. Occurring or persisting from beginning to end: the cradleto-grave effects on the environment of making, using and disposing of a product.
cranberry glass: Glassware having a deep red color and a golden sheen, especially
popular in England and the United States in the late 19th century.
crash: Marked by a concerted effort and effected in the shortest possible time
especially to meet emergency conditions: a crash renovation program.
65
crash course: A rapid and intense course of study; also an experience that
resembles such a course: has been given a crash course in diplomacy in his first
weeks in office.
crib sheet: Cheat sheet.
crispen: To make or become crisp; crisp.
crop circle: A geometric and especially a circular pattern of flattened stalks in a
field of grain now usually attributed to natural phenomena or to the work of hoaxers
trying to create the impression of a visit by extraterrestrial beings.
cross-national: Of, relating to, or involving two or more nations.
cross-train: To undergo or provide training in different tasks or skills: The
department has cross-trained in firefighting and emergency medical services.
cross-trainer: A person who cross-trains, especially in different sports.
crown molding: Molding that crowns a surface or structure; especially molding that
runs between the top of an internal wall and a ceiling.
cruelty-free: Developed or produced without inhumane testing on animals: crueltyfree cosmetics.
crumple zone: A section of an automobile body designed to absorb the force of an
impact in order to protect the passengers.
crunch time: A critical moment or period (as near the end of a game) when decisive
action is needed.
cryobiology: The study of the effects of extremely low temperature on living
organisms and cells.
cryptonym: A word or name that is used secretly to refer to another; a code name or
code word.
cup of tea: 1. Something one likes or excels in: I see already that storytelling isn't
my cup of tea; also a person suited to one's taste. 2. A thing to be reckoned with:
matter: poltergeists are a different cup of tea.
curb appeal: The visual attractiveness of a house as seen from the street.
curb weight: The weight of a fueled automobile with standard equipment but
without cargo or passengers.
cutability: The proportion of lean salable meat yielded by a carcass.
cut-and-paste: Pieced together from several sources.
cut-and-try: Marked by trial and error: cut-and-try methods; cut-and-try testing.
cutdown: 1. A reduction or decrease. 2. Reduced in size; abridged.
cutie-pie: A cute person: sweetheart.
cutline: Caption, legend.
cutting horse: A saddle horse specially trained to separate individual animals from a
cattle herd.
cybercafe: A café or coffee shop providing computers for access to the Internet.
cybercitizen: Netizen.
cybernation: The automatic control of a process or operation (as in manufacturing)
by means of computers.
cybernaut: Netizen.
cyberporn: Pornography accessible online especially via the Internet.
cybersurfer: One who surfs the Internet.
cyclo: A 3-wheeled often motor-driven taxi.
66
D
daggerboard: A removable narrow centerboard in some small boats that is raised
and lowered by sliding up and down.
daily dozen: A set of routine tasks.
day job: One's primary job, usually at daytime and enabling one to pursue a
secondary activity from which one would eventually like to draw an income: She
took a day job as a bank teller in Lubbock; nights, she played in pickup games, but
she didn't have a trainer, a coach, or a team.
days: During the daytime on every day or most days: She works days and sings in a
band at night.
deacon's bench: A bench with usually spindled arms and back.
dead horse: An exhausted or profitless topic or issue — usually used in the phrases:
beat a dead horse and flog a dead horse.
dead meat: One that is doomed: He's dead meat if they catch him.
dead presidents: U.S. money in the form of bills; specifically dollars.
dead-stick landing: A landing of an airplane or spacecraft made without power.
dead-tree: Being the print version of a work available in both print and electronic
formats: the dead-tree edition of the paper.
death camp: A concentration camp in which those held captive are likely to die or
be killed.
death care: The management of funerary arrangements, including care of the dead
and services offered to surviving family members.
debeak: To remove the tip of the upper mandible of (as a chicken) to prevent
cannibalism and fighting.
Decca: A system of long-range navigation used chiefly in Europe that utilizes the
phase differences of continuous-wave signals from synchronized ground transmitters
to establish position. [Decca Co., British firm which developed it]
decision theory: A branch of statistical theory concerned with quantifying the
process of making choices between alternatives.
decision tree: A tree diagram which is used for making decisions in business or
computer programming and in which the branches represent choices with associated
risks, costs, results, or probabilities.
declinist: One who theorizes that a nation or society is in or is headed for a state of
economic, political, or social decline.
decree-law: A decree of a ruler or ministry having the force of a law enacted by the
legislature.
deep focus: A photographic effect or technique (as in filmmaking) characterized by
great depth of field.
deep kiss: A kiss in which the tongue is extended deep into the partner's mouth.
deep-sky: Relating to or existing in space outside the solar system: deep-sky
objects.
degender: To make gender-neutral, as by eliminating reference to gender or sex.
deluster: To reduce the sheen of (as yarn or fabric).
de minimis: Lacking significance or importance: so minor as to merit disregard: de
minimis fringe benefits. [New Latin, “concerning trifles”]
denazify /dēnätsĭfī/: To rid of Nazism and its influence.
deontic: Of, relating to, or concerning duties or obligations: deontic logic.
departee: A person who is departing or who has departed.
67
depository library: A library designated to receive United States government
publications.
depth of field: The range of distances of the object in front of an image-forming
device (as a camera lens) measured along the axis of the device throughout which the
image has acceptable sharpness.
deselect: Dismiss, reject.
desk jockey: A person whose job involves working at a desk.
deskperson: A person who works at a desk, especially a newspaper writer.
designated driver: One who agrees to remain sober, as at a party, in order to be able
to drive others home safely.
de-stress: To release bodily or mental tension: unwind.
detailing: The act or process of meticulously cleaning and refurbishing an
automobile.
diaper rash: Skin irritation of the diaper-covered area of an infant especially from
exposure to feces and urinary ammonia.
diaphone: A fog signal similar to a siren but producing a blast of two tones.
diapositive: A positive photographic image on transparent material (as glass or
film).
dichotic: Relating to or involving the presentation of a stimulus to one ear that
differs in some respect (as pitch, loudness, frequency, or energy) from a stimulus
presented to the other ear: dichotic listening.
Dick-and-Jane: Of or relating to a book for beginning readers using a small set of
basic words that are frequently repeated.
diel: Involving a 24-hour period that usually includes a day and the adjoining night
diel fluctuations in temperature. [irregular from Latin dies “day” + English -al]
dieseling: The continued operation of an internal combustion engine after the
ignition is turned off.
diet: 1. Reduced in calories: a diet soft drink. 2. Promoting weight loss (as by
depressing appetite): diet pills.
dietary supplement: A product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients
(as vitamins or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not
considered food.
dime-store: 1. Inexpensive: dime-store perfume. 2. Tawdry, second-rate: dime-store
philosophy.
dim-wit: Not mentally bright: stupid.
dink: Nitwit, jerk, nerd. [perhaps from dink, disparaging name for a Vietnamese]
diploma mill: An unaccredited institution of higher education that grants degrees
without ensuring that students are properly qualified.
dip net: A net or wire mesh bag attached to a handle, used especially to scoop fish
from water.
dipsy-doodle: To move in or follow a zig-zag course: the narrow trail... dipsydoodled through the brush until it finally reached the river.
direct lighting: Lighting in which the greater part of the light goes directly from the
source to the area lit.
disbenefit: Something disadvantageous or objectionable: drawback.
Discoverers' Day: Columbus Day.
disincarnate: Divested of bodily nature or form; disembodied: disincarnate spirits.
dissave: To use savings for current expenses.
68
dissensus: Difference of opinion. [dis- + consensus]
ditchdigger: 1. One that digs ditches. 2. One employed at menial and usually hard
physical labor.
DIY: Abbr. Do-it-yourself.
DNA fingerprint: An individual's unique sequence of DNA base pairs, determined
by exposing a sample of the person's DNA to molecular probes: DNA fingerprints
are often used as evidence in criminal law cases.
doe-eyed: 1. Having wide-open, innocent-appearing eyes: doe-eyed children gazing
at the shelves of candy. 2. Credulous and unsophisticated; naive: Many doe-eyed
investors go bankrupt within a year, sometimes by expanding too fast, sometimes
because of pure ignorance.
dogdom: The world of dogs or of dog fanciers.
dog-doo: Dog excrement.
domestic science: Home economics.
domoic acid: A water-soluble amino acid found in various marine algae that is a
potent, often deadly neurotoxin to humans when consumed in contaminated mussels,
clams, crabs, and anchovies.
done deal: Fait accompli: thought the trade was a done deal.
donnicker: Toilet. [alteration of English dialect dunnekin, toilet, cesspool]
doom and gloom: A deeply pessimistic outlook or feeling.
doomful: Threatening doom; ominous.
doomsdayer: One given to forebodings and predictions of impending calamity.
doomy: Suggestive of doom: doomful.
dopehead: A drug addict.
doping: The use of a drug or blood product to improve athletic performance.
do-or-die: Requiring supreme effort to avoid the dire consequences of failure: a door-die situation.
door-to-door: 1. Going to or making appeals at residences, as when selling or
canvassing: a door-to-door sales representative. 2. Delivered directly from a store
or business to a residence: promised door-to-door delivery.
double book: 1. To overbook (an airline flight, for example). 2. To make two
reservations for (a seat or hotel room, for example) in order to be certain of obtaining
one.
double-clutch: To shift gears in an automotive vehicle by shifting into neutral and
pumping the clutch before shifting to another gear.
double-crop: To grow two or more crops on the same land in the same season or at
the same time: to grow (a crop) by double-cropping: double-crop soybeans with
wheat.
double-dome: Intellectual.
double figure: A number consisting of two digits; a number between 10 and 99.
double glazing: Two layers of glass set in a window to reduce heat flow in either
direction.
doublehanded: Having, requiring, or suitable for two sailors: a doublehanded
dinghy; also involving boats each manned by two sailors: a doublehanded race.
double-ring: Of or relating to a wedding ceremony in which each partner
ceremonially gives the other a wedding ring while reciting vows.
69
Double Ten: October 10 observed by the Republic of China in commemoration of
the revolution of 1911. [translation of Chinese (Beijing) shuāngshī; from its being
the tenth day of the tenth month]
double whammy: A combination of two usually adverse forces, circumstances, or
effects.
dough box: A rectangular wooden box mounted on legs that is used as a worktable
and storage space.
downforce: A downward aerodynamic force generated especially by an airfoil (as a
spoiler on a race car).
downlight: A small spotlight set in a ceiling and directed downward.
down-the-line: Complete: a down-the-line union supporter.
down-to-the-wire: Full of suspense; especially unsettled until the very end.
downwash: Downward air turbulence caused by the motion or action of a propeller
or jet: the downwash of the helicopter blades.
dozens: A ritualized word game that consists of exchanging insults usually about the
members of the opponent's family — used with the.
dragster: 1. An automobile specially built or modified for drag racing. 2. A person
who races such an automobile.
dress-down day: A day during which employees are allowed to wear casual attire at
work.
drill team: An exhibition marching team that engages in precision drill.
drive-by: Performed from a moving vehicle: a drive-by murder. An act, such as a
random shooting, performed from a moving vehicle.
drive-through or thru: 1. Relating to or conducting exchanges with clients who
drive up to a window and remain in their automobiles: drive-thru banking. 2.
Performed or provided quickly and routinely: a drive-through delivery in a hospital.
3. A drive-through establishment, especially a restaurant. 4. A window at such an
establishment, from which business is conducted.
drop front: A hinged cover on the front of a desk that may be lowered to provide a
surface for writing.
drop seat: A hinged seat (as in a taxi) that may be dropped down.
drop tank: An auxiliary fuel tank for airplanes that can be jettisoned (as when
empty).
drop-top: A convertible automobile.
drug lord: The leader of a cartel or gang that illegally traffics in drugs.
drugmaker: A company that manufactures pharmaceuticals.
drugstore cowboy: 1. A loafer who passes time on sidewalks or at drugstores. 2.
One who dresses or acts like a cowboy but has never been one.
drumroll: Emphatic support for a cause: The drumroll for sustainable agriculture...
has been growing steadily louder.
dry heaves: Repeated involuntary retching unaccompanied by vomit.
drylot: An enclosure of limited size usually bare of vegetation and used for fattening
livestock.
dry sink: A wooden cabinet that supports a wash basin not connected to a water
supply.
dry suit: A close-fitting air-insulated waterproof suit for divers.
dual citizenship: The status of an individual who is a citizen of two or more nations.
duckwalk: To walk while in a crouch or full squatting position.
70
ducky: Darling, cute: a ducky little tearoom.
duct tape: A wide cloth adhesive tape originally designed for sealing joints in
heating or air-conditioning ducts.
DUKW /dŭk/: An amphibious truck used in emergencies, as to evacuate flood
victims.
dumb down: To lower the level of difficulty and the intellectual content of (as a
textbook); also to lower the general level of intelligence in: the dumbing down of
society.
dust bunny: A mass of fine, dry particles of matter, especially hair and skin
particles, that is formed by static electricity.
dust mite: Either of two mites, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus or D. farinae, that
feed on shed skin cells and produce excrement that is a common household allergen
associated especially with asthma and respiratory allergies.
Dutch auction: An auction in which an item is initially offered at a high price that is
progressively lowered until a bid is made and the item sold.
DX: Distance — used of long-distance radio transmission.
dynamic range: The ratio of the strongest to the weakest sound intensity that can be
transmitted or reproduced by an audio or broadcasting system.
dysmorphic: Characterized by malformation: mildly dysmorphic ears; dysmorphic
cells.
E
earbud: A small earphone inserted into the ear.
Early American: A style (as of furniture, architecture, or fabric) originating in or
characteristic of colonial America.
earth-sheltered: Built partly or mostly underground: an earth-sheltered house.
econobox: A small economical car.
edge city: A sizeable commercial center offering a mixture of employment,
shopping, and entertainment and serving a primarily suburban area.
ejection seat: An emergency escape seat for propelling an occupant out and away
from an airplane.
800-pound gorilla: One that is dominating or uncontrollable because of great size or
power: like it or not, the 800-pound gorilla usually sets the standard.
electrofishing: Fishing that employs a direct electric current to attract and usually
temporarily immobilize fish for easy capture.
elder stateswoman: A prominent, highly experienced older woman, especially one
acting as an unofficial adviser.
elevator music: Unobtrusive arrangements of popular songs that are designed to be
played as background music in public places, such as shopping malls and elevators.
elusion: The act or an instance of eluding or escaping; evasion.
embryo transfer: A procedure used especially in animal breeding in which an
embryo from a superovulated female is removed and reimplanted in the uterus of
another female.
emerald cut: A rectangular cut for a gem having a series of parallel facets on each
side and at each corner.
emic: Of or relating to features or items analyzed with respect to their role as
structural units in a system, as in behavioral science or linguistics.
71
empty calories: Calories from food that supplies energy but is not nutritionally
balanced.
enjoinder: An authoritative request or injunction: an enjoinder not to swim when the
lifeguard was off duty.
ensorcell: To enchant; bewitch.
entitlement: A government program that guarantees and provides benefits to a
particular group: fights... to preserve victories won a generation ago, like the
Medicaid entitlement for the poor.
envenomation: An act or instance of poisoning by venom (as of a snake or spider).
equal opportunity employer: An employer who agrees not to discriminate against
any employee or job applicant because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex,
physical or mental disability, or age.
equicaloric: Capable of yielding equal amounts of energy in the body: equicaloric
diets.
erasable: 1. Capable of being erased: erasable ink. 2. Capable of producing
something that can be erased: an erasable pen.
escape hatch: 1. A hatch providing an emergency exit from an enclosed space. 2. A
means of evading a difficulty, dilemma, or responsibility.
ET: Extraterrestrial.
e-tailer: One that sells goods or commodities to consumers electronically, as over
the Internet.
Ethiopian Jew: A member of a people of uncertain origin, living since ancient times
in what is now central Ethiopia and practicing a form of Judaism. During the period
1984-1991 most Ethiopian Jews were resettled in Israel.
ethnic cleansing: The systematic elimination of an ethnic group or groups from a
region or society, as by deportation, forced emigration, or genocide.
ethnoastronomy: The study of the knowledge, interpretations, and practices of
contemporary cultures regarding celestial objects or phenomena.
ethnobiology: The interdisciplinary study of how human cultures interact with and
use their native plants and animals.
ethnomedicine: The comparative study of how different cultures view disease and
how they treat or prevent it; also the medical beliefs and practices of indigenous
cultures.
ethnonym: The name of a people or ethnic group.
ethnoscience: The study of a culture's system of classifying knowledge (as its
taxonomy of plants and animals); also such a system in a particular culture.
etic: Of or relating to features or items analyzed without considering their role as a
structural unit in a system, as in behavioral science or linguistics.
eunuchoid: A sexually deficient individual; especially one lacking in sexual
differentiation and tending toward the intersexual state.
Euro-American: 1. A U.S. citizen or resident of European descent. 2. Of or relating
to Euro-Americans. 3. Of or relating to Europe and America.
European Community: An economic and political organization formed in 1967
from the consolidation of three western European treaty organizations, the European
Economic Community, the European Coal and Steel Community, and the European
Atomic Energy Community. Its members are the same as those of the European
Economic Community.
72
Europeanism: Belief in or support of the economic or political unification of
Europe.
European oyster: An oyster (Ostrea edulis) having a round flat shell and a metallic
taste, native to northern Europe and cultured primarily in the northwestern United
States and Maine.
eusocial: Living in a cooperative group in which usually one female and several
males are reproductively active and the nonbreeding individuals care for the young
or protect and provide for the group: eusocial termites, ants, and naked mole rats.
even money: Equal stakes in a wager.
exaptation: The utilization of a structure or feature for a function other than that for
which it was developed through natural selection.
exceedance: The amount by which something, especially a pollutant, exceeds a
standard or permissible measurement.
exchangite: A member of a major national service club. [(National) Exchange
(club)]
exclusive economic zone: The area of sea and seabed extending from the shore of a
country claiming exclusive rights to it.
exfoliant: A mechanical or chemical agent (as an abrasive skin wash or salicylic
acid) that is applied to the skin to remove dead cells from the surface.
exclusivism: The practice of excluding or of being exclusive.
exonym: A name by which one people or social group refers to another and by
which the group so named does not refer to itself.
exophthalmic: Characterized by the prominence of the eyeballs.
exotropia: A form of strabismus in which one or both of the eyes deviate outward.
expanded plastic: Lightweight cellular plastic used especially as insulation and
protective packing material.
expiration date: 1. The date on which something, such as a warranty or license, is
no longer valid or in effect. 2. The date past which a product, such as food or
medicine, must be sold or removed from availability because it is no longer expected
to be fresh or effective.
Express Mail: Used for overnight delivery of mail.
extralinguistic: Lying outside the province of linguistics.
extraliterary: Lying outside the field of literature.
extrality: Extraterritoriality.
extraterritoriality: Exemption from local legal jurisdiction, such as that granted to
foreign diplomats.
extratextual: Of, relating to, or being something outside a literary text.
extratropical cyclone: A cyclone in the middle or high latitudes often containing a
cold front that extends toward the equator for hundreds of miles.
eyedness: Preference for the use of one eye instead of the other (as in using a
monocular microscope). [-eyed (as in right-eyed, left-eyed)]
eye candy: Someone or something that is visually attractive or pleasing to look at.
F
fabric softener: A product used to make laundered fabrics softer and fluffier.
faceless: 1. Having no face. 2. Without character or identity; anonymous: faceless
soldiers guarding the compound; a faceless industrial conglomerate.
face-plant: A sudden face-first fall.
73
face time: Time spent interacting in the presence of or in the same location as
another or others: putting in face time in the office instead of working at home.
fact-check: To verify the factual accuracy of: fact-check the article before
publication.
factory ship: An ocean vessel equipped to process fish or other marine animals,
especially as seafood.
facture: The manner in which something, especially a work of art, is made: the
gummy surfaces, spectral smudges and woozy contours that... appear in counterpoint
to the clear, bright facture that had heretofore been [the artist's] hallmark.
faller: 1. One who cuts down trees; a lumberjack or feller. 2. A machine part or
device that operates by falling.
false color: Color in an image (as a photograph) of an object that does not actually
appear in the object but is used to enhance, contrast, or distinguish details.
false consciousness: In Marxist theory, a failure to recognize the instruments of
one's oppression or exploitation as one's own creation, as when members of an
oppressed class unwittingly adopt views of the oppressor class.
false-memory syndrome: The belief that one remembers events, especially
traumatic events, that have not actually occurred. Not in scientific use.
false pregnancy: A condition that is usually psychosomatic but may be caused by a
tumor or endocrine dysfunction, in which physical symptoms of pregnancy are
manifested without conception. It may occur in both males and females but is much
more common in females.
false start: 1. An illegal racing start in which one of the competitors begins moving
before the starting signal. 2. A misguided or unsuccessful attempt to begin
something: after several false starts, finally produced a best seller.
family leave: An absence from work granted so that an employee can give care to a
family member, such as a new baby or sick parent.
family values: The moral and social values traditionally maintained and affirmed
within a family.
famously: 1. In a way or to an extent that is well known: his famously neurotic
mannerisms [are] lampooned in the novels of Evelyn Waugh. 2. With the result of
becoming famous: Frost had famously declared that poetry is what gets lost in
translation. 3. Excellently; splendidly: we got along famously.
fancy Dan: One given to flamboyant display especially of technique or dress.
fancy-pants: Overly elegant or refined.
fancy up: To add superficial adornment to.
fanfold: Paper (as business forms or tape) made from a web and folded like a fan
lengthwise and sometimes crosswise.
far-out: Marked by a considerable departure from the conventional or traditional:
far-out clothes.
fast-track: Of or relating to authority granted to the President of the U.S. by
Congress that allows the President to negotiate trade agreements which Congress
must confirm or reject in their entirety.
fast-twitch: Of, relating to, or being muscle fiber that contracts quickly especially
during brief high-intensity physical activity requiring strength.
fat depot: Adipose tissue.
fat farm: A spa or resort that specializes in weight loss.
fatwa: A legal opinion or ruling issued by an Islamic scholar.
74
fauve1: A painter practicing fauvism.
fauve2: Vivid in color.
fauvism: An early-20th-century movement in painting begun by a group of French
artists and marked by the use of bold, often distorted forms and vivid colors. [French
fauvisme, from fauve, “wild animal,” from fauve, “wild, reddish-yellow,” from Old
French falve, “reddish-yellow”]
FedEx: A trademark used for an express shipping service. This trademark often
occurs in print in lowercase as a noun or verb: For years, people in offices across the
United States have talked about “fedexing packages” and receiving or sending
“fedexes.”
feedback loop: The section of a control system that allows for feedback and selfcorrection and that adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual
output and the desired output.
feed dog: A notched piece of metal on a sewing machine that feeds material into
position under the needle.
feeler gauge: A thin metal strip or wire of known thickness used as a gauge.
feel-good: Characterized by or designed to encourage a feeling of often superficial
happiness or satisfaction: Everything about Fassbinder ran contrary to Hollywood
notions of feel-good entertainment.
feel up: To touch or fondle (someone) for sexual pleasure.
felicific calculus: A method of determining the rightness of an action by balancing
the probable pleasures and pains that it would produce.
felonry: Felons; especially the convict population of a penal colony
felt-tip: A pen having a writing point made of felt.
fern bar: A bar or restaurant fashionably decorated with green plants and especially
ferns.
ferro-cement: A building material made of thin cement slabs reinforced with steel
mesh.
feeding frenzy: 1. A period of intense or excited feeding, as by sharks. 2. Excited
activity by a group, especially around a focal point: The media swirled and boiled
around the newlyweds in a kind of all-out feeding frenzy.
female genital mutilation: Female circumcision.
film badge: A small pack of sensitive photographic film worn as a badge for
indicating exposure to radiation.
field guide: An illustrated book that provides descriptions of plants or animals found
in nature.
fighting word: A word that one uses to provoke a fight or hostility. Often used in the
plural: Fighting words are categorically excluded from the protection of the First
Amendment... [because] their content embodies a particularly intolerable and
socially unnecessary mode of expressing whatever idea the speaker wishes to convey.
fill-up: The act or an instance of filling up something, especially a gasoline tank:
offered a free car wash with each fill-up.
filter tip: A cigar or cigarette tip designed to filter the smoke before it enters the
smoker's mouth; also a cigar or cigarette provided with such a tip.
finger food: A food that is to be held with the fingers for eating.
fingerhold: 1. A hold or place of support for the fingers. 2. A tenuous hold or
support.
finger-pointing: The act of making explicit and often unfair accusations of blame.
75
Finlandization: 1. The former policy of neutrality by non-Communist countries
under the influence of the Soviet Union. 2. The adoption of such a policy.
fire and brimstone: 1. The punishment of hell. 2. Homiletic rhetoric describing or
warning of the punishment of hell.
fire-breathing: Intimidatingly or violently aggressive in speech and manner: a firebreathing orator.
fire truck: An automotive vehicle equipped with firefighting apparatus.
first day cover: A philatelic cover franked with a newly issued postage stamp and
bearing the postmark of the first day of issue and an officially chosen place of issue.
fisherwoman: A woman who fishes as an occupation or for sport.
fistnote: Matter in a text to which attention is directed by means of an index mark.
five-star: Of first class or quality: a five-star hotel.
fixer: 1. A person who uses influence or makes arrangements for another, especially
by improper or unlawful means. 2. A chemical preservative used to fix a
photographic image.
fixer-upper: A house or other dwelling that is badly in need of repair, usually for
sale at a low price.
flag stop: A point at which a vehicle in public transportation stops only on
prearrangement or signal.
flake tool: A stone tool consisting of a flake that is often modified by further
chipping or flaking.
flame stitch: A needlepoint stitch that produces a pattern resembling flames.
flatline: 1. a. To register on an electronic monitor as having no brain waves or
heartbeat b. Die. 2. a. To be in a state of no progress or advancement b. To come to
an end.
flash-freeze: 1. To freeze (produce, meat, or fish) immediately after harvesting,
butchering, or catching. 2. To freeze (a biological specimen, for example)
instantaneously by exposure to an environment of very low temperature.
flat-earther: One who stubbornly adheres to outmoded or discredited ideas: If you
don’t accept the ideas derived from Adam Smith... then you are [considered] a flatearther.
flat-hat: To fly an airplane close to the ground and at a high or dangerous speed.
flavor of the month: Something currently popular; a trend or fashion.
flesh-pressing: The act of greeting and shaking hands with people especially while
campaigning for political office.
fletching: The feathers on an arrow.
flight path: The precise route taken or due to be taken through the air by an aircraft
or spacecraft.
flight plan: A detailed statement of the schedule and expected route of an aircraft or
spacecraft.
flight recorder: A crashworthy device that records data about an aircraft's flight,
such as airspeed, heading, and the procedures of the pilot. Also called black box.
flip off: To hold up the middle finger as an obscene gesture of contempt to: flipped
off the other driver.
float glass: Flat glass produced by solidifying molten glass on the surface of a bath
of molten tin.
flokati rug: A hand-woven Greek woolen rug with a thick shaggy pile.
floodway: A channel for an overflow of water caused by flooding.
76
floorcloth: A piece of heavy canvas that has been primed, decorated, and varnished
and is used as a floor covering.
floor-through: An apartment that occupies an entire floor of a building.
flop sweat: Nervous sweat (as of a performer) caused especially by the fear of
failing.
flue-cured: Cured with heat transmitted through a flue without exposure to smoke or
fumes: flue-cured tobacco.
flump: A dull heavy sound, as of something dropped on a surface.
fly-by-wire: Of, relating to, being, or utilizing a flight-control system in which
controls are operated electrically rather than mechanically.
fly dope: An insect repellent.
fly-on-the-wall: Having or involving an inconspicuous but effective point of
observation: fly-on-the-wall observations of aspects of daily life.
fogger: An apparatus for spreading a fog of pesticide.
folk magic: The practice of using charms, spells, or rituals to attempt to control
natural or chance events or to influence the behavior or emotions of others.
food court: An area, such as a section of a mall or an alleyway, in which vendors
sell food at stations about a common eating space.
food stylist: One who arranges food to be professionally photographed, as for a
magazine.
footbag: 1. A small round bag filled with plastic pellets or other material and used
in games that require its being kept aloft with the feet. 2. Any of the games in which
such a bag is used.
footframe: A structural component in a shoe or boot consisting of a stiff midsole
that extends back around the heel, designed to provide stability for the foot.
for-instance: An example: here's a for-instance that happened to me in Jackson.
forked tongue: Intent to mislead or deceive — usually used in the phrase: to speak
with forked tongue.
forwardmost: Closest to the front; first.
foster home: A household in which an orphaned, neglected, or delinquent child is
placed for care.
four eyes: One who wears eyeglasses.
411: Information or knowledge, especially when acquired by word of mouth.
fourplex: 1. Composed of four parts; fourfold; quadruple. 2. Having four apartments,
divisions, or floors: a fourplex apartment building.
foxing: Brownish spots on old paper: some foxing on the pages.
fragrancy: Fragrance.
free beach: A beach at which nudity is permitted.
free diver: One who engages in skin diving.
free enterpriser: A supporter or advocate of free enterprise.
free-flowing: Characterized by easy freedom in movement, progression, or style: a
free-flowing essay.
free-range: Of, relating to, or produced by animals, especially poultry, that range
freely for food, rather than being confined in an enclosure: free-range chickens.
freewriting: Automatic writing done especially as a classroom exercise.
freezer burn: Light-colored spots developed in frozen foods as a result of surface
evaporation and drying when inadequately wrapped or packaged.
frizzies: Frizzy hair — often used with the: a bad case of the frizzies.
77
frog-march: To seize from behind roughly and forcefully propel forward: frogmarched him out the door.
front and center: In or to the forefront of activity or consideration,
frontlist: A publisher's list of new or current titles.
frost boil: A section of ruptured pavement caused by the expansion of freezing water
immediately under the road.
frosted: Having undergone frosting: frosted hair.
frostnip: The reversible freezing of superficial skin layers that is usually marked by
numbness and whiteness of the skin.
frosting: 1 a. Icing. b. Trimming, ornamentation. 2. Lusterless finish of metal or
glass: mat; also a white finish produced on glass (as by etching). 3. The lightening
(as by chemicals) of small strands of hair throughout the entire head to produce a
two-tone effect.
fudge factor: A variable factor or component used in calculations or experiments
that allows for a margin of error or produces a desired result.
full blast: At full capacity; with great intensity.
full-term: Retained in the uterus for the normal period of gestation before birth: a
full-term newborn.
fun and games: Light amusement.
funny car: A specialized dragster that has a one-piece molded body resembling the
body of a mass-produced car.
functionality: The quality of being functional.
G
G8: The countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. Representatives from these countries meet to
discuss economic concerns. [G(roup of) 8]
Gaeltacht: The collection of regions in Ireland where Irish Gaelic is spoken as a
native language. [Irish Gaelic, from Gael, “a Gael”]
gallery forest: A forest growing along a watercourse in a region otherwise devoid of
trees.
game hen: An immature domestic hen weighing usually less than two pounds and
used especially for roasting: a Cornish game hen.
gang hook: Two or three fishhooks with their shanks joined together.
garbology: The study of a society or culture by examining or analyzing its refuse.
[garb(age) + -logy]
garden-variety: Common; unremarkable: situation comedies and other gardenvariety television fare.
gas oil: A hydrocarbon oil used as a fuel oil; especially: A petroleum distillate
intermediate in boiling range and viscosity between kerosene and lubricating oil.
gas-operated: of a firearm Using part of the force of expanding propellant gases to
operate the action.
gas ring: A ring-shaped portable gas burner for cooking.
gastight: Impervious to gas.
gated community: A subdivision or neighborhood, often surrounded by a barrier, to
which entry is restricted to residents and their guests.
gazillion: An indefinitely large number: The crowd cheered wildly... as gazillions of
balloons poured down from the rafters. [On the model of million, billion, etc]
78
gearhead: A person who pursues mechanical or technological interests (as in
automobiles or computers).
genderless: 1. Lacking qualities typically associated with either sex. 2. Suitable to or
for either sex; also not reflective of the experiences, prejudices, or orientations of one
sex more than the other: genderless language.
genogram: A diagram outlining the history of the behavior patterns (as of divorce,
abortion, or suicide) of a family over several generations; also a similar diagram
detailing the medical history of a family in order to assess a family member's risk of
developing disease.
geegaw /gēgô/ also gewgaw /gyoogô/: A decorative trinket; a bauble. [Middle
English giuegaue.]
gendered: Having or making gender-based distinctions: gendered behavior in
children; gendered assumptions about the law's fairness.
gender-specific: Of, for, or associated with persons of one gender to the exclusion of
the other: gender-specific health care; gender-specific behavior.
general admission: 1. The section of unreserved seating for an audience, as at an
auditorium or stadium: The only tickets that remain unsold are for general
admission. 2. An amount of money charged for admission to such a section.
general aviation: 1. The operation of civilian aircraft for purposes other than
commercial passenger transport, including personal, business, and instructional
flying. 2. The aircraft flown for these purposes.
Generation Y: The generation following Generation X, especially people born in the
United States and Canada from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. [Modeled on
Generation X] (Generation X, see Coinage)
generic name: 1. A name that is not or does not include a trademark or brand name.
2. The official nonproprietary name of a drug, under which it is licensed and
identified by the manufacturer.
genital mutilation: The cutting or excision of all or some of the genital organs,
especially ritualistic clitoridectomy.
geniture: Birth; nativity. [Latin genitra, “reproduction,” from genitus, past participle
of gignere, “to beget”]
get-go: The beginning; outset: my candidate from the get-go... never got going.
gharry /gărē/: A horse-drawn carriage, used primarily in Egypt and India, often as a
cab.
glamour-puss: A glamorously attractive person.
glass ceiling: An unacknowledged discriminatory barrier that prevents women and
minorities from rising to positions of power or responsibility, as within a corporation.
glide slope: 1. The proper path of descent for an aircraft preparing to land; especially
such a path indicated by a radio beam. 2. The radio beam that marks a glide slope.
Global Positioning System: Abbr. GPS. A system of satellites, computers, and
receivers that is able to determine the latitude and longitude of a receiver on Earth by
calculating the time difference for signals from different satellites to reach the
receiver.
global warming: An increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere,
especially a sustained increase sufficient to cause climatic change.
glove box also glovebox: An enclosed workspace equipped with gloved openings
that allow manipulation in the interior, designed to prevent contamination of the
product, the environment, or the worker.
79
glove leather: A soft lightweight leather.
glow discharge: A luminous electrical discharge without sparks through a gas.
glow lamp: A gas-discharge electric lamp in which most of the light proceeds from
the glow of the gas near the cathode.
glyph: 1. A symbolic figure that is usually engraved or incised. 2. A symbol, such as
a stylized figure or arrow on a public sign, that imparts information nonverbally.
[Greek gluph, “carving,” from gluphein, “to carve”]
goalward: Toward a goal.
God-fearing: Having a reverent feeling toward God. Devout.
golden handcuffs: Special benefits offered to an employee as an inducement to
continue service.
golden shower: The act of urinating on another person usually as part of a sex act.
goldfish bowl: A place or situation offering no privacy.
gold record: A gold phonograph record awarded to a singer or group whose single
record has sold at least one million copies or whose album has sold at least 500,000
copies.
good cholesterol: A lipoprotein of blood plasma that is composed of a high
proportion of protein with little triglyceride and cholesterol and that is correlated
with reduced risk of atherosclerosis.
good life: A life marked by a high standard of living.
gotcha: 1. Used to indicate understanding or to signal the fact of having caught or
defeated another. 2. A game or endeavor in which one party seeks to catch another
out, as in a mistake or lie. [Contraction of got you.]
Goth: Rock music marked by dark and morbid lyrics. [From Gothic (from a view of
Gothic styles or genres as dark or gloomy).]
grade separation: A highway or railroad crossing using an underpass or overpass.
graduated cylinder: A tall narrow container with a volume scale used especially for
measuring liquids.
grand old man: A venerated practitioner or former practitioner of an art, profession,
or sport: the grand old man of jazz.
graphic design: The practice or profession of designing print or electronic forms of
visual information, as for an advertisement, publication, or website.
grass cloth: A lustrous plain textile of usually loosely woven fibers.
gravida: A pregnant woman - often used with a number to indicate the number of
pregnancies a woman has had: a gravida 4. [Latin, from feminine of gravidus
“pregnant”]
gravitas: 1. Substance; weightiness: a frivolous biography that lacks the gravitas of
its subject. 2. A serious or dignified demeanor: Our national father figure needs
gravitas, [but] he's pitched himself as the kid brother. [Latin gravitās, “heaviness,
seriousness”]
graywater: Wastewater from household baths and washing machines that is recycled
especially for use in gardening or for flushing toilets.
great house: The main house of an estate or plantation.
greener pastures: A better or more promising situation.
green fingers: An unusual ability to make plants grow; also green thumb.
green flash: A momentary green appearance of the uppermost part of the sun's disk
at sunrise or sunset that results from atmospheric refraction.
80
greenhouse gas: Any of the atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse
effect.
greenkeeper: A person responsible for the care and upkeep of a golf course.
Grim Reaper: The personification of death as a cloaked man or skeleton carrying a
scythe.
grind out: To produce in a mechanical way.
gripman: A cable car operator.
grounded: Mentally and emotionally stable: admirably sensible, realistic, and
unpretentious: remains grounded despite all the praise and attention.
group home: A small supervised residential facility, as for mentally ill people or
wards of the state, in which residents typically participate in daily tasks and are often
free to come and go on a voluntary basis.
guideway: A channel or track for controlling the line of motion of something.
guilt-trip: To make or try to make (someone) feel guilty: guilt-tripped them into
helping.
gurry: Fish offal. [Originally a whaling term for the refuse left over from processing
whale blubber, perhaps from dialectal gurry, “diarrhea”]
gut check: A test or assessment of courage, character, or determination.
gutty: 1. gutsy: a gutty quarterback. 2. Having a vigorous challenging quality: gutty
realism.
gut-wrenching: Causing mental or emotional anguish.
gynophobia: 1. Fear of or contempt for women. 2. Behavior based on such an
attitude or feeling.
H
Hacky Sack: A trademark used for a footbag. This trademark often occurs in print
hyphenated or in uppercase or lowercase as a name for the game of footbag.
hagride: To torment or harass, especially with worry or dread: a man hagridden by
the future haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth.
hairnet: A mesh for holding the hair in place.
hairy-chested: Characterized by especially exaggerated or stereotypical manliness.
Halacha or Halakhah also Halakah: The legal part of Talmudic literature, an
interpretation of the laws of the Scriptures. [Hebrew hălākâ, “rule, tradition,” from
hālak, “to go”]
half bath: A bathroom containing a sink and toilet but no bathtub or shower.
half-glasses: Eyeglasses that have half lenses and are used for reading only.
half-knot: A knot intertwining the ends of two cords and used in tying other knots.
hammerless: Having the hammer concealed: a hammerless revolver.
handlist: A list (as of books) for purposes of reference or checking.
hand running: In unbroken succession.
hand truck: A two-wheeled cart for moving heavy objects by hand, consisting of a
vertical framework with handles at the top and a metal blade at the bottom that is
inserted beneath a load, the entire assembly being tilted backward until balanced for
easy pushing or pulling.
handwrought: Fashioned by hand or chiefly by hand processes: handwrought
silver.
happy camper: One who is content.
81
happy hunting ground: 1. An afterlife conceived as a paradise in which hunting is
plentiful and game unlimited. 2. A place or situation of abundant opportunity: a film
festival that was a happy hunting ground for producers looking for new talent.
happy talk: Optimistic talk.
hard case: 1. A tough, unsentimental person. 2. A person who is persistently insolent
or difficult to control.
hard-driving: Intensely ambitious, energetic, or hardworking.
hard-eyed: Hard or cold in manner or approach: dispassionate: a hard-eyed view of
the candidates.
hard goods: Durables: consumer goods (as vehicles and household appliances) that
are typically used repeatedly over a period of years.
hard-hit: Badly or adversely affected: Official rescue and recovery efforts were...
just getting underway in this ravaged port city and more than a dozen other hard-hit
towns.
hard-luck: Marked by, relating to, or experiencing bad luck or difficulty: another
loss for the team's hard-luck pitcher; hard-luck stories.
hardpack: Compacted snow.
hardstand: A paved area for parking an airplane.
hard stone: An opaque usually semiprecious stone that can be shaped or carved (as
for jewelery or mosaics).
hardware cloth: Rugged galvanized screening.
hatemonger: One who incites others to hatred or prejudice.
hate speech: Bigoted speech attacking or disparaging a social or ethnic group or a
member of such a group.
hatha yoga: A form of yogic exercise that emphasizes specific postures in
combination with controlled breathing. It is widely practiced in the West. [Sanskrit
hathayogah: hatha, “violence, force” (from forcing the mind to withdraw from the
outside world by the use of difficult postures) + yogah, “union, yoga”]
hat in hand: In an attitude of respectful humility: have to go hat in hand to
apologize.
head and shoulders: Beyond comparison: by far head and shoulders above the
competition.
headhunt: To recruit (personnel and especially executives) for top-level jobs: was
headhunted by three different firms. To recruit personnel for top-level jobs.
head-in-the-sand: Unwilling to recognize or acknowledge a problem or situation:
the government's usual head-in-the-sand response.
head mike: A body mike worn on one's head.
head of steam: Strong driving force; momentum: frequent rallies helped the
movement develop a head of steam.
head over heels: 1. a. In or as if in a somersault; helter-skelter. b. Upside down. 2.
Very much; deeply: head over heels in love.
head restraint: A resilient pad at the top of the back of an automobile seat especially
for preventing whiplash.
head-scratcher: Puzzle, mystery.
health club: A usually commercial establishment having members who pay a fee to
use its health and fitness facilities and equipment.
health spa: A business establishment with equipment and facilities for exercising
and improving physical fitness.
82
heartbreaker: One that causes sorrow, grief, or disappointment: one young and
chaste, the other a dissolute heartbreaker of 48; one prim, the other passionate.
heart-free: Not in love.
heart-healthy: Conductive to a healthy heart and circulatory system: heart-healthy
exercise; a heart-healthy diet.
heart-stopping: Extremely shocking or exciting: a heart-stopping adventure; heartstopping views.
heat engine: A device that converts heat energy into work.
heathered: Flecked with various colors; speckled; heathered yarn.
heat index: A measurement of the air temperature in relation to the relative
humidity, used as an indicator of the perceived temperature.
heavy hitter: 1. One that is predominant, as in influence or power: especially when
a candidate is a challenger, appearances with heavy hitters from the party lend an
air of credibility. 2. Big shot, heavy.
heliograph: 1. A device for transmitting messages by reflecting sunlight. 2. A device
for photographing the sun.
heliolatry: Worship of the sun.
hell-raiser: A rowdy, troublesome, or unruly person.
helmsperson: The person at the helm.
hereinabove: Hereinbefore; in the preceding part of this writing or document
hidden agenda: An undisclosed plan, especially one with an ulterior motive.
high-definition: Being or relating to an often digital television system that has twice
as many scan lines per frame as a conventional system, a proportionally sharper
image, and a wide-screen format.
highspot: Something (as an event or detail) that is of major significance or special
interest.
high-wrought: Extremely excited or agitated.
hijab: 1. The headscarf worn by Muslim women, sometimes including a veil that
covers the face except for the eyes. 2. The institution of protection of women in some
Islamic societies through veiling or seclusion. [Arabic hijāb, “curtain, veil,” from
hajaba, “to cover”]
Himalayan: Enormously large; mountainous: a task of Himalayan proportions.
Hindu-Arabic: Relating to, being, or composed of Arabic numerals: Hindu-Arabic
numeration system.
hip-hop: 1. A subculture especially of inner-city youths who are typically devotees
of rap music. 2. The stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rap; also
rap together with this music.
hip-hopper: A devotee of hip-hop music and culture; also a performer of hip-hop.
hippy: A usually young person who rejects the mores of established society (as by
dressing unconventionally or favoring communal living) and advocates a nonviolent
ethic. A long-haired unconventionally dressed young person.
hip-shooting: Action or reaction that is quick and often reckless.
hipsters: A person who is unusually aware of and interested in new and
unconventional patterns (as in jazz or fashion).
hipsterism: 1. Hipness. 2. The way of life characteristic of hipsters.
his/her: His or her — used as an adjective of common gender.
hissy: Characterized by or making a hissing sound: badly recorded music that
sounded hissy when played back.
83
holidays: On holidays repeatedly; on any holiday: goes to the beach holidays.
Holy Joe: Parson, chaplain.
homeschool or home-school: To instruct (a pupil, for example) in an educational
program outside of established schools, especially in the home. To provide
educational instruction in a homeschool. A school operated outside established
educational institutions, especially in a home.
home screen: A television receiving set.
homesite: A location of or suitable for a home.
homestay: A stay at a residence by a traveler and especially by a visiting foreign
student who is hosted by a local family.
hone in: To move toward or focus attention on an objective: looking back for the
ball honing in; a missile honing in on its target; hones in on the plights and victories
of the common man. [alteration of home in]
honeypot: 1. One that is attractive or desirable. 2. A substantial source of money.
honor guard: A group of people serving as an escort or performing drill exhibitions
on ceremonial occasions. Also called guard of honor.
honor roll: A list of names of people worthy of honor, especially; a. A list of
students who have earned high grades during a specified period. b. A list of people
who have served in the armed forces.
hoodie: A hooded sweatshirt.
hoopster: A basketball player.
hopping mad: Extremely angry.
horror story: An account of an unsettling or unfortunate occurrence: heard horror
stories about recent layoffs; also something unsettling or unfortunate: his childhood
was a horror story.
horror-struck: Struck with horror: stood horror-struck as they watched …their own
city destroyed.
horse-and-buggy: 1. Of or relating to the era before the advent of certain socially
revolutionizing inventions (as the automobile). 2. Clinging to outdated attitudes or
ideas; old-fashioned.
HO scale: A scale of 3.5 millimeters to one foot used especially for model toys (as
automobiles or trains). [half + O gauge]
hospitality suite: A room or suite especially in a hotel set aside as a place for
socializing especially for business purposes.
hot comb: A metal comb usually electrically heated for straightening or styling the
hair.
hot-melt: A fast-drying nonvolatile adhesive applied hot in the molten state.
hot ticket: Someone or something very popular; rage.
hottie: A physically attractive person.
house cricket: A common, widely distributed cricket (Acheta domesticus) that often
enters human dwellings in cold weather.
house-dust mite: Either of two widely distributed mites (Dermatophagoides farinae
and D. pteronyssinus) that commonly occur in house dust and often induce allergic
responses especially in children.
house of cards: A flimsy structure, arrangement, or situation that is in danger of
collapsing or failing: The collapse of the rupiah... has brought down a house of cards
in overleveraged conglomerates.
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houseparent: A person who supervises a residence, such as a dormitory, for young
people.
houseperson: A person employed to perform housekeeping tasks, as in a hotel.
house seat: A seat in a theater that is reserved for a particular guest, as by
management or a member of the production.
house trailer: A mobile home.
houser: One that promotes or administers housing projects.
house rule: A rule (as in a game) that applies only among a certain group or in a
certain place.
HOV: Abbr. High-occupancy vehicle.
hub-and-spoke: Being or relating to a system of routing air traffic in which a major
airport serves as a central point for coordinating flights to and from other airports.
humification : The formation of humus.
humified: Converted into humus.
Hummer: A trademark used for a durable wide-bodied vehicle with four-wheel
drive.
hundreds place: The place three to the left of the decimal point in a number
expressed in the Arabic system of notation
hunter green: A dark yellowish green.
hurry-up: Carried out as rapidly as possible, especially in the final minutes of a
football game: a hurry-up offense.
hydra-headed: Having many facets or aspects, especially difficult or intractable
ones: a hydra-headed social problem.
hydrothermal vent: A fissure in the ocean floor especially at or near a mid-ocean
ridge from which mineral-rich superheated water issues.
hyperconscious: Extremely or acutely aware.
hypercorrect: Of, relating to, or characterized by the production of a nonstandard
linguistic form or construction on the basis of a false analogy: as “badly” in “my
eyes have gone badly” and “widely” in “open widely.”
hyperdrive: A state of extremely heightened activity: the promotions department
went into hyperdrive.
hypergamy /hīpûrgəmē/: The practice of marrying into an equal or more prestigious
social group or caste.
hyperkinetic: 1. Having or exhibiting hyperactivity. 2. Wildly fast-paced or excited;
frenetic: a hyperkinetic sales pitch.
hyperphagia: Abnormally increased appetite for and consumption of food, thought
to be associated with a lesion or injury in the hypothalamus.
hyperthermophile: An organism that lives in extremely hot environments (as hot
springs) with temperatures around the boiling point of water.
hyperuricemia: Excess uric acid in the blood, as in gout.
hypervelocity: A high or relatively high velocity (as thousands of feet or meters per
second).
hypo: Stimulate: do everything possible to hypo the economy. [short for
hypodermic]
I
iconicity: Correspondence between form and meaning: the iconicity of the Roman
numeral III.
85
ideograph: A character or symbol representing an idea or a thing without expressing
the pronunciation of a particular word or words for it, as in the traffic sign commonly
used for “no parking” or “parking prohibited.” Also called ideogram.
ideogram: A written symbol representing an entire spoken word without expressing
its pronunciation; for example, for 4 read “four” in English, “quattro” in Italian.
iff: If and only if: two figures are congruent iff one can be placed over the other so
that they coincide. [alteration of if]
ill-equipped: Poorly or inadequately equipped.
imagesetter: A typesetting device that produces very high-resolution output directly
from a computer file, as for camera-ready copy.
immersion heater: A usually electric unit that heats the liquid in which it is
immersed.
immiseration: The act of making miserable; especially impoverishment: the
immiseration of the working class.
immobilism: A policy of extreme conservatism and opposition to change.
impendent: Being about to occur; impending.
impercipient: Imperceptive; lacking perception.
impoundment: 1. The act of impounding or the state of being impounded. 2. A body
of water, such as a reservoir, made by impounding: 1. To confine in or as if in a
pound: capture and impound stray dogs. 2. To seize and retain in legal custody:
impounding disputed electoral ballots. 3. To set aside in a fund rather than spend as
prescribed: a governor who impounded monies designated for use by cities. 4. To
accumulate and store in a reservoir: by damming the stream, the engineers
impounded its waters for irrigation.
inarguable: Not arguable.
inarguably: It cannot be argued: unquestionably: Inarguably, December is the best
month for retailers.
in box: A container for incoming documents, located in or near one's office or work
area.
incant: Recite, utter.
incentive travel: Vacation travel arranged by or through an employer and awarded
as a motivational bonus to qualifying employees or salespeople.
incisal: Of, relating to, or being the cutting edge of an incisor or canine tooth.
incomplete abortion: An induced abortion in which the contents of the uterus are
not completely expelled.
indecent exposure: The exposure of one's body, especially one's genitals, in a public
place and in a way considered offensive to established standards of decency.
independent living: 1. A living arrangement that maximizes independence and selfdetermination, especially of disabled persons living in a community instead of in a
medical facility. 2. A social movement asserting that people with disabilities should
have the same civil rights and life choices as people without disabilities.
Indian country or Indian Country: 1. Indian Territory. 2. Federal reservation lands
under Native American tribal jurisdiction.
Indianism: 1. Devotion to or preference for the people and culture of India. 2.
Devotion to traditional Native American culture or cultures.
indirect cost: A cost that is not identifiable with a specific product, function, or
activity.
indirect evidence: Circumstantial evidence.
86
industrial archaeology: The study of the buildings, machinery, and equipment of
the industrial revolution.
industrial-strength: Extremely strong, durable, or concentrated: industrial-strength
cardboard; industrial-strength detergent.
indwelling: 1. Dwelling or residing within. 2. Placed or implanted within the body,
as a catheter or electrode. 3. An inner presence, as of a spirit or power.
ineptitude: 1. The quality of being inept; foolishness. 2. An inept act or remark.
infibulate: To close off or obstruct the genitals of, especially by sewing together the
labia majora in females or fastening the prepuce in males, so as to prevent sexual
intercourse.
infalling: Moving under the influence of gravity toward a celestial object (as a black
hole).
informatics: Information science. [International Scientific Vocabulary, information
+
-ics]
information age: The period beginning around 1970 and noted for the abundant
publication, consumption, and manipulation of information, especially by computers
and computer networks.
information technology: abbr. IT The development, installation, and
implementation of computer systems and applications.
inground: Built into the ground: an inground pool.
injection molding: A manufacturing process for forming objects, as of plastic or
metal, by heating the molding material to a fluid state and injecting it into a mold.
injection well: A deep well into which water or pressurized gas is pumped in order
to push petroleum resources out of underground reservoirs toward production wells,
so as to increase their yield.
inkstone: A stone used in Chinese calligraphy and painting for grinding dry ink and
mixing it with water.
in-line: Having the parts or units arranged in a straight line; also being so arranged.
in-line engine: An internal combustion engine in which the cylinders are arranged in
one or more straight lines.
in-line skate: A roller skate whose wheels are set in-line for greater speed and
maneuverability.
inner space: 1. Space at or near the earth's surface and especially under the sea. 2.
One's inner self.
inorgasmic: Incapable of having an orgasm.
in-process: Of, relating to, or being goods in manufacture as distinguished from raw
materials or from finished products.
instantiate: To represent (an abstract concept) by a concrete or tangible example:
Two apples... both instantiate the single universal redness. [Latin īnstantia,
“example”]
in-store: Relating to or being an operation or activity located or taking place inside a
store: in-store consumer survey.
intellectual property: A product of the intellect that has commercial value,
including copyrighted property such as literary or artistic works, and ideational
property, such as patents, appellations of origin, business methods, and industrial
processes.
intentionality: The state of having or being formed by an intention; purposefulness.
interact: To act upon one another.
87
interactant: One that interacts.
interallied: Relating to, composed of, or involving allies.
interfile: To arrange in or add to a file; file.
intermodal: Relating to transportation by more than one means of conveyance, as by
truck and rail: intermodal transport.
intermodulation: Modulation of the frequencies of electromagnetic waves occurring
when the waves interact as they are transmitted through a nonlinear electronic
system.
intermountain: Located between mountains or mountain systems, especially lying
between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada or Cascade Range in the
western United States.
interoperability: Ability of a system (as a weapons system) to work with or use the
parts or equipment of another system.
interpenetrate: To become mixed or united by penetration: planes that
interpenetrate in a painting. 1. To penetrate reciprocally: The streams interpenetrate
each other at the rapids. 2. To penetrate thoroughly; permeate or pervade.
interservice: Existing between or relating to two or more of the armed services:
interservice rivalry.
intersubjective: 1. Involving or occurring between separate conscious minds:
intersubjective communication. 2. Accessible to or capable of being established for
two or more subjects; objective: intersubjective reality of the physical world.
intertextuality: The complex interrelationship between a text and other texts taken
as basic to the creation or interpretation of the text.
intertie: An interconnection permitting passage of current between two or more
electric utility systems.
intertill: To cultivate between the rows of (a crop).
intoxication: 1. Stupefaction or excitement by the action of a chemical substance.
2. Exhilaration, excitement, or euphoria. 3. Poisoning by a drug or toxic substance.
intranational: Occurring or existing within a single nation: an intranational
conflict; intranational regions.
intrapopulation: Occurring within or taking place between members of a
population.
in-your-face: Marked by or done in a bold, defiant, or aggressive manner: in-yourface advertising; an in-your-face challenge to authority.
Irish confetti: A rock or brick used as a missile.
iron fist: Rigorous or despotic control: ruled the nation with an iron fist.
ironside: One who is very strong and courageous. [From Ironside, nickname of
Edmund II, and Ironsides, nickname of Oliver Cromwell]
irreal: Not real.
Islamic calendar: The lunar calendar used by Muslims, reckoned from the year of
the Hegira in A.D. 622.
Islamic era: The era used in Muslim countries for numbering Islamic calendar years
since the Hegira.
Islamicist: 1. A specialist in the study of Islam. 2. A member or supporter of an
Islamic revivalist movement; an Islamist.
island-hop: To travel from island to island in a chain.
island universe: A galaxy other than the Milky Way.
88
isodynamic line: A line on a map connecting points of equal strength of the earth's
magnetic field.
isoflavone: One of a family of phytoestrogens found chiefly in soybeans that is
under investigation for its preventive health benefits as a nutritional supplement.
J
jade green: A light bluish green.
jack stand: A stand whose height may be adjusted and which is used to support an
automobile that has been raised by a jack.
jack-up: A drilling rig used in offshore drilling whose drilling platform is a barge
from which legs are lowered to the bottom when over the drill site and which is
raised above the water and supported on the legs to conduct drilling operations.
jake: Grain alcohol flavored with an alcoholic extract of ginger.
jake leg: A paralysis caused by drinking improperly distilled or contaminated liquor.
jaw-dropping: Causing great surprise or astonishment.
jawed: Having a jaw or jaws, especially of a specified kind. Often used in
combination: slack-jawed; the jawed fishes.
J-bar lift: A ski lift having a series of J-shaped bars each of which pulls one skier.
jeep: To travel by jeep.
jellied gasoline: A thickener consisting of a mixture of aluminum soaps used in
jelling gasoline (as for incendiary bombs).
jerk around: To treat badly especially by being underhanded or inconsistent.
jet-black: Deep black.
jewel box: 1. A usually lined box or case for holding jewelry. 2. A hinged plastic
case designed to hold a compact disk and usually a printed insert or liner.
Jockey: A trademark used for underwear, especially men's briefs.
Joe Blow: An average or ordinary man.
joint compound: A substance similar to plaster used to cover joints or the heads of
screws or nails in plasterboard.
jounce: 1. To move in an up-and-down manner; bounce. 2. To cause to jounce.
jouncy: Marked by a jouncing motion or effect.
jubilarian: A person celebrating a jubilee. [From Medieval Latin iūbilārius, “of a
jubilee” from Late Latin iūbilaeus, “jubilee”]
Judaica: Literary or historical materials relating to Jews or Judaism. [Latin, neuter
plural of Іudaicus]
jug-eared: Having protuberant ears.
jump boot: A boot worn especially by paratroopers.
jumper's knee: A painful condition of the knee caused by inflammation or small
tears in the tendon of the patella that occurs especially in sports requiring strenuous
jumping.
Junior Leaguer: A member of a league of young women organized for volunteer
service to civic and social organizations.
jury: To select material as appropriate for exhibition in (as an art show) — used
chiefly as a participle: a juried show.
just-in-time: A manufacturing strategy wherein parts are produced or delivered only
as needed.
89
K
kazillion: An indeterminately large number: kazillions of mosquitoes.
kegger: A party featuring one or more kegs of beer.
kerflooey: 1. In a turned or twisted position or direction. 2. Utterly finished,
defeated, or destroyed.
keyboardist: A person who plays a keyboard musical instrument.
keyhole: 1. Revealingly intimate: a keyhole report. 2. Intent on revealing intimate
details: keyhole columnists.
key light: The main light illuminating a photographic subject.
keystroke: To capture or set (as data or text) by means of a keyboard.
kick-start: 1. To start by using a kick starter: He kick-started the motorcycle and
took off. 2. To start or reinvigorate (an activity, system, or process): kick-start the
economy with a large construction project.
kick starter: A starter that is operated by kicking downward on a pedal, as on a
motorcycle.
killed: 1. Put to death; destroyed. Often used in combination: fresh-killed meat. 2.
Of, relating to, or containing microorganisms that have been inactivated so as to be
incapable of causing infection: a killed virus; killed vaccines.
killer instinct: An aggressive tenacious urge for domination in a struggle to attain a
set goal.
kiloliter: Abbr. kl A metric unit of volume equal to 1,000 liters (1,056 liquid
quarts).
kilt: 1. A knee-length skirt with deep pleats, usually of a tartan wool, worn as part of
the dress for men in the Scottish Highlands. 2. A similar skirt worn by women, girls,
and boys.
kiltie: 1. One who wears a kilt. 2. A shoe having a fringed tongue that flaps over the
instep. 3. The tongue of such a shoe.
kinesis: Movement or activity of an organism in response to a stimulus such as light.
[Greek kīnēsis, “movement,” from kīnein, “to move”]
Kiwanian: A member of Kiwanis International, a service organization made up of
business and professional people, founded in 1915.
knee-slapper: An extremely funny joke, line, or story.
knitwear: Knitted clothing.
kudo: A praising remark; an accolade or compliment: Children's book author
Virginia Hamilton added another kudo to her prize-laden career. [Back-formation
from kudos from Greek kūdos, “magical glory”]
L
lab coat: A loose usually white coat with deep pockets that is worn in a laboratory or
medical office.
lac: A resinous secretion of the lac insect deposited on trees and used in making
shellac.
lacto-ovo vegetarian: A vegetarian whose diet includes dairy products, eggs,
vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts.
lacto-vegetarian: A vegetarian whose diet includes dairy products, vegetables,
fruits, grains, and nuts.
la-la land: A euphoric dreamlike mental state detached from the harsher realities of
life. [perhaps from la-la nonsense syllables in the refrains of songs]
90
lamer: A person regarded as inept or ineffectual.
lapis: 1. Lapis lazuli. 2. A medium to dark blue.
laptop: Of a size and design that makes operation and use on one's lap convenient.
large-print: Being set in a large size of type (as 14 point or larger) especially for use
by the partially sighted: large-print books.
laser sight: A firearm sight that uses laser to indicate the point of impact.
last-gasp: Undertaken as a final recourse; last-ditch.
latakia: An aromatic Turkish tobacco.
late-night: 1. Occurring late at night: a late-night television show. 2. Open late at
night: a late-night diner.
laterality: Preference in using one side of the body over the other.
late-term: Occurring or performed after the twentieth week of gestation in humans.
Latin Americanist: A specialist in Latin American civilization.
laughline: A lasting wrinkle or collection of wrinkles formed at the outer corner of
the eye, especially noticeable when one laughs or smiles.
legal eagle: Lawyer.
leghold trap: A jawed usually steel trap that is used to hold a wild mammal and
operates by springing closed and clamping onto the leg of the animal that steps on it.
leisured: Characterized by leisure.
lensman: Photographer.
lentic: Of, relating to, or living in still waters (as lakes, ponds, or swamps).
leptin: A neurotransmitter produced by fat cells and involved in the regulation of
appetite.
lexicographer: One who writes, compiles, or edits a dictionary.
library paste: A thick white adhesive made from starch.
license plate: A rectangular, usually metal plate that bears a sequence of numbers,
letters, or both and is issued by a government to identify an officially registered
vehicle.
lie-in: An act of lying down (as in a public place) in organized protest or as a means
of forcing compliance with demands.
life care: The provision of services for elderly people, including housing, health
care, and social activities.
life mask: A cast of a person's face taken while the subject is alive.
life-support: Of or relating to the methods, equipment, or conditions needed to
sustain life.
lifeworld: The sum total of physical surroundings and everyday experiences that
make up an individual's world.
liftgate: A closure at the rear of a vehicle that can be raised during loading and
unloading.
lightfast: Resistant to light and especially to sunlight; especially colorfast to light.
light pipe: An optical fiber or a solid transparent plastic rod for transmitting light
lengthwise.
lightplane: A small, lightweight passenger airplane, often privately owned.
light pollution: Illumination of the night sky by electric lights, as in an urban area,
that interferes with astronomical observation.
limited-access: of a road: Having access restricted to a relatively small number of
points.
limousine liberal: A wealthy political liberal.
91
limp-wristed: 1. Effeminate 2. Weak.
line graph: A graph in which points representing values of a variable for suitable
values of an independent variable are connected by a broken line.
line-haul: The transporting of items or persons between terminals.
line-item veto: Authority, as of a government executive, to reject provisions of a bill
individually.
liner notes: Explanatory notes about a record album, cassette, or compact disk
included on the jacket or in the packaging.
linguaphile: A lover of languages and words.
linksland: Seaside terrain that is characterized by rolling hills of sand and is often
used as the site of golf courses.
Lipizzan: Any of a breed of sturdy, compact horses developed from Spanish, Italian,
Danish, and Arab stock that are born black or dark brown and gradually turn white
by the time they are five to eight years of age. They are bred and trained at the
Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
lip-lock: A long amorous kiss.
liposculpture: Liposuction that uses ultrasound to break fat into small sections
before removal.
little man: The ordinary individual.
livability: 1. Survival expectancy: Viability — used especially of poultry and
livestock. 2. Suitability for human living.
live-box: A box or pen suspended in water to keep aquatic animals alive.
livetrap: To capture (an animal) in a live trap.
live trap: A trap for catching an animal alive and uninjured.
load factor: The percentage of available seats paid for and occupied in an aircraft.
lobster shift: A work shift (as on a newspaper) that covers the late evening and early
morning hours; also lobster trick.
localized: Restricted to a particular place.
lockbox: A box (as a post-office box, strongbox, or safe-deposit box) that locks.
lockdown: 1. The confinement of prison inmates to their cells as a security measure
following a disturbance in the prison. 2. A prison, especially a high-security one. 3.
A device that secures a piece of equipment, especially a computer, so that it cannot
be moved or stolen.
locked-in: Not subject to adjustment; fixed: locked-in interest rates.
lock, stock, and barrel: Wholly, completely: the only thing which had not been
sold lock, stock, and barrel with the…house was this piano. [from the principal parts
of a flintlock]
logocentrism: 1. A structuralist method of analysis, especially of literary works, that
focuses upon words and language to the exclusion of non-linguistic matters, such as
an author's individuality or historical context. 2. Excessive attention paid to the
meanings of words or distinctions in their usage.
lone ranger: One who acts alone and without consultation or the approval of others;
loner.
long-ago: Of, related to, or occurring in the past: a long-ago espionage trial.
long-day: Responding to or relating to a long photoperiod — used especially of a
plant.
longneck: Beer served in a bottle that has a long neck.
92
longline: A heavy fishing line usually several miles long and having a series of
baited hooks.
long-liner: 1. A person who fishes using a longline. 2. A vessel used for long-lining.
long wave: A radio wave with a wavelength in excess of 1000 meters.
lookism: Discrimination or prejudice against people based on their appearance.
loony tunes: Crazy, foolish.
loose-lipped: Given to indiscreet or incessant talk: a loose-lipped confidant; too
loose-lipped to be trusted.
loosey-goosey: Visibly relaxed or loose; not tense: a loosey-goosey attitude.
loosen up: To become less tense; relax.
lopper: Pruning shears with long handles — usually used in plural.
lose-lose: Presenting two options both of which put one at a disadvantage: a loselose proposition.
lossy: Causing attenuation or dissipation of electrical energy: a lossy transmission
line; a lossy dielectric.
louse up: Foul up, snarl. To make a mess.
love feast: 1. A meal eaten in common by a Christian congregation in token of
brotherly love. 2. A gathering held to promote reconciliation and good feeling or
show someone affectionate honor.
love nest: A place (as an apartment) used for amorous and often illicit rendezvous.
low country: A low-lying area of land, especially the coastal plains of the Carolinas
and Georgia.
low earth orbit: A usually circular orbit from about 90 to 600 miles (about 140 to
970 kilometers) above the earth.
lowlight: A particularly bad or unpleasant event, detail, or part.
low-rent: 1. Having inexpensive rent: a low-rent apartment. 2. Of low social status
or moral character: Steve Buscemi... may play low-rent, amoral types – hit men,
weasels, snivelers – but... he's more complicated than that. 3. Lacking taste or
refinement: a low-rent television drama.
low-slung: Relatively low to the ground or floor: a low-slung convertible; a lowslung modern building; a low-slung sofa.
lug sole: A thick rubber sole with deep indentations that improve the stability and
traction of utility footwear such as work boots.
lumberman: 1. A person who trades in lumber. 2. A lumberjack or logger.
lunar module: A space vehicle module designed to carry astronauts from the
command module to the surface of the moon and back.
lunch-bucket: Of, relating to, or possessing working-class values; blue-collar:
lunch-bucket issues; a lunch-bucket athlete.
lunch counter: 1. A long counter at which lunches are sold. 2. Luncheonette.
lupanar: Bordello. [Latin, from lupa “prostitute,” literally, “she-wolf,” feminine of
lupus]
luxury box: A roofed enclosure of private seats situated high in a sports stadium and
typically featuring luxurious amenities.
Lysol: A trademark used for a liquid antiseptic and disinfectant.
M
M-80: A powerful cylindrical firecracker.
93
machinelike: Resembling or suggesting a machine especially in regularity of action
or stereotyped uniformity of product.
macro lens: A camera lens designed to focus at very short distances with up to lifesize magnification of the image. [macr-, from the fact that the focal length is greater
than normal]
mad cow disease: An infectious degenerative brain disease occurring in cattle.
main man: 1. Best male friend. 2. A man whose character or work is most admired.
3. Most significant or important person.
male menopause: A period in the life of a male corresponding to female menopause
and usually occurring with less well-defined physiological and psychological
changes.
male pattern baldness: A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that begins
in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic hormone
testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors.
mall rat: A person, especially a teenager or young adult, who frequently passes time
wandering through shopping malls.
mall walking: An activity in which one walks around a shopping mall for exercise.
malt whiskey: Whiskey, especially Scotch, that is made solely from malted barley.
man ape: Any of various fossil primates intermediate in characters between recent
humans and the great apes.
manipulative: 1. Serving, tending, or having the power to manipulate. 2. Any of
various objects designed to be moved or arranged by hand as a means of developing
motor skills or understanding abstractions, especially in mathematics.
manpack: Designed to be carried by one person: a manpack communication system.
many-valued: Possessing more than the customary two truth-values of truth and
falsehood.
marine architect: Naval architect. One who designs ships.
mariner's compass: A large magnetic compass used aboard ships, consisting of a
compass card suspended in a gimbal-mounted bowl.
martyrium: A church or other edifice built at a site, especially a tomb, associated
with a Christian martyr or saint.
mass driver: A large electromagnetic catapult designed to hurl material (as from an
asteroid) into space.
master class: An advanced music class taught by an eminent musician.
masturbatory: 1. Of or relating to masturbation. 2. Excessively self-indulgent or
self-involved: [The play's] star... paces around his cell, smoking and snarling in a
masturbatory rant.
maxi-: 1. Extra long: maxiskirt. 2. Extra large: maxi-problems.
Mayanist: A specialist in Mayan civilization and often languages.
Mc-: Used to indicate an inexpensive, convenient, or easy but usually low-quality or
commercialized version of something specified: McBook; McDoctor.
meals-on-wheels: A service that delivers daily hot meals to the homes of elderly or
disabled people.
Medieval Warm Period: The period from about 1000 to 1400 in which global
temperatures are thought to have been a few degrees warmer than those of the
preceding and following periods. The climatic effects of this period were confined
primarily to Europe and North America.
94
meet and greet: A reception at which a public figure (as a politician or rock star)
socializes with press members and other guests.
mega: 1. Vast: a mega electronics store. 2. Of the highest level of rank, excellence,
or importance: a number one hit made her mega.
megacity: Megalopolis.
megafauna: Large or relatively large animals, as of a particular region or period,
considered as a group.
megahit: A product or event, such as a movie or concert, that is exceedingly
successful.
megaproject: A major project or undertaking (as in business or construction).
megastar: Superstar.
melon baler: A spoonlike utensil with a sharp edge used especially for cutting ballshaped pieces from the pulp of a fruit.
melon dome: A hemispherical dome having a circular plan and a ribbed vault.
meltwater: Water that comes from melting snow or ice.
mental health: A person's overall emotional and psychological condition: since
witnessing the accident, his mental health has been poor.
mentalist: Mind reader.
mentee: One who is being mentored: protege.
merle: Having a reddish or bluish gray coat streaked or speckled with black. Used of
certain dogs.
mesocyclone: A rapidly rotating air mass within a thunderstorm that often gives rise
to a tornado.
message board: Bulletin board.
messed up: 1. Beaten up. 2. Drunk or intoxicated.
metal detector: A device that senses the presence of metal, especially: a. A handheld unit used in searching an area for coins or other metal objects. b. A gatelike
structure through which a person passes, used in detecting concealed weapons such
as guns and knives.
metalhead: A fan of heavy metal music: metalheads being hoisted aloft and hurled
across the arena floor.
metalware: Articles made of metal, especially flatware and other household
implements.
meterstick: A measuring stick one meter long that is marked off in centimeters and
usually millimeters.
Mexican American: A U.S. citizen or resident of Mexican descent.
Mexican gold poppy: A small annual wildflower (Eschscholzia mexicana) native to
dry mountainous regions of western North America and having dark orange to gold,
cup-shaped flowers.
Mexican tea: 1. A tropical American plant (Chenopodium ambrosioides) yielding an
oil used as an anthelmintic.
microbrew: 1. A beer or ale brewed in a microbrewery. 2. A distinctively flavored
beer that is brewed and distributed regionally.
microbubble: An extremely small bubble, usually only a few hundred micrometers
in diameter, that can be uniformly suspended in a liquid such as blood.
microcassette: A small cassette of magnetic tape.
microcode: The microinstructions especially of a microprocessor.
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microcontroller: A microprocessor that controls some or all of the functions of an
electronic device (as a home appliance) or system.
microearthquake: An earthquake of low intensity.
microfiber: An extremely fine synthetic fiber that can be woven into textiles with
the texture and drape of natural-fiber cloth but with enhanced washability,
breathability, and water repellancy.
microgravity: 1. An environment in which there is very little net gravitational force,
as of a free-falling object, an orbit, or interstellar space. 2. A minute shift in gravity
that can occur through geologic factors in a region, such as the movement of the
earth's crust along fault lines.
microgroove: A narrow continuous V-shaped spiral track that has closely spaced
turns and that is used on long-playing records.
microimage: An image (as on a microfilm) that is greatly reduced in size.
micromanage: To direct or control in a detailed, often meddlesome manner.
micropropagation: A tissue culture technique for plant propagation in which
offspring are cloned from tissue taken from a single plant.
microsleep: A period of sleep that lasts up to a few seconds, usually experienced by
people who have narcolepsy or are severely deprived of sleep.
microtechnology: Technology on a small or microscopic scale.
middlebrow:A person who is moderately but not highly cultivated.
midlist: The portion of a publisher's list of new or current titles made up of books
expected to have less popular appeal than the frontlist.
midsole: The middle layer of a sole, as of an athletic shoe, often designed to disperse
weight or provide stability to the foot.
mildewcide: An agent that destroys mildew.
mind-bending: 1. Mind-blowing; mind-boggling. 2. Intensely affecting the mind,
especially to the extent of producing hallucinations.
mini: 1. Small in relation to others of the same kind. 2. Of short length or duration;
brief.
minilab: A retail outlet offering rapid on-site film development and printing.
mini-mart: Convenience store: a small often franchised market that is open long
hours.
minipill: A birth control pill that contains a very low dose of progesterone but no
estrogen, is taken daily, and is intended to minimize side effects.
ministrate: To menstruate.
minor element: A chemical element present in minute quantities; especially one
used by organisms and held essential to their physiology.
misandry: Hatred of men.
misery index: The sum of national unemployment and inflation rates, used
unofficially to assess a nation's economic health.
missileer: One engaged in designing, building, or operating guided missiles.
mister: A device for spraying a mist.
mist net: A finely woven large mesh net erected to entangle and capture birds or bats
in flight.
mixed alphabet: An alphabet (as in a cryptographic system) that has been
rearranged or disordered systematically or randomly.
MO: Abbr. Modus operandi.
mobe pearl: A cultured pearl essentially hemispherical in form. Also called mabe.
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mommy track: A career path determined by work arrangements offering mothers
certain benefits, such as flexible hours, but usually providing them with fewer
opportunities for advancement.
monetary unit: The standard unit of value of a currency, as the dollar in the United
States or the peso in Mexico.
money-back: Providing that the purchaser is entitled to a refund if the product is
unsatisfactory: a money-back guarantee.
money belt: A belt having a usually concealed pocket for holding money.
monohull: A vessel (as a sailboat) with a single hull.
Montezuma's revenge: Traveler's diarrhea especially when contracted in Mexico.
[Montezuma II]
moondust: Fine dry particles of the moon's soil.
moonlet: A small natural or artificial satellite.
moonroof: A glass sunroof.
moon shot: 1. A spacecraft mission to the moon. 2. A hit or thrown ball with a very
high trajectory.
moon suit: A sealed garment worn especially for protection from hazardous material
(as toxic waste or infectious disease).
morning breath: Halitosis upon awakening from sleep that is caused by the buildup
of bacteria in the mouth from decreased saliva production.
morning line: A bookmaker's list of entries for a race meet and the probable odds on
each that is printed or posted before the betting begins.
mosh: To engage in uninhibited often frenzied activities (as intentional collision)
with others near the stage at a rock concert. [perhaps alteration of mash or mush]
mosh pit: 1. An area in front of a concert stage in which audience members mosh 2.
To knock against others intentionally while dancing at a rock concert; slam-dance. 3.
To knock against (someone) intentionally while dancing at a rock concert. [Perhaps
alteration of mash]
motherese: Child-directed speech.
Mother Nature: The personification of nature as a powerful and nurturing woman.
motortruck: An automotive truck used especially for transporting freight.
mouthfeel: The sensation created by food or drink in the mouth.
MRI: Abbr. Magnetic resonance imaging; also the procedure in which magnetic
resonance imaging is used.
much less: And certainly not: Happiness is an emotion not often spoken of at the
magazine, much less experienced.
mud flap: Splash guard: a flap suspended behind a rear wheel to prevent tire splash
from muddying windshields of following vehicles.
multicenter: Involving more than one medical or research institution: multicenter
clinical study.
multihull: A vessel (as a catamaran or trimaran) with multiple side-by-side hulls.
mummy bag: A sleeping bag that is tapered at the ends to conserve additional heat.
museum piece: 1. One that is worth keeping or showing in a museum. 2. One that is
old-fashioned: [The show] is a living museum piece, a piece of Americana from
another era.
mushroom cloud: A cloud of smoke and debris shaped like a mushroom, especially
one created by the detonation of a nuclear bomb.
must-have: Something that is essential to have or obtain.
97
mycophile: A devotee of mushrooms; especially one whose hobby is hunting wild
edible mushrooms.
mythy: Resembling, concerned with, or of a subject for myth: a mythy theme.
N
'n: Than.
nah: Not so; no.
nail biter: 1. One who bites one's fingernails as a nervous habit. 2. A situation
marked by tense nervousness or apprehension, especially an athletic contest whose
outcome is uncertain near its finish.
nanomachine: A microscopic machine constructed by the use of nanotechnology.
natatorium: An indoor swimming pool.
natural family planning: A method of birth control that involves abstention from
sexual intercourse during the period of ovulation which is determined through
observation and measurement of bodily symptoms.
navel-gazing: Useless or excessive self-contemplation.
N-bomb: A neutron bomb.
nearside: Situated on the left.
near thing: Something that barely succeeds or nearly ends in failure or disaster.
neck-rein: To respond to the pressure of a rein on one side of the neck by turning in
the opposite direction. To direct (a horse) by pressures of the rein on the neck.
neophilia: Love of or enthusiasm for what is new or novel.
Nerf: A trademark used for a variety of foam rubber toys.
netizen: A person who is a frequent or habitual user of the Internet. [blend of Net,
and citizen]
never mind: Used especially in negative contexts to add to one term another
denoting something less likely: with this knee I can hardly walk, never mind run.
new drug: A drug that has not been declared safe and effective by qualified experts
under the conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in the label and that
may be a new chemical formula or an established drug prescribed for use in a new
way.
newie: Something new.
new jack: Of, relating to, or consisting of new jack swing: new jack grooves.
new jack swing: Pop music usually performed by black musicians that combines
elements of jazz, funk, rap, and rhythm and blues.
Newly Independent States: The countries that until 1991 were constituent republics
of the USSR, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The term
can also include Russia and sometimes Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
newsdealer: One who sells newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals.
nightclub: 1. A place of entertainment open at night usually serving food and liquor
and providing music and space for dancing and often having a floor show. 2. To
patronize nightclubs.
nights: During the nighttime on every day or most days: She works nights at the
restaurant.
nightscope: An optical device usually using infrared radiation that enables a person
to see objects in the dark better.
night vision: Vision in dim light.
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Night Vision: A trademark used for a technology that enables vision at night, as by
amplification of low light to create visible images or by detection of infrared
wavelengths.
nite: Night.
nitinol: An alloy of nickel and titanium that has the ability to return to a
predetermined shape when heated.
no-brainer: Something so simple or easy as to require no thought.
nocturnal emission: An involuntary ejaculation of semen during sleep.
nod off: To fall asleep.
noggin: 1. A small mug or cup. 2. A unit of liquid measure equal to one quarter of a
pint. 3. The human head.
no-goodnik: 1. Having no worth, virtue, use, or chance of success, 2. a. A person of
low social status. b. A person of low moral character.
noise masking: The use of noise to make a sound unintelligible or less distracting.
no-name: Having a name that is not readily recognized by the public: a no-name
product; a no-name baseball team.
nondefense: Not used or intended for or associated with the military: nondefense
spending.
nonpoint: Not found or located at a single, definable point, as pollution whose
source cannot be ascertained.
nonproprietary name: The chemical or generic name of a drug, chemical, or
device, as distinguished from a brand name or trademark.
nonrefundable: Not subject to refunding or being refunded: a nonrefundable bond;
a nonrefundable fee.
nonrenewable: That cannot be renewed: a nonrenewable license.
nonslip: Designed to prevent or inhibit slipping: a bathtub with a nonslip surface.
nonstop: A nonstop airplane flight.
nosebleed: Extremely or excessively high: seats in the nosebleed section; nosebleed
stock prices.
nose ring: 1. A ring inserted through the nose of an animal to allow the passage of a
rope, as for leading or securing. 2. A ring or other ornament inserted through the
nose.
nosewheel: A landing-gear wheel under the nose of an airplane.
notepad: A pad or tablet of usually lined paper.
notepaper: Writing paper used especially for brief letters or notes.
nother: Other. Usually used in the phrase a whole nother, as in the sentence: That's a
whole nother story.
no-tillage also no-till: A system for planting crops without plowing, using herbicides
to control weeds and resulting in reduced soil erosion and the preservation of soil
nutrients.
nowheresville: 1. A location lacking identifying or individualizing qualities. 2. A
place or state denoting failure or relative obscurity: a career heading towards
nowheresville.
nubbin: 1. A small stunted ear of corn. 2. A small stunted or projecting part.
nubbly: Rough or irregular; textured: the nubbly surface of raw silk.
number cruncher: A person concerned with numerical data (as statistics).
number two: 1. The act of defecating. 2. Feces.
numeracy: The capacity for quantitative thought and expression.
99
O
O: 1. Used before the name of or a pronoun referring to a person or thing being
formally addressed: How can I put it to you, O you who prepare to travel with
important matters on your mind?. 2. Used to express surprise or strong emotion: O
how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches.
octuplet: 1. One of eight offspring delivered at a single birth. 2. A group or
combination of eight associated by common properties or behavior.
oculus: An eyelike opening or ornament, especially: a. A round window. b. A
circular opening at the apex of a dome.
OD: Abbr. To have or experience too much of something — usually used with on:
OD on television. [< overdose]
OEM: Abbr. One that produces complex equipment (as a computer system) from
components usually bought from other manufacturers.
[original equipment
manufacturer]
oenophile /ēnəfīl/: A lover or connoisseur of wine.
off-brand: Of or being a product sold inexpensively under a relatively unfamiliar
brand name and often considered inferior to better known brands.
off chance: A remote or slight chance: the sun was shining, but I brought an
umbrella on the off chance that it might rain.
off-duty: 1. Not engaged in or responsible for assigned work. 2. Of or relating to the
periods when a person is not engaged in or responsible for assigned work.
off-gassing: The emission of especially noxious gases (as from a building material).
off-kilter: 1. Not in perfect balance: a bit askew. 2. Eccentric, unconventional: offkilter characters; an off-kilter approach.
off-ramp: A ramp by which one leaves a limited-access highway.
off-the-books: Not reported or recorded: off-the-books transactions; off-the-books
covert operations.
off-guard: Off one's guard; unprepared: a quiz that caught the class off-guard.
off-label: Of or relating to a drug prescribed to treat a condition for which it has not
been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
off-licence: A store that sells bottles or cans of alcoholic beverages for consumption
off the premises.
ohmage: Electrical resistance expressed in ohms.
okey-dokey: Okay.
old-shoe: Characterized by familiarity or freedom from restraint: comfortable,
unpretentious.
old-world: Of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient world or a past era.
omnisexual: Pansexual. A pansexual person.
one-man band: A person who alone undertakes or is responsible for several tasks.
one-note: Unvarying, as in quality or character; monotonous: a one-note, rude, sulky
heroine.
ones place: The place just to the left of the decimal point in a number expressed in
the Arabic system of writing numbers.
one-stop: Relating to or providing a comprehensive selection of goods or services at
a single location: one-stop shopping; a one-stop health-care center.
one-trick pony: One that is skilled in only one area; also one that has success only
once.
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one-way mirror: A mirror that is reflective on one side and transparent on the other,
often used in surveillance.
onion dome: A dome (as of a church) having the general shape of an onion.
on-ramp: A ramp by which one enters a limited-access highway.
on-target: Exactly appropriate: accurate: on-target advice.
opaque projector: A projector used to view images of nontransparent materials,
such as printed sheets or drawings.
open bar: A bar (as at a wedding reception) at which drinks are served free.
open dating: The marking of perishable food products with a clearly readable date
indicating when the food was packaged or the last date on which it should be sold or
used.
open-end wrench: A wrench having fixed, open jaws on one or both ends.
open-pollinated: Pollinated without human intervention, as by the wind or insects.
oralism: The theory or practice of teaching hearing-impaired or deaf persons to
communicate by means of spoken language.
orphan drug: A drug that is not developed or marketed because its extremely
limited use makes it unprofitable.
other than: With the exception of; except for; besides: Other than one sister, she has
no close relatives.
out box: A container for outgoing documents, located in or near one's office or work
area.
outercourse: Sexual stimulation or activity between partners without anal or vaginal
penetration.
outslick: To get the better of especially by trickery or cunning.
out-year: The year beyond a current fiscal year
overalled: Wearing overalls.
overbreed: To breed (a plant or animal) to excess especially without regard to the
quality of the breeding stock: overbred dogs.
overdesign: To design in a manner that is excessively complex or that exceeds usual
standards (as of sturdiness or safety).
overplaid: A textile design consisting of a plaid pattern superimposed on another
plaid or on a textured ground; also a fabric with such a design.
overpredict: To predict by an amount that exceeds the actual value: overpredict
inflation.
overseed: To seed (an existing stand) with another type of plant: overseeded the
Bermuda grass with ryegrass.
oversteer: To turn more sharply than the operator would expect. Used of vehicles,
especially automobiles. 1. An instance of oversteering. 2. A tendency to oversteer.
over-the-top: Extremely or excessively flamboyant or outrageous: an over-the-top
performance.
over-the-transom: Offered without prior arrangement especially for publication;
unsolicited: an over-the-transom manuscript.
P
PA: abbr. Physician's assistant.
Pacific Islander: 1. A native or inhabitant of any of the Polynesian, Micronesian, or
Melanesian islands of Oceania. 2. A person of Polynesian, Micronesian, or
Melanesian descent.
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pager: One having or covering a specified number or kind of pages — used in
combination: her essay was a 15-pager.
paleoclimatology: The study of climatic conditions, and their causes and effects, in
the geologic past, using evidence found in glacial deposits, fossils, and sediments.
panier or pannier: 1. A large wicker basket, especially: a. One of a pair of baskets
carried on the shoulders of a person or on either side of a pack animal. b. A basket
carried on a person's back. 2. A basket or pack, usually one of a pair, that fastens to
the rack of a bicycle and hangs over the side of one of the wheels. 3. a. A framework
of wire, bone, or other material formerly used to expand a woman's skirt at the hips.
b. A skirt or an overskirt puffed out at the hips. [Middle English panier, from Old
French, from Latin pānārium, “breadbasket,” from panis, “bread”]
panpsychism: The view that all matter has consciousness.
paperless: Not requiring paper because of the use of computers and other electronic
media to record, convey, and store information: a paperless office.
papier-mache: 1. A light strong molding material of wastepaper pulped with glue
and other additives. 2. Unreal, artificial.
paratransit: Transportation service that supplements larger public transit systems by
providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables.
parental leave: A leave of absence granted to a parent to care for a new baby.
parentese: Child-directed speech.
parking brake: Emergency brake.
participational: Characterized by or involving participation; especially providing
the opportunity for individual participation.
partners desk: A large desk with an open kneehole which allows use of the desk by
two people seated opposite each other.
party animal: A person known for frequent often wild partying.
passive inhalation: The involuntary inhalation of tobacco smoke by a person,
especially a nonsmoker, who occupies an area with smokers or a smoker.
pat down: To leap, skip, or dance in a lively or playful way.
pathbreaker: 1. One that opens a path or trail. 2. One that is original or innovative; a
pioneer.
pathbreaking: Characterized by originality and innovation; pioneering.
PBJ: Abbr. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
PC: Abbr. Personal computer.
PDQ: Abbr. At once; immediately. [p(retty) d(amned) q(uick)]
peace symbol: The symbol
used to signify peace.
peachy keen: Unusually fine: dandy.
peanut gallery: 1. The hindmost or uppermost section of seating in a theater
balcony, where the seats are cheapest. 2. A group of people whose opinions are
considered unimportant: pressure is building... to force... Alan Greenspan to cut
interest rates and pump up the money supply. [He] has politely ignored these
catcalls from the peanut gallery.
pearlized: Having a pearlescent finish.
Pearly Gates: The gateway to heaven. [From the description of heaven in Revelation
21]
peer review: A process by which something proposed (as for research or
publication) is evaluated by a group of experts in the appropriate field.
pellet gun: A gun from which a projectile is propelled by compressed air.
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penny candy: Inexpensive candy originally costing a penny apiece.
pepper spray: A temporarily disabling aerosol that is composed partly of capsicum
oleoresin and causes irritation and blinding of the eyes and inflammation of the nose,
throat, and skin.
P/E ratio: Price-earnings ratio.
performative: Relating to or being an utterance that peforms an act or creates a state
of affairs by the fact of its being uttered under appropriate or conventional
circumstances, as a justice of the peace uttering I now pronounce you husband and
wife at a wedding ceremony, thus creating a legal union, or as one uttering I promise,
thus performing the act of promising.
periscope: Any of various tubular optical instruments that contain reflecting
elements, such as mirrors and prisms, to permit observation from a position displaced
from a direct line of sight.
personal tax: A tax exacted directly from the taxpayer.
pet sitting: The service of providing care for people's pets.
pewholder: A renter or owner of a pew.
phi phenomenon: Apparent motion resulting from an orderly sequence of stimuli (as
lights flashed in rapid succession a short distance apart on a sign) without any actual
motion being presented to the eye.
phone sex: Sexually explicit talk engaged in by telephone, especially to enhance
autoerotic pleasure.
photoaging: 1. The process by which skin is changed or damaged as a result of
exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight and other sources. 2. The long-term
effects of this process on the skin, as wrinkles, discoloration, or susceptibility to
cancer.
photodetector: Any of various devices for detecting and measuring the intensity of
radiant energy through photoelectric action.
photodiode: A photoelectric semiconductor device for detecting and often
measuring radiant energy (as light).
photogeology: A branch of geology concerned with the identification and study of
geological features through the study of aerial or orbital photographs.
photoinduced: Induced by the action of light.
photophase: 1. Light reaction. 2. The light period of a photoperiodic cycle of light
and dark.
photo opportunity: A situation or event that lends itself to and is often arranged
expressly for the taking of pictures that give favorable publicity to the individuals
photographed.
photoreproduction: Reproduction by photographic means; also photocopy.
physically challenged: Having a physical disability or impairment, especially one
that limits mobility. People who have physical disabilities or impairments considered
as a group. Used with the: buildings accessible to the physically challenged.
physician-assisted suicide: Suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug
prescription) or by information (as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a
physician aware of the patient's intent.
physiotype: The collection of physical characteristics or features that distinguish a
person or other organism.
phytolith: A minute particle formed of mineral matter by a living plant and
fossilized in rock.
103
pick-and-shovel: Done with or as if with a pick and shovel: laborious.
pick-me-up: Something that stimulates or restores; tonic, bracer: my usual morning
pick-me-up.
picture book: A book that consists wholly or chiefly of pictures.
picture-book: Suitable for or suggestive of a picture book: as a. picturesque b.
picture-perfect.
picture disc: A phonograph record that has a picture displayed on the vinyl of one or
both sides.
picture-perfect: Completely flawless: perfect: made a picture-perfect landing.
picture-postcard: Picturesque, picture-book: a picture-postcard village.
picture writing: 1. The recording of events or expression of messages by pictures
representing actions or facts. 2. The record or message represented by picture
writing.
piddly: Trivial, piddling.
piece-dye: To dye after weaving or knitting.
pie-faced: Having a round, smooth, or blank face.
pie in the sky: An unrealistic enterprise or prospect of prosperity.
pier glass: A tall mirror, especially one placed between windows.
pie safe: A cupboard whose doors have decoratively pierced tin panels for
ventilation.
pigeon-livered: Gentle, mild.
pigstick: To hunt the wild boar on horseback with a spear.
pincer also pincher movement: A combination of two forces acting against an
opposing force.
pinkly: In a pink manner; with a pink hue.
pinspotter: An employee or a mechanical device that spots pins in a bowling alley.
piscivore: A fish-eating animal.
pitched roof: A two-sided sloped roof having a gable at both ends.
pitch-perfect: Sensitive to or having exactly the right tone or style: a pitch-perfect
translation.
pitchpole: To flip or cause to flip end over end: the raft pitchpoled in the rapids.
pitchwoman: A woman who makes a sales pitch.
place-name: The name of a geographic locality.
plainclothes or plain-clothes: Wearing civilian clothes while on duty to avoid being
identified as police or security: a plainclothes detective.
Plains: Of or relating to North American Indians of the Great Plains or to their
culture.
plain vanilla: Lacking adornments or special features; basic or ordinary: plain
vanilla stock options; a plain vanilla wardrobe.
planetarian: 1. A member of the professional staff of a planetarium. 2. An
inhabitant of a planet.
planning: The act or process of making or carrying out plans; specifically the
establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit: city
planning; business planning.
plan position indicator: A radarscope having a sweep synchronized with a usually
rotating antenna so that the radar return can be used to find range and bearing.
plant food: Fertilizer.
plantsman: One, such as a horticulturist, who collects or grows plants.
104
plastic foam: Lightweight cellular plastic used especially as insulation and
protective packing material.
plastic money: Credit cards used for payment.
plasticware: Articles made of plastic.
platform rocker: A chair that rocks on a stable platform.
playdate: A play session for small children arranged in advance by their parents.
playfellow: A playmate.
playfield: A playground for outdoor athletics.
playland: 1. A piece of land used for and usually equipped with facilities for
recreation especially by children. 2. An area known or suited for activity of a
specified sort.
plugged: 1. Of a coin: altered by the insertion of a plug of base metal. 2. Closed by
or as if by a plug.
plus/minus sign: The sign ± used to indicate a quantity (as 2 in “the square root of
4 is ± 2”) taking on both an algebraically positive value and its negative and to
indicate a plus or minus quantity (as 4 in “the population age was 30 ± 4 years”).
plus or minus1: Indicating a quantity whose algebraically positive and negative
values serve to bracket a range of values either alone or when added to and
subtracted from a given number: measured with an accuracy of plus or minus 3 feet;
a mummy aged 3500 plus or minus 150 years.
plus or minus2: More or less, approximately: a dance for singles plus or minus age
30.
plussage: An amount over and above another amount.
plant kingdom: A main classification of living organisms that includes all plants.
P-mail: Materials such as letters and packages delivered by a postal system;
conventional mail. [p(hysical) mail.]
PMS: Abbr. Premenstrual syndrome.
point-of-purchase: Of or relating to the place (as a supermarket aisle) where a
decision to purchase is made: point-of-purchase displays.
point-of-service: Of, relating to, or being a health-care insurance plan that allows
enrollees to seek care from a physician affiliated with the service provider at a fixed
co-payment or to choose a nonaffiliated physician and pay more.
point spread: A number of points offered to equalize the chances of winning in a
wager on a competition, usually between sports teams.
poised: 1. Assured; composed. 2. Held balanced or steady in readiness: stood poised
for the jump.
polar front: The region or boundary separating air masses of polar origin from those
of tropical or subtropical origin.
Polartec: A trademark used for a fleecy synthetic fabric that is warm, lightweight,
and water-resistant.
policy science: A social science dealing with the making of high-level policy (as in a
government or business).
politically correct: Abbr. PC 1. Of, relating to, or supporting broad social, political,
and educational change, especially to redress historical injustices in matters such as
race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. 2. Being or perceived as being
overconcerned with such change, often to the exclusion of other matters.
politically incorrect: Disregarding or unconcerned with political correctness.
105
polyester: Characterized by inelegant or unsophisticated middle-class taste:
polyester suburbs; polyester folks.
pooka: A mischievous spirit in Irish folklore. [Irish púca, from Old Irish, probably
from Old English puca, “goblin”]
popcorn: Having widespread appeal but usually offering little artistic merit or
intellectual stimulation: popcorn movies.
positive feedback: Feedback that results in amplification or growth of the output
signal.
postage-due stamp: A special adhesive stamp that is applied by a post office to mail
bearing insufficient postage.
postal union: An association of governments that sets up uniform regulations and
practices for international mail.
postcode: A code (as of numbers and letters) used similarly to the zip code
especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.
postconsumer: 1. Discarded by an end consumer: postconsumer waste. 2. Having
been used and recycled for reuse in another consumer product: postconsumer
plastics.
postemergence: Used or occurring in the stage between the emergence of a seedling
and the maturity of a crop plant: postemergence herbicides; postemergence
development.
poster boy: A male poster child.
poster child: 1. A child who appears on a poster as a member of a group benefitted
by a charitable organization: a poster child for muscular distrophy. 2. A person who
is a prominent example or type of something: He was a living poster child for the
evil potential of inherited wealth.
poster girl: A female poster child.
poster session: A presentation of information on a series of posters that may include
drawings, photographs, charts, graphs, and textual data relating to a specific subject.
postfeminist: Of, relating to, occurring in, or being the period following widespread
advocacy and acceptance of feminism.
posting: 1. The act of transferring an entry or item from a book of original entry to
the proper account in a ledger. 2. The record in a ledger account resulting from the
transfer of an entry or item from a book of original entry.
Post-It: A trademark for a slip of notepaper with an adhesive edge that allows it to
be attached and removed from a document without causing damage.
postliterate: Relating to or occurring after the introduction of the electronic media.
post road: A route over which mail is carried.
postsurgical: Postoperative.
pot metal: 1. A copper and lead alloy, formerly used in making plumbing fixtures. 2.
A cast iron used especially in making pots. 3. An inexpensive alloy of poor quality,
usually containing lead, used especially in making castings: cheap jewelery made
from plated pot metal. 4. a. Glass melted in a pot. b. Glass colored by being mixed
with melted stained glass in a pot.
POTS: Abbr. Plain old telephone system; plain old telephone service
potty-mouthed: Given to the use of vulgar language.
pound key: The pushbutton in the lower right corner on the dialing pad of a standard
pushbutton telephone, marked with a pound sign (#).
pound mile: The transport of one pound of mail or express for one mile.
106
pound net: A fish trap consisting of a netting arranged into a directing wing and an
enclosure with a narrow entrance.
power base: A base of political support.
PPO: Abbr. An organization providing health care that gives economic incentives to
the individual purchaser of a health-care contract to patronize certain physicians,
laboratories, and hospitals that agree to supervision and reduced fees. [preferred
provider organization]
PR: Abbr. Public relations: had a job in PR; the company's PR rep.
preapprove: To approve or qualify before the usual procedures or formalities have
taken place; preapprove an application; a customer who was preapproved for a
$2,000 credit line.
preboard: 1. To board (an aircraft, for example) ahead of the regular time or before
other passengers. 2. To allow (one or more passengers) to board ahead of the regular
time or before other passengers.
precensor: To censor (a publication or film) before its release to the public.
precious metal: Any of several metals, including gold and platinum, that have high
economic value.
preemergence: Used or occurring before emergence of seedlings above the ground:
preemergence herbicides.
preemergent: preemergence.
prefocus: To focus beforehand (as automotive headlights before installation).
preimplantation: Of, involving, or being an embryo before uterine implantation.
prekindergarten: 1. Nursery school. 2. A class or program preceding kindergarten
for children usually from three to four years old.
preman: Any of several extinct primates ancestral to humans and especially recent
humans.
premature ejaculation: More rapid occurrence of climax and ejaculation in the
male during sexual intercourse than he or his partner wishes.
preplant: Occurring or used before planting a crop: preplant soil fertilization.
prescore: To record (as sound) in advance for use when the corresponding scenes
are photographed in making movies.
prescription drug: A drug that can be obtained only by means of a physician's
prescription.
pressure wave: A wave (as a sound wave) in which the propagated disturbance is a
variation of pressure in a material medium.
prestress1: To introduce internal stresses into (as a structural beam) to counteract
the stresses that will result from applied load (as in incorporating cables under
tension in concrete).
prestress2: 1. The stresses introduced in prestressing. 2. The process of prestressing.
3. The condition of being prestressed.
prill1: To convert (as a molten solid) into spherical pellets usually by forming into
drops in a spray and allowing the drops to solidify.
prill2: A pellet made by prilling.
primordial soup: A mixture of organic molecules in evolutionary theory from which
life on earth originated.
private label: A label associated with a specific chain store; also a brand or product
having a private label — usually hyphenated when used attributively: private-label
clothes.
107
product placement: The inclusion of a product in a television program or film as a
form of paid advertisement.
professorate: The rank, office, or term of office of a professor.
profiling: The act or process of extrapolating information about a person based on
known traits or tendencies: consumer profiling; specifically the act of suspecting or
targeting a person on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior: racial
profiling.
propeller-head: An enthusiast of technology and especially of computers:
technophile.
proportional tax: A tax in which the tax rate remains constant regardless of the
amount of the tax base.
pro shop: A shop at which equipment for a particular sport (as golf) is sold typically
by a professional in that sport.
protected sex: Sexual activity in which a condom or similar device is used to
minimize the risk of pregnancy or of spreading or contracting a sexually transmitted
disease.
protoplanet: A hypothetical whirling gaseous mass within a giant cloud of gas and
dust that rotates around a sun and is believed to give rise to a planet.
protostar: A cloud of gas and dust in space believed to develop into a star.
protostome: Any of a major group (Protostomia) of bilateral metazoan animals (as
mollusks, annelids, and arthropods) characterized in typical forms by determinate
and spiral cleavage, formation of a mouth and anus directly from the blastopore, and
formation of the coelom by splitting of the embryonic mesoderm.
proud-hearted: 1. Full of pride; proud. 2. Arrogant; disdainful.
provincialist: One who is a native or inhabitant of a province.
Prozac: A trademark used for the drug fluoxetine hydrochloride.
prying: Insistently or impertinently curious or inquisitive: ignored the prying
journalists' questions.
pseudo: False or counterfeit; fake.
pumped: Filled with energetic excitement and enthusiasm: pumped for the football
game.
punch-drunk: 1. Suffering cerebral injury usually from many minute brain
hemorrhages that is a result of repeated head blows received in boxing and is
typically marked by mental confusion, incoordination, and slurred speech. 2.
Behaving in a bewildered, confused, or dazed manner.
punch list: A list of usually minor tasks to be completed at the end of a project.
punny: Constituting or involving a pun: sick of his glib, punny talk.
punster: A maker of puns.
puppy mill: A commercial farming operation in which purebred dogs are raised in
large numbers.
putty knife: A tool having a flat flexible blade, used for scraping and applying putty.
Q
quad: A quadriceps muscle. Often used in the plural.
quadricentenary: A 400th anniversary or celebration. Of or relating to a span of 400
years or to a 400th anniversary. [From alteration of Latin quadringent, quadrigent,
“four hundred” (on the model of such words as tercentenary)]
108
quaking bog: A floating mat of thickly woven mosses, rushes, and shrubs that forms
across the surface of shallow ponds and may shimmy or shake when walked on.
quality assurance: A program for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the
various aspects of a project, service, or facility to ensure that standards of quality are
being met.
quartz heater: A portable electric radiant heater that has heating elements sealed in
quartz-glass tubes producing infrared radiation in front of a reflective backing.
quasi-govermental: Supported by the government but managed privately: a quasigovernmental health-care agency.
quincentenary: A 500th anniversary or celebration. Of or relating to a span of 500
years or to a 500th anniversary.
quincentennial: Quincentenary. A quincentenary event or celebration.
Q rating: A scale measuring the popularity of a person or thing typically based on
dividing an assessment of familiarity or recognition by an assessment of favorable
opinion; also position on such a scale. [quotient]
R
rabbit hole: A bizarre or difficult state or situation — usually used in the phrase:
down the rabbit hole. [from the rabbit hole that Alice enters in Lewis Carroll's
“Alice in Wonderland”]
radar gun: A handheld device that uses radar to measure the speed of a moving
object.
radio collar: A collar with an attached radio transmitter that is put on an animal so
that its movements in its natural habitat can be remotely monitored.
radio star: A cosmic radio source; especially a point source of radio emissions.
radio-tag: To attach a radio transmitter to (an animal): tracked the movements of a
radio-tagged owl.
raggamuffin or ragamuffin: A shabbily clothed, dirty child. [Middle English raggi,
“ragged” + Middle Dutch moffel, muffe, “mitten”]
raggle-taggle: 1. Variegated in color: a raggle-taggle coat. 2. Composed of diverse
often incongruous elements: a raggle-taggle crowd.
railbus: A passenger car with an automotive engine for operation on rails.
raised ranch: 1. Having two levels of freight or passenger space. 2. Having two
floors with a ground-level entry situated between the floors.
rallying cry: A slogan used especially to rally people to a cause.
ramp-up: Build up, increase.
ramrod: In a fully upright position; rigidly: sat ramrod straight.
randomized block: An experimental design (as in horticulture) in which different
treatments are distributed in random order in a block or plot.
rapid eye movement sleep: A state of sleep that recurs cyclically several times
during a normal period of sleep and that is characterized especially by increased
neuronal activity of the forebrain and midbrain, depressed muscle tone, dreaming,
and rapid eye movements. Also called REM /rĕm/ sleep.
rassle: Nonstandard To engage in wrestling or wrestle with. [dialectal alteration of
wrestle]
ratchet: To cause to move by steps or degrees — usually used with up or down:
tried to ratchet down the debt. To proceed by steps or degrees.
raw deal: An instance of unfair treatment.
109
razor bump: A small swelling that develops when the sharpened point of a razor-cut
hair shaft grows back into the skin, sometimes resulting in inflammation and
infection.
reactor core: The central part of a nuclear reactor where atomic fission occurs.
reactor vessel: The protective containment vessel surrounding the nuclear fission
core in a nuclear reactor.
ready room: A room in which pilots or astronauts are briefed and await orders.
real-life: Actually happening or having happened; not fictional: a documentary with
footage of real-life police chases.
real-world: Real-life: a real-world example.
receiving end: The position in which one is subject to an often unpleasant action or
effect: elderly patients on the receiving end of Medicare cutbacks.
recidivate: To return to a previous pattern of behavior, especially to return to
criminal habits.
reclosable: Capable of being tightly closed again after opening: reclosable packages
of bacon.
recovering: Being in the process of overcoming a disorder or shortcoming: a
recovering alcoholic; a still-bookish recovering academic with a tendency to live in
his head.
recreational drug: A drug (as cocaine, marijuana, or methamphetamine) used
without medical justification for its psychoactive effects often in the belief that
occasional use of such a substance is not habit-forming or addictive.
recursive: 1. Of, relating to, or involving recursion: a recursive function in a
computer program. 2. Of, relating to, or constituting a procedure that can repeat
itself indefinitely: a recursive rule in a grammar.
red alert: A state of alert brought on by impending danger.
redware: Earthenware made from clay containing a large amount of ferrous oxide,
giving it a red color.
reengineer: 1. To engineer again or anew; redesign: reengineered the chassis. 2. To
reorganize the operations of (an organization) so as to improve efficiency.
referral: 1. The act, action, or an instance of referring: gave the patient a referral to
a specialist. 2. One that is referred.
reflation: Restoration of deflated prices to a desirable level.
regional anesthesia: Anesthesia characterized by the loss of sensation in a
circumscribed region of the body, produced by the application of a regional
anesthetic, usually by injection.
regional anesthetic: Any of various anesthetic drugs, usually administered by local
injection, that produce regional anesthesia.
reimagine: To imagine again or anew; especially to form a new conception of: recreate.
reinscribe: To reestablish or rename in a new and especially stronger form or
context: How do contemporary writers reimagine or reinscribe the culturally laden
figure of the aging woman?.
reinsman: A skilled driver or rider of horses.
rejectee: One that is rejected; especially a person rejected as unfit for military
service.
relative wind: The motion of the air relative to a body in it.
110
released time: Time off from regularly scheduled activities (as school) given to take
part in some other specified activity.
relevancy: 1. One that is relevant. 2. Relevance; pertinence.
relocatee: One who moves to a new location; One that is relocated.
remap: To map again; also to lay out in a new pattern.
Remembrance Sunday: A Sunday that is usually closest to November 11 and that in
Great Britain is set aside in commemoration of the end of hostilities in 1918 and
1945.
rent-a-cop: Often disparaging A security worker (as a guard) who is not a police
officer.
rental library: A commercially operated library (as in a store) that lends books at a
fixed charge per book per day.
repower: To provide again or anew with power; especially to provide (as a boat)
with a new engine.
re-press: To press again: re-pressed the shirt after noticing more wrinkles.
repurpose : To use or convert for use in another format or product: repurposed the
book as a compact disk.
rescale: To plan, establish, or formulate on a new and usually smaller scale.
resolving power: 1. The ability of an optical system to form distinguishable images
of objects separated by small angular distances. 2. The ability of a photographic film
or plate to reproduce the fine detail of an optical image.
retort pouch: A flexible package in which prepared food is hermetically sealed for
long-term unrefrigerated storage.
retropack: A system of retro-rockets on a spacecraft.
reverse engineer: To disassemble and examine or analyze in detail (as a product or
device) to discover the concepts involved in manufacture usually in order to produce
something similar.
reverse lightning: A discharge of blue light that starts from the top of active
thunderstorm clouds and proceeds upwards.
ribby: Showing or marked by ribs.
rifle: To propel (as a ball) with great force or speed.
right-brained also right-brain: 1. Having the right brain dominant. 2. Of or relating
to the thought processes involved in creativity and imagination, generally associated
with the right brain. 3. Of or relating to a person whose behavior is dominated by
emotion, creativity, intuition, nonverbal communication, and global reasoning rather
than logic and analysis.
rigidify: To become or cause to become rigid.
rimland: A region on the edge of the heartland.
rimmed: Having a rim — usually used in combination: dark-rimmed glasses; redrimmed eyes.
ringbark: To cut away the bark and cambium in a ring around (a plant) usually to
kill by interrupting the circulation of water and nutrients.
ring binder: A loose-leaf binder in which split rings attached to a back hold the
perforated sheets of paper.
riot gun: A small arm used to disperse rioters rather than to inflict serious injury or
death; especially a short-barreled shotgun.
ripple mark: One of a series of small ridges produced especially on sand by the
action of wind, a current of water, or waves.
111
ripstop: Of, relating to, or being a fabric woven with a double thread at regular
intervals so that small tears do not spread: ripstop nylon.
risibles: Sense of the ridiculous: sense of humor.
roach back: An arched back (as of a dog).
Roach Motel: A trademark for a cockroach trap.
roadability: The qualities (as steadiness and balance) desirable in an automobile on
the road.
roadkill: 1. An animal or animals killed by being struck by a motor vehicle. 2. One
that has failed or been defeated and is no longer worthy of consideration: Many radio
rightists betray a truculent nostalgia for the old foes who became their roadkill.
road rage: Violent behavior exhibited by drivers in traffic, often as a manifestation
of stress: Motorists in the United States fear road rage, and the world's largest auto
club wants anger-management education as part of the penalty for such behavior.
road roller: One that rolls roadways; specifically a machine with heavy wide
smooth rollers for compacting roadbeds.
road trip: An extended trip in a motor vehicle.
road warrior: A person who travels frequently, especially on business.
roar back: To have great success after a period of lackluster performance. Make a
dramatic recovery: lost the first set but roared back to win the match.
rocket plane: An airplane propelled by rockets.
rocket science: 1. Rocketry. 2. An endeavor requiring great intelligence or technical
ability.
rocket scientist: 1. A scientist who specializes in rocketry. 2. An extremely
intelligent person.
rockfall: A fall of rocks, as from a cliff.
rodeo: To participate in a rodeo.
rogue wave: An unpredictable, abnormally large wave that occurs on a seemingly
random basis in the oceans.
role player: 1. One who assumes or acts out a particular role. 2. One who engages in
role-playing.
roll bar: An overhead metal bar on an automobile that is designed to protect the
occupant in case of a rollover.
Rollerblade: A trademark used for an in-line skate.
roller-coaster: Marked by numerous ups and downs: an entertainer's roller-coaster
career.
roll-over arm: A fully upholstered chair or sofa arm curving outward from the seat.
room service: Service provided to hotel guests in their rooms; also the hotel
department responsible for such service: ordered a meal from room service.
rooster tail: A projected mass of fine particles, as of water or snow, having an arced
shape similar to that of a rooster's tail.
rooster-tail: To move or turn in such a way as to project a rooster tail: I got the car
cranked and we rooster-tailed out of there.
rose cut: A form in which gems (as diamonds) are cut that usually has a flat circular
base and facets in two ranges rising to a point.
rotameter: A gauge that consists of a graduated glass tube containing a free float for
measuring the flow of a fluid.
rotary cultivator: A landscaping implement with engine-powered rotating blades
used to lift and turn over soil.
112
rough-edged: Lacking refinement or polish: a rough-edged writing style.
round angle: An angle of 360o.
routeman: A person who is responsible for making sales or deliveries on an
assigned route.
router /raůtər/: A machine with a revolving vertical spindle and cutter for milling
out the surface of wood or metal.
royal we: The first-person plural pronoun used by a sovereign in formal address to
refer to himself or herself.
rubberlike: Resembling rubber especially in physical properties (as elasticity and
toughness).
rubboard: A corrugated rectangular surface that is used for scrubbing clothes or as a
percussion instrument.
rub off: To become transferred: bad habits rubbed off on them; carbon rubs off on
your hands.
rumble strip: A strip of corrugated pavement (as along the edge of a highway) that
causes rumbling and vibration when driven over.
rumbly: Tending to rumble or rattle.
run-of-the-mine: Not graded: run-of-the-mine coal.
Ruritan: A member of a major national service club. [Ruritan National, a service
club]
rust belt also rustbelt: A heavily industrialized area containing older factories,
particularly those that are marginally profitable or that have been closed.
rust bucket: An old and dilapidated ship.
Russify: To make Russian in character or quality.
rye whiskey: A whiskey distilled from rye or from rye and malt.
S
safety orange: A very bright orange, often used to set something apart from its
surroundings.
same-sex: 1. Involving or restricted to members of the same sex: same-sex schools.
2. Of or involving gay men or lesbians: same-sex couples; same-sex marriage.
sandwich generation: A generation of people who give care to their children and
their parents at the same time.
satellite dish: A dish antenna used to receive and transmit signals relayed by
satellite.
saturation point: The point at which no more can be absorbed or assimilated.
saving grace: A redeeming quality, especially one that compensates for one's
shortcomings: The scintillating conversation was the saving grace of a bad and
overpriced meal.
scalation: An arrangement of scales, as on a fish or reptile.
scalogram: An arrangement of items (as problems on a test or features of speech) in
ascending order so that the presence or accomplishment of an item at one level
implies the presence of or the capability to accomplish items at all lower levels.
scam: 1. A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle. To defraud; swindle.
scamster: One that scams: scammer.
scanner: 1. One that scans. 2. A receiver that continuously broadcasts signals it
detects from specified radio frequencies: heard about the robbery over the police
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officer's scanner. 3. An optical scanner. 4. A device, such as a CAT scanner or PET
scanner, for observing internal organs, tissues, and other parts of the body,
scaredy-cat also scaredy cat: One who is excessively fearful.
scare quote: Either of a pair of quotation marks used to emphasize a word or phrase
or to indicate its special status, especially to express doubt about its validity or to
criticize its use.
scent hound: A hound (as a bloodhound) that hunts and pursues game by scent
rather than by sight.
schmooze: 1. To converse informally: chat; also to chat in a friendly and persuasive
manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections. 2. To engage in
schmoozing with: She schmoozed her professors. [Yiddish shmuesn, from schmues
“talk”]
schmoozy: Of, relating to, characterized by, or given to schmoozing: schmoozy
salesclerk.
scissors-and-paste: Being a compilation rather than an effort of original and
independent investigation.
Scotch tape: A trademark used for adhesive tape.
scoutcraft: The craft, skill, or practice of a scout.
scrabbly: 1. Scratchy, raspy. 2. Sparse, scrubby.
scrappage: 1. The scrapping of discarded objects (as automobiles). 2. The rate at
which objects are scrapped.
scratch ticket: A lottery ticket played by scratching or scraping designated areas to
reveal information used in determining the card's prize value.
screeching: Abrupt, sudden: her career came to a screeching halt.
screech: 1. A high shrill piercing cry usually expressing pain or terror. 2. A sound
resembling a screech.
screechy: Producing a screech.
screenful: The amount of information visible at one time on a display screen.
scrubbed: Giving the impression of being clean or wholesome as if from scrubbing:
days when studios manufactured scrubbed public images for their stars.
sculpted: Having a physique enhanced by bodybuilding exercises: a sculpted
physique.
seabag: A cylindrical canvas bag used especially by a sailor for clothes and other
gear.
seakeeping: 1. The ability of a vessel to navigate safely at sea for prolonged periods
during stormy weather. 2. The study of the response of a ship or floating object to
waves.
sea lawyer: An argumentative captious sailor.
sealed-beam: Being an electric lamp with a prefocused reflector and lens sealed in
the lamp vacuum.
seal point: A coat color of cats characterized by a cream or fawn body with dark
brown points; also a Siamese cat with such coloring.
sea-run: Ascending rivers from the sea for breeding: a sea-run salmon.
sea salt: Salt that is produced by the evaporation of sea water and that contains
sodium chloride and trace elements such as sulfur, magnesium, zinc, potassium,
calcium, and iron.
secondary care: Medical care provided by a specialist or facility upon referral by a
primary care physician.
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second estate: The second of the traditional political classes; specifically: Nobility.
1. A class of persons distinguished by high birth or rank and in Great Britain
including dukes and duchesses, marquises and marchionesses, earls and countesses,
viscounts and viscountesses, and barons and baronesses. 2. Noble rank or status. 3.
The state or quality of being exalted in character.
second-line: Not being the usual or preferred choice: second-line drugs to treat
tuberculosis.
sectarian: 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sect or sectarian. 2. Limited in
character or scope: parochial.
security police: 1. Police engaged in counterespionage. 2. Air police.
sedative-hypnotic: A drug, such as a barbiturate or antianxiety agent, that depresses
the activity of the central nervous system and is used to relieve anxiety and induce
sleep.
seismicity: The frequency or magnitude of earthquake activity in a given area.
self-congratulation: Congratulation, especially self-satisfied congratulation, of
oneself for one's achievements or good fortune.
self-dramatization: The act or an instance of dramatizing oneself.
self-employed: Earning income directly from one's own business, trade, or
profession rather than as a specified salary or wages from an employer.
self-employment: The state of being self-employed.
self-examination: A reflective examination (as of one's beliefs or motives):
introspection.
self-exploration: The examination and analysis of one's own unrealized spiritual or
intellectual capacities.
self-pride: Pride in oneself; self-esteem.
self-professed: Self-proclaimed.
self-questioning: Scrutiny of one's own feelings, actions, and motivations.
self-recognition: 1. Recognition of one's own self. 2. The process by which the
immune system of an organism distinguishes between the body's own chemicals,
cells, and tissues and those of foreign organisms and agents.
self-report: A report about one's behavior provided especially by one who is a
subject of research.
self-stimulation: Stimulation of oneself as a result of one's own activity or behavior:
electrical self-stimulation of the brain; especially masturbation.
self-storage: Of, relating to, or being a commercial facility in which customers can
rent space to store possessions: a self-storage warehouse.
self-tanner: A product (as one containing dihydroxyacetone) that when applied to
the skin reacts chemically with its surface layer to give the appearance of a suntan.
selkie also silkie: A creature or spirit in Scottish and Irish folklore that has the form
of a seal but can also assume human form. [Dialectal diminutive of seal]
semelparous: Reproducing or breeding only once in a lifetime
semi-antique: Being approximately 50 to 100 years old: a semi-antique carpet.
semideify: To regard as somewhat godlike.
semipornographic: Somewhat pornographic.
semispherical: Somewhat spherical in shape.
semitruck: A trucking rig made up of a tractor and a semitrailer.
semivegetarian: Consisting mainly of vegetables and foods made from cereal grains,
with occasional inclusion of fish, chicken, or red meat: a semivegetarian diet.
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semiworks: A manufacturing plant operating on a limited commercial scale to
provide final tests of a new product or process.
serious-minded: Having a serious disposition or trend of thought.
serodiscordant: Being a couple in which one partner has tested positive for HIV and
the other has not.
Sertoman: A member of a major international service club. [Sertoma (Club)]
service club: A club of business or professional men or women organized for their
common benefit and active in community service.
service dog: A dog that has been specially trained to assist a disabled person with
certain daily tasks, such as picking up an object from the floor.
service module: A space vehicle module that contains oxygen, water, fuel cells,
propellant tanks, and the main rocket engine.
sex act: An act performed with another for sexual gratification.
sex kitten: A young woman with conspicuous sex appeal.
sex tour: A tour to a destination where sexual services are available to tourists.
sex work: The performance of sex acts for hire; prostitution.
SGML: Abbr. A standardized markup language for describing the logical structure
of a computer document. [S(tandard) G(eneralized) M(arkup) L(anguage).]
shaft horsepower: Horsepower transmitted by an engine shaft.
shag: To chase and bring back; fetch: My dog loves to shag. [Perhaps from obsolete
shag, “to shake”]
shape-shifter: One that seems able to change form or identity at will; especially a
mythical figure that can assume different forms (as of animals).
s/he: she or he — used in writing as a pronoun of common gender.
sheave: A wheel or disk with a grooved rim, especially one used as a pulley.
shellacking: A decisive defeat. Drubbing.
shepherd satellite: A moon that orbits near the edge of a planetary ring, constraining
the ring's extent through gravitational pull.
shield volcano: A broad rounded volcano that is built up by successive outpourings
of very fluid lava.
shock front: The advancing edge of a shock wave.
shocking pink: A striking, vivid, bright, or intense pink.
shock jock: A host of a shock radio program. [shock (radio) + (disc) jock(ey)]
shock radio: Talk radio featuring derogatory or offensive remarks, vulgar language,
and crude humor.
shoe-leather: Involving or using basic, direct, or old-fashioned methods: shoeleather journalism.
shopping list: 1. A list of items to be purchased. 2. An enumeration, as of items
desired or matters being considered: It is easy enough to draw up a shopping list of
what one would like to know.
short haul: 1. A short distance: It's only a short haul from Detroit to Toledo. 2. A
short period of time: The repairs should hold up over the short haul.
short line: A transportation system (as a railroad) operating over a relatively short
distance.
short-staffed: Having fewer staff members than is usual or desirable.
short-tempered: Having a quick temper.
short-weight: To defraud with short weight.
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shotgun house: A house in which all the rooms are in direct line with each other
usually front to back.
shout-out: A brief expression of greeting or praise given especially on a broadcast or
audio recording.
show-me: Insistent on proof or evidence.
show ring: A ring (as at a cattle show) where animals are displayed.
shredder: A device used for shredding documents, often as a security measure to
prevent unapproved persons from reading them.
sick and tired: Thoroughly fatigued or bored; also fed up.
sick day: A paid day off allowed an employee because of sickness.
side-dress: To place plant nutrients on or in the soil near the roots of (a growing
crop.)
side-scan sonar: A sonar that scans the ocean floor to the side of a ship's track and
is used especially for mapping the ocean bottom.
Sierran: 1. Of or relating to a sierra: sierran foothills. 2. capitalized Of or relating
to the Sierra Nevada Mountains of the western United States.
sight hound: A hound (as a greyhound) that hunts and pursues game by sight rather
than by scent.
signified: A concept or meaning as distinguished from the sign through which it is
communicated.
signifying: A good-natured needling or goading especially among urban blacks by
means of indirect gibes and clever often preposterous put-downs; also dozens.
silent auction: An auction where bids are submitted in writing.
silicone rubber: Rubber made from silicone elastomers and noted for its retention of
flexibility, resilience, and tensile strength over a wide temperature range.
siliconized: Treated or coated with a silicone: siliconized glassware.
silver bullet: 1. An infallible means of attack or defense. 2. A simple remedy for a
difficult or intractable problem: There is no single silver bullet or panacea that will
solve all the problems of Bay Area schools. [from the belief that werewolves could
be killed with silver bullets]
silver paper: Tin foil.
simplicia: A simple word.
single-action: of a revolver: That can be cocked only by manually retracting the
hammer.
single-lens reflex: Abbr. SLR Of or designating a form of reflex camera in which
the reflecting mirror retracts when the shutter is released.
single malt: Whiskey that is made at one distillery and is not blended with other
whiskeys.
single-payer: Of, relating to, or being a system in which health-care providers are
paid for their services by the government rather than by private insurers.
single-sex: Same-sex.
skidoo: To go away: depart.
skiddy: Likely to skid or cause skidding: a wet skiddy road.
ski plane also skiplane: An airplane equipped with skis for landing on or taking off
from a snow-covered surface.
sky glow: Illumination of the night sky by electric lights, as in an urban area.
skyscraping: Extraordinarily tall or high: skyscraping basketball players.
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slash-and-burn: 1. Of or being a form of agriculture in which an area of forest is
cleared by cutting and burning and is then planted, usually for several seasons, before
being left to return to forest. 2. Drastic or destructive: The past few years of painful,
slash-and-burn expense cutting have made top brokerage executives reluctant to
revert to their former, profligate ways.
slasher: Characterized by gory violence: slasher movies.
sleepaway: Providing accommodations for overnight sleep and extended stay away
from home: sleepaway camps.
sleeping giant: One that has great but unrealized or newly emerging power.
sleeping porch: A well-ventilated, usually screened porch or gallery used as an
occasional sleeping quarters.
slick-ear: A range animal lacking an earmark.
slickrock: Smooth wind-polished rock.
slickster: A slick untrustworthy person.
slide fastener: Zipper.
slingback or sling-back: A shoe with a strap that wraps around the back of the heel.
slings and arrows: pointed often acerbic critical attacks: has suffered the slings and
arrows of detractors. [from the phrase “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”
in Shakespeare's Hamlet]
slipdress or slip dress: A sleeveless dress with narrow shoulder straps, usually made
from thin silky material.
slipform: To construct with the use of a slip form.
slip form: A form that is moved slowly as concrete is placed during construction (as
of a building or pavement).
slippy: Slippery.
slipsole: 1. A thin insole. 2. A half sole inserted between the insole or welt and the
outsole of a shoe to give additional height.
slop bowl: A bowl for receiving the leavings of tea or coffee cups at table.
slop chest: A store of clothing and personal requisites (as tobacco) carried on
merchant ships for issue to the crew usually as a charge against their wages.
slow-twitch: Of, relating to, or being muscle fiber that contracts slowly especially
during sustained physical activity requiring endurance.
slow-wave sleep: A state of deep usually dreamless sleep that occurs regularly
during a normal period of sleep with intervening periods of REM sleep and that is
characterized by delta waves and a low level of autonomic physiological activity.
slug: To wait for or obtain a ride to work by standing at a roadside hoping to be
picked up by a driver who needs another passenger to use the HOV lanes of a
highway: a commuter who slugs.
s-mail: Snail mail.
small screen: Television.
small stuff: Small rope (as spun yarn or marline) usually identified by the number of
threads or yarns which it contains.
small-town: 1. Of or characteristic of a small town. 2. Limited in outlook or
experience; unsophisticated; provincial.
smaragdine: 1. Of or relating to emeralds. 2. Having the color of emeralds. [Middle
English, from Latin smaragdinus, “emerald-green,” from Greek smaragdinos, from
smaragdos, “emerald”]
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smarmy: 1. Hypocritically, complacently, or effusively earnest; unctuous. 2. Sleek.
[from smarm, “to smear”]
smart drink: Any of various nonalcoholic, usually fruit-based drinks typically
containing vitamins and amino acids in a formula reputed to enhance mental
functioning.
smart drug: Any of a variety of substances, including certain vitamins, herbs, and
prescription drugs, reputed to improve such mental functions as memory and
alertness or to lessen or prevent damage to brain cells.
smart-mouthed: Annoyingly cocky or sarcastic in speech.
smashmouth: Characterized by brute force without finesse: smashmouth football.
smiley: 1. An emoticon, especially a smiling facial glyph [:-)] used to express
delight or to indicate humor or irony. 2. Having a cheerful and happy disposition;
smiling. [short for smiley face]
smiley face: A line drawing of a smiling face ☺.
smoke and mirrors: Something intended to disguise or draw attention away from an
often embarrassing or unpleasant issue — usually hyphenated when used
attributively.
snail mail: 1. Mail delivered by a postal system. 2. A nation's postal system.
snakebit also snakebitten: Experiencing a period of misfortune or inability to
succeed.
snap back: To make a quick or vigorous recovery.
snap-on: Designed to snap into position and fit tightly.
sneezeguard: A transparent panel or canopy mounted above a salad bar or food
counter as a sanitary barrier.
snipe hunt: 1. An elaborate practical joke in which an unsuspecting person takes
part in a bogus hunt for a snipe, typically being left alone in the dark with
instructions not to move until the snipe appears. 2. A futile search or endeavor.
snowbank: A pile or heap of snow.
snowcat: A tracklaying vehicle for travel on snow.
snow cover: The total amount of snow that accumulates on the ground in a given
location, including that from snowfall, snowdrift, and avalanche.
snowfield: A large expanse of snow, especially at the head of a glacier.
snowmaker: A machine that makes artificial snow.
snowpack: An area of naturally formed, packed snow that usually melts during the
warmer months.
snowslide: An avalanche of snow.
soccer mom: An American mother living in the suburbs whose time is often spent
transporting her children from one athletic activity or event to another.
social drinker: A person who drinks alcoholic beverages in moderation, chiefly
when socializing.
social welfare: Organized public or private social services for the assistance of
disadvantaged groups; specifically social work.
sociogenic: 1. Arising from or imposed by society. 2. Motivated by social influences,
values, or constraints.
sociologese: A style of writing held to be characteristic of sociologists.
sociosexual: Of or relating to the interpersonal aspects of sexuality.
soft-focus: 1. of a photographic image: Having unsharp outlines. 2. of a lens:
producing an image having unsharp outlines.
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soft line: A moderate or flexible policy or position, as on a political issue. [soft +
(hard) line]
soilborne: Transmitted by or in soil: soilborne fungi; soilborne diseases.
soilless: Having, containing, or utilizing no soil: soilless agriculture; soilless media
for starting seeds.
solar collector: Any of various devices for the absorption of solar radiation for the
heating of water or buildings or the production of electricity.
solar mass: The mass of the sun used as a unit for the expression of the masses of
other celestial objects and equal to about 2 X 1030 kilograms.
solar pond: A pool of salt water heated by the sun and used either as a direct source
of heat or to provide power for an electric generator.
solar sail: A propulsive device for a spacecraft that consists of a flat material (as
aluminized plastic) designed to receive thrust from solar radiation pressure.
solid-looking: Giving an impression of solid worth or substance: solid-looking
citizens.
solifluction: The slow, downhill movement of soil or other material in areas
typically underlain by frozen ground.
sonoluminescence: The production of light as a result of the passing of sound waves
through a liquid medium. The sound waves cause the formation of bubbles that emit
bright flashes of light when they collapse.
souped-up: Enhanced or increased in appeal, power, performance, or intensity; also
elaborate, embellished.
southern oscillation: The atmospheric pressure conditions corresponding to the
periodic warming of El Niño and cooling of La Niña.
souvenir sheet: A block or set of postage stamps or a single stamp printed on a
single sheet of paper often without gum or perforations and with margins containing
lettering or design that identifies some notable event being commemorated.
space frame: A usually open three-dimensional framework of struts and braces (as
in buildings and racing cars) which defines a structure and distributes its weight
evenly in all directions.
spaceman: 1. One who travels outside the earth's atmosphere. 2. A visitor to earth
from outer space.
space out: To become inattentive, distracted, or mentally remote: spaced out
halfway through the lecture.
Spackle: Used for a compound that is used as a filler for cracks or holes in a surface.
[trademark]
spackle: To apply Spackle paste to.
speak-out: A gathering at which people relate their experiences or opinions about a
specified topic or concern.
special drawing rights: A means of exchange used by governments to settle their
international indebtedness.
Special K: The anesthetic ketamine used illicitly usually by being inhaled in
powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces.
special needs or special-needs: Of or relating to people who have specific needs, as
those associated with a disability: special-needs housing; a special needs teacher.
special sense: Any of the five senses; sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch.
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speciesism /spēšēzĭz∂m/: 1. Prejudice or discrimination based on species; especially
discrimination against animals. 2. The assumption of human superiority on which
speciesism is based.
speech act: Relating to or being an utterance that peforms an act or creates a state of
affairs by the fact of its being uttered under appropriate or conventional
circumstances, as a justice of the peace uttering I now pronounce you husband and
wife at a wedding ceremony, thus creating a legal union, or as one uttering I promise,
thus performing the act of promising. Also called performative.
speed chess: A form of chess in which all moves must be completed during a fixed
time, usually five minutes per player. Also called blitz chess.
sperm washing: A procedure for separating sperm cells from the seminal fluid, used
especially in the treatment of male infertility.
spine-chilling: Extremely frightening, especially in an eerie way: a spine-chilling
novel.
split end: The end of a hair that has split into strands.
split screen: A film or video technique in which the frame is divided into discrete
nonoverlapping images; also the visual composition based on this technique.
spoiler: An air deflector on an automobile to reduce the tendency to lift off the road
at high speeds.
spokesmodel: A model who is a spokesman or spokeswoman.
spongeware: A typically 19th century earthenware with background color spattered
or dabbed (as with a sponge) and usually a freehand central design.
spongiform: Resembling a sponge in appearance or texture; spongy.
sports bra: A garment providing support and protection for the breasts, worn
especially during athletics or other strenuous activity.
sport-utility truck: abbr. SUT An SUV that is built and equipped for off-road
areas that would normally be considered inaccessible, such as swamps or rugged
terrain.
sport-utility vehicle: abbr. SUV A four-wheel-drive vehicle with a roomy body,
designed for off-road travel.
spot-on: Exactly correct; accurate, perfect: a spot-on forecast; a spot-on
impersonation.
spot test: 1. A test limited to a few key or sample points or a relatively small
percentage of random spots. 2. A test conducted on the spot to yield immediate
results.
spousal equivalent or spouse equivalent: A domestic partner.
spray can: A pressurized container from which aerosols are dispensed.
spray gun: An apparatus resembling a gun for applying a substance (as paint or
insecticide) in the form of a spray.
spray paint: Paint in an aerosol container for spraying onto surfaces.
squarely: 1. Mathematics. At right angles: sawed the beam squarely. 2. In a square
shape. 3. So as to make solid contact; firmly: struck the golf ball squarely, sending it
to the green. 4. Directly; straight: walked squarely toward the shoplifter and arrested
him. 5. In an honest, straightforward manner: spoke squarely on the topic of drug
abuse.
squatty: Somewhat short and thick; rather squat.
squeeze bottle: A bottle of flexible plastic that dispenses its contents when it is
squeezed.
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squirrel rifle: A small-caliber rifle. [from its being suitable only for small game]
squooshy: Squishy: being soft, yielding, and usually damp.
stablemate: 1. An animal stabled with another. 2. A member of a stable.
stage business: Movement or action (as lighting a cigarette) by an actor intended
especially to establish atmosphere, reveal character, or explain a situation.
stage direction: A description (as of a character or setting) or direction (as to
indicate stage business) provided in the text of a play.
stage set: Scenery and properties designed and arranged for a particular scene in a
play.
staggery: Not firm or solid.
stagy: Of or characteristic of the stage; especially marked by pretense or artificiality:
theatrical.
staging ground: A place where something is planned or initiated.
staging post: 1. A stop at an intermediate point in one's journey. 2. A stopping place
on a journey.
stair-climber: An exercise apparatus that simulates the act of climbing stairs.
stairstep: One of a series of objects or items grouped progressively according to
height. To position or be positioned progressively according to height: images
stairstepped on a computer screen; ledges stairstepping down a mountainside.
stake body: An open motortruck body consisting of a platform with upright sticks
inserted along the outside edges to retain a load.
standard-issue: Standard, typical: a standard-issue action movie; a standard-issue
blue suit.
standard model: A model of fundamental forces and particles that explains their
behavior and interactions in terms of symmetries and the destruction of symmetries.
standing stone: A prehistoric monument of a class found chiefly in the British Isles
and northern France, consisting of a single tall, upright megalith.
stand oil: Thickened drying oil; especially linseed oil heated to about 600o F (315o
C).
standpat: Opposed or resistant to change; stubbornly conservative.
star key: The pushbutton in the lower left corner on the dialing pad of a standard
pushbutton telephone, marked with an asterisk.
star-studded: Abounding in or covered with stars: a star-studded cast; a starstudded uniform.
starvation wages: Wages insufficient to provide the ordinary necessities of life.
state bank: 1. Central bank. 2. A bank chartered by and operating under the laws of
a state of the United States.
state bird: A bird selected (as by the legislature) as an emblem of a state of the
United States.
state flower: A flowering plant selected (as by the legislature) as an emblem of a
state of the United States.
state tree: A tree selected (as by the legislature) as an emblem of a state of the
United States.
staticky: 1. Relating to or producing random noise accompanying transmitted or
recorded sound. 2. Relating to or producing electrostatic charges.
static line: A cord attached to a parachute pack and to an airplane to open the
parachute after a jumper clears the plane.
statusy: Having, showing, or conferring prestige: a statusy job.
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stay-at-home: 1. Inclined to remain in one's home, locality, or country. 2. A person
who stays at or works from home.
steady state universe: A model universe in which the density of matter is constant
over space and time, and the expansion of the universe, required on other grounds, is
compensated for by the continuous creation of matter. The model is generally
believed to be discredited by the discovery of the background radiation of the big
bang.
stealth: Intended not to attract attention; stealthy: a stealth campaign.
steam up: To make angry or excited: arouse.
step aside: Step down; retire, resign.
step down: 1. Retire, resign. 2. To lower (a voltage) by means of a transformer.
3. To decrease or reduce especially by one or more steps.
stepfamily: A family with one or more stepchildren.
stepper motor: A motor whose driveshaft rotates in small steps rather than
continuously.
sterling area: A former group of countries with currencies tied to the British pound
sterling.
sticker shock: Astonishment and dismay experienced on being informed of a
product's unexpectedly high price.
stickman: One who handles a stick.
sticky fingers: A tendency to steal.
stirrup pump: A portable hand pump held in position by a foot bracket and used for
throwing a jet or spray of liquid.
stockade fence: A solid fence of half-round boards pointed at the top.
stock boy: A boy or man employed to stock shelves.
stocking stuffer: A small present, especially one that is placed in a stocking at
Christmas.
stomping ground: A customary territory or favorite gathering place.
stony-iron meteorite: A relatively rare type of meteorite consisting of
approximately equal amounts by weight of nickel-iron and silicate minerals.
stony meteorite: Any of various common meteorites consisting largely of silicate
minerals and classified as achondrites or anachondrites.
stop-and-go: Alternately proceeding and halting: stop-and-go traffic.
stop-out: A temporary withdrawal from college.
storm cell: An air mass that contains up and down drafts in convective loops, moves
and reacts as a single entity, and functions as the smallest unit of a storm-producing
system.
storm drain: 1. A storm sewer. 2. A catch basin.
storm sewer: A sewer for carrying off rainwater or meltwater, as to a river or bay.
stot: to bound with a stiff-legged gait: the gazelle stotted when alarmed.
strawberry blond also strawberry blonde: Reddish blond.
streak camera: A camera for recording very fast or short-lived phenomena (as
fluorescence or shock waves).
street name: 1. The name of a broker or brokerage firm as used when registering a
security owned by a customer in order to simplify trading. 2. An alternative or slang
term for something, especially an illegal drug: “Acid” is a street name for LSD.
3. An alternative name that a person chooses or is given, especially as used in inner
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city neighborhoods: [She] wears a gold necklace with the letters F-R-E-S-H – her
street name – spelled out in rhinestones.
street railway: A line operating streetcars or buses.
stressed: Stressed out: feeling stressed about work.
stress incontinence: Involuntary leakage of urine from the bladder accompanying
physical activity (as laughing or coughing) which places increased pressure on the
abdomen.
studentship: The state of being a student.
studly: Having a well-developed physique; sexually attractive. Used of men.
stuffer: 1. A flier, insert, or enclosure, often serving as an advertisement or
announcement, that is mailed with a bill or other item. 2. A stocking stuffer.
subadult: An individual that has passed through the juvenile period but not yet
attained typical adult characteristics.
subatmospheric: Less or lower than that of the atmosphere: subatmospheric
pressure.
subcommunity: A distinct grouping within a community.
subsequent to: At a later time than; after.
subtype: A group forming a type within a larger type.
suck-up: A person who is ingratiating or fawning: a suck-up to the teacher.
sucralose: An intensely sweet, heat-stable derivative of sucrose that contains no
calories. [Probably blend of sucrose and galactose.]
suction cup: A cup-shaped device, usually of plastic or rubber, designed to adhere to
a flat surface by means of suction.
suiter: A suitcase for holding a specified number of suits — usually used in
combination: a two-suiter.
summa: A comprehensive treatise, especially in philosophy or theology. [Medieval
Latin, from Latin, “the whole”.]
summer kitchen: A small building or shed that is usually adjacent to a house and is
used as a kitchen in warm weather.
summerlong: Lasting through the summer.
summers: During the summers: worked summers as a waiter.
sump: 1. a. A low-lying place, such as a pit, that receives drainage. b. A cesspool. 2.
A hole at the lowest point of a mine shaft into which water is drained in order to be
pumped out. 3. The crankcase or oil reservoir of an internal-combustion engine.
[from German sumpf, “swamp, sump” from Middle High German, “swamp”]
sump pump: A pump that removes liquid from a sump: Our basement flooded when
the sump pump broke.
sunbed: A structure lined with sunlamps in which one stands or reclines in order to
acquire a suntan. Also called tanning bed.
Sunday best: One's best and often most formal clothing. [From the practice among
Christians of wearing one's best clothing to attend church on Sundays]
sun-dried or sundried: Dried in the sun, as tomatoes or bricks.
sunporch: A screened-in or glassed-in porch with a sunny exposure.
sunseeker: A person who travels to an area of warmth and sun especially in winter.
sun tea: A beverage, often iced, made from tea leaves or other herbs steeped in water
exposed to direct sunlight.
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superblock: A very large commercial or residential block barred to through traffic,
crossed by pedestrian walks and sometimes access roads, and often spotted with
grassed malls.
superbug: A strain of bacteria that is resistant to all antibiotics.
supercity: Megalopolis.
superconducting: Having, exhibiting, or capable of superconductivity: a
revolutionary superconducting magnetic propulsion system.
superconductivity: The flow of electric current without resistance in certain metals,
alloys, and ceramics at temperatures near absolute zero, and in some cases at
temperatures hundreds of degrees above absolute zero.
superglue: A very strong glue; specifically a glue whose chief ingredient is a
cyanoacrylate that becomes adhesive through polymerization rather than evaporation
of a solvent.
supergun: An extremely large, cannonlike gun designed to shoot projectiles over
long distances or to launch satellites and spacecraft into orbit without a propulsion or
guidance system, as is needed with a missile.
supermodel: An extremely successful and internationally famous fashion model.
superplastic: 1. Capable of plastic deformation under low stress at an elevated
temperature — used of metals and alloys. 2. Of or relating to superplastic materials:
superplastic molding.
sure-handed: Proficient and confident in performance especially using the hands.
surface mail: 1. Mail transported over land and sea rather than by air. 2. The system
of transportating surface mail.
surf and turf: Seafood and beefsteak served as the main course of a meal, as in a
restaurant.
surf zone: The nearshore zone between the outermost breakers and the area of the
wave uprush. Also called breaker zone.
sustainable agriculture: A method of agriculture that attempts to ensure the
profitability of farms while preserving the environment.
swamp buggy: A vehicle designed to travel over swampy terrain; especially a fourwheel motor vehicle with oversize tires.
sweater girl: A woman with a shapely bust.
sweat equity: 1. Work, especially manual labor, performed in return for a share in
ownership, as of a home. 2. Sustained effort; hard work: Coming up with compelling
plots is a little bit inspiration and a lot of sweat equity.
sweetie pie: Sweetheart.
sweet nothings: Endearments addressed to a lover.
swipe card: A plastic card with a magnetic strip containing encoded data that is read
by passing the card through a usually slotted electronic device, used especially to
make electronic transactions and to provide access to restricted or secure areas.
swoopy: Having sweeping lines or movement: a swoopy silhouette.
swordswoman: 1. A woman who is skilled in the use of swords. 2. A woman who is
a fencer.
sycosis barbae: 1. Inflammation of the hair follicles of skin that has been shaved,
usually caused by a staphylococcal infection. Also called barber's itch. 2.
Inflammation of the hair follicles in a shaved area of the face and neck caused by a
fungus; ringworm of the beard. [New Latin sycōsis barbae: Latin sycōsis, “sore” +
barbae, genitive of barba, “beard”]
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synthetic speech: Speech that is produced by an electronic synthesizer activated by a
keyboard, enabling individuals who are incapable of speech to communicate.
system operator: One who operates a bulletin board system.
T
tabloid TV: Television news programming that presents the news in a fast-paced,
condensed form, usually with sensational material.
tackboard: A board (as of cork) for tacking up notices and display materials.
tack claw: A small hand tool for removing tacks.
tackify: To make (as a resin adhesive) tacky or more tacky.
taffetized: Of cloth: having a crisp finish.
taggant: Any of various substances, such as microscopic pieces of multilayered
colored plastic, added to a product to indicate its source of manufacture: added
taggants to explosives to deter terrorism. [short for Microtaggant, trademark for tags
identifying explosives]
tag, rag, and bobtail: A disorganized or confused collection of things.
tailslide: An aerobatic maneuver in which an aircraft that has been pulled into a
steep climb stalls and then loses altitude by dropping backward.
'tain't or tain't: Nonstandard Contraction of it ain't.
take-no-prisoners: Excessively ardent or aggressive: a take-no-prisoners arrogance
that alienates others.
talking book: Audiobook.
tamperproof: Designed to prevent tampering or provide evidence of tampering:
tamperproof aspirin containers.
tang: 1. A projecting shank, prong, fang, or tongue (as on a knife, file, or sword) to
connect with the handle. 2. a. A sharp distinctive often lingering flavor. b. A pungent
odor. c. Something having the effect of a tang (as in stimulation of the senses): the
tang of the autumn air; add tang to your writing. 3. a. A faint suggestion; trace: my
comment held a tang of sarcasm. b. A distinguishing characteristic that sets apart or
gives a special individuality.
tangy: Having or suggestive of a tang.
tanning bed: A structure lined with sunlamps in which one stands or reclines in
order to acquire a suntan.
tap into: 1. To establish a connection with; have access to: tapped into a new
market for their products. 2. To take advantage of: tapped into their enthusiasm to
improve the school.
tap out: To run out of money by betting.
tapped out: 1. Out of money; broke. 2. Spent, exhausted: tapped out after months
on the road.
tarmac: A tarmacadam road, apron, or runway. [from Tarmac, a trademark]
tar sand: A natural impregnation of sand or sandstone with petroleum from which
the lighter portions have escaped.
tart up: Dress up, fancy up: tarted up pubs and restaurants for the spenders.
Taser /tāz∂r/: A trademark used for a high-voltage stun gun.
tax base: The wealth (as real estate or income) within a jurisdiction that is liable to
taxation.
tax stamp: A stamp marked on or affixed to a taxable item as evidence that the tax
has been paid.
126
teaching assistant: A graduate student in a university or college who is awarded a
fellowship that provides him or her with financial aid in exchange for teaching
duties.
teal blue: A dark greenish blue.
technobabble: Technical jargon: The playwright can send up the garbled
technobabble of modern bureaucracy as expertly as anyone.
technophile: One who has a love of or enthusiasm for technology, especially
computers and high technology: other technophiles see genetic engineering as a
route to growth that is almost without end.
technophobia: Fear of or aversion to technology, especially computers and high
technology.
teed off: Angry, annoyed.
teens: The numbers 13 to 19 inclusive; specifically the years 13 to 19 in a lifetime
or century.
telemark: A turn in skiing in which the skier's heel is not attached to the ski and the
outside ski is advanced considerably ahead of the other ski and then turned inward at
a steadily widening angle until the turn is completed. [Norwegian, from Telemark,
region in Norway]
teleportation: A hypothetical method of transportation in which matter or
information is dematerialized, usually instantaneously, at one point and recreated at
another.
teleshop: To buy consumer products over the Internet or by way of television using a
telephone connection or an interactive cable.
teleview: To observe or watch by means of a television receiver.
tell: A mound, especially in the Middle East, made up of the remains of a succession
of previous settlements.
tell-all: Revealing intimate or scandalous details: a tell-all memoir. A work, such as
a biography or memoir, that reveals intimate details about its subject.
telos: The end of a goal-oriented process.
tenderometer: A device for determining the maturity and tenderness of samples of
fruits and vegetables.
1080 /tĕnātē/: A poisonous preparation of sodium fluoroacetate used as a rodenticide
and pesticide. [from its laboratory serial number]
tenner: A ten-dollar bill.
tens place: The place two to the left of the decimal point in a number expressed in
the Arabic system of writing numbers.
tenure track: Of or relating to a teaching or research position at a college or
university that can lead to a tenured position.
terminus ad quem: 1. A goal or finishing point. 2. A final limiting point in time:
The date of the author's death was the only terminus ad quem for the manuscript.
terminus a quo: 1. A starting point or origin. 2. A first point in time: The terminus a
quo for the Middle Ages is often considered the fall of Rome in 476.
term limit: A statutory restriction on the number of terms an official or officeholder
may serve.
terraform: To transform (a landscape) on another planet into one having the
characteristics of landscapes on Earth.
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test ban: A mutual and voluntary agreement between nations to forgo testing of
nuclear weapons, especially under specified conditions, as in the atmosphere or
under water.
test bed: A vehicle (as an airplane) used for testing new equipment (as engines or
weapons systems); any device, facility, or means for testing something in
development.
test-fly: To subject to a flight test: test-fly an experimental plane.
testee: One who takes or has taken a test.
T4 cell: Any of the T cells (as a helper T cell) that display the CD4 molecule on
their surface and become severely depleted in AIDS. [T cell + CD4]
Thalassa: The satellite of Neptune that is second in distance from the planet. [Greek
thalassa, “sea”]
thalweg: 1. The line defining the lowest points along the length of a river bed or
valley. 2. A subterranean stream.
than: When. Used especially after hardly and scarcely: I had scarcely walked in the
door than the commotion started.
theirselves: Themselves.
themed: Involving a particular topic or motif. Often used in combination: a colonialthemed tourist attraction.
then again: From another standpoint; on the other hand: I need a vacation. Then
again, so do my coworkers.
thermal neutron analyzer: A device that detects explosives by sensing gamma
radiation given off when nitrogen in the explosive is bombarded with and absorbs
low-energy neutrons. It is used, for example, for bomb detection in airports.
thermoacoustic: Of or relating to a process using rapid, repetitive acoustical shocks
to achieve cooling: a thermoacoustic condenser for use in refrigeration.
thermoform: To give a final shape to (as a plastic) with the aid of heat and usually
pressure.
thigh-high: Reaching up to the thighs: thigh-high waves. A sock or stocking that
extends to cover part of the thigh.
thigh-slapper: Knee-slapper.
third estate: The third of the traditional social classes; the common people.
Third Reich: The German state from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler.
thirty-thirty: A rifle that fires a.30-caliber cartridge with a 30-grain powder charge.
thirty-three: A phonograph record designed to be played at 33 1/3 revolutions per
minute.
thoughtway: A way of thinking that is characteristic of a particular group, time, or
culture.
thousands place: The place four to the left of the decimal point in a number
expressed in the Arabic system of writing numbers.
thrawn: 1. Crooked or twisted; misshapen. 2. Perverse; contrary.
Three Age system: A system for classifying prehistoric artifacts according to
successive stages of technological development, divided into the Stone, Bronze, and
Iron ages.
three-way: 1. Having, permitting, or indicating passage in three directions: a threeway valve. 2. Having three participants or ingredients: a three-way tie; three-way
chilli.
throne room: A formal audience room containing the throne of a sovereign.
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throttleable: Capable of having the thrust varied — used of a rocket engine.
through street: A street on which the through movement of traffic is given
preference.
thumbs-down: An act, instance, or sign of disapproval.
thumbs-up: An act, instance, or sign of approval.
thunder egg: Chalcedony in rounded concretionary nodules.
thyratron: A gas-filled hot-cathode electron tube in which the grid controls only the
start of a continuous current thus giving the tube a trigger effect. [from Thyratron, a
trademark]
ticked1: 1. Marked with ticks: flecked. 2. Having or made of hair banded with two
or more colors: a ticked cat; a ticked coat.
ticked2: Angry, upset. [tick off]
ticket agency: An agency selling transportation or theater and entertainment tickets.
ticket office: A room or location where tickets are sold, especially for entertainment
events or transportation services.
tidal basin: A body of water in an area subject to tides whose water level is
maintained at a desired level by artificial means.
tidal flat: A nearly flat coastal area, alternately covered and exposed by the tides,
and consisting of unconsolidated sediments.
tidal force: Any of various small gravitational forces acting on an extended body as
a result of the varying distance between the source of the gravitational force, such as
the moon, and the different parts of the extended body, such as the earth's oceans
closest to and farthest from the moon.
tidal pool: A pool of water remaining after a tide has retreated.
tide chart: A chart listing the predicted times and heights of the high and low tides
for a given location, throughout one year.
tie-down: A fitting or a system of lines and fittings used to secure something (as an
aircraft or cargo).
tie rod: 1. A metal rod that joins and reinforces parts in a structure. 2. Either of two
metal rods or arms that transmit motion to the front axle in certain vehicular steering
systems.
tie silk: A silk fabric of firm resilient pliable texture used for neckties and for
blouses and accessories.
tiger maple: Maple lumber having a distinct irregularly striped pattern and much
used for furniture.
tight-knit: Closely integrated and bound in love or friendship: a tight-knit family.
tight-mouthed: Closemouthed.
tiltmeter: An instrument to measure the tilting of the earth's surface.
tilt-rotor: An aircraft that has rotors at the end of each wing which can be oriented
vertically for vertical takeoffs and landings, horizontally for forward flight, or to any
position in between.
time line: 1. A table listing important events for successive years within a particular
historical period. 2. A schedule of events and procedures.
time series: A set of data collected sequentially usually at fixed intervals of time.
timing belt: A cogged belt, usually of reinforced rubber, that drives the camshaft in
an internal combustion engine.
tin ear: A deafened or insensitive ear.
tin-pot: Insignificant or unimportant; minor.
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tire iron: A metal bar having one end shaped like a chisel and often the other in the
form of a socket wrench, used for changing tires on metal rims.
tissular: Of, relating to, or affecting organismic tissue: tissular grafts; tissular
lesions.
toast: One that is doomed, in trouble, or unworthy of further consideration: soon
their relationship was toast.
toaster oven: An electrical appliance that can be used as either a toaster or an oven.
tobacco juice: Saliva colored brown by tobacco or snuff.
toe-in: An inwardly-angled adjustment, especially a slight inward alignment of the
forward edge of a motor vehicle's front wheels to improve steering and minimize tire
wear.
toepiece: A piece designed to form a toe (as of a shoe) or cover the toes of the foot.
toeplate: A tab attached to the toe of a shoe (as to prevent wear due to heavy use).
toe shoe: A ballet slipper with a hardened, reinforced toe that enables a dancer to
perform or dance on the toes.
toe-to-toe: Slugging it out at or as if at close range: a toe-to-toe confrontation over
the new policy.
toilet powder: A fine powder usually with soothing or antiseptic ingredients for
sprinkling or rubbing (as after bathing) over the skin.
token money: Money of regular government issue (as paper currency or coins)
having a greater face value than intrinsic value.
tollway: Turnpike.
tonic water: A carbonated beverage flavored with a small amount of quinine, lemon,
and lime.
tonner: An object (as a ship) having a specified tonnage — used in combination: a
thousand-tonner.
toolholder: A short steel bar having a shank at one end by which it is clamped to a
machine and a clamp at the other end to hold small interchangeable cutting bits.
toolshed: A small building in which tools are kept.
toolroom: A room where tools are kept; especially a room in a machine shop in
which tools are made, stored, and issued for use by workers.
toonie: A Canadian coin worth two dollars. [from loonie]
too-too: Going beyond the bounds of convention, good taste, or common sense.
top billing: Prominent emphasis, featuring, or advertising.
topcross: A cross between a superior or purebred male and inferior female stock to
improve the average quality of the progeny; also the product of such a cross.
top-down: 1. Controlled, directed, or instituted from the top level: a top-down
corporate structure. 2. Proceeding by breaking large general aspects (as of a
problem) into smaller more detailed constituents: working from the general to the
specific top-down programming; top-down design.
topline: The outline of the top of the body of an animal (as a dog or horse).
topocentric: Relating to, measured from, or as if observed from a particular point
on the earth's surface; having or relating to such a point as origin: topocentric
coordinates.
top-of-the-line: Being or belonging to the highest or most expensive class: top-ofthe-line camera equipment.
torch song: A sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an
unrequited love.
130
torchy: Of, relating to, or typical of a torch song or torch singer.
total recall: The faculty of remembering with complete clarity and in complete
detail.
touch system: A method of typing that assigns a particular finger to each key and
makes it possible to type without looking at the keyboard.
touchy-feely: 1. Marked by or emphasizing physical closeness and emotional
openness: became uncomfortable when the group therapy session got too touchyfeely. 2. Based on sentiment or intuition, especially to the exclusion of critical
judgment: a book that proves the existence of the Almighty... without recourse to
spiritual mumbo jumbo or any of that touchy-feely faith stuff.
tough love: The use of strict disciplinary measures and limitations on freedoms or
privileges, as by a parent or guardian, as a means of fostering responsibility and
expressing care or concern.
touristy: 1. Of or relating to tourists or tourism. 2. Attracting or designed to attract
tourists, especially in a showy or inauthentic way.
tourer: 1. Touring car. 2. One that tours.
tourist court: Motel.
touristed: Frequented by tourists: heavily touristed seaside towns.
town car: A 4-door automobile with a usually open driver's compartment and a
separate enclosed passenger compartment.
towplane: An airplane that tows gliders.
tow truck: A truck with winches and hoist mechanisms for freeing stuck vehicles
and towing wrecked or disabled vehicles.
trace fossil: A fossil (as of a dinosaur footprint) that shows the activity of an animal
or plant but is not formed from the organism itself.
track down: To pursue until found or captured: When, like a running grave, time
tracks you down.
tracked: 1. Traveling on endless metal belts instead of wheels. 2. Moving along a
rail: a tracked air-cushion vehicle.
traffic cone: A conical marker used on a road or highway (as for indicating an area
under repair).
traffic engineering: Engineering dealing with the design of streets and control of
traffic.
trail mix: A mixture of high-energy foods, such as dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, and
seeds, eaten as a snack especially by hikers.
train case: A small boxlike piece of luggage used especially for toilet articles.
training wheels: A pair of small wheels attached to the rear axle of a bicycle so that
beginning riders can ride without falling over.
trans fat: 1. A trans fatty acid. 2. Trans fatty acids considered as a group.
trans fatty acid: An unsaturated fatty acid produced by the partial hydrogenation of
vegetable oils and present in hardened vegetable oils, most margarines, commercial
baked foods, and many fried foods. An excess of these fats in the diet is thought to
raise the cholesterol level in the bloodstream.
transfer payment: A non-compensatory government payment to individuals, as for
welfare or social security benefits.
transfer station: 1. A station, as on a rail line, where a passenger can transfer from
one public conveyance to another. 2. A facility where solid waste materials,
including yard waste, demolition materials, and household refuse, are transferred
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from small vehicles to large trucks for efficient transport to landfills, recycling
centers, and other disposal sites.
transgendered: 1. Appearing as, wishing to be considered as, or having undergone
surgery to become a member the opposite sex. 2. Of or relating to a transgendered
person or transgendered people.
transgene: A gene used in transgenesis.
transgenesis: The transfer of cloned genetic material from one species or breed to
another.
transgenics: The study of or methodology used to create transgenic animals or
plants.
transgressive: Of or relating to a genre of fiction, filmmaking, or art characterized
by graphic depictions of behavior that violates socially acceptable norms, often
involving violence, drug use, and sexual deviancy.
translative: 1. Of or relating to the transfer or movement of a person or thing to
another place. 2. Relating to or used in the translation of a language.
trapline: A line or series of traps; the route along which such a line of traps is set.
trashman: A worker who collects and hauls away trash.
trash talk: Disparaging, often insulting or vulgar speech about another person or
group.
trash-talk: To speak disparagingly, often insultingly or abusively about a person or
group.
traveling salesperson: A man or woman who travels in a given territory to solicit
business orders or sell merchandise.
travel trailer: A trailer drawn especially by an automobile and equipped for use (as
while traveling) as a dwelling.
tray table: 1. A portable table consisting of a tray mounted on folding legs. 2. A tray
mounted on or in a piece of furniture, such as an airplane seatback, designed to fold
or swing out of the way for storage.
treaty Indian: A status Indian belonging to a band that has signed a treaty with the
federal government.
tree ring: Annual ring.
trendoid: A trendy person.
trestle table: A table having a top supported by trestles.
trichologist: A person who specializes in hair and scalp care; broadly, hairdresser.
[from Greek trich-, thrix, “hair”]
trijet: An aircraft powered with three jet engines.
trimotor: An airplane powered by three engines.
tripack: A combination of three superposed films or emulsions each sensitive to a
different primary color for simultaneous exposure in one camera.
triple-decker: A 3-story dwelling with an apartment on each floor.
triple figure: A number consisting of three digits, between 100 and 999.
triple-space: To type (text) leaving two blank lines between lines of copy. To type
on every third line.
triple threat: A person adept in three different fields of activity.
trippy: Of, relating to, or suggestive of a trip on psychedelic drugs or the culture
associated with such drugs: trippy music; a trippy experience.
132
tristimulus: Of or relating to values giving the amounts of the three colored lights
red, green, and blue that when combined additively produce a match for the color
being considered.
trophy wife: An attractive, young wife married to a usually older, affluent man.
tropical aquarium: An aquarium kept at a uniform warmth and used especially for
tropical fish.
truckline: A transportation line using trucks.
trug: A shallow, usually oval gardening basket made with wide strips of wood.
tube sock: A sock that lacks a shaped heel.
tummy tuck: Abdominoplasty.
tundish: 1. A funnel. 2. A container for pouring molten metal into a mold, having
holes in the bottom to prevent splashing.
tuned-in: Turned-on.
turbocar: An automotive vehicle propelled by a gas turbine.
turbogenerator: An electric generator driven by a turbine.
turbojet engine: A jet engine in which a turbine drives a compressor that supplies
air to a burner and hot gases from the burner drive the turbine before being
discharged rearward.
turbomachinery: Machinery consisting of, incorporating, or constituting a turbine.
turboshaft: A gas turbine engine that powers a rotating cylindrical shaft, as to a
pump or a helicopter rotor.
turf accountant: A bookmaker licensed to take bets on horse races.
turfman: A devotee of horse racing; especially a person who owns and races horses.
turned-on: Keenly aware of and responsive to what is new and fashionable: hip.
turophile: A lover of cheese. [from Greek tyros, “cheese”]
tutorial: A paper, book, film, or computer program that provides practical
information about a specific subject.
TVP: abbr. Used for textured vegetable protein.
twelve-step: Of or being a program designed to assist in the recovery from addiction
or compulsive behavior, especially a spiritually-oriented program based on the
principles of acknowledging one's personal insufficiency and accepting help from a
higher power.
24-7: Continuously; unceasingly: The phone’s been ringing 24-7. [24 hours a day, 7
days a week]
twentysomething: Of, relating to, or being a person who is in his or her twenties: a
twentysomething professional.
twenty-two: A .22-caliber firearm; especially one firing rimfire cartridges —
usually written .22.
twin primes: A pair of prime numbers (as 3 and 5 or 11 and 13) differing by two.
twist tie: A short length of wire encased in a strip of paper, plastic, or foil, designed
to be twisted around an item or items as a fastener.
two-cycle: of an internal combustion engine: Having a 2-stroke cycle.
two-suiter: A man's suitcase designed to hold two suits and accessories.
two-way street: A situation or relationship requiring give-and-take: marriage is a
two-way street.
type I error: Rejection of the null hypothesis in statistical testing when it is true.
type II error: Acceptance of the null hypothesis in statistical testing when it is false.
tyrannicide: 1. The killing of a tyrant or despot. 2. One who kills a tyrant or despot.
133
U
ultramicro: Being or dealing with something smaller than micro.
ultra-pasteurized: Subjected to pasteurization at higher than normal temperatures
especially to extend shelf life: ultra-pasteurized cream.
unaging: Ageless.
unambivalent: Not ambivalent: clear-cut, definite.
unary: Having, consisting of, or acting on a single element, item, or component.
[Latin unus “one” + English -ary]
unbox: To remove from a box.
unbudgeable: Not able to be budged or changed: inflexible: an unbudgeable
optimist.
unbudging: Not moving or willing to move from a position or place: unbudging
honesty; an unbudging foe.
unbuildable: 1. That cannot be built: an unbuildable house, given the eccentric
design. 2. Unsuitable to be built upon: unbuildable wetlands.
unbuttoned: Free and unrestrained in expression: unbuttoned humor.
unchurched: Not belonging to or participating in a church.
unclamp: To loosen the clamp of: to free from a clamp.
unclarity: Lack of clarity: ambiguity, obscurity.
uncredentialed: Not having proper credentials: the ministrations of uncredentialed
healers.
undead: No longer living but supernaturally animated, as a zombie.
underactive: Characterized by an abnormally low level of activity: an underactive
thyroid gland.
underappreciated: Not duly appreciated.
underbite: Malocclusion in which the lower teeth protrude beyond the upper teeth.
underbudgeted: Provided with an inadequate budget.
undercard: The event or events coming before and supporting the main event, as of
boxing matches.
underexploited: Not fully or sufficiently utilized: an underexploited food source.
underinflated: Not sufficiently inflated: underinflated tires.
undermanned: Inadequately staffed.
underplant: To fill around, under, or among with lower-growing plants: underplant
a tree with pansies.
underpowered: 1. Driven by an engine of insufficient power. 2. Having or supplied
with insufficient power.
underprepared: Inadequately prepared.
underpublicized: Insufficiently publicized.
understandable: 1. Capable of being understood: an understandable sentence.
2. Expected or accepted under the circumstances: Their anger is understandable,
given what happened.
understrength: Deficient in strength; especially lacking sufficient or prescribed
personnel.
underused: Not fully used: having more potential than is currently being realized or
utilized: underused land; an underused actress.
underuse: To use to a lesser degree than is normal or desirable.
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underwhelm: To fail to excite, stimulate, or impress: He is just as entitled to be
underwhelmed by the prospect of reigning over a fourth-class nation as the rest of us
are by the prospect of living in it.
undogmatic: Not dogmatic: not committed to dogma.
unemployment: 1. The state of being unemployed, especially involuntarily. 2. The
percentage or number of people who are involuntarily unemployed: Unemployment
has been shrinking throughout the recovery. 3. Unemployment compensation.
unemployment insurance: Social insurance against involuntary unemployment that
provides unemployment compensation for a limited period to unemployed workers;
also unemployment compensation.
unending: Being or seeming to be without an end or limit; boundless.
un-European: Not characteristically European.
unfalsifiable: Not capable of being proved false: unfalsifiable hypotheses.
unfavorite: Not being a favorite; especially being regarded with special disfavor or
dislike.
unfazed: Not fazed or disturbed.
unfreeze: 1. To cause to thaw. 2. To remove a control or restriction on (prices or
wages, for example).
unhealthful: Causing or conducive to poor health; unwholesome.
unillusioned: Free from illusion.
uninstall: To remove completely from a system: uninstalled the faulty word
processing program.
uniparental: Having, involving, or derived from a single parent; specifically
involving or being inheritance in which all or part of an offspring's genotype (as both
members of a pair of homologous chromosomes) is derived from a single parent.
unit circle: A circle having a radius of 1.
United Nations Day: October 24 observed in commemoration of the founding of
the United Nations.
unitrust: A trust from which the beneficiary receives annually a fixed percentage of
the fair market value of its assets.
unit train: A railway train that transports a single commodity directly from producer
to consumer.
universal motor: An electric motor that can be used on either an alternating or a
direct current supply.
unpolarized: Not polarized; specifically having a random pattern of vibrations.
unprotected: Performed without the use of birth control to prevent pregnancy; also
performed without the use of a condom to prevent spread of sexually transmitted
disease: unprotected sex.
unslakable: Unable to be slaked; unquenchable: an unslakable thirst; an unslakable
desire for excellence.
unspool: 1. To unwind from a spool: unspool the cable. 2. To execute or present
artfully or gracefully: unspooled a jump shot; unspooling an intricate tale. To be
presented or revealed on or as if on a motion-picture screen.
unsurprisingly: 1. As is not surprising: “matters complicate, unsurprisingly. 2. In
an unsurprising manner: the story ended unsurprisingly.
unretire: To return to work after having taken retirement.
unsubscribe: To cancel a subscription, especially to an online publication, service,
or mailing list.
135
unsure: 1. Lacking confidence. 2. Uncertain of the facts. 3. Precarious; unstable;
unreliable.
untrack: To cause to escape from a slump: couldn't get untracked and played
poorly throughout the game.
unusable: 1. That cannot be used: unusable byproducts. 2. Not fit for use: unusable
files on corrupted disks.
up-and-up: An honest or respectable course — used in the phrase: on the up-andup.
upcoast: Up the coast.
upper respiratory: Of, affecting, or being the part of the respiratory system that
includes the nose, nasal passages, and nasopharynx: upper respiratory tract; upper
respiratory infection.
uprate: Upgrade: specifically to improve the power output of (as an engine).
uprush: The rush of water from a breaking wave onto a beach.
upslope: Being or moving to or toward the top of a slope; uphill: upslope winds.
uptilt: To tilt upward.
uranography: The branch of astronomy concerned with mapping the stars, galaxies,
or other celestial bodies.
urbanology: A study dealing with specialized problems of cities (as planning,
education, sociology, and politics).
urge incontinence: Involuntary leakage of urine from the bladder when a sudden
strong need to urinate is felt.
user fee: An excise tax often in the form of a license or supplemental charge levied
to fund a public service.
utility knife: A knife designed for general use: a chef's utility knife; specifically a
cutting tool having a sharp replaceable blade that can be retracted into a usually
metal handle.
utility room: A room used for keeping large typically household appliances, such as
a washing machine and dryer, or for storing cleaning items, such as a mop, bucket,
and broom.
UVA: Abbr. Radiation that is in the region of the ultraviolet spectrum which extends
from about 320 to 400 nm in wavelength and that causes tanning and contributes to
aging of the skin.
U-value: A measure of the heat transmission through a building part (as a wall or
window) or a given thickness of a material (as insulation) with lower numbers
indicating better insulating properties.
UVB: Abbr. Radiation that is in the region of the ultraviolet spectrum which extends
from about 280 to 320 nm in wavelength and that is primarily responsible for
sunburn, aging of the skin, and the development of skin cancer.
UVC: Abbr. Radiation that is in the region of the ultraviolet spectrum which extends
from about 200 to 280 nm in wavelength and that is more hazardous than UVB but is
mostly absorbed by earth's upper atmosphere.
UV index: A scale ranging from zero to ten, used in estimating the risk for sunburn
that an unprotected fair-skinned person would have if exposed to the ultraviolet
radiation in midday sunlight, accounting for conditions such as cloud cover, ozone,
and location.
136
V
V-6: A V-engine having six cylinders.
V-8: A V-engine having eight cylinders.
vacuum flask: Thermos: a container (as a bottle or jar) with a vacuum between an
inner and outer wall used to keep material and especially liquids either hot or cold for
considerable periods.
valet parking: A service that provides parking of motor vehicles by an attendant.
vallate: Having a raised edge surrounding a depression: vallate papillae of the
tongue.
valley girl: An adolescent girl from the San Fernando Valley, California; also One
whose values, mannerisms, and especially speech patterns resemble those of such a
girl.
value-free: Making or having no value judgments: value-free distinctions; valuefree instruction.
vantage point: A position that affords a broad overall view or perspective, as of a
place or situation.
vampy: Of or relating to a vamp: vampish; also risque: vampy minidress.
vanishingly: So as to be almost nonexistent or invisible: the difference is
vanishingly small.
vanner: A person who owns a usually customized van.
vapor barrier: A layer of material (as roofing paper or polyethylene film) used to
retard or prevent the absorption of moisture into a construction (as a wall or floor).
vealy: 1. Of or like veal. 2. Not fully developed; immature.
vegetable kingdom: A main classification of living organisms that includes all
plants.
vellus: The fine hair present on the body before puberty.
vergence: 1. A measure of the convergence or divergence of a pair of light rays,
defined as the reciprocal of the distance between a point of reference and the point at
which the rays intersect. 2. The inward or outward turning of one or both eyes that
occurs when focusing on an object.
vermiculture: The cultivation of annelid worms (as earthworms or bloodworms)
especially for use as bait or in composting.
VHS: Abbr. A trademark used for a videotape format.
Viagra: A trademark used for the drug sildenafil citrate.
viatical: Of or relating to traveling, a road, or a way.
vigia: A warning on a navigational chart indicating a possible rock, shoal, or other
hazard, the exact position of which is unknown.
viral load: The concentration of a virus, such as HIV, in the blood.
Virgoan: One born under the sign of Virgo.
virtuous circle: A condition in which a favorable circumstance or result gives rise to
another that subsequently supports the first.
viscosity index: An arbitrary number assigned as a measure of the constancy of the
viscosity of a lubricating oil with change of temperature with higher numbers
indicating viscosities that change little with temperature.
visual literacy: The ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through
visible actions or images (as pictures).
visually impaired: 1. Having impaired vision; partially sighted. 2. Incapable of
sight; blind.
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voice vote: A parliamentary vote that is determined by the relative volume of noise
of those shouting “aye” and “no.”
vuln: To wound (oneself) by biting at the breast. Used of the pelican, which was
once believed to feed its young with its blood, as a heraldic motif and symbol of
Christ.
W
wading pool: A shallow pool of portable or permanent construction used by children
for wading.
wafflestomper: A hiking boot with a lug sole. [from the pattern left by the soles]
wage slave: A wage earner whose livelihood is completely dependent on the wages
earned.
waisted: 1. Having a waist or a part like a waist. 2. Having a waist of a specified
kind: high-waisted; slim-waisted.
waist pack: A small, usually zippered pack or pouch attached to a belt and worn
around the waist.
waitlist: A waiting list. To put on a waiting list.
wait staff: Personnel employed to serve at tables, as in a restaurant.
wake-up: Serving to wake up: a wake-up alarm.
wake-up call: 1. A telephone call that one requests to occur at a specific time in
order to be woken up, especially in a hotel. 2. A sign or warning that alerts one to
negative or dangerous behavior or circumstances: Her personal life was spiraling out
of control... and her brush with death came as a wake-up call.
wall system: A set of shelves often with cabinets or bureaus that can be variously
arranged along a wall.
wannabe /wän∂bē/: 1. One who aspires to a role or position. 2. One who imitates
the behavior, customs, or dress of an admired person or group. 3. A product designed
to imitate the qualities or characteristics of something.
warp speed: An extremely rapid speed or state of activity: A young pronghorn
antelope teased a yearling wolf, shifting into warp speed and leaving the wolf in the
dust when it tried to pursue.
war room: A room in which strategic decisions, especially for a military or political
campaign, are made.
washup: The act or action of washing clean.
watchable: 1. Capable of being watched; viewable: watchable wildlife. 2. Good
enough to watch: The fastest modem... delivers jerky real-time video that is
watchable but not for long periods of time.
waterfowler: A person who hunts waterfowl.
water taxi: A ferryboat that takes passengers to a variety of possible destinations
instead of operating over a fixed route.
wardress: A woman supervising female prisoners (as in a prison).
warm spot: A lasting affection for a particular person or thing: has a warm spot for
her old classmates.
war story: A story of a memorable personal experience typically involving an
element of danger, hardship, or adventure: politicians swapping war stories from
past campaigns.
warts-and-all: Showing defects or imperfections frankly: not idealized: a wartsand-all biography.
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water balance: The ratio between the water assimilated into the body and that lost
from the body; also the condition of the body when this ratio approximates
equilibrium.
waterflood: To pump water into the ground around an oil well nearing depletion in
order to loosen and force out additional oil.
water garden: 1. A garden in which aquatic plants predominate. 2. A garden built
about a stream or pool as a central feature.
water heater: An apparatus for heating and usually storing hot water (as for
domestic use).
water pill: A diuretic pill.
water privilege: The right to use water especially as a source of mechanical power.
water wagon: A wagon or motortruck equipped with a tank or barrels for hauling
water or for sprinkling: on the water wagon: abstaining from alcoholic beverages.
wave of the future: An idea, product, or movement that is viewed as representing
forces or a trend that will inevitably prevail.
wavery: That waves: wavering.
waveshape: Waveform: a usually graphic representation of the shape of a wave that
indicates its characteristics (as frequency and amplitude).
way-out: Far-out.
wazoo: Anus. – up the wazoo also out the wazoo; in excess: we've got lawyers up the
wazoo.
weatherability: Capability of withstanding the weathering process: weatherability of
a plastic.
weatherperson: A person who reports and forecasts the weather: meteorologist.
web belt: A belt made of webbing and often worn as part of a uniform.
wedged: Stuck; jammed: couldn't remove the wedged quarter from the vending
machine.
wedge issue: A sharply divisive political issue, especially one that is raised by a
candidate or party in hopes of attracting or disaffecting a portion of an opponent's
customary supporters.
weekend bag: A suitcase of a size to carry clothing and personal articles for a
weekend trip.
weekends: On weekends repeatedly; on any weekend: travels weekends.
weekend warrior: A person who participates in a usually physically strenuous
activity only on weekends or part-time.
weep hole: A hole (as in a wall or foundation) that is designed to drain off
accumulated water.
weird out: To make uneasy, bewildered, or disquieted by something considered very
strange: that movie weirds me out.
wellhead price: The price less transportation costs charged by the producer for
petroleum or natural gas.
welcome mat: 1. A mat, especially one having the word welcome on it, placed in
front of a door to welcome visitors and to allow visitors a place to wipe their feet
before entering. 2. Warm hospitality accorded to a guest in order to provide a
comfortable, welcoming atmosphere: The city put out the welcome mat for the new
baseball team.
well-endowed: 1. Having large breasts. 2. Having large genitals. Used of a male.
well-taken: Based on valid reasoning; sound or convincing: a well-taken point.
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wet bar: A small bar or counter for making alcoholic drinks that is equipped with a
sink and running water.
wet down: To dampen by sprinkling with water.
wet wash: Laundry returned damp and not ironed.
whacked: Drunk or intoxicated.
whatsit: Something or someone whose name has been forgotten or is not known.
[From What's it (called)?]
wheel-thrown: Made on a potter's wheel: wheel-thrown pottery.
wheel window: A rose window, especially one in which the tracery radiates in
spokelike fashion with little further ornament.
whinge: To complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.
whiplash: An injury to the cervical spine caused by an abrupt jerking motion of the
head, either backward or forward.
whiteboard: A hard smooth white surface used for writing or drawing on with
markers.
white-glove: Marked by special care or attention: meticulous: white-glove service.
white hat: 1. One who is admirable and honorable. 2. A mark or symbol of
goodness: could use a few more guys in white hats.
white hunter: A white man serving as guide and professional hunter to an African
safari.
white goods: 1. White fabrics, usually of cotton or linen. 2. Household merchandise,
as bed sheets and curtains, formerly made from white fabrics, but now often colored.
3. Large household appliances, as ovens and refrigerators, formerly finished with
white enamel, but now often colored.
white light: Light that is a mixture of wavelengths of various colors and is perceived
as colorless, as sunlight.
whitening: 1. An agent used to make something white or whiter. 2. The act or
process of making white or whiter.
white pages: A volume or section of a telephone directory that alphabetically lists
the names of people and sometimes businesses.
White Russian: A cocktail consisting of vodka, a coffee liqueur, and milk or cream.
white sale: A sale of household items, especially white goods.
white-shoe: Of or being a long-established business known for reputable service and
a wealthy clientele: took a job at... [a] pronouncedly white-shoe investment-banking
firm.
white zinfandel: A medium-sweet rosé wine made from zinfandel grapes.
whole language: A method of teaching children to read by emphasizing the use and
recognition of words in everyday contexts and books that are not textbooks.
whomp: 1. A loud, heavy blow or thud. 2. To hit or strike. 3. To defeat soundly;
trounce: whomped the opposing team. 4. To prepare or make, especially with little
effort. Often used with up: Meanwhile, you whomp up yams and spuds and bake your
pies. 5. To hit or strike with a whomp.
whomp up: To stir up: arouse.
whoop-de-do: 1. Noisy and exuberant or attention-getting activity (as at a social
affair or in a political campaign). 2. A lively social affair. 3. Agitated public
discussion or debate.
whoopee cushion: A cushion that makes a sound like the breaking of wind when sat
upon.
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whoso: Who; whoever; whatever person.
whump: A thump; a thud.
wigged-out: Mentally or emotionally discomposed: upset, crazy.
wiggle: To insinuate or extricate oneself by sly or subtle means: wiggled out of a
social engagement. To make (one's way, for example) by or as if by wiggling: The
pitcher wiggled his way out of a jam.
wiggle room: Flexibility, as of options or interpretation: ambiguous wording that left
some wiggle room for further negotiation.
wiggy: Excited, eccentric, or crazy, especially in reaction to something: Movies
invariably get wiggy when they deal with adultery.
wimp out: To behave like a wimp: chicken out; especially to choose the easiest
course of action.
wind down: 1. To draw gradually toward an end; the party was winding down. 2.
Relax, unwind: wind down with a good book. To cause a gradual lessening of
usually with the intention of bringing to an end.
wind farm: A power plant that uses windmills or wind turbines to generate
electricity.
window seat: A seat next to a window, as in the recess of a bay window or on a bus
or airplane.
windproof: Impervious to or resistant to wind: a windproof jacket.
windthrow: The uprooting and overthrowing of trees by the wind.
wind turbine: A turbine that is powered by the wind.
wine steward: One who is employed to serve wine, as at a restaurant or winetasting.
win-win: Of or being a situation in which the outcome benefits each of two often
opposing groups: a win-win proposition for the buyer and the seller.
woman of letters: A woman who is devoted to literary or scholarly pursuits: [Eva Le
Gallienne] was... a woman of letters who produced forcefully elegant translations of
Ibsen and Hans Christian Andersen.
woman of the hour: 1. A woman in whose honor a gathering is held. 2. A woman
who is currently an object of public attention.
woodgrain: A veneer made of plastic, vinyl, inferior wood, or other material that is
designed to have the appearance and often the texture of finely grained wood.
word wrap: A word processing feature that automatically transfers a word for which
there is insufficient space from the end of one line of text to the beginning of the
next.
work-around: A plan or method to circumvent a problem (as in computer software)
without eliminating it.
workbag: A bag to hold implements needed for work or material, such as
needlework that one is working on.
workpiece: A piece of work in process of manufacture.
worldbeat: World music.
world music: Music from cultures other than those of Western Europe and Englishspeaking North America, especially popular music from Latin America, Africa, and
Asia.
wormer: A drug used in veterinary medicine to worm an animal.
worry line: A crease or wrinkle on the forehead or between the eyebrows.
wrecking ball: A heavy iron or steel ball swung or dropped by a derrick to demolish
old buildings.
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wristy: Involving or using a lot of wrist movement (as in stroking a ball).
wrong-foot: To disrupt the equilibrium of: a speed and flexibility that repeatedly
wrong-footed his enemies.
wrecked: Drunk or intoxicated.
writhen: Twisted; contorted.
X
xenotransplant: A surgical operation in which xenotransplantation is performed.
xenotransplantation: The surgical transfer of cells, tissues, or especially whole
organs from one species to another.
Xer /ĕks∂r/: A member of Generation X.
xerostomia: Abnormal dryness of the mouth.
Xerox: 1. To copy on a xerographic copier. 2. To make (a copy) on a xerographic
copier.
X-linked: Located on an X chromosome: an X-linked gene; also transmitted by an
X-linked gene: an X-linked disease.
x-ray spectrometer: A spectrometer using x-rays to separate the chemical
constituents of a substance into their characteristic spectral lines for identification
and determination of their concentration.
x-ray spectrometry: The use of an x-ray spectrometer, especially for chemical
analysis of a substance.
x-ray spectroscopy: X-ray spectrometry.
x-section: Cross section. [x, rebus for cross]
xylophilous: Growing or living on or in wood.
Y
Y: 1. The Young Men's Christian Association, The Young Women's Christian
Association, or one of their facilities. Used with the. 2. The Young Men's Hebrew
Association, The Young Women's Hebrew Association, or one of their facilities.
Used with the.
yada yada: Boring or empty talk: listening to a lot of yada yada about the economy
— often used interjectionally especially in recounting words regarded as too dull or
predictable to be worth repeating.
yantra: A geometrical diagram used like an icon usually in meditation. [Sanskrit.]
year of grace: A calendar year of the Christian era: the year of grace 1993.
yellow pages: A volume or section of a telephone directory that lists businesses,
services, or products alphabetically according to field. [so called because they are
usually printed on yellow paper]
yellowware: Earthenware made from a naturally occurring yellowish clay and
ranging in color from pale yellow to mustard.
yen-shee: The residue formed in the bowl of an opium pipe by smoking. [Chinese
(Guangdong) yen-se, from yen “opium” + shee “excrement, filth”]
yin and yang: Opposite sides, elements, or extremes: the daily yin and yang of the
campaign.
yippie: A member of a group of politically radical hippies, active especially during
the late 1960s.
142
Ymir /ēmir/: A giant from whose body the gods create the world in Norse
mythology. [Old Norse]
Yooper: A native or inhabitant of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. [from UP.]
young blood: Young people considered as a revitalizing force, as in an organization.
youse: You. Used in addressing two or more people or referring to two or more
people, one of whom is addressed.
yup: Yes.
yuppify: To make (an urban area, for example) attractive to young affluent residents
or consumers.
Z
zalcitabine: A nucleoside analogue antiviral drug that inhibits the replication of
retroviruses such as HIV by interfering with the enzyme reverse transcriptase.
Zamboni: A trademark used for a machine that resurfaces the ice in an ice rink.
zero-sum: Of or relating to a situation in which a gain is offset by an equal loss:
...under the zero-sum budgeting system that governs federal spending, the money for
spinal research is likely to be deducted from some other research account.
zeroth /zērōθ/: The ordinal number matching the number 0 in a series: the zeroth
power of 10.
zero tolerance: The policy or practice of not tolerating undesirable behavior, such
as violence or illegal drug use, especially in the automatic imposition of severe
penalties for first offenses.
zero-zero: 1. Characterized by or being atmospheric conditions that reduce ceiling
and visibility to zero. 2. Limited to zero by atmospheric conditions.
zesty: Having or characterized by zest; appealingly piquant or lively: a zesty sauce;
zesty humor.
ziplock: Having an interlocking groove and ridge that form a tight seal when pressed
together: a ziplock plastic bag.
zombify: To turn (an active alert person) into a zombie.
zombie: 1. a. The supernatural power that according to voodoo belief may enter into
and reanimate a dead body. b. A will-less and speechless human in the West Indies
capable only of automatic movement who is held to have died and been
supernaturally reanimated. 2. a. A person held to resemble the so-called walking
dead; especially automation. b. A person markedly strange in appearance or
behavior. 3. A mixed drink made of several kinds of rum, liqueur, and fruit juice.
[Caribbean French, and English Creole from Kimbundu -zumbi, “ghost, departed
spirit”]
zombiism: The beliefs and practices of the cult of the zombi.
zone out: To become oblivious to one's surroundings especially in order to relax:
zone out in front of the TV.
zonked: Stupefied by or as if by alcohol or a drug.
Zontian: A member of a service club made up of executive women each of whom is
a sole representative of one business or profession in a community. [Zonta
International, a service club]
zookeeper: One who maintains or cares for animals in a zoo.
zoophilia: 1. Affection or affinity for animals. 2. Erotic attraction to or sexual
contact with animals. 3. A tendency to feed or grow on animal tissue.
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Zyban: A trademark for the drug bupropion, used to aid cessation of tobacco
smoking.
10. HOBSON-JOBSON (19)
“Hobson-jobson” is a very modern and curious classification of words. The
dictionary (first American Heritage Dictionary – 1963) defines it as “folk
etymological alteration of a borrowed word.” The first hobson-jobson occurred in
India, where two English students were living. At periodic intervals, every day, the
young men heard the muzzein atop the minaret call the Muslim faithful to prayer: O
Hasan, O Husain! (ritual cry of mourning for Hasan and Husain, Mohammed’s
grandsons who were killed in battle). Finally, one of the boys asked the other one,
“What’s he saying?” The other replied, “I dunno; sounds to me like Hobson Jobson”
(two common English surnames).
And so the first hobson jobson was born.
Thenceforth the ritual cry of mourning came to be called the “hobson-jobson” among
English-speaking people in India: Has the noon hobson-jobson sounded yet?
Another more modern and widespread hobson jobson is HOOSEGOW, which is
used in the American west and southwest to mean “a jail.” This is the hobson jobson
alteration of Mexican Spanish juzgado, “courtroom.” All in all, this process of word
formation is surprisingly common, although many times it occurs by a subtle, almost
subliminal kind of evolution, as with COCKROACH, which comes from Mexican
Spanish cucaracha.
B
baba gannouj or baba ganoosh: A purée of roasted eggplant and tahini, flavored
with garlic and lemon juice. [< Egyptian Arabic baba gannuj: baba, “papa” + gannuj,
perhaps a personal name]
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Bajan: 1. A Barbadian. 2. Of or characteristic of Barbados: Bajan cooking; a Bajan
accent. [shortening and alteration of Barbadian]
berimbau: A musical instrument with a gourd resonator and a single steel wire
stretched across a long pole or stick. [Portuguese, from Kimbundu mbi-rimbau: mbi-,
n. pref. + -rimbau, berimbau]
bhangra: 1. A Punjabi dance music traditionally performed during harvest festivals
and weddings, characterized by the beating of a large, two-headed drum. 2. A
popular style of music combining traditional bhangra drumming with modern
Western instruments and rhythms. [Punjabi bhangra]
bidi also beedi: A thin, often flavored Indian cigarette made of tobacco wrapped in a
tendu leaf. [Hindi biri, from Sanskrit vakam, vikam, areca nut and spices rolled up in
a betel leaf]
C
chaebol: A conglomerate of businesses, usually owned by a single family,
especially in Korea. [< chaebol: chae, “wealth” + bol, “powerful family”]
cookie: A collection of information, usually including a username and the current
date and time, stored on the local computer of a person using the World Wide Web,
used chiefly by websites to identify users who have previously registered or visited
the site. [Dutch koekje, diminutive of koek, “cake,” from Middle Dutch koeke]
E
egg foo yong also young or yung: A fried egg patty containing vegetables (as bean
sprouts) and sometimes meat. [Chinese (Guangdong) fuh yehng, “egg white, eggcoated ingredients,” literally, a kind of hibiscus]
G
godown: In India and East Asia, a warehouse, especially one at a dockside.
[alteration (influenced by DOWN), of Malay godong, akin to Kannada gaagu,
“storehouse”]
H
hamantasch: A 3-cornered pastry with a filling (as of poppy seeds or prunes)
traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday Purim. [Yiddish homentash, from
Haman (in the Bible, a Persian minister who was hanged for plotting the destruction
of the Jews) + tash, “pocket, bag”]
J
Jah: In Rastafarianism, God or Jehovah. [Hebrew yah, “to be, become”]
K
kvell: To be extraordinarily proud: rejoice. [Yiddish kveln, “to be delighted,” from
Middle High German quellen, “to well, gush, swell”]
kvetch: 1. To complain persistently and whiningly: driven crazy by his mother-inlaw’s kvetching. 2. A chronic, whining complainer: His mousy girlfriend turned into
145
an inveterate kvetch after marriage. 3. A nagging complaint: a rambling kvetch
against the system. [from Yiddish kvetshn, “to squeeze, complain”]
M
mojo: 1. A magic charm or spell. 2. An amulet, often a small flannel bag containing
one or more magic items, worn by adherents of hoodoo or voodoo. 3. Personal
magnetism; charm. [< Fulani moco’o, “medicine man”]
mugwump: 1. A person who acts independently or remains neutral, especially in
politics. 2. Often Mugwump A Republican who bolted the party in 1884, refusing to
support presidential candidate James G. Blaine. [Massachusett mugguomp,
mummugguomp, “war leader”]
S
sea puss: A swirling or along shore undertow. [alteration of dialectical seapoose,
“tidal stream,” from Unquachog (Algonquian language of Long Island, New York)
seepus river]
Shar-Pei: Any of a Chinese breed of medium-sized dog having loose wrinkled skin,
a short rough coat, and a blue-black mouth and tongue. [Chinese (Mandarin) sh pí,
“sand fur”: sh, “sand” + pí, “fur”]
T
tatsoi: An Asian mustard (Brassica rapa rosularis) having a rosette of edible dark
green spoon-shaped glossy leaves; also the leaves. [Chinese (Guangdong) daat-choi:
daat- “sink, fall flat” + choi, “vegetable”]
Y
yabby: Any of various burrowing Australian crayfishes (genus Cherax, especially
C. destructor) that are used for food. [Wemba-Wemba (Australian aboriginal
language of Victoria) yabij]
11. HYBRID (20)
A hybrid is a word or an expression whose elements come from two or more
distinct languages. Sometimes these words are very old – so old, in fact, that people
forget that they are hybrids. Such a word is BANKRUPT, which is composed of
Germanic BANK and Latin –RUPT. Perhaps the first of the “new generation” of
hybrids is APRES SKI, dating from 1951, meaning “social activity (as at a ski lodge)
after a day’s skiing.” This expression comes, of course, from French apres, “after,”
146
and Norwegian SKI. But there are many, many more examples, and this is one of the
most popular modes of new word formation in our times.
B
balsamic vinegar: 1. An aromatic vinegar of Modena, Italy, made from white
Trebbiano grape juice that is heated and aged in wooden barrels for several years. 2.
Any of various similar vinegars. [translation of Italian aceto balsamico, aceto,
“vinegar” + balsamico, “restorative,” < balsam (of Semitic origin)]
basset horn: A tenor clarinet, pitched in F, having a wider bell and greater range
than a standard clarinet. [partial translation of German Bassett horn: Bassett, “type of
low-pitched string instrument” (ultimately from Italian basso, “low”) + horn, “horn,”
< Germanic]
blitz chess: A form of chess in which all moves must be completed during a fixed
time, usually five minutes per player. [<German blitz, “lightning,” <Middle High
German bliczen, “to flash”]
bobby socks: Ankle socks worn by teenage girls. [eponym + Latin]
body English: 1. Bodily movement in a usually unconscious attempt to influence the
movement of a propelled object, such as a ball. 2. The irregular movement or spin of
an object as if it were influenced by this twisting. [O.E. + eponym]
boychik or boychick: A boy or young man. [BOY + Eastern Yiddish -chik,
diminutive suffix (from Slavic)]
C
conga drum: A tall usually tapering single-headed drum played by beating with the
hands. [toponym + onomatopoeia]
con game: A swindle in which the victim is defrauded after his or her confidence has
been gained. [back-formation <L< P.I.E. bhedidh-, “to trust, persuade” + O.E.]
E
el cheapo: Cheap. [Spanish el, “the” + English cheap + Spanish -o (masculine noun
ending)]
G
gedanken experiment: An experiment carried out in thought only. [German, from
Gedanke, “thought” + experiment, “experiment”]
J
jesus freak: An overly-zealous fundamentalist Christian. [Hebrew + conundrum]
jet ski: A personal high-speed watercraft. [<Latin ye-, “to throw, impel” +
Norwegian <Old Norse skidh, “stick, snowshoe” <skei-, “to cut”]
jukebox: A money-operated phonograph or compact disk player, equipped with push
buttons for the selection of particular recordings. [<Wolof dzug, “to live wickedly”
and Bambara dzugu, “wicked” + Greek]
147
K
kangaroo court: 1. A mock court set up in violation of established legal procedure.
2. A court characterized by dishonesty or incompetence. [hobson-jobson alteration
of Guugu Yimidheer (aboriginal Australian language) gaŋurru + Latin < P.I.E. gher-,
“to grasp, enclose”]
M
microwave: An oven in which food is cooked by the heat produced by the
absorption of microwave energy by water molecules in the food. [from the Greek
root mikro- blended with O.E. wafian < P.I.E. webh-, “to wave; to move quickly”]
P
play station: A computer video game. [<O.E. root plegian, < P.I.E. dlegh-, “to be
part of” and then Latin statio < P.I.E. sta-, “to stand”]
S
schlockmeister: One who produces or deals in shoddy goods or material. [Yiddish +
Latin < P.I.E. meg-, “great”]
U
ufology: The study of unidentified flying objects. [acronym + Greek]
urtext: The original text, as of a musical score or a literary work. [German: ur-,
“original” + text, “text” (from Middle High German, from Late Latin textus)]
W
whiffle ball: A hollow plastic ball with holes in its surface which makes its
trajectory very susceptible to Body English when batted or thrown. [frequentative of
WHIFF <M.E.] + Greek]
12. JARGON (2,817)
The category of jargon proved to be enormously helpful in the classification of the
huge body of neologisms that our research turned up from the 3 dictionaries. The
dictionary (red) defines JARGON as “the technical terminology or characteristic
idiom of a special activity or group.” During the course of our word search we
discovered more and more groupings of words according to common usage
148
among a class or profession. These “jargons” helped greatly to reduce the number
of new words that we had to leave in the “general” category.
We ended up with a total of 32 “jargons,” which are:
1. Art
17. Law
2. Botany
18. Linguistics
3. Business
19. Literature
4. Communications
20. Mechanics
5. Computers
21. Medicine
6. Cookery
22. Military
7. Crime
23. Music
8. Dance
24. Philosophy
9. Ecology
25. Politics
10. Education
26. Printing
11. Electronics
27. Psychology
12. Entertainment
28. Religion
13. Fashion
29. Science
14. Games
30. Sociology
15. Grammar
31. Sports
16. Journalism
32. Zoology
149
12.1. JARGON ART (31)
A
aerial perspective: The expression of space in painting by gradation of color and
distinctness.
anatomically correct: Representing the body or a body part, especially a sex organ,
in a physiologically accurate manner: an anatomically correct drawing.
art glass: Decorative objects made of usually handblown glass.
art house: A movie theater that shows art films.
Arts and Crafts Movement: A movement in architecture and decorative arts
flourishing in England and the United States from about 1870 to 1920 and
characterized by simplicity of design, hand-crafted objects, and local materials.
art therapy: Psychotherapy that incorporates the production of visual art, such as
painting or sculpture, in order to understand and express one's feelings.
B
Beaux Arts: Of or relating to an architectural style originating in France in the late
19th century and characterized by classical forms, symmetry, rich ornamentation,
and a grand scale. [after the École des Beaux Arts, School of Fine Arts, in Paris]
C
color-field: A style of painting that features large flat areas of color spread across the
entire canvas to suggest that they extend beyond the canvas into infinity.
color solid: A three-dimensional diagram in which colors are arranged schematically
according to their three attributes of hue, value, and saturation.
color wheel: A circular diagram in which primary and usually intermediate colors
are arranged sequentially so that related colors are next to each other and
complementary colors are opposite.
computer graphics: 1. The set of technologies used to create art with computers. 2.
Art or designs created using such technologies.
D
decorative art: 1. Art produced or intended primarily for utility, including jewelry,
furniture, and other crafts. 2. Any of the art forms, such as pottery, weaving, or
jewelry making, used to create such art.
distelfink: A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch folk art motif of a bird or birds
symbolizing good luck and happiness.
F
fauvism: A movement in painting typified by the work of Matisse and characterized
by vivid colors, free treatment of form, and a resulting vibrant and decorative effect.
floral: A design or picture in which flowers predominate.
frisket: A masking device or material used especially in printing or graphic arts.
[French frisquette, from Middle French]
146
frontality: 1. sculpture A schematic composition of the front view that is complete
without lateral movement. 2. painting The depiction of an object, figure, or scene in
a plane parallel to the plane of the picture surface.
H
haniwa: Large hollow baked clay sculptures placed on ancient Japanese burial
mounds. [Japanese]
I
installation art: Art that is created for a specific site, often incorporating materials
or physical features of the site.
J
junk art: Three-dimensional art made from discarded material (as metal, mortar,
glass, or wood).
junk sculpture: Junk art.
K
Kore /kôrē, kōrē, kôrā, kōrā/: A sculpture representing a standing young woman
clothed in long robes, especially one produced in Greece before the fifth century
B.C. [Greek kor, kore, “young girl”]
Kouros /koorŏs/: A sculpture representing a standing nude young man, especially
one produced in Greece before the fifth century B.C. [Greek, “boy”]
P
papier colle /päpyākólā/: Collage. [French, “glued paper”]
pastelist or pastellist: An artist who works in the medium of pastels.
putto: A representation of a small child, often naked and having wings, used
especially in the art of the European Renaissance. [Italian, boy, from Vulgar Latin
puttus, from Latin putus]
R
rosemaling: Painted or sometimes carved decoration (as on furniture, walls, or
wooden dinnerware) in Scandinavian peasant style that consists especially of floral
designs and inscriptions. [Norwegian, from rose, “rose” + maling, “painting”]
S
smalto: Colored glass or enamel or a piece of either used in mosaic work. [Italian,
smalt, smalto]
T
tramp art: A style of wood carving flourishing in the United States from about
1875 to 1930 that is characterized by ornate layered whittling often of cigar boxes or
fruit crates; also an object carved in this style.
147
U
underdrawing: A preliminary sketch made on a surface (as a canvas or panel) prior
to painting.
V
visual art: 1. Art work, such as painting, photography, or sculpture, that appeals
primarily to the visual sense and typically exists in permanent form. 2. Any of the art
forms used to create such art.
12.2 JARGON BOTANY (43)
A
annual ring: The layer of wood produced by a single year's growth of a woody
plant.
B
blue corn: Indian corn that has bluish kernels used to make flour and is grown
especially in the southwestern United States.
C
chamisa: 1. A saltbush (Atriplex canescens) of the western United States and
Mexico having winged seeds. 2. A rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) having
yellow flowers. [American Spanish chamiza, chamizo, ultimately from Spanish
chamiza, “brushwood, kindling,” from Portuguese or Galician chamiça, from chama,
“flame,” from Latin flamma]
cheatgrass: A grass (Bromus tectorum) that is native to Eurasian temperate regions
and has become widespread in the grasslands of the western United States.
chiltepin: A small red oblong wild chili pepper of marked pungency that is
produced by a capsicum (Capsicum annuum glabriusculum) occurring from northern
South America to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States; also this
plant. [Mexican Spanish chiltepīn, from Nahuatl chīltecpin, from chīlli, “chili
pepper” + tecpin, tecpintli, “flea”]
D
day-neutral: Developing and maturing regardless of relative length of alternating
exposures to light and dark periods — used especially of a plant.
death cap: A very poisonous mushroom (Amanita phalloides) of deciduous woods
of North America and Europe that varies in color from pure white to olive or yellow
and has a prominent volva at the base.
digger pine: A medium-sized, crooked-branched pine, Pinus sabiniana, of
California, having drooping grayish-green needles, large cones with long stalks and
sharp-tipped scales, and edible seeds.
148
dong quai: A perennial aromatic herb (Angelica sinensis) native to China and Japan,
yielding a root that is used medicinally for gynecological complaints such as
premenstrual syndrome, menstrual cramps, and menopausal symptoms.
H
half-hardy: Of a plant able to withstand a moderately low temperature but injured
by severe freezing and surviving the winter in cold climates only if carefully
protected.
hybrid tea: Any of a class of cultivated hybrid roses originally developed in the late
19th and early 20th centuries, noted especially for their long-stemmed flowers in a
wide range of strong colors and for their extended blooming season.
K
koa: 1. An acacia (Acacia koa) native to Hawaii having flowers arranged in axillary
racemes and small sickle-shaped leaves. 2. The light-to-dark brown or reddish wood
of this tree, used for furniture, crafts, cabinetry, and musical instruments. [Hawaiian,
from Proto-Polynesian to'a, “ironwood tree”]
M
mahoe1: 1. A tropical tree (Hibiscus elatus) that produces a blue-green wood used in
cabinetry. 2. A tropical evergreen shrub (Hibiscus tiliaceus) that yields fibers used
for cordage.
mahoe2: A tree (Melicytus ramiflorus) native to New Zealand and having whitish
bark, blue to dark purple berries, and fragrant, small, yellow, bell-like flowers.
mahonia: The Oregon grape.
Mexican jumping bean: A seed of any of several Mexican shrubs (genera
Sebastiania and Sapium) of the spurge family that tumbles about because of the
movements of the larva of a small tortricid moth (Cydia saltitans) inside it.
ming tree: A dwarfed evergreen conifer grown as bonsai; also An artificial plant
resembling this.
miracle fruit: A tropical African shrub (Synsepalum dulcificum) of the sapodilla
family whose small red fruit contains a glycoprotein that when applied to the tongue
causes sour substances to taste sweet; also its fruit.
N
New Jersey tea: A low deciduous shrub (Ceanothus americanus) of the buckthorn
family that is found in the eastern United States and has dull green leaves and small
white flowers borne in large terminal panicles.
O
Ololiuqui /ōlōlēükē/: A woody-stemmed Mexican vine (Rivea corymbosa) of the
morning glory family having small fleshy fruits with single seeds that are used
especially by the native Indians for medicinal, narcotic, and religious purposes.
[Spanish ololiuque, from Nahuatl ololiuhqui, literally, “something rolled into a ball”]
149
P
pikake: An evergreen climbing jasmine (Jasminum sambac) of Asia long cultivated
for its profuse fragrant white flowers. [Hawaiian pīkake, literally, “peacock,” from
English]
pineapple sage: A Mexican salvia having a scent of pineapple that is cultivated as an
annual.
pod corn: An Indian corn that has each individual kernel enclosed in a husk.
puncture vine: An Old World annual prostrate herb of the caltrop family that has
hard spiny pods and is a troublesome weed especially in the western U.S.
R
Red Delicious: A usually large apple with sweet crisp juicy flesh and dark red skin.
root-ball: The compact mass of roots and soil formed by a plant especially in a
container.
rosy periwinkle: A commonly cultivated subshrub of the dogbane family that is
native to the Old World tropics and is the source of several antineoplastic drugs.
rough lemon: 1. A hybrid lemon that forms a large spreading thorny tree, bears
rough-skinned fruit, and is important chiefly as a rootstock for other citrus trees 2.
The fruit of a rough lemon.
rugosa rose: Any of various hardy thorny garden roses descended from a rose
introduced from China and Japan. [New Latin rugosa, specific epithet of Rosa
rugosa, “rugose rose”]
russeting: A brownish roughened area on the skin of fruit (as apples) caused by
injury.
Russian sage: An upright Asian subshrub of the mint family that is grown as an
ornamental for its long narrow panicles of violet-blue flowers and grayish-green
stems and leaves.
S
scrub oak: Either of two thicket-forming shrubs or small trees, the deciduous
Quercus ilcifolia of the eastern United States or the evergreen Q. dumosa of western
regions.
sea hibiscus: 1. A tropical tree that produces a blue-green wood used in cabinetry. 2.
A tropical evergreen shrub that yields fibers used for cordage.
shade-grown: Grown in the shade; specifically grown under cloth: shade-grown
tobacco.
sheep fescue: 1. A hardy fine-foliaged fescue widely used as a pasture grass, called
also sheep's fescue.
Sitka spruce: 1. A large spruce of coastal Pacific regions from southern Alaska to
northern California, having flattened needles and drooping twigs and branchlets. 2.
The light, strong wood of this tree, used especially in construction, furniture, and
musical instruments.
snap pea: A cultivated pea that has edible usually round pods easily snapped like
beans and that is classified with the snow pea as a variety.
spring ephemeral: Any of various species of wildflowers that bloom in the early
spring for only a few weeks.
150
T
tristeza: A highly infectious disease of citrus trees grafted on sour orange rootstocks
that is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus transmitted by aphids and that
eventually causes death of the trees. [Portuguese, literally, “sadness,” from Latin
tristitia, from tristis, “sad”]
U
ulluco /ooyookō/: 1. A twining perennial herb native to the Andes bearing fleshy
tubers. 2. The edible fleshy tuber of this plant.
understory: An underlying layer of vegetation, especially the plants that grow
beneath a forest's canopy.
W
weeping fig: An ornamental fig of southern Asia and Australia that is widely
cultivated especially as a houseplant for its glossy ovate leaves and drooping
branches.
wheatgrass: Any of a genus of perennial grasses including some which are
important pasture, hay, or turf grasses.
12. 3 JARGON BUSINESS (166)
A
acceleration principle: A theory in economics: an increase or decrease in income
induces a corresponding but magnified change in investment.
account payable: The balance due to a creditor on a current account.
account receivable: A balance due from a debtor on a current account.
adman: A man who designs, writes, acquires, or sells advertising.
adwoman: A woman who designs, writes, acquires, or sells advertising.
agribusiness: An industry engaged in the producing operations of a farm, the
manufacture and distribution of farm equipment and supplies, and the processing,
storage, and distribution of farm commodities. [agriculture + business]
agribusinessman: A person who works in or manages an agribusiness.
ATM: Automatic Teller Machine. Also called money machine.
B
bottom fishing: Researching or investing in securities at what is believed to be the
low point of a market after a decline.
branding: The promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular
brand.
brownfield: A piece of industrial or commercial property that is abandoned or
underused and often environmentally contaminated, especially one considered as a
potential site for redevelopment.
151
bull market: A market in which securities or commodities are persistently rising in
value.
buyback: 1. An act of buying something that one previously sold or owned. 2. The
repurchase of stock by the company that issued it, as to reduce holdings of a single
investor or increase the value of shares by reducing their number.
C
call: 1. a. To demand payment of: call a loan. b. To require the presentation of (a
bond) for redemption before maturity. c. To force the sale of (a stock or commodity)
by exercising a call option. 2. a. A demand for payment of a debt. b. A demand to
submit bonds to the issuer for redemption before the maturity date. c. An option to
buy a certain quantity of a stock or commodity for a specified price within a
specified time. d. A demand for payment due on stock bought on margin when the
value has shrunk.
call loan: A loan repayable on demand at any time.
callable: Subject to being redeemed at the demand of the issuer: callable bonds.
carryback: A loss sustained or a portion of a credit not used in a given period that
may be deducted from taxable income of a prior period.
cease and desist order: An order from an administrative agency to refrain from a
method of competition or a labor practice found by the agency to be unfair.
CFA: A trademark for a credential used to identify people who have been certified
as Chartered Financial Analysts.
chaebol /jĕb∂l/: A conglomerate of businesses, usually owned by a single family,
especially in Korea.
Chapter 11: Bankruptcy as provided under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code
which governs corporate reorganization.
closed-end: Issuing a fixed number of shares that can be traded publicly but are not
redeemable by the issuer: a closed-end investment company.
closely held: Having most stock shares and voting rights in the hands of a few: a
closely held business.
closing: A meeting for completing a transaction, especially one at which contracts
are signed transferring ownership of real estate.
co-brand: To market or issue (as a credit card) in conjunction with another company
so that the product bears the name of both.
command economy: An economy that is planned and controlled by a central
administration, as in the former Soviet Union.
company union: An unaffiliated labor union of the employees of a single firm;
especially one dominated by the employer.
corporate anorexia: A condition in which a corporation does not have enough
employees to meet its goals or needs, especially as a consequence of downsizing.
corporate welfare: Financial aid, such as a subsidy or tax break, provided by a
government to corporations or other businesses, especially when viewed as wasteful
or unjust: critics who say that letting big companies raise private stock on public
land amounts to corporate welfare.
cost-benefit: Of, relating to, or being economic analysis that assigns a numerical
value to the cost-effectiveness of an operation, procedure, or program.
cross-ownership: Single ownership of two or more related businesses (as a
newspaper and a television station) that allows the owner to control competition.
152
current income: Investment income earned from interest, dividends, rent, and
similar sources, as opposed to that derived from increases in asset value.
D
daddy track: A career path determined by work arrangements offering fathers
certain benefits, such as flexible schedules, but usually providing them with fewer
opportunities for advancement.
day trade: A trade of a security that is opened and closed on the same day.
day trader: A speculator who buys and sells securities on the basis of small shortterm price movements.
dead-cat bounce: A brief and insignificant recovery (as of stock prices) after a steep
decline. [from the facetious notion that even a dead cat would bounce slightly if
dropped from a sufficient height]
debit card: A bankcard used to make an electronic withdrawal from funds on
deposit in a bank, as in purchasing goods or obtaining cash advances.
debt service: The amount of interest and sinking fund payments due annually on
long-term debt.
demand-side: Of, relating to, or being an economic theory that advocates use of
government spending and growth in the money supply to stimulate the demand for
goods and services and therefore expand economic activity.
direct deposit: The electronic transfer of a payment directly from the account of the
payer to that of the party being paid.
direct marketing: Marketing by means of direct communication with consumers (as
through catalogs and telemarketing).
D-mark: A deutsche mark.
direct-response: Of or relating to direct marketing: direct-response advertising.
discount rate: 1. The interest on an annual basis deducted in advance on a loan. 2.
The charge levied by a central bank for advances and rediscounts.
diseconomy: 1. A lack of economy. 2. A factor responsible for an increase in cost.
dollarization: The replacement of a country's system of currency with U.S. dollars.
dollars-and-cents: Considered or expressed in terms of money or profits: a dollarsand-cents approach to running a business.
dot-com: 1. Of or relating to business conducted on the Internet: dot-com
advertising.
2. Of or relating to a company whose products or services deal with
or are sold on the Internet: a dot-com brokerage firm.
dot-commer: A person who owns or works for a dot-com. [from the use of .com in
the URLs of such companies]
Dow Jones average: An index of the relative price of securities. [Charles H. Dow
(died 1902) & Edward D. Jones (died 1920), American financial statisticians]
downsize: 1. To reduce in number or size: a corporation that downsized its
personnel in response to a poor economy. 2. To dismiss or lay off from work:
workers who were downsized during the recession. 3. To make in a smaller size: cars
that were downsized during an era of high gasoline prices. 4. To become smaller in
size by reductions in personnel: corporations continued to downsize after the
economy recovered.
due diligence: Research and analysis of a company or organization done in
preparation for a business transaction (as a corporate merger or purchase of
securities).
153
E
e-cash: Money available as an electronic account, used in Internet commerce.
e-commerce: Commerce that is transacted electronically, as over the Internet.
economy of scale: The decrease in unit manufacturing cost that is due to mass
production.
equity capital: Capital (as stock or surplus earnings) that is free of debt; especially
capital received for an interest in the ownership of a business.
F
Fannie Mae: A security issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association and
secured by a pool of federally insured and conventional mortgages.
federal funds: Reserve funds lent overnight by one Federal Reserve bank to
another.
fee-for-service: Charging a fee for each service performed: a fee-for-service health
insurance policy.
financials: Financial statistics: reviewed the company's financials.
fixed annuity: An annuity in which payments to the annuitant are unchanging over a
specified period or over the annuitant's lifetime.
401 (k): A retirement investment plan that allows an employee to put a percentage of
earned wages into a tax-deferred investment account selected by the employer. Also
called salary reduction plan.
Freddie Mac: A security issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
and secured by a pool of conventional home mortgages. [alteration of Federal Home
Loan Mortgage Company]
free market: An economic market in which supply and demand are not regulated or
are regulated with only minor restrictions.
G
general agent: 1. One employed to transact generally all legal business entrusted by
a principal. 2. An insurance company agent working within a specified area.
general partnership: A partnership in which each of the partners is liable for all of
the firm's debts, and the actions of one partner are binding on each of the other
partners.
giro /jirō/: A service of many European banks that permits authorized direct transfer
of funds among account holders as well as conventional transfers by check. [German,
circulation (of currency), from Italian, from Latin gyrus, “gyre”]
gold fix or gold fixing: The regular setting of the price of gold as a commodity.
gross domestic product: abbr. GDP. The total market value of all the goods and
services produced within the borders of a nation during a specified period.
growth industry: A business that has become increasingly popular or profitable;
also an interest or activity that is increasingly popular or trendy.
H
hammer price: The price at which an item is sold at auction. [from the hammer used
by the auctioneer to signal the auction's end]
154
hidden tax: 1. A tax that is ultimately paid by someone other than the person on
whom it is levied. 2. An economic inequity that reduces one's real income or buying
power.
home banking: The conducting of bank business at home by means of electronic
communications, such as a telephone or computer.
home-equity loan: A loan or credit line that is secured by the equity the borrower
has in a home.
hostile takeover: An acquisition of a firm despite resistance by the target firm's
management and board of directors.
I
income bond: A long-term debt security in which the issuer is required to pay
interest only when interest is earned.
income fund: An investment company whose main objective is to achieve current
income for its owners.
income property: Real estate that produces current income, typically from rental
payments.
index fund: A mutual fund that keeps a portfolio of stocks designed to match the
performance of a stock market or one of its sectors as measured by an index of
selected stocks. Also called market fund.
individual retirement account: abbr. IRA. An investment account in which a
person can set aside income up to a specified amount each year and usually deduct
the contributions from taxable income, with the contributions and interest being taxdeferred until retirement.
insider trading: The illegal buying or selling of securities on the basis of
information that is unavailable to the public.
intracompany: Occurring within or between the branches of a company: an
intracompany network.
investment bank: A financial institution that deals primarily with raising capital,
corporate mergers and acquisitions, and securities trades.
investment company: A company whose primary business is holding securities of
other companies purely for investment purposes.
invisible hand: An economic principle, first postulated by Adam Smith, holding that
the greatest benefit to a society is brought about by individuals acting freely in a
competitive marketplace in the pursuit of their own self-interest.
IPO: An initial public offering of a company's stock. [Initial Public Offering]
K
keiretsu: A network of businesses that own stakes in one another as a means of
mutual security, especially in Japan, and usually including large manufacturers and
their suppliers of raw materials and components. [Japanese, “series, affiliation”: kei,
“system” + retsu, “row, line”]
L
large cap: 1. Of or relating to large corporations that have considerable retained
earnings and a large amount of common stock outstanding. 2. Of or relating to
mutual funds that invest in the stock of such a corporation.
155
limited liability partnership: A partnership in which the partnership is liable as an
entity for debts and obligations and the partners are not liable personally.
limited partnership: A partnership in which some of the partners have a limited
liability to the firm's creditors.
locked-in: Unable or unwilling to shift invested funds because of the tax effect of
realizing capital gains.
M
market economy: An economy in which most goods and services are produced and
distributed through free markets.
marketization: The act or process of entering into, participating in, or introducing a
free market economy.
market share: The proportion of industry sales of a good or service that is
controlled by a company.
megacorporation: A huge and powerful corporation.
megadeal: A business deal involving a lot of money.
megamerger: A merger of megacorporations.
microcap: 1. Of or relating to companies with very small capitalizations, especially
less than 250 million dollars. 2. Of or relating to mutual funds that invest in the stock
of such companies.
microcredit: The business or policy of making microloans to impoverished
entrepreneurs.
microenterprise: A very small business.
microlending: The business or policy of making microloans to impoverished
entrepreneurs.
microloan: A very small, often short-term loan made to an impoverished
entrepreneur, as in an underdeveloped country.
monetary aggregate: One of the formal categories of money (as cash and demand
deposits or bank credits) in a national economy that is used as a measure in
predictions of economic growth.
money machine: An unattended electronic machine in a public place, connected to a
data system and related equipment and activated by a bank customer to obtain cash
withdrawals and other banking services. Also called ATM.
N
nairu /nāroo/: The lowest unemployment rate that an economy can accommodate
without causing inflation. [non accelerating inflation rate of unemployment]
near money: Assets (as savings accounts or government bonds) quickly and easily
converted to cash.
new economics: An economic concept that is a logical extension of Keynesianism
and that holds that appropriate fiscal and monetary maneuvering can maintain
healthy economic growth and prosperity indefinitely.
nonperforming: Not producing the expected return: nonperforming loans;
nonperforming assets.
156
O
overissue: An issue, as of notes or securities, in excess of the issuer's capital, credit,
or authority.
overstored: Having more stores than the market will support: an overstored
industry.
P
package deal: 1. An offer or agreement involving a number of related items or one
making acceptance of one item dependent on the acceptance of another. 2. The items
offered in a package deal.
Pac-Man defense: A stratagem used to prevent a hostile takeover, by which the
target company tries to acquire the bidder. [after Pac-Man, trademark for a video
game in which a character gobbles up its opponents]
parent company: A company that controls or owns another company or companies.
pay down: To reduce (a debt) by repaying in part.
pension plan: An arrangement for paying a pension to an employee, especially one
funded fully or in large part by an employer.
penny stock: A usually unlisted highly speculative stock usually selling for a dollar
or less.
permatemp: A person who works on a long-term basis without being treated as a
permanent employee, especially one who agrees to a series of temporary contracts
lacking the benefits of permanent employees. [permanent + temp]
person-hour: A unit of one hour's work by one person.
pink sheet: 1. A daily listing of over-the-counter stocks and their prices. 2. Any of a
group of lightly traded over-the-counter stocks.
Ponzi scheme: An investment swindle in which high profits are promised from
fictitious sources and early investors are paid off with funds raised from later ones.
[after Charles Ponzi (1882?-1949), Italian-born speculator who organized such a
scheme (1919-1920)]
price point: The retail price of a product, usually when viewed as one of a series of
possible competitive prices: expected to release the software below the $50 price
point.
producer price index: Abbr. PPI. A comprehensive index of wholesale price
changes, often viewed as an indicator of future retail price changes.
professional corporation: A corporation organized by one or more licensed
individuals (as a doctor or lawyer) especially for the purpose of providing
professional services and obtaining tax advantages.
profit center: A segment of a business for which costs, revenues, and profits are
separately calculated.
profit system: 1. Free enterprise. 2. Freedom of private business to organize and
operate for profit in a competitive system without interference by government
beyond regulation necessary to protect public interest and keep the national economy
in balance.
pump-priming or pump priming: Government action taken to stimulate the
economy, as spending money in the commercial sector, cutting taxes, or reducing
interest rates.
put: An option to sell a specified amount of a security (as a stock) or commodity (as
wheat) at a fixed price at or within a specified time.
157
R
reindustrialization: A policy of stimulating economic growth especially through
government aid to revitalize and modernize aging industries and encourage growth of
new ones.
reverse mortgage: A mortgage in which a homeowner, usually an elderly or retired
person, borrows money in the form of annual payments which are charged against
the equity of the home.
round lot: The standard unit of trading in a security market usually amounting to
100 shares of stock.
S
salary reduction plan: A retirement investment plan that allows an employee to put
a percentage of earned wages into a tax-deferred investment account selected by the
employer. Also called 401(k).
security interest: The rights that a creditor has in the personal property of a debtor
that secures an obligation.
seed money: Money used or needed to set up a new business or enterprise.
self-dealing: Financial dealing that is not at arm's length; especially borrowing from
or lending to a company by a controlling individual primarily to the individual's own
advantage.
semicommercial: Of, relating to, adapted to, or characterized by limited marketing
of an experimental product.
shark repellent: Any of various measures that a company uses to fend off unwanted
takeover attempts.
slotting fee: A fee charged by a vendor in exchange for carrying a manufacturer's
product.
slumpflation: A state or period of combined economic decline and rising inflation.
state capitalism: An economic system in which private capitalism is modified by a
varying degree of government ownership and control.
stock dividend: A dividend paid to stockholders in shares of stock, often used in
place of or in addition to a dividend paid in cash.
stock option: A right to buy or sell specific securities or commodities at a stated
price within a specified time.
stock split: A division of corporate stock by the issuing to existing shareholders of a
specified number of new shares with a corresponding lowering of par value for each
outstanding share.
strike price: The fixed price at which the owner of an option can purchase, in the
case of a call, or sell, in the case of a put, the underlying security or commodity.
strip mall: A long usually one-story building or group of buildings housing several
adjacent retail stores or service establishments.
subsistence farming: 1. Farming or a system of farming that provides all or almost
all the goods required by the farm family usually without any significant surplus for
sale.
2. Farming or a system of farming that produces a minimum and often
inadequate return to the farmer.
supercenter: A very large discount department store that also sells a complete line
of grocery merchandise.
158
swaption: An option giving the buyer the right to enter into a swap agreement by a
specified date. [blend of SWAP and OPTION]
T
tax-deferred: 1. Of or relating to an investment that is not liable to taxation until
income is withdrawn or an appointed date is reached. 2. Of or relating to the income
that such an investment generates prior to becoming subject to taxation.
tax selling: Concerted selling of securities late in the year to establish gains and
losses for income-tax purposes.
tender offer: A public offer to buy not less than a specified number of shares of a
stock at a fixed price from stockholders usually in an attempt to gain control of the
issuing company.
test-market: To subject (a product) to trial in a limited market.
tin parachute: An employment agreement that guarantees a severance payment to
employees who are dismissed after a company has had a change in ownership.
tracking stock: A stock the value of which is linked to the performance of a
company division but which does not confer ownership in the company or the
division.
trickle-up: Of or relating to the belief that financial benefits accorded to low-income
people and very small businesses, as through microcredit or governmental transfer
payments, are passed on to profit wealthier people and larger businesses.
triple witching hour: The hour before the stock market closing on the third Friday
of March, June, September, or December, when both options and futures on stock
indices expire, known for its high trading volume and volatile prices in futures,
options, and underlying securities.
U
underfinanced: Inadequately financed.
underinvestment: An insufficient amount of investment.
upsize: To become greater or larger: the chief executives... saw the combined value
of their share options upsize by $36.6 million on the day [the] layoffs were
announced. To make greater or larger: my plan will... upsize the amount of money
Americans get to keep.
V
variable annuity: An annuity in which payments to the annuitant vary according to
the changing market value of the underlying investment.
viatical: Of or relating to a contractual arrangement in which a business buys life
insurance policies from terminally ill patients for a percentage of the face value: a
viatical settlement.
voting stock: Stock for which the holder has the right to vote in the election of
directors, in the appointment of auditors, or in other matters brought up at the annual
meeting.
159
W
waiver: Permission for a professional athletic club to assign a player to the minor
leagues or release a player from the club, granted only after all other clubs have been
given the opportunity to claim the player and have not done so.
working asset: An asset other than a capital asset.
working control: The ownership of a sufficient amount of a firm's voting stock to
determine corporate policy.
work to rule: A job action in which employees do no more than the minimum
required by the rules of a workplace in order to cause a slowdown.
12. 4. JARGON COMMUNICATIONS (62)
A
airwaves: The medium of radio and television transmission, not used technically.
Alpha: A communications code word for the letter a.
B
baby Bell: Any of the seven regional telephone companies created in 1984 when
AT&T was ordered to divest itself of its local telephone service operations.
Bravo: A communications code word for the letter b.
C
callee: One who receives a telephone call.
calling card: A card displaying a number that can be used to charge telephone calls
to a single account regardless of where the calls are placed.
Charlie: A communications code word for the letter c.
cold call: A telephone call or visit made to someone who is not known or not
expecting contact, often in order to sell something.
communicology: The study of communication, including such fields as semiotics,
audiology, and speech pathology.
connect: To establish a communications connection: connect to the Internet.
CQ: Communications code letters used at the beginning of messages of general
information or safety notices or by shortwave amateurs as an invitation to talk to
other shortwave amateurs. [call to quarters]
cryptosystem: A method for encoding and decoding messages.
cyberspeak: Jargon relating to or used in online communications.
D
Delta: A communications code word for the letter d.
dial-up: Relating to or being a standard telephone line used for computer
communications; also accessible via a standard telephone line: a dial-up Internet
provider.
160
E
Eco: A communications code word for the letter e.
800 number: A toll-free telephone number for long-distance calls (as to a business)
that is prefixed by the number 800.
F
Fox: A communications code word for the letter f.
FTP: A communications protocol governing the transfer of files from one computer
to another over a network.
G
gesture language: Communication by gestures; especially sign language.
Golf: A communications code word for the letter g.
H
headend: Equipment or a facility which receives communications signals (as cable
television broadcasts) for distribution to a local region.
Hotel: A communications code word for the letter h.
hypertext transfer protocol: A communications protocol governing the exchange of
data (as HTML files) especially on the World Wide Web.
I
India: A communications code word for the letter i.
information highway: A telecommunications infrastructure or system (as of
television, telephony, or computer networks) used for widespread and usually rapid
access to information; especially internet.
information superhighway: The global information and communications network
that includes the Internet and other networks and switching systems such as
telephone networks, cable television networks, and satellite communication
networks.
interphone: A telephone used in a small closed system of telephones: the sergeant
lifted the interphone and told the pilot that the door was properly sealed.
J
Juliett: A communications code word for the letter j.
K
Kilo: A communications code word for the letter k.
L
LAN: A system that links together electronic office equipment, such as computers
and word processors, and forms a network within an office or building. [Local Area
Network]
light guide: An optical fiber used especially for telecommunication.
Lima: A communications code word for the letter l.
161
M
Mike: A communications code word for the letter m.
MIME /mīm/: A communications protocol that allows for the transmission of data in
many forms, such as audio, binary, or video. [Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extensions]
N
newswire: A wire service that transmits up-to-the-minute news, usually
electronically, to the media and often the public.
November: A communications code word for the letter n.
O
Oscar: A communications code word for the letter o.
P
Papa: A communications code word for the letter p.
pay phone: A telephone that requires immediate payment for operation, as by a coin
or credit card.
phone card: A prepaid card or a credit card that can be used to pay for telephone
calls.
phone tag: Telephone tag.
Q
Quebec: A communications code word for the letter q.
R
roam: To use a cellular phone outside one's local calling area: roaming charges.
Romeo: A communications code word for the letter r.
S
satellite dish: A dish antenna used to receive and transmit signals relayed by
satellite.
Sierra: A communications code word for the letter s.
small screen: Television.
T
Tango: A communications code word for the letter t.
TCP/IP: A protocol for communication between computers, used as a standard for
transmitting data over networks and as the basis for standard Internet protocols.
[Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol]
telco: A telephone company.
telemarketing: The marketing of goods or services by telephone.
telephone tag: 1. Telephoning back and forth by parties trying to reach each other
without success. 2. A series of unsuccessful calls exchanged by two people who are
attempting to contact each other by telephone.
162
telnet: 1. An Internet communications protocol that enables a computer to function
as a terminal working from a remote computer. 2. A program that implements this
protocol.
toll-free: Having or using a direct telephone line or number (as an 800 number) for a
long-distance call that is not charged to the caller: a toll-free number; called toll-free.
U
Uniform: A communications code word for the letter u.
V
Victor: A communications code word for the letter v.
W
WAN: A communications network that uses such devices as telephone lines, satellite
dishes, or radio waves to span a larger geographic area than can be covered by a
LAN. [Wide Area Network]
Whiskey: A communications code word for the letter w.
X
Xerox: A communications code word for the letter x.
Y
Yankee: A communications code word for the letter y.
Z
Zulu: A communications code word for the letter z.
12.5 JARGON COMPUTERS (223)
A
aliasing: The appearance of jagged distortions in curves and diagonal lines in
computer graphics because the resolution is limited or diminished.
alt key: A key on a computer keyboard that is pressed in combination with another
key to execute an alternate operation.
antialiasing: In computer graphics, the process of removing or reducing the jagged
distortions in curves and diagonal lines so that the lines appear smooth or smoother.
antivirus: A software program designed to identify and remove a known or potential
computer virus.
applet: An application that has limited features, requires limited memory resources,
and is usually portable between operating systems.
avatar: An electronic image that represents and is manipulated by a computer user
(as in a computer game or an online shopping site).
163
B
banner: An advertisement graphic that runs usually across the top of a World Wide
Web page.
bit map or bitmap: A set of bits that represents a graphic image, with each bit or
group of bits corresponding to a pixel in the image.
bitmapped: Of, relating to, or being a digital image or display for which an array of
binary data specifies the value of each pixel: bitmapped graphics.
bookmark: To create a computer bookmark for: bookmark a Web site.
boot block: An area of a disk having information for loading the operating system
that is needed to start a computer.
bot: A software program that imitates the behavior of a human, as by querying
search engines or participating in chatroom or IRC discussions. [short for robot]
browser: A program that accesses and displays files and other data available on the
Internet and other networks.
burn-in: The continuous operation of a device (as a computer) as a test for defects or
failure prior to putting it to use.
bus topology: One of the three principal topologies for a LAN, in which all nodes
are connected to a central cable along which data is passed.
C
cable modem: A modem for connecting a computer to a network over a cable
television line.
cache memory /kăsh/: A fast storage buffer in the central processing unit of a
computer.
CD-RW: Compact disk-rewritable.
chat: Online discussion in a chat room; also an instance of such discussion:
participate in computer chats.
chatroom: A site on a computer network where online conversations are held in real
time by a number of users.
checksum: A sum derived from the bits of a segment of computer data that is
calculated before and after transmission or storage to assure that the data is free from
errors or tampering.
clicker: One that clicks, as: a. A computer mouse. b. A mechanical counter.
clip art: Ready-made pieces of printed or computerized graphic art, such as
illustrations, borders, and backgrounds, that can be electronically copied and used to
decorate a document.
clipboard: A section of computer memory that temporarily stores data (as text or a
graphics image) especially to facilitate its movement or duplication.
computed tomography: Radiography in which a three-dimensional image of a
body structure is constructed by computer from a series of plane cross-sectional
images made along an axis.
control key: A key on a computer keyboard that is pressed in combination with
another key to activate a command.
cookie: A collection of information, usually including a username and the current
date and time, stored on the local computer of a person using the World Wide Web,
used chiefly by websites to identify users who have previously registered or visited
the site.
164
coprocessor: A microprocessor that performs specialized functions that the central
processing unit cannot perform or cannot perform as well and as quickly.
cpu: The component of a computer system that performs the basic operations (as
processing data) of the system, that exchanges data with the system's memory or
peripherals, and that manages the system's other components. [central processing
unit]
cyber: Of, relating to, or involving computers or computer networks (as the
Internet): the cyber marketplace.
cyberculture: The culture arising from the use of computer networks, as for
communication, entertainment, work, and business.
cyberpunk: Fast-paced science fiction involving futuristic computer-based societies.
cybersex: Sexual activity or arousal through communication by computer.
cyberspace: The electronic medium of computer networks, in which online
communication takes place.
D
daisy-chain: To link (as computer components) together in series.
data highway: 1. A network of computer networks, other devices, and switching
systems used for the transfer of digitized information. 2. The integrated circuitry of a
computer chip.
data structure: Any of various methods or formats (as an array, file, or record) for
organizing data in a computer.
data type: 1. In programming, a classification identifying one of various types of
data, as floating-point, integer, or Boolean, stating the possible values for that type,
the operations that can be done on that type, and the way the values of that type are
stored. 2. In databases or spreadsheets, a classification identifying one of various
kinds of data, as a name, date, or dollar amount, found in a specific data field.
default: A selection automatically used by a computer program in the absence of a
choice made by the user.
defragment: To reorganize (a computer file) to eliminate fragmentation.
dialog box: A window that appears on a computer screen, presenting information or
requesting input.
dial-up: Relating to or being a standard telephone line used for computer
communications; also accessible via a standard telephone line: a dial-up Internet
provider.
digerati /dĭj∂rätē/: People who are knowledgeable about digital technologies such as
computer programming and design: the chasm between the high claims of the
digerati and the misadventures of the novice Net user.
digitizing tablet also graphics tablet: A device by which pictorial information is
entered into a computer in a manner similar to drawing.
distributed: Of, relating to, or being a computer network in which at least some of
the processing is done by the individual workstations and information is shared by
and often stored at the workstations.
docking station: A small cabinet to which a laptop or notebook computer can be
attached for use as a desktop computer, usually having a connector for externally
connected devices, such as hard drives or scanners, and ports that can be linked to
components such as a keyboard, monitor, and printer.
165
domain name: A series of alphanumeric strings separated by periods, such as
www.hmco.com, that is an address of a computer network connection and that
identifies the owner of the address.
dongle: A hardware device that serves as copy protection for certain software by
rendering the software inoperable when the device is not plugged into a printer port.
dot-com: 1. Of or relating to business conducted on the Internet: dot-com
advertising. 2. Of or relating to a company whose products or services deal with or
are sold on the Internet: a dot-com brokerage firm.
dot-commer: A person who owns or works for a dot-com. [from the use of .com in
the URLs of such companies]
double-click: To press down and release a button on (a pointing device) twice in
rapid succession in order to activate a command or function represented graphically
on a display screen: to double-click a pointing device.
drag-and-drop: Of, relating to, or allowing movement of items on a computer
screen by dragging them and fixing their new locations by releasing the mouse
button: a drag-and-drop interface.
drive bay: A space in a personal computer where a storage device such as a disk
drive or CD-ROM drive can be installed.
dumb terminal: A terminal that has no internal microprocessor and thus no
processing power independent of its host computer.
dynamic RAM: A memory chip that stores information as electrical charges in
capacitors.
E
e-book: A book composed in or converted to digital format for display on a
computer screen or handheld device.
e-cash: Money available as an electronic account, used in Internet commerce.
electronic publishing: Publishing in which information is distributed by means of a
computer network or is produced in a format for use with a computer.
emoticon: A series of keyed characters used especially in e-mail to indicate an
emotion, such as pleasure [:-)] ☺ or sadness [:-(] .
e-tail: Retail business conducted online via the World Wide Web.
ethernet: A computer network architecture consisting of various specified local-area
network protocols, devices, and connection methods.
expansion card: A circuit board that can be installed to enhance a computer's
capabilities, as by increasing memory or improving graphics.
expansion slot: A long narrow socket in a computer into which an expansion card
can be inserted.
extranet: An extension of an institution's intranet, especially over the World Wide
Web, enabling communication between the institution and people it deals with, often
by providing limited access to its intranet.
F
fault-tolerant: Relating to or being a computer or program with a self-contained
backup system that allows continued operation when major components fail.
fax modem: A modem that sends and receives fax transmissions.
166
file allocation table: An area on a hard disk or floppy disk where information is
stored about the physical location of each piece of every file on the disk and about
the location of unusable areas of the disk.
filename: A name given to a computer file to distinguish it from other files, often
containing an extension that classifies it by type.
file server: A computer that controls a central repository of data that can be
downloaded or manipulated in some manner by a client.
flash memory: A computer chip with a read-only memory that retains its data when
the power is turned off and that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed
without being removed from the circuit board, often used in fax machines.
flatbed scanner: An optical scanner in which the scanning head moves across a
stationary page.
flat-file database: A database system in which each database contains only one file,
which is not linked to any other file.
flat-panel display: A thin lightweight video display used in laptop and notebook
computers and employing liquid crystals, electroluminescence, or a similar
alternative to cathode-ray tubes. Also called flat screen.
freeware: Software that is available for free, usually over the Internet.
FTP: A communications protocol governing the transfer of files from one computer
to another over a network.
functionality: 1. A useful function within a computer application or program. 2. The
capacity of a computer program or application to provide a useful function.
function key: A key on a computer keyboard that activates a function within a given
application when pressed, either alone or in various combinations with the alt key,
the shift key, and the control key.
G
GIF /jĭf, gĭf/: A computer file format for the compression and storage of digital
video images; also such an image itself. [graphic interchange format]
gigaflop: A unit of measure for the calculating speed of a computer equal to one
billion floating-point operations per second. [floating-point operation]
graphical user interface also GUI /gooē/: 1. A computer program designed to allow
a computer user to interact easily with the computer typically by making choices
from menus or groups of icons. 2. An interface for issuing commands to a computer
utilizing a pointing device, such as a mouse, that manipulates and activates graphical
images on a monitor. [graphical user interface]
graphics tablet: A device by which pictorial information is entered into a computer
in a manner similar to drawing.
groupware: Software that integrates work on a single project by several concurrent
users at separated workstations.
H
half duplex: A mode of communication especially with a computer via telephone
line in which information can be sent in only one direction at a time.
hard drive: A disk drive that reads data stored on hard disks. Also called hard disk
drive.
hard-wire: To implement (a capability) through logic circuitry that is permanently
connected within a computer and therefore not subject to change by programming.
167
homepage or home page: The opening or main page of a website, intended chiefly
to greet visitors and provide information about the site or its owner.
hot key: A key or combination of keys on a computer keyboard programmed to
perform a specific function when pressed.
hot link: An electronic link providing direct access from one distinctively marked
place in a hypertext or hypermedia document to another in the same or a different
document.
HTML: A markup language used to structure text and multimedia documents and to
set up hypertext links between documents, used extensively on the World Wide Web.
[Hyper Text Markup Language]
HTTP or http: A protocol used to request and transmit files, especially webpages
and webpage components, over the Internet or other computer network. [Hyper Text
Transfer Protocol]
hybrid computer: A computer system consisting of a combination of analog and
digital computer systems.
hyperlink1: A segment of text or a graphical item that serves as a cross-reference
between parts of a hypertext document or between files or hypertext documents. Also
called hotlink.
hyperlink2: To make a hypertext link in (an electronic document or file). To follow a
hypertext link to an electronic document or file. [hypertext + link1]
hypertext markup language: HTML.
hypertext transfer protocol: A communications protocol governing the exchange
of data (as HTML files) especially on the World Wide Web.
I
information highway: A telecommunications infrastructure or system (as of
television, telephony, or computer networks) used for widespread and usually rapid
access to information, especially internet.
Internet: An interconnected system of networks that connects computers around the
world via the TCP/IP protocol.
internetwork: An interconnected system of networks, especially computer
networks.
intranet: A privately maintained computer network that can be accessed only by
authorized persons, especially members or employees of the organization that owns
it.
IP address: The numeric address of a computer on the Internet. [Internet Protocol]
IRC: An international computer network of Internet servers, using its own protocol
through which individual users can hold real-time online conversations. [Internet
Relay Chat]
J
joystick: A manual control or cursor device, as one attached to a computer or video
game.
JPEG /jāpĕg/: 1. The standard algorithm for the compression of digital images. 2. A
digital image stored as a file so compressed: e-mailed me a JPEG of her house.
[Joint Photographic Experts Group]
jumpdrive: A portable hard drive, about the size of a pen.
junk e-mail: Spam.
168
K
killer app: A computer application of such great value or popularity that it assures
the success of the technology with which it is associated; a feature or component that
in itself makes something worth having or using.
kwic: A computer-generated index alphabetized on a keyword that appears within a
brief context. [keyword in context]
L
legacy: Of, relating to, or being a previous or outdated computer system: transfer the
legacy data; a legacy system.
listserver: A file server that is used in the management of e-mail for members of a
discussion group.
logic bomb: A computer virus that remains hidden until it is triggered when certain
specific conditions are met.
login: The process of identifying oneself to a computer, usually by entering one's
username and password.
logon: Variant of login.
M
markup language: A coding system, such as HTML and SGML, used to structure,
index, and link text files.
massively parallel: Of, relating to, or being a computer system that uses a large
number of separate processors simultaneously to increase power and speed.
megaflop: A measure of computing speed equal to one million floating-point
operations per second.
menu-driven: Of or relating to a type of GUI (an interface for issuing commands to
a computer utilizing a pointing device, such as a mouse, that manipulates and
activates graphical images on a monitor [Graphical User Interface]) in which
commands are issued by making selections from onscreen menus.
millennium bug: A defect in the code of a computer program caused when a year is
represented by its last two digits only and the program interprets that year as falling
inclusively between 1900 and 1999 instead of between 2000 and 2099.
minitower: A computer cabinet that is about half the height of a cabinet that houses
a tower computer.
mirror site: A file server that contains a duplicate set of files of another file server,
thereby sharing the burden of distribution to ensure rapid availability of data when
there is heavy demand.
modem: To send (as data) via a modem.
modem session: A period of time in which two computers are connected by modem.
Moore's law: An axiom of microprocessor development usually holding that
processing power doubles about every 18 months especially relative to cost or size.
[Gordon E. Moore (b1929) American computer industry executive]
morph: To transform (an image) by computer: cinematic special effects that
morphed the villain into a snake. To be transformed: yesterday's filmstrip has
morphed into today's school computer.
mousepad: A flat pad, as of specially coated foam rubber, designed to provide an
optimum surface on which to use a mouse.
169
MPEG /ĕmpĕg/: 1. Any of a set of standards established for the compression of
digital video and audio data. 2. A file of digital video and audio data that has been so
compressed: downloaded an MPEG of the new video from the Internet. [Moving
Pictures Experts Group]
multiprocessing: A method of computing in which different parts of a task are
distributed between two or more similar central processing units, allowing the
computer to complete operations more quickly and to handle larger, more complex
procedures.
multiprogramming: The technique of utilizing several interleaved programs
concurrently in a single computer system.
multitasking: The concurrent operation by one central processing unit of two or
more processes.
multithreaded: 1. Having more than one thread of execution. Used of applications.
2. Supporting multithreaded applications. Used of programming languages.
multiuser: Of or relating to a device or product, such as a computer system, that can
be used by more than one person at the same time.
N
newsgroup: An area on a computer network, especially the Internet, devoted to the
discussion of a specified topic: read messages posted to newsgroups that discuss pet
cats.
number cruncher: A computer that performs fast numerical calculations especially
on large amounts of data.
O
object-oriented: Of, related to, or being a language or system that can use and
support objects: object-oriented graphics; an object-oriented interface.
object-oriented programming: Computer programming in which programming
objects are used to form additional objects and are arranged into hierarchies and in
which a single object member (as a variable or function) may be used in several
different but related ways.
open-source: Of or relating to source code that is available to the public: an opensource operating system.
optical scanner: A device that converts printed images and text into digital
information that can be stored as a computer file and processed by graphics software.
OR: A logical operator that requires either of two inputs to be present or conditions
to be met for an output to be made or a statement to be executed: OR gate in a
computer.
original equipment manufacturer: A company that purchases computers or other
complex components from manufacturers, adds other hardware or software, and sells
the systems, often for specific applications.
outline font: A computer font in which each character to be displayed or printed is
represented as a series of curves and lines. Outline fonts are smoothed and scaled
more easily than bit-mapped fonts.
output device: A device, such as a printer, video display, or speaker, that presents
data from a computer to a user.
170
P
palmtop: A computer that is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand.
parallel processing: The simultaneous processing of different tasks by two or more
microprocessors, as by a single computer with more than one central processing unit
or by multiple computers connected together in a network.
pathname: The fully specified name of a computer file, including the position of the
file in the file system's directory structure.
pen-based: Using a stylus to input or retrieve data.
pen computer: A computer that allows the user to input and retrieve data by writing
with a stylus directly on a display screen.
personal digital assistant: A lightweight, hand-held, usually pen-based computer
used as a personal organizer.
petabyte: 1. A unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,024
terabytes (250 bytes). 2. One quadrillion bytes.
playlist also play list: A list of musical selections for broadcast or performance: the
radio station's playlist of songs.
plug and play: A feature of a computer system by which peripherals are
automatically detected and configured by the operating system.
point-and-click: Allowing the activation of commands by moving the cursor over
certain areas or icons and clicking a pointing device: a webpage with point-and-click
access to other sites.
pointing device: An input device, such as a mouse, joystick, or trackball, with which
one can move or manipulate a cursor or pointer on a GUI.
port: To translate (software) into a version for another computer or operating
system.
posting: Something (as a message) that is published online.
PostScript: A trademark used for an object-oriented computer language for
describing the appearance and layout of documents, used to print high-resolution text
and graphics.
preinstall: To install (as software) on a computer prior to sale.
preload: To load in advance and especially at a time removed from that of use:
preloaded software.
programming language: An artificial language used to write instructions that can be
translated into machine language and then executed by a computer.
public-key: A cryptographic element that is the publicly shared half of an encryption
code and that can be used only to encode messages.
pull-down: Being or appearing below a selected item (as an icon) in a window
overlaying the original view on a computer display: a pull-down menu.
R
RAM: A memory device in which information can be accessed in any order.
[Random- Access Memory]
relational database: A database system in which any database file can be a
component of more than one of the database's tables.
removable cartridge: A hard disk that has a self-contained casing, can be removed
from the drive, and has greater storage capacity than floppy disks.
render: To convert (graphics) from a file into visual form, as on a video display.
retrieval engine: A search engine.
171
rewrite: To save (a usually altered file) over its most recent version in the same
storage location.
ring topology: One of the three principal topologies for a LAN, in which all nodes
are arranged in a circle.
S
screen saver also screensaver: A software program that displays constantly
changing images or dims the brightness of a display screen to protect the screen from
having an image etched onto its surface.
SCSI /skŭzē/: A small computer system interface used for connecting peripheral
devices, such as external disk drives and scanners, as used on personal computers.
[Small Computer System Interface]
search engine: 1. A software program that searches a database and gathers and
reports information that contains or is related to specified terms. 2. A website whose
primary function is providing a search engine for gathering and reporting information
available on the Internet or a portion of the Internet.
seek time: The amount of time that a disk drive's head takes to move to a specific
location on a disk.
shareware: Copyrighted software that is available free of charge on a trial basis,
usually with the condition that users pay a fee for continued use and support. [share
+ software]
site: One or more Internet addresses at which an individual or organization provides
information to others (an FTP site); especially web site.
smart terminal: A terminal that has a microprocessor and therefore has some
processing capabilities independent of the host computer.
sound card: A circuit board in a computer system designed to produce or reproduce
sound.
source code: Code written by a programmer in a high-level language and readable
by people but not computers. Source code must be converted to object code or
machine language before a computer can read or execute the program.
spam1: Unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses.
Also called Junk e-mail. [from a skit on the British television series Monty Python's
Flying Circus in which chanting of the word Spam overrides the other dialogue]
spam2: To send spam to.
spell checker or spellchecker: An application within most word processing
programs that checks for spelling errors in documents.
spool: To store (data sent to a printer) in a buffer, allowing the program that sent the
data to the printer to resume its normal operation. [simultaneous peripheral
operations on line]
spooler: A computer program that sequences print jobs by temporarily storing them
in a buffer and sending each to the printer when the printer is able to process it. Also
called print spooler.
star topology: One of the three principal topologies for a LAN, in which all nodes
are connected to one central node that routes all data passing to and from them.
static RAM: A type of RAM that is quicker than dynamic RAM and does not need
to be refreshed. Because it is more expensive and holds less data than dynamic
RAM, it is used primarily for cache memory.
subnotebook: A portable computer that is smaller than a notebook computer.
172
supermicro: A very fast and powerful microcomputer.
superminicomputer: A very fast and powerful minicomputer. Also supermini.
system administrator: One who manages and maintains computer systems and
software, as for a business or institution.
systems programming: The development and management of programs that are a
part of an operating system.
T
taskbar: A row of buttons or graphical controls on a computer screen that represent
open programs, among which the user can switch back and forth by clicking on the
appropriate one.
TCP/IP: A protocol for communication between computers, used as a standard for
transmitting data over networks and as the basis for standard Internet protocols.
[Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol]
telnet: 1. An Internet communications protocol that enables a computer to function
as a terminal working from a remote computer. 2. A program that implements this
protocol.
template: a. A document or file having a preset format, used as a starting point for a
particular application so that the format does not have to be recreated each time it is
used: a loan amortization template for a spreadsheet program. b. An overlay that fits
over all or part of a keyboard and has labels describing the functions of each key
within a particular application.
terabyte: 1. A unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,024
gigabytes (240 bytes). 2. One trillion bytes.
teraflop: A measure of computing speed equal to one trillion floating-point
operations per second.
toolbar: A row of icons on a computer screen that activate commands or functions
when clicked.
touchpad: A pointing device consisting of a soft pad sensitized to finger movement
or pressure and used especially on laptop computers as an alternative to a mouse.
touchscreen: A monitor screen that can detect and respond to something, such as a
finger or stylus, pressing on it.
trackball: A ball mounted in a stationary housing and rotated to control a pointer on
a computer screen.
U
universal resource locator: URL.
URL: An Internet address: http://www.hmco.com/trade/, usually consisting of the
access protocol (http), the domain name: www.hmco.com/, and optionally the path to
a file or resource residing on that server (trade), [uniform resource locator]
Universal Serial Bus: USB.
USB: A standardized serial computer interface that allows simplified attachment of
peripherals especially in a daisy chain.
Usenet or USENET /yüznĕt/: 1. A messaging system that uses a computer network,
especially the Internet, to transfer messages organized in thematic groups. 2. The
aggregation of all the newsgroups on the Internet. [probably from Usenix, an
173
association of computer programmers using the operating system Unix (from users of
Unix) + network]
username: A sequence of characters, different from a password, that is used as
identification and is required when logging on to a multiuser computer system, LAN,
bulletin board system, or online service.
utility program: A program that performs a specific task related to the management
of computer functions, resources, or files, as password protection, memory
management, virus protection, and file compression.
V
V-chip: A computer chip installed in a television to allow the user to control the
display of certain programs, especially of sexual or violent content.
vector graphic: A computer image that is stored and displayed in terms of vectors
rather than points, allowing for easier scaling and storage.
video card: A circuit board in a computer system designed to generate output for the
system's video display screen.
video display: A device that accepts video signals from a computer and provides
information in a visual form.
virtual: Created, simulated, or carried on by means of a computer or computer
network: virtual conversations in a chatroom.
virtual reality: A computer simulation of a real or imaginary system that enables a
user to perform operations on the simulated system and shows the effects in real
time.
virus: A computer virus. [Latin vīrus, “poison”]
voice mail: An interactive computerized system for answering and routing telephone
calls, for recording, saving, and relaying messages, and sometimes for paging the
user.
W
warm boot: The act or process of restarting a computer without turning off the
power. A warm boot erases everything in RAM and then reloads the operating
system into RAM.
webmaster: A person whose occupation is designing, developing, marketing, or
maintaining websites.
webpage: A document on the World Wide Web, consisting of an HTML file and any
related files for scripts and graphics, and often hyperlinked to other documents on the
Web.
website: A set of interconnected webpages, usually including a homepage, generally
located on the same server, and prepared and maintained as a collection of
information by a person, group, or organization.
Windows: A trademark for any of a series of GUIs or GUI-based computer
operating systems.
World Wide Web: The complete set of documents residing on all Internet servers
that use the HTTP protocol, accessible to users via a simple point-and-click system.
worm: A malicious program that replicates itself until it fills all of the storage space
on a drive or network.
writable: Capable of recording data. Used of a storage medium: writable compact
disks.
174
write-protect: To modify (a file or disk) so that its data cannot be edited or erased.
X
XML: A metalanguage written in SGML that allows one to design a markup
language, used to allow for the easy interchange of documents on the World Wide
Web. [eXtensible Markup Language]
Y
Y2K bug: A defect in the code of a computer program caused when a year is
represented by its last two digits only and the program interprets that year as falling
inclusively between 1900 and 1999 instead of between 2000 and 2099.
12.6. JARGON COOKERY (279)
A
angel hair: Pasta in long, extremely thin strands.
a la grecque: Served in a sauce made of olive oil, lemon juice, and several
seasonings (as fennel, coriander, sage, and thyme). [French, in the Greek manner]
apple butter: A thick brown spread made by cooking apples with sugar and spices
usually in cider.
arroz con pollo: A dish of chicken cooked with rice and usually flavored with
saffron. [Spanish, literally, rice with chicken]
au poivre: Prepared or served with a generous amount of usually coarsely ground
black pepper: steak au poivre. [French, with pepper]
avgolemono: A soup or sauce made of chicken stock, rice, egg yolks, and lemon
juice. [New Greek augolemono, from augo, “egg” + lemoni, “lemon”]
B
baba ghanoush: An appetizer or spread made chiefly of eggplant, tahini, garlic,
olive oil, and lemon. [Arabic dialect bābaghanuj]
baby back ribs: Meaty pork ribs cut from the lower back rib section.
back bacon: Canadian bacon.
banana pepper: A long tapered yellow pepper occurring in several varieties from
mild and sweet tasting to hot and pungent.
bananas Foster: A dessert of bananas flamed (as with rum) and served with ice
cream. [Richard Foster, friend of New Orleans restaurateur Owen E. Brennan, at
whose restaurant the dish was first made]
barquette: A small boat-shaped pastry shell. [French, diminutive of barque, “bark”]
bay scallop: A scallop (Argopecten irradians) of United States coastal and estuarine
waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico that is harvested commercially
for food.
bear claw: A filled pastry that is cut and fanned to resemble a bear's foot.
beefsteak tomato: A very large globe-shaped red tomato with dense flesh.
175
Belgian waffle: A waffle having large depressions that is usually topped with fruit
and whipped cream.
beurre manie: Flour and butter kneaded together used as a thickener in sauces.
[French, literally, handled butter]
beurre noir: Butter cooked over low heat until it has turned dark brown. [French
beurre, “butter” + noir, “black”]
billi-bi: A soup of mussel stock, white wine, and cream served hot or cold. [French,
alteration of Billy B., perhaps from William B. Leeds, Jr. (died 1972), American
industrialist]
blood sausage: A link sausage made of pig's blood, diced pork fat, and other
ingredients such as onions and breadcrumbs.
bob veal: The veal of a very young or unborn calf. [English dialect bob, “young
calf”]
boniato: A sweet potato having white dry flesh with little sweetness that is usually
grown in subtropical regions (as Cuba). [American Spanish, perhaps from Taino]
bordelaise sauce: A sauce consisting of stock thickened with roux and flavored
typically with red wine and shallots. [French bordelaise, feminine of “bordelaise, of
Bordeaux”]
borscht also borsht or borsch: A beet soup served hot or cold, usually with sour
cream. [Yiddish borsht, from Russian borshch, “cow parsnip” (the original base of
the soup), borscht]
bourride /b∂rēd/: A fish stew similar to bouillabaisse that is usually thickened with
egg yolks and strongly flavored with garlic. [French, from Occitan bourrido,
alteration of boulido, “something boiled,” from bouli, “to boil,” from Latin bullire]
brown sauce: A sauce made from butter and flour browned together and stock.
bruschetta /brüshet∂/: Thick slices of bread grilled, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with
olive oil, often topped with tomatoes and herbs, and usually served as an appetizer.
[Italian, from Italian dialect (Tuscany) bruscare, “to toast, burn,” probably from
Vulgar Latin brusicare, frequentative of brusare, brusiare, “to burn”]
C
Cabernet Sauvignon: 1. A variety of black grape used to make red wine, notably in
Bordeaux and the Napa Valley. 2. A dry red wine made from this grape.
cacciatore /käch∂tórē/: Cooked with tomatoes and herbs and sometimes wine:
chicken cacciatore.
caffe latte: A strong espresso coffee topped with steamed frothed milk.
calabaza: A large winter squash (Cucurbita moschata) that resembles a pumpkin and
is typically grown in the West Indies and tropical America. [Spanish]
callaloo: 1. The edible spinachlike leaves of the dasheen. 2. A soup or stew made of
these leaves or other greens, okra, crabmeat, and seasonings.
calzone /kälsōnĕ/: A baked or fried Italian turnover of pizza dough filled with
vegetables, meat, or cheese.
camote /k∂mōtā/: A type of sweet potato having somewhat dry, bland, yellowish to
white flesh, used as a staple food in many tropical countries. Also called boniato,
batata.
capellini: Angel-hair pasta. [Italian, plural of capellino, diminutive of capello,
“hair,” from Latin capillus]
176
carbonnade: A beef stew cooked in beer. [French, literally, dish of grilled meat,
from Italian carbonata, from carbone, “charcoal, coal,” from Latin carbon-]
carne asada: A grilled Mexican dish of spicy marinated steak strips sometimes
served in a burrito or taco. [Spanish, grilled meat]
carpetbag steak: A thick piece of steak in which a pocket is cut and stuffed (as with
oysters).
cascabel: A small, round, medium-hot dried chili.
chalupa: A fried corn tortilla sometimes shaped like a boat and usually filled with a
savory mixture (as of meat, vegetables, or cheese). [Mexican Spanish, from Spanish,
“boat, skiff,” from French chaloupe]
charcoal: To broil on a rack over hot charcoal.
cheesesteak: A sandwich consisting of thinly sliced beef topped with melted cheese
and condiments (as fried onions or peppers).
chess pie: A pie or tart with a filling made especially of eggs, butter, and sugar.
[perhaps alteration of chest]
chicken-fried: Coated with batter and seasoned flour and fried: endless iron skillets
overflowing with chicken-fried steak.
chicken Kiev: A dish made of a rolled chicken fillet that is filled with butter, coated
with batter, and fried until crisp.
chiffonade /shif∂nād/: Shredded or finely cut vegetables or herbs used especially as a
garnish. [French chiffonnade, from chiffonner, “to crumple”]
chile relleno: A stuffed chili pepper that usually contains cheese or meat and is fried
or grilled. [Spanish, stuffed chili pepper]
chiltepin: A small red oblong wild chili pepper of marked pungency that is produced
by a capsicum occurring from northern South America to northern Mexico and the
southwestern United States; also this plant. [Mexican Spanish chiltepīn, from
Nahuatl chīltecpin, from chīlli, “chili pepper” + tecpin, tecpintli, “flea”]
chimichurri: A sauce made of chopped fresh parsley seasoned with garlic, pepper,
and herbs and bound with oil and vinegar.
chipotle: A ripe jalapeño pepper that has been dried and smoked for use in cooking.
cioppino /ch∂pēnō/: A stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish, tomatoes,
and white wine.
clams casino: Clams on the half shell usually topped with green pepper and baked or
broiled.
cloud ear: A mushroom of the genus Auricularia that grows on fallen tree trunks,
used in cooking.
club cheese: A process cheese made by grinding cheddar and other cheeses usually
with added condiments and seasoning.
Cobb salad: Tossed salad made typically with chopped chicken or turkey, tomatoes,
bacon, hard-boiled eggs, blue cheese, and lettuce and dressed with a vinaigrette.
[probably from Robert H. Cobb (died 1970), American restaurateur]
coffee ring: Coffee cake in the shape of a ring.
coffee roll: A sweet roll.
Colby: A moist mild cheese similar to cheddar.
cold-press: To press (as olives) without applying heat from an external source; also
to extract (oil) by cold-pressing.
177
confit: 1. Meat, such as duck, that has been salted and then cooked and preserved in
its own fat. 2. A condiment made by cooking seasoned fruit or vegetables, usually to
a jamlike consistency.
convection oven: An oven having a fan that shortens cooking time by circulating hot
air uniformly around the food.
cook cheese: An unripened cheese made from curd that has been cooked to a soft
consistency.
cookhouse: A building used for cooking, as at a camp.
cookie cutter: A device for cutting flattened cookie dough into shapes before
baking.
cooktop: A flat cooking surface making up the top of a stove or built into a
countertop, usually having electric heating elements covered by a sheet of glass.
corn dog: A frankfurter that is encased in corn bread batter before being baked or
fried, usually served on a stick.
corn smut: A bulbous black fungus (Ustilago maydis) that infects corn, producing
silvery, swollen, pebblelike kernels. The kernels have a smoky-sweet flavor and are
sometimes harvested and used in a variety of Mexican dishes. Also called
cuitlacoche or huitlacoche, maize mushroom, Mexican truffle. [American
Spanish, from Nahuatl quitlacochtli: quitlatl, “dung” + cochtli, “asleep”]
coulis: A thick sauce made with pureed vegetable or fruit and often used as a
garnish. [French, from Old French coleis, from coleis, coleiz, “flowing”]
crème anglaise: A rich vanilla-flavored sauce that can be served hot or cold with
cake, fruit, or another dessert. [French crème, “cream” + anglaise, feminine of
anglais, “English”]
crème brûlée: A custard with a crust of caramelized sugar. [French, “burnt cream”
crème, “cream” + brûlée, “burnt,” feminine past participle of brûler, “to burn”]
crème caramel: A custard that is baked in a caramel-lined mold and served chilled
with the caramel side up. Also called flan. [French crème, “cream” + caramel,
“caramel”]
cremini: An edible, dark-brown mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) with a rounded cap.
[Italian]
crispbread: A plain dry unsweetened cracker made from crushed grain (as wheat or
rye).
crisphead: Iceberg lettuce.
crostini: Small slices of usually toasted bread topped with a spread or other food.
[Italian, plural of crostino, from crosta, “crust, rind,” from Latin crusta, “shell”]
crudités: Cut raw vegetables, such as carrot sticks and pepper strips, served often
with a dip as an appetizer.[French, pl. of crudité, “rawness,” from Old French
crudite, from Latin cruditas, “indigestion, undigested food,” from crudus, “raw”]
cuitlacoche also huitlacoche: A bulbous black fungus that infects corn, producing
silvery, swollen, pebblelike kernels. The kernels have a smoky-sweet flavor and are
sometimes harvested and used in a variety of Mexican dishes. Also called corn smut,
maize mushroom, Mexican truffle. [American Spanish, from Nahuatl quitlacochtli:
quitlatl, “dung” + cochtli, “asleep”]
Cuba libre: A cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and cola. [Spanish, literally, free
Cuba]
culinarian: Cook, chef.
178
curly endive also frisee: Curly leaves of endive that have finely dissected edges and
are used in salads.
cuvee: 1. Bulk wine; especially wine in casks or vats so blended as to ensure
uniformity and marketability. 2. A blend of still wines used in the production of
champagne. [French]
D
daisy ham: A boned and smoked piece of pork from the shoulder.
demi-sec: Of champagne: Moderately sweet.
devein: To remove the dark dorsal vein from shrimp.
dolcetto: A light fruity red wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. [Italian, a grape
variety, wine made from the grape, from dolcetto, “somewhat sweet,” from dolce]
doneness: The condition of being cooked to the desired degree.
dripping pan: A pan for catching the drippings from roasting meat.
dropped egg: A poached egg.
duck sauce: A thick sauce in Chinese cuisine that contains fruits (as plums or
apricots), vinegar, sweeteners, and seasonings.
duxelles: A garnish or stuffing made especially of finely chopped sautéed
mushrooms. [Louis Chalon du Blé, Marquis d'Uxelles (died 1658), French
nobleman]
E
Earl Grey: A black-tea blend flavored with bergamot oil. [Charles Grey, 2d Earl
Grey (died 1845), English statesman]
egg foo yong also young or yung: A fried egg patty containing vegetables (as bean
sprouts) and sometimes meat. [Chinese (Guangdong) fuh yehng, “egg white”]
eiswein: A sweet German wine made from grapes that have frozen on the vine; also
a similar wine made elsewhere. [German, from eis, “ice” + wein, “wine”]
elephant garlic: An Old World herb of the lily family that is related to the leek and
has a bulb that resembles that of garlic but is much larger; also the mildly flavored
bulb of the elephant garlic used especially as a seasoning.
Emmentaler: Swiss cheese. [German, from Emmental, Switzerland]
empire: A variety of apple having medium fruit with waxy, dark red skin and white
flesh.
enophile: 1. One who appreciates and enjoys wine. 2. A collector of wine.
epazote /ĕp∂zōtĕ/: The pungent leaves of the wormseed plant, used as a seasoning in
Mexican cooking.
estate-bottled: Of a wine Entirely produced and bottled by a single winery.
European flat: A flat-shelled European oyster.
extra-virgin: Being a virgin olive oil that is lowest in acidity and highest in quality.
F
falafel or felafel: 1. Ground spiced chickpeas shaped into balls and fried. 2. A
sandwich filled with such a mixture. [Arabic falafil, pl. of filfil, “pepper,” probably
from Sanskrit pippali]
farl: A small thin triangular cake or biscuit made especially with oatmeal or wheat
flour. [contraction of Scots fardel, “fourth part”]
179
five-spice powder: A seasoning used especially in Chinese cooking, consisting of
ground cinnamon, cloves, star anise, fennel seed, and Szechuan peppercorns.
fork-tender: Tender enough to be easily pierced or cut with a fork: fork-tender filet
mignon.
French press: A coffeepot in which ground beans are infused and then pressed to
the bottom by means of a plunger.
fried rice: A dish of boiled or steamed rice that is stir-fried with soy sauce and
typically includes beaten egg and chopped meat and vegetables.
fritto misto: Small morsels of meat, seafood, or vegetables coated with batter and
deep fried. [Italian, literally, mixed fried (food)]
fruit beer: Beer or ale to which fruit, such as cherries, or fruit syrup has been added
for a second fermentation.
fry bread: Quick bread cooked (as by American Indians) by deep-frying.
fufu: A thick, doughlike West African food made by boiling and pounding a starchy
vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava.
fumet: A reduced and seasoned fish, meat, or vegetable stock. [French, literally,
pleasant aroma (of meat cooking), from Middle French, from fumer, “to give off
smoke or steam”]
G
gado gado: An Indonesian salad of mixed vegetables dressed with a peanut and
coconut milk sauce. [Indonesian, from menggado, “to eat side dishes without rice”]
ganache: A rich icing made of chocolate and cream heated and stirred together, used
also as a filling, as for cakes or pastry. [French]
garam masala: A seasoning made by blending dry-roasted, ground spices, such as
black pepper, cumin, cloves, and cardamom, used in the cooking of northern India.
[Urdu garm masalih, garam masala, “hot spices”: garm, garam, “hot, burning” +
masalih, masala, “ingredients, mixture of spices,” from Persian masale, from Arabic
masalih, pl. of maslaha, “benefit,” from salaha, “to be good”]
garde-manger: A cook who specializes in the preparation of cold foods (as meats,
fish, and salads). [French, literally, one who keeps food]
garlicked: Containing or prepared with garlic.
ghee: A clarified semifluid butter used especially in Indian cooking.[Hindi ghi, from
Sanskrit ghitam]
gordita: A deep-fried pocket of cornmeal dough filled with a savory mixture.
[Mexican Spanish, diminutive of gorda, “thick” tortilla, from Spanish, feminine of
gordo, “fat, thick”]
gratine: Covered with bread crumbs or grated cheese and browned (as under a
broiler). [French, from past participle of gratiner, “to cook”]
greenstuff: Green vegetation used as foodstuff.
Greek salad: A salad of lettuce and raw vegetables, such as cucumbers, tomatoes,
and onions, garnished with olives and feta and dressed with olive oil and vinegar.
green onion: An immature onion pulled before the bulb has developed; a scallion.
guarana: A dried paste that is made from the seeds of a South American climbing
shrub (Paullinia cupana) of the soapberry family, that contains caffeine and tannin,
and that is used as a stimulant; also this plant. [Portuguese guaraná, from Nhengatu
(Tupi-based lingua franca of Amazonia), from Sateré-Mawé (Tupian language of the
middle Amazon River basin) warana]
180
H
Habanero: A very hot roundish chili pepper (Capsicum chinense) that is usually
orange when mature. [American Spanish (chile) habanero, “Havanan” chili]
hamantasch: A 3-cornered pastry with a filling (as of poppy seeds or prunes)
traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday Purim. [Yiddish homentash, from
Haman (in the Bible, a Persian minister who was hanged for plotting the destruction
of the Jews) + tash, “pocket, bag”]
hanger steak: A steak cut from the beef diaphragm.
Hangtown fry: An omelet or scrambled eggs containing oysters. [Hangtown,
nickname for Placesville, California]
hard candy: A candy made of sugar and corn syrup boiled without crystallizing.
harissa: A spicy North African sauce made from chili peppers, garlic, cumin, and
other seasonings. [Arabic harsa, dish of pounded meat and bulgur, from harasa, “to
pound”]
Havarti: A mild, semisoft, pale yellow cheese of Danish origin. [after Havarti, name
of the experimental farm where it was developed]
I
Italian parsley: A flat-leaved parsley.
J
jasmine rice: A fragrant long-grain rice from Thailand.
K
kaffir lime: An Asian tree (Citrus hystrix) having small bright green fruit and shiny
dark leaves used in cooking.
key lime: 1. A lime indigenous to the Florida Keys, having a yellow rind and
yellowish-green fruit. 2. A yellowish green.
key lime pie: A usually meringue-topped lime-custard pie traditionally made from
key limes.
kimchi also kimchee: A Korean dish made of vegetables, such as cabbage or
radishes, that are salted, seasoned, and stored in sealed containers to undergo lactic
acid fermentation. [Korean kimch'i, from Old Korean timchoi: Middle Chinese
trhim, “to soak, steep” + Middle Chinese tshoj, tshaj, “vegetable, greens”]
kosher pickle: A pickled cucumber flavored with garlic. [from its use in kosher
delicatessens.]
kung pao: Being stir-fried or sometimes deep-fried and served in a spicy hot sauce
usually with peanuts: kung pao chicken.
L
langostino: Any of several edible crustaceans that are or resemble small lobsters or
large shrimp. [Spanish, diminutive of langosta, “spiny lobster, locust”]
Lapsang souchong: A souchong tea having a pronounced smoky flavor and aroma.
latte: A caffe latte.
lavash: A thin leavened flatbread of Armenian origin.
lefse: A round flatbread of Norwegian origin, traditionally made of a potato-based
dough and baked on a griddle.
181
lemon curd: A custard made with lemon juice, butter, sugar, and eggs and used as a
spread or filling.
limpa: Rye bread made with molasses or brown sugar. [Swedish]
linguiça /lĭŋgwēs∂/: A highly seasoned Portuguese pork sausage flavored with garlic,
onions, and pepper.
loaf bread: Leavened bread made with wheat flour.
lo mein: A Chinese dish of boiled wheat noodles stir-fried with vegetables,
seasonings, and other ingredients, such as chicken.
M
macoun: A variety of apple having medium fruit with a red skin and white, crisp
flesh.
maize mushroom: A bulbous black fungus (Ustilago maydis) that infects corn,
producing silvery, swollen, pebblelike kernels. The kernels have a smoky-sweet
flavor and are sometimes harvested and used in a variety of Mexican dishes. Also
called cuitlacoche or huitlacoche.
malanga: 1. Taro. 2. Any of several aroid plants chiefly of tropical America with
starchy edible shaggy brown tubers that are cooked and eaten like yams or potatoes.
masa harina: A flour made from dried masa. [Mexican Spanish, probably literally,
“flour,” masa (masa in the form of flour)]
Mexican truffle: A bulbous black fungus that infects corn, producing silvery,
swollen, pebblelike kernels. The kernels have a smoky-sweet flavor and are
sometimes harvested and used in a variety of Mexican dishes.
Mexican turnip: A crisp, sweet turnip-shaped root vegetable used raw in salads and
as crudités or cooked in stews.
mescal: a. A Mexican liquor distilled from the fermented juice of certain species of
agave. b. A food prepared by cooking the fleshy leaf base and trunk of certain
agaves.
mezzaluna: A curved steel blade, often with a vertical handle at each end, used to
chop food.
mizuna: An edible plant in the mustard family, having dark green, glossy, feathery
leaves and white stems.
mofongo: A Puerto Rican dish made of mashed plantains, garlic, and pork
cracklings.
monounsaturated: Of or relating to an organic compound, especially an oil or fatty
acid, containing only one double or triple bond per molecule. Foods containing
monounsaturated fatty acids may decrease the amount of LDL cholesterol in the
blood and include olive, peanut, canola, and avocado oils.
Monterey jack: A pale semisoft cheese with a high moisture content and a mild
flavor.
Mornay sauce: A cheese-flavored cream sauce. [Philippe de Mornay]
mousse: Any of various chilled desserts made with flavored whipped cream, gelatin,
and eggs: chocolate mousse. 2. A molded dish containing meat, fish, or shellfish
combined with whipped cream and gelatin. [French, foam, mousse, from Old French,
moss, “foam,” partly of Germanic origin, and partly from Latin mulsa, feminine of
mulsus, “honey-sweet”]
muktuk: Whale blubber and skin, eaten as food. [Inuit maktak]
182
mu shu: A Chinese dish of stir-fried vegetables, egg, and often meat or fish served
wrapped in a thin pancake. [Chinese (Mandarin) mùx: mù, “wood, wood ear” + x,
“day lily” (whose petals are used as an herb)]
N
naan: A flat, leavened bread of northwest India, made of white flour and baked in a
tandoor (A cylindrical oven made of clay, heated to a high heat over charcoal or
wood, and used in India for baking bread and roasting meat). [Hindi and Urdu tandr,
variant of tannr, from Middle Persian, from Arabic, from Akkadian tinru, “oven”]
niçoise olive: A small, edible variety of olive with a rich flavor.
Nantua sauce: A cream sauce flavored with shellfish (as lobster).
napa cabbage: A brassica (any of various plants of the genus Brassica of the
mustard family, including cabbage, broccoli, and turnip) that forms elongate solid
cylindrical heads and has pale green or cream-colored leaves. [perhaps from
Japanese dialect nappa, “greens”]
nopalito: A fleshy young tender stem segment of the prickly pear cactus (especially
Opuntia ficus-indica) or the nopal cactus used as food. [Spanish, from Nahuatl
nohpalli]
nouvelle: Of or relating to nouvelle cuisine: a nouvelle restaurant.
nouvelle cuisine: A form of French cuisine that uses little flour or fat and stresses
light sauces and the use of fresh seasonal produce; also a national or regional cuisine
that stresses lightness and freshness in preparation: American nouvelle cuisine.
nova: Cured and smoked salmon; especially salmon that has been cured in a mixture
of salt and sugar and smoked at a low temperature. [short for Nova Scotia salmon]
O
olestra: A calorie-free fat substitute synthesized from sucrose and vegetable oil for
use in snacks such as potato chips, and capable of passing through the body without
being digested.
onion ring: A ring of sliced onion coated with batter or crumbs and fried.
orecchiette /ōrākē∂tā/: Small oval pasta. [Italian, plural of orecchietta, diminutive of
orecchia, “ear,” from Latin auricula]
P
Pacific oyster: An oyster cultured in the United States and Europe, having a
scalloped shell and a fruity flavor.
paczki /poončkē/: A round Polish pastry similar to a doughnut, usually filled with
fruit and topped with sugar or icing. [Polish paczki, pl. of paczek, “bud, doughnut,”
diminutive of pak, “bud”]
pad thai: A Thai dish of stir-fried rice noodles, egg, bean sprouts, shrimp, peanuts,
and seasonings. [Thai phàd thaj: phàd, “fried, fried dish” + thaj, “Thai”]
pastitsio: A Greek baked dish made of ground meat layered with pasta and usually
topped with white sauce and cheese. [Modern Greek, from Italian pasticcio]
pearl onion: A tiny onion with a mild flavor, often pickled and used as a condiment.
picadillo: A spicy Spanish and Latin American dish made of seasoned ground meat
and vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and onions. [American Spanish, from
183
Spanish, minced meat, diminutive of picado, “mincing,” from past participle of picar,
“to prick, to mince”]
piecrust: The pastry shell of a pie.
pierogi also pirogi: A semicircular dumpling with any of various fillings, such as
finely chopped meat or vegetables, that is often sautéed after being boiled. [Polish,
pl. of pieróg, “dumpling”]
pilsner or Pilsner also pilsener or Pilsener: 1. A light, golden lager having a strong
flavor of hops. 2. A tall, thin, footed beer glass. [German Pilsner, Pilsener, of Pilsen
(Pilze), Czech Republic, where the beer was first brewed]
pimento cheese: A Neufchatel, process, cream, or occasionally cheddar cheese to
which ground pimientos have been added.
pinot grigio: A dry white wine that is produced in Italy. [Italian, literally, gray
pinot]
pinot noir: A dry red wine produced from the same grape as French burgundy.
[French, literally, black pinot]
ploughman's lunch: A cold lunch served especially in an English pub typically
including bread, cheese, and pickled onions.
porcino /pôrchēnō/: A large wild edible brownish boletus mushroom (Boletus
edulis). [Italian, plural of porcino, short for fungo porcino, literally, “porcine
mushroom”]
porky: Of or like pork: a porky flavor.
portobella or portabello: A mature, very large cremini mushroom.
posole /p∂sōlā/: 1. Kernels of corn that have been soaked in lime water, hulled, and
dried. 2. A stew or soup made with posole, pork, chili, and other seasonings.
[American Spanish pozole, from Nahuatl pozolli]
pot sticker: A dumpling filled with ground meat, vegetables, or other ingredients
that is browned on one side and then simmered.
precook: To cook partially or entirely before final cooking or reheating.
process cheese: A cheese made by blending several lots of cheese.
Q
quesadilla: A flour tortilla folded in half around a savory filling, as of cheese or
beans, then fried or toasted. [American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of
quesada, “type of cheesecake,” from queso, “cheese”]
quiche /kēš/: A rich unsweetened custard pie, often containing ingredients such as
vegetables, cheese, or seafood. [French, from German dialectal küche, diminutive of
German kuchen, “cake”]
quiche lorraine: A quiche containing cheese and bacon bits. [French, quiche of
Lorraine]
R
ramen: 1. A Japanese dish of noodles in broth, often garnished with small pieces of
meat and vegetables. 2. A thin white noodle served in this dish. [Japanese ramen,
from Chinese (Mandarin) la miàn, “pulled noodles”: la, “pull” + miàn, “noodle”]
ranch dressing: A creamy salad dressing usually containing milk or buttermilk and
mayonnaise.
184
rapini: A vegetable plant (Brassica rapa) related to the turnip and grown for its
pungent leafy shoots. Also called broccoli raab. [Italian, pl. diminutive of rapa,
“turnip,” from Latin rapa, pl. of rapum]
rice polishings: The inner bran layer of rice rubbed off in milling.
rock shrimp: Any of several hard-shelled warm-water shrimp (genus Sicyonia,
especially S. brevirostris) that are harvested chiefly in the Gulf of Mexico and widely
sold as food.
Rome: A variety of apple having round firm fruit with tough red skin. [after Rome
Township, Ohio, where it was discovered]
Rome Beauty: A round red apple that has firm slightly tart flesh and is used
especially for baking. [probably from Rome, village in Adams County, Ohio]
roti: A round soft flat unleavened bread; also such a bread wrapped around a filling
and eaten as a sandwich. [Hindi & Urdu roti, “bread,” akin to Sanskrit rotika, “kind
of bread”]
rough lemon: 1. A hybrid lemon that forms a large spreading thorny tree, bears
rough-skinned fruit, and is important chiefly as a rootstock for other citrus trees 2.
The fruit of a rough lemon.
rouille: A peppery garlic sauce. [French, literally, rust; from its color]
roux: A mixture of flour and fat cooked together and used as a thickening. [French
(beurre) roux, “browned (butter),” from Old French rous, “reddish brown,” from
Latin russus, “red”]
rugola: A yellowish-flowered Mediterranean herb of the mustard family cultivated
for its foliage which is used especially in salads.
S
salade niçoise: A salad of tomatoes, anchovies, black olives, and other ingredients,
especially green beans, tuna, and hard-boiled egg. [French: salade, “salad” + niçoise
fem. of niçois, “of Nice”]
salt pork: Fatty pork that is cured with salt, often used as a flavoring.
sauvignon blanc: In both senses also called Fumé Blanc. 1. A variety of grape
originally grown in France and now cultivated in many other wine-producing regions
as well, including the United States, Chile, and Australia. 2. A light white wine made
from this grape. [from or akin to obsolete dialectal French servagnin, sarvinien,
regional names for types of grape + blanc, “white”]
Scotch bonnet: A cultivar of the tropical pepper Capsicum chinense having
irregularly shaped, yellow to red fruit that is among the hottest of all peppers. [From
the shape of its fruit]
Scungilli: Conch used as food. [Italian dialect (Neapolitan) scuncigli, plural of
scunciglio, “conch”]
seitan: A chewy, protein-rich food made from wheat gluten and used as a meat
substitute.
serrano: A cultivar of the tropical pepper Capsicum annuum having small, blunt,
highly pungent red or green fruit used in cooking. [American Spanish, from Spanish,
“from the mountains,” from sierra, “mountain range”]
shell steak: The part of a short loin of beef that contains no tenderloin.
shish kebab also shish kebob or shish kabob /shĭsh k∂bäb/: A dish consisting of
pieces of seasoned meat and sometimes vegetables roasted on skewers and served
with condiments. [Armenian shish kabab, from Turkish sis kebab: sis, “skewer” +
185
kebab, “qualifying (possessive) form of kebap, “roasted meat;” probably from Arabic
kabab, “cooked meat in small pieces,” possibly from Aramaic kabbaba, “burning,
charring,” from kabbeb, to “char, roast,” probably from Akkadian kababu, “to burn”]
shoyu: Soy sauce. [Japanese shyu]
snap pea: A cultivated pea that has edible usually round pods easily snapped like
beans and that is classified with the snow pea as a variety (Pisum sativum
macrocarpon).
snow crab: Any of several long-legged crabs (genus Chionoecetes, especially C.
opilio and C. bairdi) of the eastern north Pacific Ocean and especially Alaska and the
western north Atlantic Ocean that are used for food.
soba: A Japanese noodle made with buckwheat flour. [Japanese, “buckwheat,
buckwheat noodle”]
soda bread: A quick bread leavened with baking soda and buttermilk or sour milk.
sofrito: A sautéed mixture of seasonings and finely chopped vegetables, such as
onions, garlic, and peppers, used as a base for many Spanish, Caribbean, and Latin
American dishes. [American Spanish, from variant past participle of Spanish sofreír,
“to fry lightly”]
sopaipilla or sopapilla: A crisp, puffy, deep-fried pastry often served with honey or
syrup. [American Spanish, diminutive of Spanish sopaipa, “fried dough sweetened
with honey,” from earlier xopaipa, from Mozarabic xupaipa, diminutive of úppa,
súppa, “bread soaked in oil,” from Old Spanish sopa, “food soaked in liquid,” of
Germanic origin]
soursop: In both senses also called guanabana 1. A tropical American evergreen
tree bearing spiny, yellow-green fruit with tart edible pulp. 2. The fruit of this tree.
souvlaki: Shish kebab. [Modern Greek soublakia, plural of soublaki, from
diminutive of soubla, “skewer,” from Middle Greek, from Latin subula, “awl,” from
suere, “to sew”]
soy sauce: A salty brown liquid condiment made by fermenting soybeans and
roasted wheat or barley in brine.
spaetzle: A small dumpling cooked by running batter through a colander into boiling
water. [German Spätzle, from German dialect, diminutive of Spatz, “sparrow,
dumpling”]
spaghetti squash: A variety of winter squash having a pale yellow rind and stringy
flesh that when cooked can be scooped out in strands resembling spaghetti.
spotted dick: A pudding made with suet and currants or raisins. [dialect dick
pudding, probably from the name Dick]
steamship round: A large beef roast consisting of the whole round with rump and
heel.
sticky bun: A spiral-shaped cinnamon roll topped with melted brown sugar and
butter.
string cheese: Cheese formed usually into sticks that can be pulled apart in narrow
strips.
sunchoke: 1. A North American sunflower having yellow, rayed flower heads and
edible tubers. 2. The tuber of this plant, eaten as a vegetable. [sun + artichoke]
susceptor: A metallic patch attached to microwaveable packages of food in which
radiant energy produced in the patch by microwaves helps cook the food, often by
browning its surface.
186
Swiss cheese: A hard cheese characterized by elastic texture, mild nutlike flavor, and
large holes that form during ripening.
T
tagliatelle: In both senses also called fettuccine 1. Pasta in narrow flat strips. 2. A
dish made with such strips of pasta. [Italian, pl. diminutive of fettucia, “ribbon”
possibly diminutive of fetta, “slice.” Italian, pl. of tagliatella diminutive of tagliata
from feminine past participle of tagliare, “to cut”]
taleggio: A soft creamy cheese made from the whole milk of cows. [Italian, from
Taleggio commune and valley in Italy]
tamari: Soy sauce made without wheat. [Japanese]
tapa: Any of various small, savory Spanish dishes, often served as a snack or with
other tapas as a meal. [Spanish, “lid, appetizer,” of Germanic origin]
taqueria /täk∂rē∂/: A place where tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes are made
and sold.
tarte tatin: A caramelized apple tart that is baked with pastry on top and then
inverted for serving. [French, Tatin tart, after the Tatin sisters of Lamotte-Beuvron,
France]
tatsoi: An Asian mustard having a rosette of edible dark green spoon-shaped glossy
leaves; also the leaves. [Chinese (Guangdong) daat-choi, from daat-, “sink, fall flat”
+ choi, “vegetable”]
tender: An often breaded strip of usually breast meat: chicken tenders; also the
tenderloin of a chicken. [probably short for tenderloin]
teppanyaki: A Japanese dish of meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a large griddle
usually built into the diner's table; also this style of cooking. [Japanese, from teppan,
“griddle” + yaki, “broiling”]
tequila sunrise: A cocktail consisting of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine.
textured vegetable protein: Protein from some vegetables and especially soybeans
used as a substitute for or added to meat.
tiger shrimp: A large shrimp of the Indian and Pacific oceans that is often farmed
and widely sold as food.
tikka: An Indian dish of marinated meat cooked on a skewer. [Hindi & Urdu tikkā,
“small piece of meat,” from Persian tikka]
tilsit: A semisoft porous light yellow cheese with a flavor that ranges from mild to
sharp. [German Tilsiter, from Tilsit (now Sovetsk, Russia)]
tiramisu: 1. A dessert of cake infused with a liquid such as coffee or rum, layered
with a rich cheese filling, and topped with grated chocolate. 2. A dessert made with
ladyfingers, mascarpone, and espresso. [Italian tiramisu, from tirami su!, literally,
“pull me up!”]
tomatoey: 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a tomato. 2. Richly flavored with
tomatoes.
top milk: The upper layer of milk in a container enriched by whatever cream has
risen.
tortoni: Ice cream made of heavy cream often with minced almonds and chopped
maraschino cherries and often flavored with rum. [probably from Tortoni, 19th
century Italian restaurateur in Paris]
trail mix: A mixture of seeds, nuts, and dried fruits eaten as a snack especially by
hikers.
187
trebbiano: A white grape used extensively in the production of Italian wines and
balsamic vinegar.
triple sec: A colorless orange-flavored liqueur. [from Triple Sec, a trademark]
tropical oil: Any of several oils (as coconut oil and palm oil) that are high in
saturated fatty acids and are used especially in commercially prepared baked goods,
snack products, and confections.
U
udon: A thick Japanese noodle made with wheat flour, usually served in soup or
broth.
umeboshi: A salty, tart condiment made from pickled Japanese plums. [Japanese
ume, “Japanese plum” + hoshi, “dried” (from hosu, “to dry”)]
unsaturated fat: A fat derived from plant and some animal sources, especially fish,
that is liquid at room temperature. Intake of foods containing more unsaturated fats
than saturated fats may contribute to reduced blood cholesterol levels.
urd: An annual Asian legume (Vigna mungo) widely grown in warm regions for its
edible blackish seed, for green manure, or for forage; also the seed. [Hindi & Urdu,
urad]
V
vanaspati: A hydrogenated vegetable fat used as a butter substitute in India. [Hindi,
short for vanaspati ghī, literally, “ghee from vegetable matter”]
veggie burger: A patty chiefly of vegetable-derived protein used as a meat
substitute; also a sandwich containing such a patty.
very hard: of cheese Suitable chiefly for grating.
vindaloo: 1. A blend of red chilis, tamarind, and other spices, such as ginger, cumin,
and mustard seeds. 2. Any of various dishes of southern and central India made with
this spice blend. 3. A curried dish of Indian origin made with meat or shellfish,
garlic, and wine or vinegar. [probably from Konkani vindalu, from Indo-Portuguese
(Portuguese creole of India) vinh d'alho, literally, “wine of garlic,” from Portuguese
vinho de alho]
vodka martini: A martini made with vodka instead of gin.
W
wasabi: A very pungent green Japanese condiment made from the root of the herb
Eutrema wasabi.
waterzooi: A stew of fish or chicken and vegetables in a seasoned stock thickened
with cream and egg yolks. [Dutch dialect, from water, “water” + zooi, “quantity of
cooked food”]
Wensleydale: A mild white friable cheese of English origin. [from Wensleydale,
valley in North Yorkshire]
white chocolate: Cocoa butter combined with milk and a sweetener, often flavored
with vanilla.
whipping cream: A cream suitable for whipping that by law contains not less than
30 percent butterfat.
white rice: Rice from which the hull and bran have been removed by milling.
188
whole food: A natural food and especially an unprocessed one (as a vegetable or
fruit).
wood ear: A mushroom of the genus Auricularia that grows on fallen tree trunks,
used in cooking.
Y
yabby: Any of various burrowing Australian crayfishes (genus Cherax, especially C.
destructor) that are used for food. [Wemba-Wemba (Australian aboriginal language
of Victoria) yabij]
12.7. JARGON CRIME (39)
A
acquaintance rape: Rape committed by someone known to the victim.
B
bioterrorism: The use of biological agents, such as pathogenic organisms or
agricultural pests, for terrorist purposes.
button man: A low-ranking member of an organized crime syndicate. [from a
comparison between such a man and a soldier (wearing a uniform with buttons)]
C
community service: Volunteer work performed by law offenders to serve a sentence
in lieu of or in addition to jail time.
criminalist: A specialist in the collection and examination of the physical evidence
of crime.
criminogenic: Producing or tending to produce crime or criminality: alcohol is the
most criminogenic substance in America.
D
date rape: Rape committed by the victim's date; acquaintance rape.
date-rape: To commit date rape on.
date rape drug: A drug (as GHB) administered surreptitiously (as in a drink) to
induce an unconscious or sedated state in a potential date rape victim.
domestic violence: Violence toward or physical abuse of one's spouse or domestic
partner.
drunk tank: A large detention cell for arrested drunks.
DUI: Abbr. 1. The act or crime of driving while affected by alcohol: was arrested for
DUI. 2. A person who is arrested for or convicted of driving under the influence. 3.
An arrest or conviction for driving under the influence. [Driving Under the
Influence]
189
E
ecoterrorism: 1. Sabotage intended to hinder activities that are considered damaging
to the environment. 2. Political terrorism intended to damage an enemy's natural
environment.
F
fagin: An adult who instructs others (as children) in crime. [Fagin, character in
Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist]
G
genetic fingerprint: An individual's unique sequence of DNA base pairs,
determined by exposing a sample of the person's DNA to molecular probes. DNA
fingerprints are often used as evidence in criminal law cases. Also called DNA
fingerprint.
H
hate crime: A crime motivated by prejudice against a social group: His murders
were hate crimes targeting victims by gender.
I
identity theft: The illegal use of someone else's personal information (as a Social
Security number) in order to obtain money or credit.
indecent assault: Sexual assualt.
in flagrante delicto: 1. In the very act of committing an offense; red-handed. 2. In
the act of having sex. [New Latin in flagrante delicto: while the crime is blazing.
Latin in, “in”+ Medieval Latin flagrante ablative of flagrans, “blazing + delicto,
ablative of delictum, “offense”]
M
murderess: A woman who commits murder. [murderer + -ess]
N
narco-terrorism: Terrorism financed by profits from illegal drug trafficking.
P
phreak: Phreaker.
phreaker: One who gains illegal access to the telephone system. [alteration of
freak]
point-shaving: The illegal practice of deliberately limiting the number of points
scored by one's team in an athletic contest, as in return for a payment from gamblers
to ensure winnings.
port running: The practice of openly evading a customs inspection at a port of entry
by refusing to stop one's vehicle when requested.
pyramid scheme: A fraudulent money-making scheme in which people are recruited
to make payments to others above them in a hierarchy while expecting to receive
payments from people recruited below them. Eventually the number of new recruits
190
fails to sustain the payment structure, and the scheme collapses with most people
losing the money they paid in. Also called ponzi scheme.
S
second-story man: A burglar who enters a house by an upstairs window.
sex offender: One who is convicted of a sex crime.
sex offense: A sex crime.
sexual abuse: 1. The forcing of unwanted sexual activity by one person on another,
as by the use of threats or coercion. 2. Sexual activity that is deemed improper or
harmful, as between an adult and a minor or with a person of diminished mental
capacity.
sex crime: A crime, such as rape, molestation, or sexual abuse, involving illegal or
coerced sexual activity.
serial: Responsible for a series of usually criminal acts over a period of time: a serial
arsonist.
spree killer: A serial killer whose murders occur in a very short span of time and
follow no discernible pattern.
stranger rape: A rape in which the victim does not know the rapist.
strike force: A team of federal agents assigned to investigate organized crime in a
specific area.
T
thuggee: The practice of robbery and assassination practiced by the Thugs.
Thug: One of a band of professional assassins formerly active in northern India who
worshiped Kali and offered their victims to her. [Hindi thag, perhaps from Sanskrit
sthagah, “a cheat,” from sthagati, sthagayati, “he conceals”]
trumped-up: Fradulently devised; fabricated: trumped-up criminal charges.
W
wire fraud: Fraud committed by means of electronic communication, as by
telephone or modem.
12.8.
JARGON DANCE (25)
B
battu: Of a ballet movement Performed with a striking together of the legs. [French,
from past participle of battre, “to beat”]
bhangra: Popular dance music originating chiefly in England that combines
traditional Punjabi music with elements of disco and hip-hop. [Panjabi bhāngrā, a
kind of folk dance]
break dancing also breakdancing: A form of urban dance involving styles such as
rocking, popping, and b-boying, usually performed to funk. Also called breaking.
buck-and-wing: A solo tap dance with sharp foot accents, springs, leg flings, and
heel clicks.
191
buto or butoh: A dance form developed in postwar Japan which rejects Eastern and
Western dance conventions, expressing intense emotions through slow, controlled,
and sometimes distorted movements. [Japanese buto short for ankoku buto, “dance
(of darkness).” Chinese (Mandarin) wu, “dance” + Chinese (Mandarin) tà, “step,
stamping”]
C
capoeira /kăpōār∂/: An Afro-Brazilian dance form that incorporates self-defense
maneuvers.
chaine: A series of short usually fast turns by which a ballet dancer moves across the
stage. [French, from past participle of chaîner, “to chain”]
character dance: 1. A dance that represents a particular character, especially in
ballet. 2. A characteristic national dance such as the habañera or polka.
charanga: A style of popular Cuban dance music characterized by the use of violins
and flutes along with percussion instruments, piano, bass, and vocals.
conga: A Cuban dance of African origin involving three steps followed by a kick
and performed by a group usually in single file. [American Spanish, probably from
feminine of congo, “black person,” from Congo, region in Africa]
conga line: 1. A ceremonial dance in which snakes or their images are handled,
invoked, or symbolically imitated by individual sinuous actions. 2. A group
progression in a single-file serpentine path (as in celebration of an athletic victory).
F
fancy dance: A fast, elaborately choreographed Native American powwow dance
performed by a costumed male dancer to a drum accompaniment.
fouette: A quick whipping movement of the raised leg in ballet usually
accompanying a pirouette. [French, from past participle of fouetter, “to whip,” from
Middle French, from fouet, “whip,” from Old French, from fou, “beech,” from Latin
fagus]
J
jazz dance : Any of various dances characterized by the use of improvisation and
influenced by rhythms and techniques of jazz music.
L
lambada: 1. A Brazilian ballroom dance in which the partners press against each
other tightly and gyrate sensually. 2. Music for performing this dance.
line dance: 1. A dance performed by a group usually in single file. 2. A dance in
which the dancers stand in ranks while performing a particular set of steps in unison.
locking: A style of dancing in which energetic manuevers are performed, especially
emphasizing the use of arm movements, usually to funk or hip-hop music.
M
maxixe /m∂shēsh/: A ballroom dance of Brazilian origin that resembles the two-step.
[Brazilian Portuguese]
moonwalk: To dance by gliding backwards while appearing to make forward
walking motions.
192
P
popping: A style of dancing that incorporates the rhythmic contraction of the
dancer's muscles and pantomimed movements, usually to funk or hip-hop music.
port de bras: The technique or practice of positioning and moving the arms in ballet.
U
urban dance: Any of various dances influenced by the rhythms and techniques of
funk and hip-hop music.
Z
zapateado: A Latin-American dance marked by rhythmic stamping or tapping of the
feet. [Spanish, from zapatear, “to strike or tap with the shoe,” from zapato, “shoe”]
zapateo: Zapateado. [Spanish]
zouk: A popular dance music of the French West Indies, combining African
drumming styles with influences from American and Caribbean popular music.
12.9
JARGON ECOLOGY (45)
A
animal control officer: An officer in local government whose duty is to enforce
ordinances regulating the ownership of animals and to respond to incidents in which
animals are involved.
animal rights: The rights to humane treatment claimed on behalf of animals,
especially the right not to be exploited for human purposes.
B
beauty strip: A narrow section of forested land, as along a highway or watercourse,
that is left uncut so as to hide a heavily logged area from view.
biodiversification: The process by which biodiversity develops or is increased
within a region or a group of organisms.
biodiversity: 1. The number and variety of organisms found within a specified
geographic region. 2. The variability among living organisms on the earth, including
the variability within and between species and within and between ecosystems.
biofuel: Fuel (as wood or ethanol) composed of or produced from biological raw
materials.
biopesticide: A pesticide consisting of naturally occurring or genetically engineered
microorganisms (as bacteria).
bioreserve: An area containing a wildlife preserve bordered by a buffer zone in
which more frequent use is permitted to the public, established as a way of
integrating habitat conservation with the interests of the local community.
biosafety: Safety with respect to the effects of biological research on humans and
the environment.
193
butterfly effect: A property of chaotic systems (as the atmosphere) by which small
changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the
future state of the system.
C
candidate species: A species of plants or animals classified as a candidate for
possible listing as endangered or threatened by a government agency.
climatic climax: Of the ecological climaxes possible in a particular climatic area
whose stability is directly due to the influence of climate.
D
deep ecology: A form of environmentalism that advocates radical measures to
protect the natural environment regardless of their effect on the welfare of people.
diet pyramid: A graphic representation of the structure of a food chain, depicted as
a pyramid having a broad base formed by producers and tapering to a point formed
by end consumers. Between successive levels, total biomass decreases as energy is
lost from the system.
E
eco-conscious: Marked by or showing concern for the environment: eco-conscious
consumers.
ecofeminism: A movement or theory that applies feminist principles and ideas to
ecological issues.
ecomanagement: Any of various strategies to minimize or eliminate the adverse
effects of human activities on the environment.
ecotour: A trip that follows the principles of ecotourism.
ecotourism: Tourism involving travel to areas of natural or ecological interest,
typically under the guidance of a naturalist, for the purpose of observing wildlife and
learning about the environment.
ecotoxicology: A scientific discipline combining the methods of ecology and
toxicology in studying the effects of toxic substances and especially pollutants on the
environment.
electrojet: An electric current that moves in an ionized layer above the equator in the
earth's upper atmosphere.
endangered species: A species present in such small numbers that it is at risk of
extinction.
entomofauna: A fauna of insects: the insects of an environment or region.
G
gully erosion: Soil erosion produced by running water.
H
hanging valley: A tributary valley that joins a main valley where the latter has been
deepened, usually by glacial erosion, resulting in a steep drop from the floor of the
tributary valley to the floor of the main valley.
hazmat: Abbr. Hazardous material.
194
heterotopic: Occurring in a number of different habitats.
I
integrated pest management: Management of agricultural and horticultural pests
that minimizes the use of chemicals and emphasizes natural and low-toxicity
methods (as the use of crop rotation and beneficial predatory insects).
M
mor: Forest humus that forms a layer of largely organic matter distinct from the
mineral soil beneath. [Danish, literally, humus]
N
non-renewable: Of or relating to an energy source, such as oil or natural gas, or a
natural resource, such as a metallic ore, that is not replaceable after it has been used.
no-till: A system for planting crops without plowing, using herbicides to control
weeds and resulting in reduced soil erosion and the preservation of soil nutrients.
O
ozone hole: An area of the ozone layer, such as the large area over Antarctica or the
smaller area over the North Pole, that periodically becomes depleted of ozone.
P
particulate matter: abbr. PM. Material suspended in the air in the form of minute
solid particles or liquid droplets, especially when considered as an atmospheric
pollutant.
phytoremediation: The use of plants and trees to remove or neutralize
contaminants, as in polluted soil or water.
predation pressure: The effects of predation on a natural community especially
with respect to the survival of species preyed upon.
provinciality: The restriction of the range of a plant or animal population to a
province or group of provinces.
punctuated equilibrium: The theory that speciation occurs in spurts of major
genetic alterations that punctuate long periods of little change.
R
radwaste: Radioactive waste.
rain shadow: An area having relatively little precipitation due to the effect of a
barrier, such as a mountain range, that causes the prevailing winds to lose their
moisture before reaching it.
S
self-contamination: 1. Contamination by oneself. 2. Contamination from within.
stubble mulch: A lightly tilled mulch of plant residue used to prevent erosion,
conserve moisture, and add organic matter to the soil.
195
T
teleonomy: The quality of apparent purposefulness of structure or function in living
organisms due to evolutionary adaptation. [teleo- (as in teleology) + -nomy]
tree-hugger: An environmentalist, especially one who supports the preservation of
forested land and the restriction of logging.
W
wilderness area: An often large tract of public land maintained essentially in its
natural state and protected against introduction of intrusive artifacts (as roads and
buildings).
Z
zeitgeber: An environmental agent or event (as the occurrence of light or dark) that
provides the stimulus setting or resetting a biological clock of an organism.
[German, from zeit, “time” + geber, “giver”]
12.10. JARGON EDUCATION (52)
A
adult education: Continuing education.
academic year: The annual period of sessions of an educational institution usually
beginning in September and ending in June.
ACT: A trademark for a standardized college entrance examination. [American
College Test]
audiovisuals: Audiovisual teaching materials (as filmstrips accompanied by
recordings).
B
basal reader: A textbook compiled to teach people, especially young children, to
read.
bilingual education: Education in an English-language school system in which
students with little fluency in English are taught in both their native language and
English.
C
charter school: A public school operated independently of the local school board,
often with a curriculum and educational philosophy different from the other schools
in the system.
child-directed speech: Any of various speech patterns used by parents or caregivers
when communicating with young children, particularly infants, usually involving
simplified vocabulary, melodic pitch, repetitive questioning, and a slow or deliberate
tempo.
196
compensatory education: Educational programs intended to make up for
experiences (as cultural) lacked by disadvantaged children.
compositionist: A teacher of writing especially in a college or university.
corequisite: A formal course of study required to be taken simultaneously with
another.
D
distance learning: Education in which students take academic courses by accessing
information and communicating with the instructor asynchronously over a computer
network.
E
educational quotient: A measure of the effectiveness of an educational system,
based on factors such as funding, graduation rate, standardized test scores, and
student to teacher ratio.
edutainment: 1. The act of learning through a medium that both educates and
entertains. 2. Any of various media, such as computer software, that educate and
entertain.
exchange student: A student from one country received into an institution in another
country in exchange for one sent to an institution in the home country of the first.
external degree: A degree conferred on a student who has not attended the
university but has passed the qualifying examination.
externship: A training program that is part of a course of study of an educational
institution and is taken in private business.
G
grade inflation: A rise in the average grade assigned to students; especially the
assigning of grades higher than previously assigned for given levels of achievement.
H
halls of ivy: University, college. [from the traditional training of ivy on the walls of
older college buildings]
house of studies: An educational institution serving scholars of a religious order.
J
juco: Junior college; also an athlete at a junior college.
Juris Doctor: A degree conferred by a law school usually after three years of fulltime study. [Latin, doctor of law]
L
language arts: The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at
developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary
school.
197
M
manipulatives: Objects (as blocks) that a student is instructed to use in a way that
teaches or reinforces a lesson.
master's: A master's degree.
metacognition: Awareness or analysis of one's own learning or thinking processes.
N
night school: A school that holds classes in the evening.
P
paired-associate learning: The learning of syllables, digits, or words in pairs (as in
the study of a foreign language) so that one member of the pair evokes recall of the
other.
placement test: A test usually given to a student entering an educational institution
to determine specific knowledge or proficiency in various subjects for the purpose of
assignment to appropriate courses or classes.
pop quiz: An unscheduled or unannounced quiz.
pre-k: Prekindergarten.
privatdozent: An unsalaried university lecturer or teacher in German-speaking
countries remunerated directly by students' fees. [German privatdozent, from privat,
“private” + dozent, “teacher,” from Latin docent-, docens, present participle of
docere, “to teach”]
Q
quality point: One of the points assigned to each course credit (as in a college) in
accordance with the letter grade earned in the course.
quality point average: The average obtained by dividing the total number of grade
points earned by the total number of credits attempted.
R
raw score: An individual's actual achievement score (as on a test) before being
adjusted for relative position in the test group.
realia: Objects or activities used to relate classroom teaching to the real life
especially of peoples studied.
residential college: A self-governing constituent body of a university offering living
quarters and sometimes instruction but not granting degrees.
S
school choice: A public school program that allows students to choose to attend any
of various participating private and public schools, usually based on a system of
vouchers or scholarships.
science fair: A competitive exhibition of science projects usually carried out by
schoolchildren.
self-paced: Designed to permit learning at the student's own pace: self-paced math
course.
198
semester hour: A unit of academic credit representing an hour of class (as lecture
class) or three hours of laboratory work each week for an academic semester.
S level: 1. The highest of three standardized British examinations in a secondary
school subject used as a qualification for university entrance; also successful
completion of an S-level examination in a particular subject. Also Scholarship level.
2.a. The level of education required to pass an S-level examination. b. A course
leading to an S-level examination.
social promotion: The practice of promoting a student from one grade level to the
next on the basis of age rather than academic achievement.
standard score: An individual test score expressed as the deviation from the mean
score of the group in units of standard deviation.
stanine: Any of the nine classes into which a set of normalized standard scores
arranged according to rank in educational testing are divided, which include the
bottom 4 percent and the top 4 percent of the scores in the first and ninth classes and
the middle 20 percent in the fifth, and which have a standard deviation of 2 and a
mean of 5. [standard (score) + nine]
student government: The organization and management of student life by various
student organizations.
student's t distribution: T distribution. [Student, pen name of W. S. Gosset (died
1937), British statistician]
T
t distribution: A probability density function that is used especially in testing
hypotheses concerning means of normal distributions whose standard deviations are
unknown and that is the distribution of a random variable t = (u√n)/v where u and v
are themselves independent random variables and u has a normal distribution with
mean 0 and a standard deviation of 1 and v2 has a chi-square distribution with n
degrees of freedom.
tool subject: A subject studied to gain competence in a skill used in other subjects.
tutorial: A class conducted by a tutor for one student or a small number of students.
V
vestibule school: A school organized in an industrial plant to train new workers in
specific skills.
visiting: Invited to join or attend an institution (as a university) for a limited time: a
visiting professor; a visiting fellow.
12.11. JARGON ELECTRONICS (54)
A
animatronics: The technology employing electronics to animate motorized puppets.
audio-animatronic: Being or consisting of a lifelike electromechanical figure of a
person or animal that has synchronized movement and sound. [from AudioAnimatronics, a trademark]
199
C
cable box: An electronic tuning device, often including a descrambler, that allows
channels transmitted by cable to be selected for viewing on a television.
cable-ready: Capable of receiving unscrambled cable television signals directly, as a
television set or tuner, without additional equipment such as a frequency converter
box.
caller ID: A telephone service that provides for subscribers the name and telephone
number of a caller, which appear on a display as the call is being received.
call forwarding: A telephone service that enables a customer to have an incoming
call automatically rerouted to another extension.
call waiting: A telephone service that alerts someone using the phone to an incoming
call and allows switching between calls.
car phone: A cellular telephone used or installed in a car.
CD-R: Compact disk-recordable.
clicker: One that clicks, as: a remote control, as for a television or VCR.
closed loop: A control system with an active feedback loop.
communicator: An electronic device enabling individuals with physical disabilities
to communicate through LED displays, printed or electronic messages, or synthetic
speech.
connectivity: The ability to make and maintain a connection between two or more
points in a telecommunications system: a phone company that offers excellent
Internet connectivity.
D
decoder: A device that decodes a scrambled electronic signal to make it
interpretable.
digital camera: A camera that records images as digital data instead of on film.
digital photography: A method of photography in which an image is digitally
encoded and stored for later reproduction.
digital satellite system: A system in which a satellite dish receives a digital signal,
decodes the signal, and passes it to a television, radio receiver, or computer.
digital versatile disc: DVD.
duplexer: A switching device that permits alternate transmission and reception with
the same radio antenna.
DVD: A high-density compact disk for storing large amounts of data, especially
high-resolution audio-visual material.
DVR: Digital video recorder.
E
electrochromic: Of or relating to a substance that changes color or transparency
when subjected to charged electrodes, as in the liquid crystal display of many
calculators.
F
feedhorn: A satellite dish component that captures the signal reflected from the dish
surface and channels it into an amplifier.
200
flying spot: A spot of light moved over a surface (as one bearing printing or an
image) so that light reflected from or transmitted by different parts of the surface is
translated into electrical signals for transmission (as in television or computers).
G
graphic equalizer: An electronic equalizer that allows one to increase or decrease a
fixed set of frequency ranges in an audio system.
H
hard-wire: To connect (electronic components, for example) by electrical wires or
cables.
L
listening post: A center for monitoring electronic communications (as of an enemy).
M
megapixel: One million pixels.
microsensor: A miniature electronic device that detects information about a specific
variable such as temperature or light.
microswitch: A very small switch that is sensitive to minute motions and is used
especially in automatic devices.
N
neural network: A real or virtual device, modeled after the human brain, in which
several interconnected elements process information simultaneously, adapting and
learning from past patterns.
noninterlaced: Of, relating to, or using a method of video scanning (as for a
television or computer screen) in which the horizontal lines of each frame are drawn
consecutively in a single pass.
O
optical tweezers: A technique that uses a single-beam laser directed through an
objective lens to trap, image, and manipulate micron-sized particles in three
dimensions.
optoelectronics: The branch of physics that deals with the interconversion of
electricity and light.
P
pan and scan: A method of printing movies for presentation on television that
modifies the rectangular theater image by trimming the sides and focusing on
significant action within the newly truncated image.
patchboard: A switchboard in which circuits are interconnected by patch cords.
patch cord: A wire with a plug at each end that is used to connect electrical devices.
PDA: A small hand-held device equipped with a microprocessor that is used
especially for storing and organizing personal information (as addresses, schedules,
and notes). [personal digital assistant]
201
petahertz: Abbr. PHz. One quadrillion (1015) hertz.
photomultiplier: An electronic sensing device used to detect electromagnetic energy
of a wide range of frequencies and intensity levels.
pixel: The basic unit of the composition of an image on a television screen, computer
monitor, or similar display. [pix + element]
power strip: An electrical device consisting of a cord with a plug on one end and
several sockets on the other.
push-pull: Of or relating to an arrangement of two identical electronic devices that
are set in opposite phase in order to minimize distortion.
R
radio car: An automobile equipped with radio communication..
redial: A function on a telephone that automatically repeats the dialing of the last
number called; also a button that invokes this function.
reconfigure: To rearrange the elements or settings of: reconfigure the wiring in a
switchboard; reconfigure a computer to accept a new peripheral.
S
streaming: Relating to or being the transfer of data (as audio or video material) in a
continuous stream especially for immediate processing or playback.
subwoofer: A loudspeaker responsive only to the lowest acoustic frequencies.
surge protector: A portable device containing electrical outlets that protects
equipment plugged into it from a surge in current.
T
tape drive: A device that reads data stored on magnetic tape and writes data onto the
tape for storage.
telefax: A system of transmitting and reproducing graphic matter (as printing or still
pictures) by means of signals sent over telephone lines.
V
varistor: An electrical resistor whose resistance depends on the applied voltage.
[vari- + resistor]
W
wire recorder: A magnetic recorder using a thin wire as the recording medium.
X
X band: A segment of the superhigh-frequency radio spectrum that lies between 5.2
GHz and 10.9 GHz and is used especially for radars and for spacecraft
communication.
202
12.12. JARGON ENTERTAINMENT (107)
A
air show: An exhibition of aircraft and piloting skills.
aspect ratio: The ratio of the width of a television or motion-picture image to its
height.
auteur theory: A view of filmmaking in which the director is considered the
primary creative force in a motion picture.
B
background music: Music to accompany the dialogue or action of a motion picture
or radio or television drama.
body double: A movie actor who substitutes for a leading performer, especially in
distance shots or scenes not involving the face, such as close-ups of a portion of the
body.
body mike: A small wireless microphone worn inconspicuously or hidden on the
body, as by a performer or announcer, so as to allow freedom of movement.
borscht circuit: The theaters and nightclubs associated with the Jewish summer
resorts in the Catskills. [from the popularity of borscht on menus of the resorts]
busk: To play music or perform entertainment in a public place, usually while
soliciting money. [earlier, to be an itinerant performer, probably from busk, “to go
about seeking, cruise as a pirate,” perhaps from obsolete French busquer, “to prowl,”
from Italian buscare, “to prowl,” or Spanish buscar, “to seek” from Old Spanish
boscar]
C
call-and-response: Of or relating to a style of singing in which the melody sung by
one singer is responded to or echoed by another or others.
call sheet: A daily schedule of filming for a movie or television show.
central casting: A movie studio department responsible for hiring actors, especially
for nonstarring roles.
channel-surf: To watch a number of different television stations in rapid succession
by using a remote control.
chop-socky: A genre of motion pictures featuring martial arts violence: a chop-socky
star.
chorus boy: A young man who sings or dances in the chorus of a theatrical
production (as a musical or revue).
cine /sĭnē/: Motion picture. [probably from French cine, short for cinema, “cinema”]
cineplex: A complex that houses several movie theaters. [cinema + -plex]
crowd surfing: The action or diversion of being passed by hand above a densely
packed crowd, as at a rock concert.
cruciverbalist: 1. A constructor of crosswords. 2. An enthusiast of word games,
especially of crosswords. [from Latin crux, cruc-, “cross” + Latin verbum, “word”
(translation of English crossword)]
203
cutting room: A room where film or videotape is edited, often used attributively in
cutting-room floor to describe something removed or discarded in or as if in editing a
film: the scene ended up on the cutting-room floor.
D
direct broadcast satellite: A television broadcasting system in which satellite
transmissions are received by a dish antenna at the viewing location (as a home).
director's cut: The version of a film in which the editing process is overseen,
executed, or approved by the director, usually including footage not included in the
standard release.
Disneyesque: Resembling or suggestive of the films, television productions, or
amusement parks made by Walt Disney or his organization.
Disneyfication: The transformation (as of something real or unsettling) into
carefully controlled and safe entertainment or an environment with similar qualities:
the Disneyfication of a downtown.
double bill: A bill (as at a theater) offering two principal features.
dramatic unities: The unities of time, place, and action that are observed in classical
drama.
dramedy: A comedy (as a film or television show) having dramatic moments.
E
Edgar: A statuette awarded annually by a professional organization for notable
achievement in mystery-novel writing. [Edgar Allan Poe, regarded as father of the
detective story]
Emmy: A statuette awarded annually by the Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences for outstanding achievement in television. [possibly alteration (influenced
by the name Emmy, diminutive of Emma), of immy, alteration of “image orthicon”]
escape artist: A performer who entertains by escaping from confinement.
establishing shot: A usually long shot in film or video used at the beginning of a
sequence to establish an overview of the scene that follows.
e-zine: A magazine that is published electronically, especially on the Internet.
F
featurette: A short film; especially a short documentary film about the making of a
full-length movie.
filmi: Music composed for the Indian popular film industry, using traditional and
modern instruments, with melodies and vocal styles derived from Indian folk and
classical music.
film noir: 1. A movie characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and
corrupt, cynical characters. 2. The genre or style of such movies.
first run: The initial period in which a movie is released.
foley: 1. A technical process by which sounds are created or altered for use in a film,
video, or other electronically produced work. 2. A person who creates or alters
sounds using this process. [after Jack Foley, (1891-1967), pioneering sound effect
editor at Universal Studios in the 1930s]
following shot: A shot in a movie in which the camera follows behind or along with
a moving subject.
204
fourth wall: The space separating the audience from the action of a theatrical
performance, traditionally conceived of as an imaginary wall completing the
enclosure of the stage.
four-way: 1. Having, permitting, or indicating passage in four directions: a four-way
intersection; a four-way stop signal. 2. Having four participants or ingredients: a
four-way teleconference; four-way chili.
freak show: An exhibition (as a sideshow) featuring freaks of nature.
funplex: An entertainment complex that includes facilities for various sports and
games and often restaurants.
G
Grammy: A service mark used for any of the statuettes awarded by the National
Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for excellence in the recording industry.
grip: a. A stagehand who helps in shifting scenery. b. A member of a film
production crew who adjusts sets, lighting, and props and sometimes assists the
camera operator. [Middle English, from Old English gripe, “grasp,” and gripa,
“handful”]
H
happy talk: Informal talk among the participants in a television news broadcast; also
a broadcast format featuring such talk.
high-concept: Designed to appeal to a mass audience, as by incorporating popular,
glamorous features: a high-concept screenplay.
home theater: A system of sophisticated electronic equipment for the presentation
of theater-quality images and sound in the home.
I
intertitle: A printed narration or portion of dialogue flashed on the screen between
the scenes of a silent film.
K
karaoke: A device that plays instrumental accompaniments for a selection of songs
to which the user sings along and that records the user's singing with the music; also
a form of entertainment involving the use of a karaoke machine (as in a bar).
[Japanese, from kara, “empty” + ōke, short for ōkesutora, “orchestra”]
key grip: The technician in charge of moving and setting up camera tracks and
scenery in a motion-picture or television production.
L
lap dance: An erotic dance that a stripper performs while straddling a customer's
lap.
laughline: A line of dialogue intended to cause laughter: actors who are directed...
to cutely underline every nuance and laughline.
live-action: Of, relating to, or featuring cinematography that is not produced by
animation: a live-action film.
205
M
megaplex: A large multiplex typically housing 16 or more movie theaters.
mistress of ceremonies: A woman who presides at a public ceremony or who acts as
hostess of a stage, radio, or television show.
multiplatinum: Having sold two million or more copies of an album.
N
neorealism: A movement especially in Italian filmmaking characterized by the
simple direct depiction of lower-class life.
noh: Classic Japanese dance-drama having a heroic theme, a chorus, and highly
stylized action, costuming, and scenery.
noir: 1. Of or relating to the film noir genre. 2. A genre of crime literature featuring
tough, cynical characters and bleak settings. 3. Suggestive of danger or violence.
O
Obie: An award given annually for exceptional achievement in off-Broadway
theater. [From O.B., Abbr. for off-Broadway]
one-man band: A musician who plays several instruments during a solo
performance.
open mike: An event in which amateurs may perform (as at a coffeehouse) usually
without auditioning first.
Oscar: A trademark for a statuette awarded annually by the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences for achievement in movies.
P
pay-per-view: A service offered by cable television companies that allows
subscribers to view special programs for an additional charge.
pay-TV: A system for receiving television broadcasts by making subscription
payments, as by renting a device that unscrambles the broadcaster's scrambled signal.
Also called pay television.
penny arcade: An amusement center having coin-operated devices for
entertainment.
PG: A trademark used for a movie rating indicating that admission will be granted to
persons of all ages but that parental guidance is advised in the case of children.
PG-13: A trademark used for a movie rating indicating that admission will be
granted to persons of all ages but that parental guidance is suggested in the case of
children under the age of 13.
phone-in: A call-in show (as on radio).
platinum record: A platinum phonograph record awarded to a singer or group
whose album has sold at least one million copies.
playlist also play list: A list of musical selections for broadcast or performance: the
radio station's playlist of songs.
poetry slam: A spoken-word poetry competition.
pointe shoe: A ballet slipper with a hardened, reinforced toe that enables a dancer to
perform or dance on the toes. Also toe shoe.
206
Q
quizmaster: A person who asks questions of contestants on a quiz show.
R
reenactor: A person who participates in reenactments of historical events.
release print: A motion-picture film released for public showing.
remaster: To master again, especially to produce a new master recording of (an old
recording) in order to improve the sound quality.
remix: To recombine (audio tracks or channels from a recording) to produce a new
or modified audio recording: remixed a popular ballad and turned it into a dance hit.
road show: 1. A theatrical performance given by a troupe on tour. 2. A special
engagement of a new motion picture usually at increased prices. 3. A promotional
presentation or meeting conducted in a series of locations.
roller derby: Used for an entertainment involving a contest between two rollerskating teams on an oval track.
running time: The duration of a motion picture, a theatrical performance, or a
recording.
S
scripter: Scriptwriter.
scriptwriter: One who writes copy to be used by an announcer, performer, or
director in a film or broadcast.
soaper: Soap opera.
sound-and-light show: A theatrical entertainment presented at night in a historic,
usually outdoor setting, using recorded sound, lighting, and other effects to relate the
history of the place. Also son et lumière. [Translation of French son et lumière,
“sound and light”]
soundscape: An atmosphere or environment created by or with sound: the raucous
soundscape of a city street; a play with a haunting soundscape. [sound + landscape]
space opera: A futuristic melodramatic fantasy involving space travelers and
extraterrestrial beings.
splatter: Characterized by extreme or excessive gore or violence: a splatter movie.
spoken-word: Spoken aloud, especially in performance: spoken-word poetry.
sports bar: A bar catering especially to sports fans and typically cantaining several
televisions and often sports memorabilia.
stop-action: Stop-motion.
stop-motion: A filming technique in which successive positions of objects (as clay
models) are photographed to produce the appearance of movement.
subscription TV: Pay-TV that broadcasts programs directly over the air to
customers provided with a special receiver.
sudser: Soap opera.
surround sound: Sound reproduction that often uses three or more transmission
channels to enhance the illusion of a live hearing.
T
T and A: Curvaceous and often scantily clothed women; also entertainment
featuring such women. [tits & ass]
207
talk radio: Broadcast radio programming consisting of talk shows, often including
telephone conversations with members of the audience.
techno-thriller: A thriller whose plot relies on modern technology.
top billing: The position at the top of a theatrical bill usually featuring the star's
name.
Top 40: The forty most popular musical recordings or songs of a given time period.
U
unplugged: 1. Of, relating to, or being a musical instrument, arrangement, or
performance that does not feature electronic amplification or modification; acoustic:
His fans will be pleased that more than half the cuts have the familiar sweetness,
even when they include drums and a bit of snarling unplugged guitar. 2. Without
electronic amplification or modification; acoustically: performed unplugged in an
intimate café.
V
videoland: Television as a medium or industry.
W
water park: An amusement park whose attractions include slides, fountains, and
other recreational settings involving water.
waterslide: A continuously wetted chute (as at an amusement park) down which
people slide into a pool.
wide-screen: Of or relating to a projected picture whose aspect ratio is substantially
greater than 1.33:1.
world premiere: The first regular performance (as of a theatrical production)
anywhere in the world.
X
X-rated: 1. Having the rating X: an X-rated movie. 2. Vulgar, obscene, or explicit in
the treatment of sex: an X-rated novel; X-rated graffiti.
Z
zarzuela: A usually comic Spanish operetta. [Spanish, probably from La Zarzuela,
royal residence near Madrid where it was first performed]
12.13. JARGON FASHION (100)
A
abas: 1. A loose sleeveless outer garment worn as traditional dress by men in the
Middle East. 2. A fabric woven from the hair of camels or goats.
aloha shirt: Hawaiian shirt.
antistyle: A style (as of dress) based on the rejection of current or established styles.
208
B
baby tee: 1. A T-shirt designed for a baby or young child. 2. A close-fitting, often
short T-shirt worn especially by young women and teenage girls.
backwrap: A wraparound garment (as a skirt) that fastens in the back.
barrel cuff: An unfolded cuff (as on a shirt) usually fastened by a button.
bi-swing: Made with a pleat or gusset at the back of the arms: bi-swing jacket.
boatneck: A wide neckline that extends toward the tips of the shoulders.
body piercing: The practice or an instance of adorning the body with jewelry or
ornamentation that penetrates the flesh.
bomber jacket: A zippered usually leather jacket with front pockets and knitted
cuffs and waistband.
bottle blond: A person whose hair has been bleached blond.
brush cut: A short haircut in which the hair stands up on top, resembling a brush.
burka or burqa: A loose enveloping garment that covers the face and body and is
worn in public by certain Muslim women. [Urdu burqa', from Persian burqa', burqu',
from Arabic burqu']
bush shirt: A usually loose-fitting cotton shirt with patch pockets. [from its use in
rough country]
C
cable-knit: Having or made with a knitting stitch that produces a pattern resembling
the twist of a usually two-ply cable: a cable-knit sweater.
camp shirt: A woman's shirt having a notched collar and often patch pockets.
cap sleeve: A very short sleeve (as on a dress) that hangs over the edge of the
shoulder without extending along the underside of the arm.
cargo pants: Pants with cargo pockets typically on the sides of the legs at thigh
level.
cargo pocket: A large pocket usually with a flap and a pleat.
casualwear: Attire for wear on casual occasions: wore casualwear to the outdoor
reception.
catsuit: A tight-fitting one-piece garment for women usually made of leather or a
synthetic fabric such as spandex and covering the torso, legs, and sometimes the
arms.
chaparajos: Chaps: Leather leggings joined by a belt or lacing, often having flared
outer flaps, and worn over the trousers (as by western ranch hands) [modification of
Mexican Spanish chaparreras, from chaparro, “short”]
cheongsam: A long dress with a high collar and slit skirt, traditionally worn by
Chinese women.
column dress: A slim-fitting dress with a straight narrow shape.
coolie hat: A conical-shaped usually straw hat worn especially to protect the head
from the heat of the sun.
costume jewelry: Jewelry made from inexpensive metals and imitation or
semiprecious stones.
cowl-neck: A high loose-fitting turnover collar used especially for sweaters.
209
D
deck shoe: A low shoe having a nonslip sole and a lace that is threaded through a
channel around the back of the shoe.
dishdasha: A long usually white robe traditionally worn by men in the Middle East.
[Arabic dishdasha]
do-rag: A scarf or kerchief worn as a head covering, often tied at the nape of the
neck. [hairdo + rag]
dresser set: A set of toilet articles including hairbrush, comb, and mirror for use at a
dresser or dressing table.
dress shield: A pad worn inside a part of the clothing liable to be soiled by
perspiration (as at the underarm).
dress shirt: A man's shirt especially for wear with evening dress; a shirt suitable for
wear with a necktie.
dropped: Designed to extend or begin lower than normal: a dress with a dropped
waist; dropped shoulders.
drop seat: A seat (as in an undergarment) that can be unbuttoned.
E
ear clip: An earring with a clip fastener.
earlock: A lock of curled hair that hangs in front of the ear.
F
fanny pack: A waist pack, especially as worn with the pouch over the buttocks.
flippy: Loose and flaring at the bottom: a flippy skirt.
floor-length: Reaching to the floor: a floor-length gown.
flutter sleeve: A loose-fitting tapered sleeve falling in folds over the upper arm.
French twist: A woman's hairstyle in which the hair is coiled at the rear and secured
in place.
G
garter belt: A flexible band of cloth worn around the waist to which garters are
attached to hold up socks or stockings.
gimme cap: An adjustable visored cap that often features a corporate logo or slogan.
glen plaid: A twill pattern of broken checks; also a fabric woven in this pattern.
[short for glenurquhart plaid, from Glen Urquhart, valley in Inverness-shire,
Scotland]
godet: A triangular piece of fabric usually set into the hem of a garment to add
fullness. [French, goblet, godet, from Middle Dutch codde, “cylindrical piece of
wood”]
Goth: A person who wears mostly black clothing, uses dark dramatic makeup, and
often has dyed black hair.
H
harem pants: Loosely fitted women's trousers that are gathered at the ankle. [from
the association of harems with Turkey, the origin of this style of clothing]
210
Hawaiian shirt: A colorfully patterned short-sleeved sport shirt. [from the fact that
the style originated in Hawaii]
K
kente: 1. A brightly patterned, handwoven ceremonial cloth of the Ashanti. 2. A
durable machine-woven fabric similar to this fabric, prominently featured in
Afrocentric fashion [Twi kente, “cloth”]
khaddar: A coarse homespun cloth made in India. [Hindi khadar, probably
ultimately of Dravidian origin; akin to Telugu kanduva, “upper garment”]
kick pleat: A short inverted pleat (as at the bottom of a skirt) used to give breadth.
kufi: A close-fitting brimless cylindrical or round hat. [from Arabic kufiya,
kaffiyeh]
L
long-waisted: Having a distance between shoulders and waist that is longer than
average.
M
mastopexy: Plastic surgery in which the breasts are lifted or reshaped.
merry widow: A short strapless corset with half cups for the breasts and long
garters.
micromini: A very short miniskirt.
minidress: A short close-fitting dress.
mock turtleneck: 1. A collar that is lower and usually looser than a turtleneck and
is not turned over. 2. A garment with a mock turtleneck.
N
napa leather: A glove leather made by tawing sheepskins with a soap-and-oil
mixture; also a similar soft leather. [Napa, California]
O
outercoat: An outer garment worn on the upper body and varying in length and style
according to fashion and use.
P
panama: A lightweight hat of natural-colored straw hand-plaited of narrow strips
from the young leaves of the jipijapa; also a machine-made imitation of this.
[American Spanish panamà, “from Panama”]
pantie girdle: A woman's girdle having a sewed-in or detachable crotch and made
with or without garters and bones.
pantsuit also pants suit: A woman's suit having pants and a matching jacket.
parachute pants: Baggy casual pants of lightweight fabric often with an elastic or
drawstring at the waist and the cuffs.
pashmina: A fine wool similar to cashmere made from the undercoat of domestic
Himalayan goats; also a shawl made from this wool. [Persian, from pashmin,
“woolen,” from pashm, “wool”]
211
penny loafer: A loafer with a strap across the upper originally used for holding a
penny.
pierced: 1. Of or relating to a body part that has been perforated for the purpose of
attaching a piece of jewelry: pierced ears. 2. Of or relating to a piece of jewelry
designed to be worn in such a body part: a pierced earring.
piercing: A piece of jewelry (as a ring or stud) that is attached to pierced flesh
plus-size: 1. An extra large or oversize clothing size, especially one for women's or
children's clothing. 2. A garment of such a size.
pointelle: An openwork design (as in knitted fabric) typically in the shape of
chevrons; also a fabric with this design. [perhaps from point + -elle (as in dentelle
lace)]
polo-neck: Turtleneck.
R
roll-neck: Turtleneck.
ruche: A ruffle or pleat of lace, muslin, or other fine fabric used for trimming
women's garments. [French, from Old French rusche, “beehive,” from Medieval
Latin rūsca, “bark of a tree” (used for making beehives), of Celtic origin]
ruching /rooshĭŋ/: 1. Ruches: A ruffle or pleat of lace, muslin, or other fine fabric
used for trimming women's garments. 2. Fabric for ruches. [French, from Old French
rusche, “beehive”]
S
scrunchie also scrunchy: An elasticized fabric ring used chiefly by women and girls
to gather or fasten the hair. [after the company that made such rings]
self-belt: A belt made of the same material as the garment with which it is worn.
semifitted: Conforming somewhat to the lines of the body.
shapewear: Fitted underwear, especially a girdle, that is designed to hold a part of
the body in a particular form.
shirt jacket: A jacket designed in the style of a shirt, called also shirt-jac.
spaghetti strap: A very slender fabric shoulder strap.
standaway: standing out from the body: a standaway skirt.
streaking: The lightening (as by chemicals) of a few long strands of hair to produce
a streaked effect.
string bikini: A scanty bikini with string-like straps.
sunsuit: An outfit worn usually for sunbathing and play.
sweaterdress: A knitted or crocheted dress.
sweetheart neckline: A neckline for women's clothing that is high in back and low
in front where it is scalloped to resemble the top of a heart.
T
tankini: A woman's two-piece swimsuit consisting of bikini briefs and a tank top.
[blend of tank (top) and bikini]
tap pants: A loose-fitting woman's undergarment of a style similar to shorts
formerly worn for tap dancing.
terai: A wide-brimmed double felt sun hat worn especially in subtropical regions.
[Tarai, lowland belt of India]
212
trouser suit: Pantsuit.
twinset: A combination of a matching pullover and cardigan worn together.
U
underwire: 1. A semicircular wire support sewn into the underside of each cup of a
brassiere. 2. A brassiere with such a wire support.
updo: An upswept hairdo.
V
vanishing cream: A cosmetic preparation that is used chiefly as a foundation for
face powder.
vendeuse: A saleswoman especially in the fashion industry. [French, feminine of
vendeur, “salesman”]
W
warp knit: A knit fabric produced by machine with the yarns running in a
lengthwise direction.
weft knit: A knit fabric produced in machine or hand knitting with the yarns running
crosswise or in a circle.
wing collar: A shirt collar, used especially in men's formal clothing, in which the
front edges are folded down in such a way as to resemble a pair of wings.
Winnie: An award presented annually by a professional organization for notable
achievement in fashion design. [winner + -ie]
12. 14. JARGON GAMES (51)
A
arcade game: Video game.
arena football: A game resembling American football that is played on a shorter
indoor field between two teams of eight players each.
arm wrestling or arm-wrestling: A form of wrestling in which two opponents sit
facing each other with usually right hands interlocked and elbows firmly planted, as
on a table surface, and attempt to force each other's arm down. Also called Indian
wrestling.
Australian Rules football: A game resembling rugby that is played between two
teams of 18 players on a field 180-190 yards long that has four goalposts at each end.
B
bank shot: A shot in billiards in which the player causes the cue ball or an object
ball to rebound off a cushion.
213
C
Canadian football: A game resembling American football that is played on a turfed
field between two teams of 12 players each.
charade: 1. a. A game in which words or phrases are represented in pantomime,
sometimes syllable by syllable, until they are guessed by the other players. b. An
episode in this game or a word or phrase so represented. 2. A readily perceived
pretense; a travesty: went through the charade of a public apology. [French, probably
from Provençal charrado, “chat,” from charra, “to chat, chatter,” perhaps from Italian
ciarlare]
conker: 1. A horse chestnut especially when used in conkers. 2. plural A game in
which each player swings a horse chestnut on a string to try to break one held by the
opponent. [conch + -er, from the original use of a snail shell on a string in the game]
cutthroat contract: Contract bridge in which partnerships are determined by the
bidding.
D
duplicate bridge: A tournament form of contract bridge in which identical deals are
played in order to compare individual scores.
F
five of a kind: Four cards of the same rank plus a wild card in one hand.
foosball: A table game resembling soccer in which the ball is moved by
manipulating rods to which small figures of players are attached. [probably
modification of German tischfussball, from tisch, “table” + fussball, “soccer,” from
fuss, “foot” + ball, “ball”] Also called table soccer.
footbag: 1. A small round bag filled with plastic pellets or other material and used in
games that require its being kept aloft with the feet. 2. Any of the games in which
such a bag is used.
H
head game: Mind game.
hide-and-seek: A children's game in which one player tries to find and catch others
who are hiding. Also called hide-and-go-seek.
horseshoes: A game in which players toss horseshoes or horseshoe-shaped metal
pieces at a stake so as to encircle it or come closer to it than the other players.
I
Indian-wrestle: To engage in Indian wrestling. [back-formation from Indian
wrestling]
Indian wrestling: 1. Wrestling in which two people lie side by side on their backs in
reversed position locking their near arms and raising and locking the corresponding
legs and attempt to force each other's leg down and turn the other wrestler facedown.
2. Wrestling in which two people stand face to face gripping usually their right hands
and setting the outsides of the corresponding feet together and attempt to force each
other off balance. 3. Arm wrestling
214
K
keep-away: A game in which two or more players try to keep an object (as a ball)
from one or more other players.
L
lightning chess: A form of chess in which each move must be completed within a
very short time, usually ten seconds.
M
mind game: 1. An act or series of acts of calculated psychological manipulation,
especially in order to confuse or intimidate. 2. An activity that provides
entertainment and challenges the intellect.
miniature golf: A novelty version of golf played with a putter and golf ball on a
miniature course and featuring obstacles such as alleys, bridges, and tunnels.
O
odd trick: Each trick in excess of six won by declarer's side at bridge.
one-armed bandit: An originally coin-operated gambling machine that pays off
according to the matching of symbols on wheels spun by a handle; also an electronic
version of this machine.
P
paintball: 1. A game in which players on one team seek to eliminate those on an
opposing team by marking them with a water-soluble dye shot in capsules from air
guns. 2. The dye-filled gelatinous capsule shot from guns in this game.
patty-cake: A child's game in which two participants gently strike the palms of their
hands together in rhythmic beat, often accompanied by a nursery rhyme.[Alteration
of pat-a-cake, the first words of the nursery rhyme accompanying the game.]
pick-up stick: 1. Pick-up sticks. Used with a sing. verb The game of jackstraws. 2.
One of the straws or sticks used in this game.
pinball: A game played on a device in which the player operates a plunger to shoot a
ball down or along a slanted surface having obstacles and targets, often equipped
with flippers to keep the ball in play.
pinball machine: A device on which pinball is played.
point count: A method of evaluating the strength of a hand in bridge by counting
points for each high card and usually for long or short suits; also the value of a hand
so evaluated.
punchball: A game having rules similar to baseball but played with a rubber ball
that is batted with the fist.
putt-putt: Miniature golf.
R
rapid chess: A form of chess in which all moves must be completed during a fixed
time, usually 30 minutes per player.
ringtoss: A game in which players toss rings at a stake so as to encircle it or come
closer to it than the other players.
215
ring-a-levio: A game in which players on one team are given time to hide and are
then sought out by members of the other team who try to capture them, keep them in
a place of confinement, and keep them from being released by their teammates.
[alteration of earlier ring relievo, from ring + relieve]
ring-around-a-rosy: A children's singing game in which players dance around in a
circle and at a given signal drop to the ground.
role-playing game: A game in which players assume the roles of characters and act
out fantastical adventures, the outcomes of which are partially determined by chance,
as by the roll of dice.
rubber bridge: A form of contract bridge in which settlement is made at the end of
each rubber.
S
sack race: A race in which the contestants compete by jumping forward with their
legs enclosed in a sack.
scavenger hunt: A game in which individuals or teams try to locate and bring back
miscellaneous items on a list.
spadille: The highest trump in various card games. [French, from Spanish espadilla,
diminutive of espada, “broadsword, spade” (in cards)]
steelie: A playing marble made of steel.
stickman: One who supervises the play at a dice table, calls the decisions, and
retrieves the dice.
T
table soccer: A table game resembling soccer in which the ball is moved by
manipulating rods to which small figures of players are attached. Also called
fussball.
tag: A children's game in which one player pursues the others until he or she is able
to touch one of them, who then in turn becomes the pursuer.
T-ball: Baseball modified for youngsters in which the ball is batted from a tee of
adjustable height rather than being pitched.
three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank in one hand.
twin double: A system of betting (as on horse races) in which the bettor must pick
the winners of four stipulated races in order to win.
V
video game: An electronic or computerized game played by manipulating images on
a video display or television screen.
video gaming: 1. Gambling by means of interactive games of chance played on a
video screen. 2. The playing of video games.
W
wrist wrestling: A form of arm wrestling in which opponents interlock thumbs
instead of gripping hands.
216
12. 15. JARGON GRAMMAR (114)
A. AFFIX (17)
A
angi-: 1. Blood or lymph vessel: angioma, angiocardiography. 2. Pericarp:
angiosperm. [New Latin, from Greek angei-, angeio-, from angeion, “vessel, blood
vessel,” diminutive of angos, “vessel”]
-athon: An activity that continues for an extended period of time: phonathon,
talkathon. [from marathon]
C
-cardium: Heart: epicardium. [New Latin, from Greek kardia, “heart”]
-cercal: -tailed: homocercal.
circumfix: An affix consisting of a prefix and a suffix, such as the progressive
present marker a-... -ing in dialectal English: I'm a-going, or the past participle
marker y-... -t in archaic English yclept.
cyber- : 1. Computer: cyberpunk. 2. Computer network: cyberspace. [from
cybernetic]
E
-ergic: Activated or produced by: cholinergic.
G
-gate: A scandal involving alleged illegal acts and often a cover-up, especially by
government officials: Irangate. [after Watergate]
giga- /jig∂, gi-/: One billion: gigahertz.
M
-mobile: 1. Motorized vehicle: snowmobile. 2. automotive vehicle bringing services
to the public: bloodmobile, bookmobile. [automobile]
N
nano-: Extremely small; one billionth: nanosecond.
O
over-: 1. Above or upon in position: overpass, overcoat. 2. Superior in rank or
importance: overlord. 3. To an inverted or reverse position: overturn. 4. Excessively:
overcharge.
P
-plex: Divided into a specified number of parts: fourplex.
217
S
-speak: Language characteristic of: doctorspeak; cop-speak. [from newspeak:
deliberately ambiguous and contradictory language used to mislead and manipulate
the public. From Newspeak, a language invented by George Orwell in the novel
1984]
T
techno-: Technology: technophobia.
V
-ville: Quality; condition: dullsville.
W
-ware: 1. Articles of the same general kind, made of a specified material, or used in a
specific application: hardware, silverware. 2. Software: groupware, shareware.
B. GRAMMATICAL FORMS (32)
A
adessive: Of, relating to, or being the grammatical case expressing means, as Finnish
puhumalla: by speaking, while speaking. 1. The adessive case. 2. A word in the
adessive case.
allative: Of, relating to, or being the grammatical case expressing motion toward a
place, as: Finnish stadionille (to the stadium). 1. The allative case.2. A word in the
allative case. [New Latin allativus, from Latin allatus, past participle of afferre, “to
bring toward”: ad-, “ad-” + latus, “carried”]
aoristic: 1. Of or being the verbal aspect that expresses a momentary or completed
action, especially in past time. 2. Of or being the perfective aspect.
B
bahuvrihi: A compound word functioning as an adjective whose last element is in
origin a noun. For example, in the phrase high-fiber diet, the compound high-fiber is
a bahuvrihi modifying diet that ends in the noun fiber. [Sanskrit bahuvrihi, “having
much rice” (an example of the type): bahu-, “much” + vrihi, “rice”]
bare infinitive: In English, the infinitive without to, as used with modal auxiliary
verbs. In the sentence I must go to the store now, the verb go is a bare infinitive.
C
cataphora: The use of a linguistic unit, such as a pronoun, to refer ahead to another
unit, for example, the use of him to refer to John in the sentence: Near him, John saw
a snake.
clitic: An unstressed word, typically a function word, that is incapable of standing on
its own and attaches in pronunciation to a stressed word, with which it forms a single
218
accentual unit. Examples of clitics are the pronoun ’em in I see ’em and the definite
article l’ in French l'arme (the arm).
concrete noun: A noun, such as flower or rain, that denotes a material or tangible
object or phenomenon.
content word: A word, such as a noun, verb, or adjective, that has a statable lexical
meaning, rather than indicating a syntactic function, as a function word does.
complementizer: A function word or morpheme that combines with a clause or
verbal phrase to form a subordinate clause.
D
ditransitive: Of or relating to a verb that takes or can take two objects, as: begrudge
in I don't begrudge you your good luck, or find in She found him a job.
double genitive: A phrasal construction in English in which possession is indicated
by the word of followed by the possessive form of a noun or pronoun, as in a relative
of mine or a friend of Pat's.
durative: Of, related to, or being the verbal aspect that expresses action continuing
unbroken for a period of time.
E
elative /ĕl∂tĭv/: Of, relating to, or being the grammatical case indicating motion out
of a place in some languages, as in Finnish hotellista (out of the hotel).
embedded: Occurring as a grammatical constituent (as a verb phrase or clause)
within a like constituent.
emdash: A symbol (—) used in writing and printing to indicate a break in thought or
sentence structure, to introduce a phrase added for emphasis, definition, or
explanation, or to separate two clauses.
endash: A symbol ( - ) used in writing or printing to connect continuing or inclusive
numbers or to connect elements of a compound adjective when either of the elements
is an open compound, as: 1880-1945 or Princeton-New York trains.
endocentric: 1. Of or relating to a group of syntactically related words, at least one
of which is functionally equivalent to the function of the whole group. For example,
the noun table in the noun phrase the old table is endocentric because it has the same
grammatical function as the whole noun phrase. 2. Of or relating to a compound
word whose referent is the same as the referent of one of its constituent parts. For
example, the noun blackboard is endocentric in that it refers to a type of board.
essentialize: To express or extract the essential form of.
exocentric: 1. Of or relating to a group of syntactically related words, none of which
is functionally equivalent to the function of the whole group. For example, none of
the words in the phrase on the table is an adverb, yet they combine to form a phrase
having adverbial function. 2. Of or relating to a compound word whose referent is
not the same as the referents of any of its constituent parts. For example, the noun
razorback does not refer to a type of back, but to a type of hog (one having a sharply
ridged back).
219
F
fused sentence: A sentence in which two or more independent clauses are not
properly joined by a semicolon or conjunction. Also run-on sentence: John ate,
Mary slept.
G
garden-path: Of or relating to a sentence that is easily misparsed, as: the horse
raced past the barn fell, in which people usually misinterpret raced as a simple past
tense verb, leading to a nonsensical interpretation, instead of as a passive participle,
yielding the correct interpretation: the horse, which was raced past the barn, fell.
grammatical meaning: The part of meaning that varies from one inflectional form
to another, as from plays to played to playing)
guillemet /gĭl∂mĕt, gē-/: Either of a pair of punctuation marks («) or (») used in some
languages, such as French and Russian, to mark the beginning and end of a
quotation. [French, diminutive of Guillaume, “William” (the name of its supposed
inventor)]
N
noun phrase: A phrase whose head is a noun, as: our favorite restaurant.
R
rather than: 1. And not: Gibson guitars, with their carved tops and necks that are
fitted and glued to the body, rather than bolted on, are expensive to make. 2. Instead
of: diseases in which the immune system plays the villain rather than the protector.
rewrite rule: A rule in a grammar which specifies the constituents of a single
symbol.
S
short of: preposition Other than; especially of a lesser degree than: had few
options short of replacing the motor.
subjective complement: A grammatical complement relating to the subject of an
intransitive verb: as sick in “he had fallen sick.”
T
truth-function: A compound proposition, such as a conjunction or negation, whose
truth-value is always determined by the truth-values of the components.
V
verb phrase: 1. A phrase consisting of a verb and its auxiliaries, as should be done
in the sentence: The students should be done with the exam by noon. 2. A phrase
consisting of a verb, its auxiliaries, its complements, and other modifiers, as should
be done with the exam by noon in the sentence: The students should be done with the
exam by noon.
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W
what if: 1. What will or would be the result if: What if I fail?. 2. What does it
matter if: So what if he doesn't like it.
C. INTERJECTIONS (21)
A
and how: Used to emphasize the preceding idea: having a great time – and how!
attaboy: Used to show encouragement or approval to a boy or man: Attaboy! That's
the way to hit a home run!
attagirl: Used to show encouragement or approval to a girl or woman: Attagirl!
That was a great shot!
D
duh: Used to express disdain for something deemed stupid or obvious, especially a
self-evident remark.
E
eek: Used to express surprise or dismay.
M
my word: Used to express surprise or astonishment.
O
oops: Used to express acknowledgement of a minor accident, blunder, or mistake.
oy: used especially to express exasperation or dismay: oy, what a mess.
P
poof: Used to indicate a sudden vanishing: the magician waved a wand, and poof!
The birds disappeared!
R
rats: Used to express disappointment, frustration, or disgust.
S
sure thing: Of course; certainly: sure thing, I'll be there!
T
tsk /a t-like sound made by suction rather than plosion; conventional spelling
pronunciation, tĭsk/: Used to express disappointment or sympathy.
tsk-tsk /tĭsk tĭsk /: To express disapproval of by or as if by uttering tsk. To tsk-tsk
someone or something.
221
U
uh-huh /ŭNhŭN/: interj. Used to indicate affirmation, agreement, or gratification.
uh-oh /ŭō/: interj. Used to express alarm, foreboding, or dismay.
uh-uh /ŭNŭN, ŭNŭN/: interj. Used to express disagreement or an answer in the
negative.
Y
yay: Used as an exclamation of pleasure, approval, elation, or victory.
yikes: Used to express mild fear or surprise.
yo: Used as a greeting or to attract someone's attention: Yo, I’m over here!
yuck: Used to express rejection or strong disgust.
yum-yum: Used to express pleasurable satisfaction especially in the taste of food.
D. –IZE WORDS (45)
A
absolutize: 1. To make absolute. 2. Convert into an absolute.
agnize: Recognize, acknowledge. [Latin agnoscere, “to acknowledge” (from ad- +
noscere, “to know”) + English -ize (as in recognize)]
Arabize: 1. To make Arabic in form, style, or character. 2. To bring under Arab
influence or control.
autolyze: To cause to undergo autolysis. To undergo autolysis: The destruction of
tissues or cells of an organism by the action of substances, such as enzymes, that are
produced within the organism.
B
bestialize: 1. To represent or portray as an animal or beast. 2. To reduce to a bestial
condition; deprave.
C
cartelize: To form as or become a cartel (a combination of independent business
organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the
members; an official agreement between governments at war, especially one
concerning the exchange of prisoners; a group of parties, factions, or nations united
in a common cause; a bloc). [German Kartell, from French cartel, from Italian
cartello, “placard,” from Medieval Latin cartellus, “charter,” diminutive of Latin
charta, “carta, paper made from papyrus”]
cognize: Know, understand. [back-formation from cognizance]
commoditize: 1. Commodify; specifically to render (a good or service) widely
available and interchangeable with one provided by another company 2. To affect (as
a brand or a market) by commoditizing goods or services: fierce competition
threatened to commoditize prices.
conveyorize: To equip with a conveyor.
corporatize: To subject to corporate ownership or control: afraid that medicine was
becoming corporatized.
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D
de-energize: To disconnect from a source of electricity; shut off the power to.
defamiliarize: To present or render in an unfamiliar artistic form usually to stimulate
fresh perception.
definitize: To make definite: contractural changes that have been definitized.
degenderize: To degender
decontextualize: To remove from a context.
destalinize: To undergo or cause to undergo destalinization.
destigmatize: To remove associations of shame or disgrace: destigmatize mental
illness.
dieselize: To equip with a diesel engine or with diesel-electric locomotives.
downsize: 1. To reduce in number or size: a corporation that downsized its
personnel in response to a poor economy. 2. To dismiss or lay off from work:
workers who were downsized during the recession. 3. To make in a smaller size: cars
that were downsized during an era of high gasoline prices. To become smaller in
size by reductions in personnel: Corporations continued to downsize after the
economy recovered.
E
essentialize: To express or extract the essential form of.
G
genderize: To make gender-based distinctions within or among: genderize a mailing
list by analyzing first names.
I
illegalize: To make illegal.
L
liquidize: To make liquid.
M
medicalize: To identify or categorize (a condition or behavior) as being a disorder
requiring medical treatment or intervention: Increasingly, [attention deficit disorder]
has become a catch-all diagnosis that medicalizes troublesome behavior in kids.
melanize: 1. To convert into or infiltrate with melanin. 2. To make dark or black.
metricize: To change into or express in the metric system.
Mirandize: To recite the Miranda warnings to (a person under arrest).
P
palletize: To store or move (freight, for example) by means of pallets.
parameterize: To describe in terms of parameters.
pelletize: 1. To form or compact into pellets: pelletize ore. 2. To coat (seeds) with a
soluble material (as to facilitate ease of handling).
politicalize: To politicize.
223
politicize: 1. To engage in or discuss politics. 2. To make political: “The mayor was
given authority to appoint police commissioners and by virtue of that power was able
to politicize the department.”
porcelainize: To fire a glassy coating on (as steel).
R
racialize: 1. a. To differentiate or categorize according to race. b. To impose a racial
character or context on. 2. To perceive or experience in racial terms: It is impossible
to be an American and not racialize how you feel.
recontextualize: To place (as a literary or artistic work) in a different context.
relativize: To treat or describe as relative.
ruggedize: To strengthen (as a machine) for better resistance to wear, stress, and
abuse: a ruggedized camera.
S
sectarianize: To act as sectarians: to make sectarian.
simonize: To polish with or as if with wax: simonize a car. [from Simoniz, a
trademark]
subjectivize: To make subjective.
T
technicalize: To give a technical slant to.
textualize: To put into text: set down as concrete and unchanging: the novel
textualizes complex emotions.
transparentize: To make transparent or more nearly transparent: transparentize
tracing paper.
tropicalize: 1. To make tropical (as in character, conditions, or appearance). 2. To fit
or adapt for use in a tropical climate especially by measures designed to combat the
effects of fungi and moisture.
U
underutilize: To utilize less than fully or below the potential use.
12. 16. JARGON JOURNALISM (11)
C
checkbook journalism: Journalism that involves the payment of money to an
informant for the right to publish or broadcast a news story.
city room: The department where local news is handled in a newspaper editorial
office.
224
E
editorial we: The first-person plural pronoun used by an editorialist in expressing
the opinion or point of view of a publication's management.
F
fishing expedition: An open-ended inquiry or investigation, often undertaken on the
pretext of a minor or unrelated matter, whose real purpose is to uncover
embarrassing or damaging information, as about a political opponent: [enabled]
prosecutors to expand what started out as an investigation of... [a] land deal into a
fishing expedition for intimate details of his daily --- and nightly --- life.
N
newshound: An aggressive or energetic journalist.
newsie: A person who works in the news industry; especially a reporter.
P
pack journalism: Journalism that is practiced by reporters in a group and that is
marked by uniformity of news coverage and lack of original thought or initiative.
R
rewrite man: A newspaperman who specializes in rewriting.
rotogravure: 1. Photogravure. 2. A section of a newspaper devoted to rotogravure
pictures. [German rotogravur, blend of Latin rota, “wheel” and German photogravur,
“photogravure”]
run-of-paper: To be placed anywhere in a newspaper at the option of the editor:
run-of-paper advertisement.
runover: Matter for publication that exceeds the space allotted.
12. 17. JARGON LAW (31)
A
advance directive: A legal document (as a living will) signed by a competent person
to provide guidance for medical and health-care decisions (as the termination of life
support or organ donation) in the event the person becomes incompetent to make
such decisions.
C
character witness: A person who gives evidence in a legal action concerning the
reputation, conduct, and moral nature of a party.
circumstantial evidence: Evidence not bearing directly on the fact in dispute but on
various attendant circumstances from which the judge or jury might infer the
occurrence of the fact in dispute.
225
D
dispositive: Relating to or having an effect on disposition or settlement, especially of
a legal case or will.
due diligence: The care that a reasonable person exercises under the circumstances
to avoid harm to other persons or their property.
Durham Rule: A legal hypothesis under which a person is not judged responsible
for a criminal act that is attributed to a mental disease or defect. [Monte Durham,
20th century American litigant]
E
equal protection: A guarantee under the 14th Amendment to the United States
Constitution that a state must treat an individual or class of individuals the same as it
treats other individuals or classes in like circumstances.
F
fair use: A legal doctrine that portions of copyrighted materials may be used without
permission of the copyright owner provided the use is fair and reasonable, does not
substantially impair the value of the materials, and does not curtail the profits
reasonably expected by the owner.
G
gag rule: A rule, as in a legislative body, limiting discussion or debate on an issue.
Also called gag law.
H
hand up: Of a jury; to deliver (an indictment) to a judge or higher judicial authority.
hearsay evidence: Evidence based not on a witness's personal knowledge but on
another's statement not made under oath.
hereinbelow: At a subsequent point in this writing or document.
J
judicial review: A constitutional doctrine that gives to a court system the power to
annul legislative or executive acts which the judges declare to be unconstitutional.
jury nullification: The acquitting of a defendant by a jury in disregard of the judge's
instructions and contrary to the jury's findings of fact.
juvenile officer: A police officer charged with the detection, prosecution, and care
of juvenile delinquents.
L
laches /lăčĭz/: Negligence or undue delay in asserting a legal right or privilege.
[Middle English, slackness, “negligence,” from Old French laschesse, from lasche,
“loose, remiss”]
226
N
no contest: A plea in a criminal prosecution that without admitting guilt subjects the
defendant to conviction but does not preclude denying the truth of the charges in a
collateral proceeding. Also called nolo contendere.
P
prenuptial agreement: An agreement made between a man and a woman before
marrying in which they give up future rights to each other's property in the event of
divorce or death.
prior restraint: Judicial prevention of a statement or other expression from being
published.
pro se: On one's own behalf: without an attorney: a pro se action; defendant's right
to proceed pro se.
Q
quo warranto: 1. a. An English writ formerly requiring a person to show by what
authority he exercises a public office, franchise, or liberty. b. A legal proceeding for
a like purpose begun by an information. 2. The legal action begun by a quo
warranto. [Middle English quo waranto, from Medieval Latin quo warranto, “by
what warrant”; from the wording of the writ]
R
restraining order: 1. A preliminary legal order sometimes issued to keep a situation
unchanged pending decision upon an application for an injunction. 2. A legal order
issued against an individual to restrict or prohibit access or proximity to another
specified individual.
S
special master: Any of several officers of court appointed to assist (as by hearing
and reporting) a judge.
status offender: A young offender (as a runaway or a truant) who is under the
jurisdiction of a court for repeated offenses that are not crimes.
T
territorial court: A court in a United States territory that has jurisdiction over local
and federal cases.
traffic court: A minor court for disposition of petty prosecutions for violations of
statutes, ordinances, and local regulations governing the use of highways and motor
vehicles.
trial examiner: A person appointed to hold hearings and to investigate and report
facts sometimes with recommendations to an administrative or quasi-judicial agency
or tribunal.
trial lawyer: A lawyer who engages chiefly in the trial of cases before courts of
original jurisdiction.
227
U
unwritten constitution: A constitution not embodied in a single document but based
chiefly on custom and precedent as expressed in statutes and judicial decisions.
W
wrongful birth: A malpractice claim brought by the parents of a child born with a
birth defect against a physician or health-care provider whose alleged negligence (as
in diagnosis) effectively deprived the parents of the opportunity to make an informed
decision whether to avoid or terminate the pregnancy; also the birth or injury at issue
in such a claim.
wrongful death: A death that is caused by the wrongful act or negligence of another
and that serves as the basis for a civil action for damages on behalf of the decedent's
heirs.
12. 18. JARGON LINGUISTICS (120)
A
AAVE: Any of the nonstandard varieties of English spoken by African Americans.
Also Black English, Black English Vernacular, Black Vernacular English, Ebonics.
[African American Vernacular English.]
absolutive: Of, relating to, or being an inflectional morpheme that typically marks
the subject of an intransitive verb or the direct object of a transitive verb in an
ergative language.
amphibology: An ambiguous or equivocal statement.
aporia: 1. A figure of speech in which the speaker expresses or purports to be in
doubt about a question. 2. An insoluble contradiction or paradox in a text's meanings.
approximant: A speech sound, such as a glide or liquid, produced by narrowing but
not blocking the vocal tract, as by placing an articulator, such as the tongue, near
another part of the vocal tract.
B
basilect: The variety of speech that is most remote from the prestige variety,
especially in an area where a creole is spoken. For example, in Jamaica, Jamaican
Creole is the basilect whereas Standard Jamaican English is the acrolect or prestige
language.[basi- + dialect]
Brooklynese: The vernacular speech of greater New York City and environs.
[Brooklyn, borough of New York City]
C
calo: Any of several Spanish argots; an argot used by Chicano youths in cities of the
United States Southwest. [Spanish, argot, speech of Spanish Gypsies, from Romany
kalo, Gypsy, literally, “black,” from Sanskrit kala]
comparative method: 1. Comparison of languages with the goal of establishing
their descent from a common ancestor. 2. Comparison of phonemes, morphemes,
228
words, or syntactic constructions in genetically related languages with the goal of
reconstructing the sound system, grammar, or lexicon of the protolanguage.
contact language: A simplified form of speech that is usually a mixture of two or
more languages, has a rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, is used for
communication between groups speaking different languages, and is not spoken as a
first or native language.
context-free: Of, relating to, or being a grammar or language based on rules that
describe a change in a string without reference to elements outside of the string;
being such a rule.
contrafactual: A statement or other linguistic construction expressing an idea that is
presupposed to be false, as I would go in the sentence I would go if I could.
Creole: 1. Often creole A person of mixed Black and European ancestry who speaks
a creolized language, especially one based on French or Spanish. 2. A language
evolved from pidginized French that is spoken by blacks in southern Louisiana
[French créole, from Spanish criollo, “person native to a locality,” from Portuguese
crioulo, diminutive of cria, “person raised in the house, especially a servant,” from
criar, “to bring up,” from Latin creare, “to beget”]
crosslinguistic: Of or relating to languages of different families and types; especially
relating to the comparison of different languages.
D
dead metaphor: A word or phrase (as time is running out) that has lost its
metaphoric force through common usage.
descriptivism: The practice or application of descriptive linguistics, especially in the
analysis of grammar.
discourse analysis: The study of linguistic relations and structures in discourse.
dysarthria: Difficulty in articulating words, caused by impairment of the muscles
used in speech.
dysphemism: The substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging
expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one; also an expression so substituted: I
like that old fart ! (for man). [dys- + -phemism (as in euphemism)]
educationese: The jargon used especially by educational theorists.
E-prime: A style of speaking or writing English that avoids all forms of the verb be:
AAVE “He coming” “What up?”
equative: 1. Of, relating to, or being a form of an adjective or adverb indicating
identity of degree of comparison. 2. The equative degree. 3. An adjective or adverb
expressing the equative degree.
essive: 1. Of, relating to, or being the grammatical case indicating a state of being or
an existence in a particular capacity or state in some languages, as in Finnish
professorina, as a professor. 2. The essive case. 3. A word or form in the essive case.
Estuary English: An accent used by many speakers of various social classes in
southeastern England, characterized by a mixture of features drawn from middleclass and working-class speech.
G
generative semantics: A description of a language emphasizing a semantic deep
structure that is logical in form, that provides syntactic structure, and that is related to
surface structure by transformations.
229
glottochronological: A linguistic method that uses the rate of vocabulary
replacement to estimate the date of divergence for distinct but genetically related
languages.
gonna: Informal Contraction of going to: we're gonna win today.
grapholect: A standard written language.
H
hairbrained: Harebrained. Foolish; flighty: a hairbrained scheme. Usage Note: The
first use of harebrained dates to 1548. The spelling hairbrained also has a long
history, going back to the 1500s when hair was a variant spelling of hare. The hair
variant was preserved in Scotland into the 18th century, and as a result it is
impossible to tell exactly when people began writing hairbrained in the belief that
the word means “having a hair-sized brain” rather than “with no more sense than a
hare.” While hairbrained continues to be used and confused, it should be avoided in
favor of harebrained which has been established as the correct spelling.
Hangul: The alphabetic system of writing used in Korea, invented in the 15th
century. [Korean Hangl, great writing: han, “great” + kl, “writing”]
hisself: Chiefly Southern & South Midland U.S. Himself.
homorganic: Articulated in the same area of the vocal tract, as t and n.
hypercorrect: Of, relating to, or marked by hypercorrection.
hypercorrection: A construction or pronunciation produced by mistaken analogy
with standard usage out of a desire to be correct, as in the substitution of I for me in
on behalf of my parents and I. 2. The production of such a construction or
pronunciation.
hyperurbanism: Use of hypercorrect forms in language; also such a form.
hyphenated: 1. Having a hyphen: a hyphenated adjective.
I
IC: Immediate constituent.
illocutionary: Relating to or being the communicative effect (as commanding or
requesting) of an utterance: “There's a snake under you” may have the illocutionary
force of a warning.
immediate constituent: Any of the meaningful constituents directly forming a larger
linguistic construction (as a phrase or sentence).
implicature: 1. The aspect of meaning that a speaker conveys, implies, or suggests
without directly expressing. Although the utterance “Can you pass the salt?” is
literally a request for information about one's ability to pass salt, the understood
implicature is a request for salt. 2. The process by which such a meaning is
conveyed, implied, or suggested. In saying: Some dogs are mammals, the speaker
conveys by implicature that not all dogs are mammals.
Indianism: A word or phrase characteristic of English as spoken in India.
indexical: a. Varying in reference with the individual speaker: the indexical words I,
here, now. b. Associated with or identifying an individual speaker: indexical
features of speech.
inessive: 1. Of, relating to, or being the grammatical case indicating placement
within a location in some languages, as in Finnish Helsinkissä “in Helsinki.” 2. The
inessive case. 3. A word or form in the inessive case.
230
initialism: An abbreviation consisting of the first letter or letters of words in a phrase
(for example, IRS for Internal Revenue Service), syllables or components of a word
(TNT for trinitrotoluene), or a combination of words and syllables (ESP for
extrasensory perception) and pronounced by spelling out the letters one by one rather
than as a solid word.
International Scientific Vocabulary: A part of the vocabulary of the sciences and
other specialized studies that consists of words or other linguistic forms current in
two or more languages and differing from New Latin in being adapted to the
structure of the individual languages in which they appear, abbreviation ISV.
IPA: An alphabet designed to represent each human speech sound with a unique
symbol. [International Phonetic Alphabet]
izzard: Informal The letter z. [Probably variant (perhaps influenced by lizard, or
gizzard), of Scots ezed variant of zed]
J
Janus word: A word having opposite or contradictory meanings, as sanction or
cleave.
jargonistic: Characterized by the use of jargon: phrased in jargon.
L
language isolate: A language that has no known linguistic affiliation with any other
language, such as Basque or Tarascan.
lemma: 1. A subsidiary proposition assumed to be valid and used to demonstrate a
principal proposition. 2. A theme, argument, or subject indicated in a title. 3. A word
or phrase treated in a glossary or similar listing. [Latin lēmma, from Greek, from
lambanein, “to take”]
lenite: To undergo an increase in sonority or become lenis. Said of consonant
sounds, as when p changes to b, b to v, or v to w. To cause (a consonant sound) to
lenite.
lexical meaning: The meaning of the base (as the word play) in a paradigm (as
plays, played, playing).
be like: Informal. To say or utter. Used chiefly in oral narration: And he's like,
“Leave me alone!”
M
metalanguage: 1. A language or vocabulary used to describe or analyze language.
2. A language used to define another language.
metalinguistic: Of or relating to a metalanguage or to metalinguistics.
minimal pair: Two linguistic units that differ in a single distinctive feature or
constituent (as voice in the initial consonants of bat and pat).
mondegreen: A series of words that result from the mishearing or misinterpretation
of a statement or song lyric: I led the pigeons to the flag for I pledge allegiance to
the flag. Lady Mondegreen for Laid him on the green. The girl with colitis goes by
for The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
morphosyntax: 1. The study of grammatical categories or linguistic units that have
both morphological and syntactic properties. 2. The set of rules that govern linguistic
units whose properties are definable by both morphological and syntactic criteria.
231
Mozarabic: 1. Of or relating to the Mozarabs, their language, or their culture. 2. Any
of the early Romance dialects spoken in the parts of the Iberian Peninsula under
Moorish power and heavily influenced by Arabic.
Munda: An Austro-Asiatic language family spoken in northeast India and adjacent
regions and including Santali.
N
narratology: The study of structure in narratives.
nonword: A word that has no meaning, is not known to exist, or is disapproved.
Nostratic: A hypothetical language proposed as the parent language of Afro-Asiatic,
Altaic, Dravidian, Indo-European, Kartvelian, Uralic-Yukaghir, and perhaps other
language families. [Danish nostratisk, from Latin nostrās, nostrāt-, “belonging to our
country or people,” from noster, “our, ours”]
noun incorporation: The process of affixing or infixing an uninflected form of a
noun to a verb, resulting in a complex verb, as in Mohawk and the Eskimoan
languages.
O
orthoepist: A specialist in orthoepy
orthoepy: 1. a. The study of the pronunciation of words. b. The study of the
relationship between the pronunciation of words and their orthography. 2. The
customary pronunciation of words. [Greek orthoepeia, correctness of diction: ortho-,
“ortho-” + epos, epe-, “word”]
P
paradigmatic: Of or relating to the set of substitutional or oppositional relationships
a linguistic unit has with other units, such as the relationship between n in not and
other sounds that could be substituted for it in the same context, like t and p.
Together with the set of syntagmatic relations, paradigmatic relations describe the
identity of a linguistic unit in a given language. [French paradigmatique, from Greek
paradeigmatikos, “serving as a model,” from paradeigma, paradeigmat-, “example”]
paralanguage: The set of nonphonemic properties of speech, such as speaking
tempo, vocal pitch, and intonational contours, that can be used to communicate
attitudes or other shades of meaning.
paralinguistic: Of or relating to paralanguage or its study.
phonotactics: used with a sing. verb The set of allowed arrangements or sequences
of speech sounds in a given language. A word beginning with the consonant cluster
(zv), for example, violates the phonotactics of English, but not of Russian. [phono- +
tactics, arrangement of linguistic units]
pidgin: A simplified form of speech that is usually a mixture of two or more
languages, has a rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, is used for communication
between groups speaking different languages, and is not spoken as a first or native
language. [from Pidgin English]
portmanteau morph: A word or part of a word that is analyzable as consisting of
more than one morpheme without a clear boundary between them, as French du “of
the” from de “of” and le “the.”
232
prescriptivism: The support or promotion of prescriptive grammar (based on or
establishing norms or rules indicating how a language should or should not be used
rather than describing the ways in which a language is used).
primary stress: 1. The strongest degree of stress placed on a syllable in the
pronunciation of a word. 2. The mark (′) used to indicate the strongest degree of
stress.
primary verb: One of the three verbs be, do, and have, that can function either as a
main verb or an auxiliary verb.
proform or pro-form: An item in a sentence, typically a pronoun, verb, or adverb,
that substitutes for a constituent phrase or clause, as the words he and so in the
sentence: he said so, with the pronoun he replacing a noun phrase such as the
president and the adverb so replacing a clause such as that he would leave today.
pronunciation spelling: A spelling that is supposed to represent a pronunciation
more closely than a traditional spelling, as lite for light, or wanna for want to.
pro-verb: A word or construction that takes the place of a verb or verb phrase, such
as do in the sentence: she likes ice cream and I do, too. [pronoun + verb]
provincialism: A regional word, phrase, pronunciation, or usage.
Q
quantifier: A linguistic form that expresses a contrast in quantity, as some, all, or
many.
Quichua also Kechua or Quechua: 1. The Quechuan language of the Inca empire,
now widely spoken throughout the Andes highlands from southern Colombia to
Chile. 2. a. A member of a South American Indian people originally constituting the
ruling class of the Inca empire. b. A member of a Quechuan-speaking people.
[Spanish, from Quechua kkechuwa, “plunderer”]
R
r-color: An acoustic effect of a simultaneously articulated \r\ imparted to a vowel by
retroflexion or constriction of the tongue.
relational grammar: A grammar based on a theory in which grammatical relations
(as subject or object) are primitives in terms of which syntactic operations are
defined.
retronym: A word or phrase created because an existing term that was once used
alone needs to be distinguished from a term referring to a new development, as
acoustic guitar in contrast to electric guitar or analog watch in contrast to digital
watch. [retro- + -onym]
rheme: The part of a sentence that provides new information about the topic. [from
Greek rhema, “something said, word, subject of a speech” (modeled on theme)]
rising diphthong: A diphthong in which the second element is more sonorous than
the first (as /wi/ in /kwit/quit).
S
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: A hypothesis holding that the structure of a language
affects the perceptions of reality of its speakers and thus influences their thought
patterns and worldviews. [after Sapir, Edward, and Whorf, Benjamin Lee]
233
secondary stress: 1. The degree of stress weaker than a primary accent placed on a
syllable in the pronunciation of a word. 2. The mark (`) used to indicate secondary
stress.
sentence adverb: An adverb or adverbial phrase that modifies an entire sentence,
especially in establishing the attitude of the speaker or writer, as: thankfully in
Thankfully, there was enough for everyone.
sentence fragment: A phrase or clause that is punctuated and capitalized as a
sentence but does not constitute a complete grammatical sentence.
singulative: Of or relating to a linguistic form or construction that expresses a
singular entity, often as opposed to a collective, such as rice-grain as opposed to rice.
A singulative form or construction. [French singulatif, from Latin singulus, “single”]
slanguage: 1. Language marked by the use of slang. 2. Slang peculiar to a group: the
slanguage of the street; a glossary of Chicago slanguage. [blend of slang, and
language]
spelling pronunciation: A pronunciation of a word that differs from the historically
established one, arising on the basis of the word's spelling, as the introduction of a (t)
into the pronunciation of often.
squinting modifier: A modifier placed in a sentence that can be interpreted as
modifying either what precedes or what follows, as in “getting dressed often is a
nuisance”.
stress mark: A mark used with (as before, after, or over) a written syllable in the
respelling of a word to show that this syllable is to be stressed when spoken: accent
mark.
Strine /strīn/: Informal Australian English. [after the Australian English
pronunciation of Australian.]
suprasegmental: Of or relating to significant features (as stress, pitch, or juncture)
that occur simultaneously with vowels and consonants in an utterance.
surface structure: In generative grammar, the structure that corresponds with the
actual form of a sentence.
syntagma also syntagm: 1. A sequence of linguistic units in a syntagmatic
relationship to one another. 2. A sequence of words in a particular syntactic
relationship to one another; a construction. [New Latin, from French syntagme, from
Greek suntagma, suntagmat-, “arrangement, syntactic unit,” from suntassein, suntag-,
“to put in order”]
syntagmatic: Of or relating to the relationship between linguistic units in a
construction or sequence, as between the (n) and adjacent sounds in not, ant, and ton.
The identity of a linguistic unit within a language is described by a combination of its
syntagmatic and its paradigmatic relations. [French syntagmatique, from Greek
suntagmatikos, “arranged, put in order,” from suntagma, suntagmat-, “arrangement,
syntactic unit”]
T
tag question: A question used after a statement when seeking or expecting
confirmation of that statement, as: wasn't he in He was here, wasn't he?
tonetic: 1. Relating to linguistic tones or to tone languages. 2. Of or relating to
intonation: tonetic notation.
tonetics: The use or study of linguistic tones. (noun plural but singular in
construction).
234
topicalization: The placement of the topic at the beginning of a sentence, as in: That
movie, you couldn't pay me to see.
topolect: A set of similar dialects constituting any of the larger distinct regional
varieties of a language. For example, Mandarin Chinese is a topolect that includes
the dialects of Beijing and Nanjing, and is distinct from Hakka, another topolect of
Chinese.
translative: Linguistics Of, relating to, or being the grammatical case indicating the
state into which one passes in certain languages, as in Finnish (Tule) terveeksi!
“(Get) well!”
U
universal grammar: A system of grammatical rules and constraints believed to
underlie all natural languages.
unround: Pronounced with the lips not rounded.
uptalk: A manner of speaking in which declarative sentences are uttered with a
rising intonation as though they were questions.
V
verbid: A verbal noun or adjective.
vocabulary entry: A word (as the noun book), hyphenated or open compound (as
the verb book-match or the noun book review), word element (as the affix pro-),
abbreviation (as agt), verbalized symbol (as Na), or term (as man in the street)
entered alphabetically in a dictionary for the purpose of definition or identification or
expressly included as an inflected form (as the noun mice or the verb saw) or as a
derived form (as the noun godlessness or the adverb globally) or related phrase (as
one for the book) run on at its base word and usually set in a type (as boldface)
readily distinguishable from that of the lightface running text which defines,
explains, or identifies the entry.
vocal tract: The airway used in the production of speech, especially the passage
above the larynx, including the pharynx, mouth, and nasal cavities.
W
wanna: 1. Contraction of want to: You wanna go now? 2. Contraction of want a: You
wanna slice of pie?
Whorfian hypothesis: A theory in linguistics: one's language determines one's
conception of the world.
[Benjamin Lee Whorf (died 1941), American
anthropologist]
word class: A linguistic form class whose members are words; part of speech.
word stress: The manner in which stresses are distributed on the syllables of a word.
Y
Yiddishism: A linguistic feature of Yiddish, especially a Yiddish idiom or phrasing
that appears in another language.
235
Z
zero copula: The absence of an overt copula, especially when meaning “is” or
“are.”
zeugma: The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words usually in such
a manner that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one (as
in “opened the door and her heart to the homeless boy”). [Latin zeugma, from Greek,
literally, “joining,” from zeugnynai, “to join,” akin, to Latin jungere, “to join”]
12. 19. JARGON LITERATURE (33)
A
anachrony: Discrepancy between the chronological order of events and the order in
which they are related in a plot.
B
beast fable: A usually didactic prose or verse fable in which animals speak and act
like human beings.
D
dark Age: a. An era of ignorance, superstition, or social chaos or repression. Often
used in the plural: a novel depicting the dark ages in the aftermath of a global war. b.
The early or crude stage in the history or development of something. Often used in
the plural: back in the dark ages of radio technology.
dark comedy: 1. A comedy having gloomy or disturbing elements, especially one in
which a character suffers an irreparable loss. 2. A comedy characterized by morbid
or grimly satiric humor.
F
florilegium: A collection of excerpts from written texts, especially works of
literature.
found poem: The presentation of a borrowed text or found object as a poem or as
part of a poem.
G
gadzookery: British The use of archaisms (as in a historical novel).
graphic novel: A novel whose narrative is related through a combination of text and
art, often in comic-strip form.
H
heteroglossia: A diversity of voices, styles of discourse, or points of view in a
literary work and especially a novel. [New Latin, from heter- + Greek glōssa,
“tongue, language”]
236
historiated: Adorned with the figures of humans, animals, or birds, often for
narrative purposes. Used especially of initial letters in manuscripts and of the capitals
of columns. [Medieval Latin historitus, from Latin historia, “history”]
I
incremental repetition: Repetition in each stanza (as of a ballad) of part of the
preceding stanza usually with a slight change in wording for dramatic effect.
intentional fallacy: Intentionalism regarded as a fallacy.
intentionalism: The belief or assumption that the meanings of a text are determined
mainly by the stated or implied intentions of the author.
intertextual: Relating to or deriving meaning from the interdependent ways in which
texts stand in relation to each other.
K
kavya: A style of Classical Sanskrit poetry characterized by ornate and artificial
language. [Sanskrit kavyam, “inspiration, poem,” from kavya-, “inspired,” from kavi,
“seer, poet”]
L
logocentrism: 1. A structuralist method of analysis, especially of literary works, that
focuses upon words and language to the exclusion of non-linguistic matters, such as
an author's individuality or historical context. 2. Excessive attention paid to the
meanings of words or distinctions in their usage.
M
magical realism: A chiefly literary style or genre originating in Latin America that
combines fantastic or dreamlike elements with realism.
N
New Historicism: A method of literary criticism that emphasizes the historicity of a
text by relating it to the configurations of power, society, or ideology in a given time.
P
pada: A unit of Sanskrit poetic meter consisting of a series of light and heavy
syllables in any of various set combinations. [Sanskrit padam, from pad-, “foot”]
playwriting also playwrighting: The writing of plays.
polyphonic prose: A freely rhythmical prose employing characteristic devices of
verse (as alliteration and assonance),
Popol Vuh: An epic first written down in the sixteenth century but probably based
on older traditional material, describing the cosmogony, mythology, and history of
the Quiché Maya of Guatemala. [Quiché Maya, Book of the Community: popol,
“together, common house” (from pop, “to gather, join”) + vuh, “paper, book”]
postface: A brief article or note (as of explanation) placed at the end of a
publication.[by analogy with preface]
237
Purana: Any of a class of Sanskrit encyclopedic texts containing cosmogonic
histories, legends of gods and heroes, and other traditional material. [Sanskrit puram,
from neut. of pura-, “old, prehistoric,” from pur, “of old, formerly”]
R
Ramayana: A Sanskrit epic, traditionally attributed to Valmiki, that concerns the
banishment of Rama from his kingdom, the abduction of his wife Sita by a demon
and her rescue, and Rama's eventual restoration to the throne. [Sanskrit Ramayaam,
“the going of Rama”: Rama, “Rama” + ayanam,” a going, way” (from ay-, ”he
goes”]
S
senryu: A 3-line unrhymed Japanese poem structurally similar to haiku but treating
human nature usually in an ironic or satiric vein. [Japanese]
shanachie also sennachie: Chiefly Scots A skilled teller of tales or legends,
especially Gaelic ones. [Scots Gaelic seanachaidh, from Old Irish senchaid, variant
of senchae, “historian,” from sen, “old”]
spoken-word: Performing or involving a performance of the spoken word: whenever
[a newspaper] covers the poetry world, you can bet you will find spoken-word and
street poets railing against the prudishness of the “academic poets.”
T
textus receptus: 1. The Greek text of the New Testament that became standard in
printed editions from the 16th to the end of the 19th century. 2. The text of a written
work that is generally considered genuine or original.
triple-decker: Trilogy.
true-crime: Based on or recounting an actual crime: a true-crime novel.
V
vers-librist: A writer of free verse. [French vers-libriste]
vulgus: A short composition in Latin verse formerly common as an exercise in some
English public schools. [probably alteration of obsolete “vulgars,” English sentences
to be translated into Latin]
12. 20. JARGON MECHANICS (4)
C
chainfall: A hoisting device consisting of a chain suspended from or laid over a
fixed, raised structure such as a beam, used to lift heavy objects, especially vehicle
engines.
238
E
earthquake engineer: A civil engineer specializing in earthquake-resistant design
and construction and in the study of the effects of seismic activity on fabricated
structures.
G
gearchange: British Gearshift. A mechanism by which the transmission gears in a
power-transmission system are engaged and disengaged; also a lever for controlling
such a mechanism.
P
piston pin: Wrist pin: a stud or pin that forms a journal (as in a crosshead) for a
connecting rod.
12. 21. JARGON MEDICINE (198)
A
acute care: Short-term medical treatment, usually in a hospital, for patients having
an acute illness or injury or recovering from surgery.
aidman: A member of an army medical corps attached to a field unit. [short for
medical aid man.]
AIDS dementia complex: The neurological disease complex that is sometimes
experienced by AIDS patients, caused by neuron injury and death and characterized
by cognitive impairment.
ambulatory surgery: Surgery performed on a person who is admitted to and
discharged from a hospital on the same day.
androgenetic alopecia: 1. A progressive, diffuse loss of scalp hair in men that
begins in the twenties or early thirties, depends on the presence of the androgenic
hormone testosterone, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal
factors. 2. A condition of hair loss in women similar to male pattern baldness, but
beginning later in life and less severe.
andrology: A branch of medicine concerned with male diseases and especially with
those affecting the male reproductive system. [International Scientific Vocabulary]
animal model: An animal sufficiently like humans in its anatomy, physiology, or
response to a pathogen to be used in medical research in order to obtain results that
can be extrapolated to human medicine; also a pathological or physiological
condition that occurs in such an animal and is similar to one occurring in humans.
angiogenesis: The formation of new blood vessels.
angiogenesis inhibitor: A drug that blocks angiogenesis in cancerous tissue, thus
interfering with tumor growth or metastasis.
antipsychotic drug: Any of a group of drugs, such as the phenothiazines or
butyrophenones, that are used to treat psychosis.
antirejection: Preventing rejection of a transplanted tissue or organ.
autotransfusion: Return of autologous blood to the patient's own circulatory system.
239
B
balloon angioplasty: Dilation of an obstructed atherosclerotic artery by the passage
of a balloon catheter through the vessel to the area of disease where inflation of the
catheter's tip compresses the plaque against the vessel wall.
balloon catheter: A catheter with an inflatable tip that serves especially to hold the
catheter in place or to expand a partly closed or obstructed bodily passage or tube (as
a coronary artery).
barotrauma: Injury of a body part or organ as a result of changes in barometric
pressure.
benign prostatic hyperplasia: Enlargement of the prostate gland caused by a benign
overgrowth of chiefly glandular tissue that occurs especially in some men over 50
years old and that tends to obstruct urination by constricting the urethra.
blood thinner: A drug used to prevent the formation of blood clots by hindering
coagulation of the blood.
blunt trauma: A usually serious injury caused by a blunt object or surface: died of
blunt trauma to the head.
body mass index: Abbr. BMI. A measurement of the relative percentages of fat and
muscle mass in the human body, in which weight in kilograms is divided by height in
meters and the result used as an index of obesity.
breathing tube: A tube inserted (as through the nose or mouth) into the trachea to
maintain an unobstructed passageway especially to deliver oxygen or anesthesia to
the lungs.
C
capitated: Of, relating to, participating in, or being a health-care system in which a
medical provider is given a set fee per patient (as by an HMO) regardless of
treatment required. [back-formation from capitation]
cardioversion: Application of an electric shock in order to restore normal heartbeat.
[cardi- + version (turning of an organ)]
chemical peel: 1. The removal of skin blemishes or wrinkles by applying a caustic
chemical, such as an acid, that produces a mild, superficial burn. 2. Any of various
treatments used in such removal.
chemical pregnancy: Pregnancy resulting from in vitro fertilization or other
reproductive technology.
chemical sensitivity: An allergic condition attributed to extreme sensitivity to
various environmental chemicals, as in air, food, water, building materials, or fabrics.
Also multiple chemical sensitivity.
chronic fatigue syndrome: A syndrome characterized by debilitating fatigue and a
combination of flulike symptoms such as sore throat, swollen lymph glands, lowgrade fever, headaches, and muscle pain or weakness.
chronotherapeutics: 1. Medical treatment administered according to a schedule that
corresponds to a person's daily, monthly, seasonal, or yearly biological clock, in
order to maximize the health benefits and minimize adverse effects. 2. Treatment of a
sleep disorder by altering an individual's sleeping and waking times and resetting his
or her biological clock.
chronotherapy: Treatment of a sleep disorder (as insomnia) by changing sleeping
and waking times in an attempt to reset the patient's biological clock.
240
clinical trial: A scientifically controlled study of the safety and effectiveness of a
therapeutic agent (as a drug or vaccine) using consenting human subjects.
cochlear implant: An electronic apparatus that allows people with severe hearing
loss to recognize some sounds, especially speech sounds, and that consists chiefly of
a microphone and receiver, a processor that converts speech into electronic signals,
and an array of electrodes that transmit the signals to the auditory nerve in the inner
ear.
code blue: A medical emergency in which a team of medical personnel work to
revive an individual in cardiac arrest.
co-dependent: 1. Mutually dependent. 2. Of or relating to a relationship in which
one person is psychologically dependent in an unhealthy way on someone who is
addicted to a drug or self-destructive behavior, such as chronic gambling.
coinfection: Concurrent infection of a cell or organism with two organisms.
comorbid: Existing simultaneously with and usually independently of another
medical condition.
complementary medicine: A method of health care that combines the therapies and
philosophies of conventional medicine with those of alternative medicines, such as
acupuncture, herbal medicine, and biofeedback.
copayment: A fixed fee that subscribers to a medical plan must pay for their use of
specific medical services covered by the plan.
coronary heart disease: A condition and especially one caused by atherosclerosis
that reduces blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart and typically
results in chest pain or heart damage.
craniosacral therapy: A system of gentle touch designed to enhance the functioning
of the membranes, tissues, fluids, and bones surrounding or associated with the brain
and spinal cord.
crash cart: A cart stocked with emergency medical equipment, supplies, and drugs
for use by medical personnel especially during efforts to resuscitate a patient
experiencing cardiac arrest.
curandera: A woman who practices folk medicine; an herb doctor. [American
Spanish, feminine of curandero, “healer”]
curandero: A man who practices folk medicine; an herb doctor.[American Spanish,
from Spanish curar, “to cure,” from Latin curare, “to cure, take care of,” from cura,
“care”]
cutdown: The surgical insertion of a catheter into a vein, as for the administration of
intravenous medication.
D
dilation and evacuation: Any of several surgical procedures, performed during the
second trimester, that terminate a pregnancy by dilation of the cervix and removal of
the fetus and other products of conception.
dilation and extraction: A surgical procedure in which the cervix is dilated and the
early products of conception are removed from the uterus.
doctorspeak: Specialized or technical language used by physicians and others
working in health care.
Down syndrome: A congenital condition characterized by moderate to severe
mental retardation, slanting eyes, a broad short skull, broad hands with short fingers,
241
and trisomy of the human chromosome numbered 21. Also Down's syndrome.
[J.L.H. Down (died 1896), English physician]
DRG: Any of the payment categories that are used to classify patients and
especially Medicare patients for the purpose of reimbursing hospitals for each case in
a given category with a fixed fee regardless of the actual costs incurred. [Diagnosis
Related Group]
dry eye: A condition associated with inadequate tear production and marked by
redness, itching, and burning of the eye.
drug holiday: A usually brief period during which a drug that is typically taken on a
daily basis, such as an antidepressant, is not taken or is replaced with another in order
to minimize certain side effects.
E
Ebola: The hemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus.
Ebola virus: An extremely contagious filovirus causing an acute, highly fatal
hemorrhagic fever and spread through contact with bodily fluids or secretions of
infected persons and by airborne particles.
embolization: The process or state in which a blood vessel or organ is obstructed by
the lodgment of a material mass (as an embolus).
embryo transfer: 1. The process in which an egg that has been fertilized in vitro is
transferred into a recipient's uterus. 2. A technique used in animal breeding in which
an embryo from a superovulated female animal is transferred to the uterus of a
recipient female animal.
end-stage: Being or occurring in the final stages of a terminal disease or condition:
end-stage renal disease.
epidemic hemorrhagic fever:
A form of hemorrhagic fever endemic to
northeastern Asia that is caused by a hantavirus and characterized in its later stages
by hemorrhage, shock, and kidney failure.
erectile dysfunction: The inability to achieve penile erection or to maintain an
erection until ejaculation.
F
false pregnancy: A condition that is usually psychosomatic but may be caused by a
tumor or endocrine dysfunction, in which physical symptoms of pregnancy are
manifested without conception. It may occur in both males and females but is much
more common in females.
fetal tissue transplant: 1. A procedure in which tissue from an aborted fetus is
transplanted to the diseased or damaged tissue of a recipient in order to replace or
augment the defective tissue, used especially to treat neurological disorders such as
Parkinson's disease. 2. The tissue used in such a procedure.
fibromyalgia: A syndrome characterized by chronic pain in the muscles and soft
tissues surrounding joints, fatigue, and tenderness at specific sites in the body.
fifth disease: A mild viral disease occurring mainly in early childhood,
characterized by fever, a rosy-red rash on the cheeks that often spreads to the trunk
and limbs, and usually arthritis and malaise. [from its being fifth in frequency of
rash-producing childhood diseases]
242
fragile X syndrome: An inherited disorder caused by a defective gene on the Xchromosome and causing mental retardation, enlarged testes, and facial abnormalities
in males and mild or no effects in heterozygous females. It is the most common
inherited cause of mental retardation.
G
gelcap: A capsule-shaped tablet coated with gelatin for easy swallowing.
general anesthesia: Anesthesia characterized by unconsciousness, muscle
relaxation, and loss of sensation over the entire body, and resulting from the
administration of a general anesthetic.
gene therapy: The treatment of certain disorders, especially those caused by genetic
anomalies or deficiencies, by introducing specific engineered genes into a patient's
cells.
genetic disorder: A pathological condition caused by an absent or defective gene or
by a chromosomal aberration. Also called hereditary disease, inherited disorder.
genetic screening: The process of analyzing DNA samples to detect the presence of
a gene or genes associated with an inherited disorder.
ginkgo biloba: An extract of the leaves of ginkgo that is held to enhance mental
functioning by increasing blood circulation to the brain.
glioblastoma: A malignant tumor of the central nervous system, usually occurring in
the cerebrum of adults. [glia + blastoma]
granulation tissue: Tissue made up of granulations that temporarily replaces lost
tissue in a wound.
Gulf War syndrome: A medical condition affecting some veterans of the Gulf War,
characterized by fatigue, headache, joint pain, skin rashes, nausea, dizziness, and
respiratory disorders, and attributed to reactions to prophylactic drugs and vaccines,
infectious diseases, or exposure to pesticides and other chemicals, radiation, and
smoke from oil fires. Also Persian Gulf illness.
H
hairline fracture: A minor fracture in which the bone fragments remain in
alignment, appearing on x-ray film as a fine line.
hand-foot-and-mouth disease: A mild contagious disease usually occurring in
children, caused by infection with a strain of coxsackievirus and characterized by
fever and a blisterlike rash in the mouth and on the hands and feet.
heat cramps: A condition that is marked by sudden development of cramps in
skeletal muscles and that results from prolonged work or exercise in high
temperatures accompanied by profuse perspiration with loss of sodium chloride from
the body.
hemispherectomy: Surgical removal of a cerebral hemisphere.
hepatectomy: Surgical removal of all or part of the liver.
herbal medicine: 1. The study or use of medicinal herbs to prevent and treat
diseases and ailments or to promote health and healing. 2. A drug or preparation
made from a plant or plants and used for any of such purposes.
herbology: Herbal medicine. The art or practice of using herbs and herbal
preparations to maintain health and to prevent, alleviate, or cure disease.
243
heterotopic: a. Occurring in an abnormal anatomic location: heterotopic bone
formation. b. Grafted or transplanted into an abnormal location: heterotopic liver
transplantation.
holistic medicine: An approach to medical care that emphasizes the study of all
aspects of a person's health, including physical, psychological, social, economic, and
cultural factors.
hormone replacement therapy: abbr. HRT. The administration of estrogen and
progestin to women to relieve the symptoms of menopause, prevent osteoporosis,
and reduce the risk of heart disease.
hospitalist: A physician, usually an internist, who specializes in the care of
hospitalized patients.
hypertensive: 1. Of or characterized by hypertension. 2. Causing an increase in
blood pressure: a hypertensive medication. 1. A person with or susceptible to
hypertension. 2. A drug capable of causing an increase in blood pressure.
hypotensive: 1. Of or characterized by hypotension. 2. Causing a reduction in blood
pressure: a hypotensive drug. A person with or susceptible to hypotension.
I
immunostimulant: An agent that stimulates an immune response.
immunotoxin: A hybrid molecule formed by binding a toxin to a monoclonal
antibody, used to destroy tumor cells.
induced abortion: 1. Termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a
fetus that is incapable of survival. 2. Any of various procedures that result in such
termination and expulsion.
intermediate care: 1. A level of medical care in a hospital that is intermediate
between intensive and basic care. 2. A level of care for chronically ill, disabled, or
elderly individuals, as in an intermediate care facility.
intermediate care facility: A health care facility for individuals who are disabled,
elderly, or nonacutely ill, usually providing less intensive care than that offered at a
hospital or skilled nursing facility.
irritable bowel syndrome: A disorder characterized by abnormally increased
motility of the small and large intestines, producing abdominal pain, constipation, or
diarrhea.
K
Kawasaki disease: An acute illness of unknown cause that chiefly affects infants
and children and is characterized especially by fever, rash, conjunctivitis,
inflammation of lips and tongue, and swollen lymph nodes of the neck. [Tomisaku
Kawasaki (b1925), Japanese pediatrician]
Kegel exercises: Repetitive contractions by a woman of the pelvic muscles that
control the flow in urination in order to strengthen these muscles especially to control
or prevent incontinence or to enhance sexual responsiveness during intercourse.
[Arnold H. Kegel (died 1976), American gynecologist]
ketamine: A general anesthetic given intravenously or intramuscularly and used
especially for minor surgical procedures in which muscle relaxation is not required.
[keto- + amine]
244
L
life-support system: 1. Equipment that creates a viable environment under
conditions otherwise incompatible with life. 2. Medical equipment that augments or
substitutes for an essential bodily function, such as respiration, enabling a patient
who otherwise might not survive to live.
local anesthesia: Anesthesia characterized by the loss of sensation only in the area
of the body where an anesthetic drug is applied or injected.
localized: Restricted or limited to a specific body part or region: localized pain and
numbness.
lumbar puncture: The insertion of a hollow needle beneath the arachnoid
membrane of the spinal cord in the lumbar region to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid for
diagnostic purposes or to administer medication.
M
macular degeneration: A condition in which the cells of the macula lutea
degenerate, resulting in blurred vision and ultimately blindness.
managed care: Any arrangement for health care in which an organization, such as
an HMO, another type of doctor-hospital network, or an insurance company, acts an
intermediate between the person seeking care and the physician.
mass sociogenic illness: An illness occurring in a group of people with a shared
social setting, such as a school, workplace, or military group, and characterized by a
usually rapid onset and symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, fainting, headache, or
skin rash.
melioidosis: A highly fatal infectious bacterial disease, primarily occurring in
rodents in India and Southeast Asia, that is characterized in humans by systemic
caseous nodules. [New Latin mēlioīdōsis: Greek mēlis, “a disease of asses usually
taken to be glanders” + -oid + -osis]
mental health: A branch of medicine that deals with the achievement and
maintenance of psychological well-being.
migraine: A severe recurring headache, usually affecting only one side of the head,
characterized by sharp pain and often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and visual
disturbances. [Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin hēmicrānia, from
Greek hēmikrāniā: hēmi-, “hemi-“ + krānion, “head”]
migraineur: An individual who experiences migraines. [probably from migraine + eur (as in entrepreneur)]
minor tranquilizer: Any of a group of drugs, such as the benzodiazepines, that are
used to treat anxiety without causing excessive sedation.
moxibustion: The burning of moxa or other substances on the skin to treat diseases
or to produce analgesia.
multiple chemical sensitivity: An allergic condition attributed to extreme sensitivity
to various environmental chemicals, as in air, food, water, building materials, or
fabrics.
multisystemic: Relating to a disease or condition that affects many organ systems of
the body.
245
N
nasogastric: Being or performed by intubation of the stomach through the nasal
passages: a nasogastric tube.
nausea anesthesia: Loss of the sensation of nausea, usually resulting from
stimulation by noxious or disgusting substances.
needlestick: An accidental puncture of the skin with an unsterilized instrument (as a
syringe). Also needlestick injury.
nelfinavir: A protease-inhibiting drug usually used in combination with other drugs
to suppress the replication of HIV.
nevirapine: A non-nucleoside analogue that is used as an antiviral drug in the
treatment of HIV infection. [probably ne-, negative prefix + vir(us) + alteration of
(diaz)epine]
nonspecific: 1. Of or relating to an infection not known to be caused by a specific
pathogen: nonspecific urethritis. 2. Of or relating to immunity that occurs naturally
as a result of a person's genetic makeup or physiology and does not arise from a
previous infection or vaccination.
nucleoside analogue: Any of a group of antiviral drugs, including AZT, DDC, and
DDI, that interfere with the activity of the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase and are
used in the treatment of HIV.
nurse-midwife: A registered nurse with additional training as a midwife who
delivers infants and provides prenatal and postpartum care, newborn care, and some
routine care (as gynecological exams) of women.
nutraceutical: A food or naturally occurring food supplement thought to have a
beneficial effect on human health.
O
obstipation: Severe constipation caused by intestinal obstruction.
orchitis: Inflammation of one or both of the testes, often occurring as a result of
mumps or other infection, trauma, or metastasis.
overdiagnosis: The diagnosis of a condition or disease more often than it is actually
present.
P
partial-birth abortion: A late-term abortion, especially one in which a viable fetus
is partially delivered through the cervix before being extracted. Not in technical use.
pedorthics: The art and practice of designing, making, and fitting therapeutic shoes
for relieving painful or disabling conditions of the feet.
perimenopause: The period around the onset of menopause that is often marked by
various physical signs (as hot flashes and menstrual irregularity).
PET scan: A cross-sectional image produced by a PET scanner.
polarity therapy: A holistic discipline that seeks to achieve physical and emotional
health through a system of touch, diet, exercise, and self-awareness designed to
balance energy flows in the body.
premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A severe form of premenstrual syndrome
characterized by affective symptoms causing significant disturbances in relationships
or social adaptation. Symptoms cease shortly after the onset of menstrual bleeding.
246
[New Latin, from Greek dusphoriā, “distress,” from dusphoros, “hard to bear”: dus-,
“dys-” + -phoros, “-phorous”]
preterminal: Occurring or being in the period prior to death: preterminal cancer; a
preterminal patient.
proband: An individual affected with a disorder who is the first subject in a study
(as of a genetic character in a family lineage). [Latin probandus, gerundive of
probare, “to test”]
probiotic: A preparation (as a dietary supplement) containing live bacteria (as
lactobacilli) that is taken orally to restore beneficial bacteria to the body; also a
bacterium of such a preparation.
protease inhibitor: An anti-HIV drug that blocks the action of the enzyme protease,
which is needed for viral replication.
psychoimmunology: The branch of medicine that studies the effects of
psychological and social factors on the functioning of the immune system.
PTCA: Angioplasty performed to open a narrowed coronary artery, in which a
balloon-tipped catheter is inserted into an artery in the groin or shoulder and threaded
to the affected part. The balloon is inflated to flatten atherosclerotic plaque against
the artery wall and reopen the artery. [Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary
Angioplasty]
pulmonologist: A specialist in the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the lungs.
pulse oximeter: A device that measures the oxygen saturation of arterial blood in a
subject by utilizing a sensor attached typically to a finger, toe, or ear to determine the
percentage of oxyhemoglobin in blood pulsating through a network of capillaries.
R
radiosurgery: Surgery using precisely targeted radiation to destroy tissue without
cutting.
recanalization: The process of restoring flow to or reuniting an interrupted channel
of a bodily tube (as a blood vessel or vas deferens).
reconstructive: Serving to rebuild, restore, or correct the appearance and function of
defective, damaged, or misshaped body structures or parts: reconstructive surgery.
reconstructive surgery: Surgery to restore function or normal appearance by
reconstructing defective organs or parts.
Reiki: A system of touching with the hands based on the belief that such touching by
an experienced practitioner produces beneficial effects by strengthening and
normalizing certain vital energy fields held to exist within the body. [Japanese,
literally, spirit, from rei “spirit, soul” + ki, “vital force, mind”]
reperfusion: The restoration of blood flow to an organ or tissue that has had its
blood supply cut off, as after a heart attack.
repetitive strain injury: abbr. RSI. Damage to tendons, nerves, and other soft
tissues that is caused by the repeated performance of a limited number of physical
movements and is characterized by numbness, pain, and a wasting and weakening of
muscles.
reposition: The return of something, such as a bone, to its proper position.
repository: Of a drug Designed to act over a prolonged period: repository penicillin.
respiratory therapy: The treatment or management of acute and chronic breathing
disorders, as through the use of respirators or the administration of medication in
aerosol form.
247
restless legs syndrome: A nervous disorder characterized by aching, crawling, or
creeping sensations of the legs that occur especially at night usually when lying
down (as before sleep) and cause a compelling urge to move the legs.
retrograde ejaculation: Ejaculation in which seminal fluid is discharged in the
wrong direction, traveling up towards the bladder instead of outside the body through
the urethra.
revascularization: A surgical procedure for the provision of a new, additional, or
augmented blood supply to a body part or organ.
ritonavir: A protease-inhibiting drug usually used in combination with other drugs
to suppress the replication of HIV.
rooming-in: An arrangement in a hospital whereby a newborn infant is kept in a
crib at the mother's bedside instead of in a nursery.
roseola infantum: A mild disease of infants and children characterized by fever
lasting usually three days followed by an eruption of rose-colored spots and caused
by a herpesvirus (genus Roseolovirus).
RU 486 : An oral drug that can terminate pregnancy by interfering with the action of
progesterone and preventing the attachment of a fertilized ovum to the uterine wall.
[Roussel UCLAF, a French pharmaceutical company that makes it + 486, project
number]
S
scrub nurse: A specially trained nurse who directly assists a surgeon during an
operation.
scrub suit: A two-piece garment of lightweight cotton, worn by hospital staff
especially when participating in surgery.
self-examination: Examination of one's body especially for evidence of disease.
septic shock: A condition of physiologic shock caused by an overwhelming
infection, especially sepsis or septicemia.
shaken baby syndrome also shaken infant syndrome: A syndrome in infants in
which brain injury is caused by shaking of such violence that the child's brain
rebounds against the skull, resulting in bruising, swelling, and bleeding of the brain
and often leading to permanent, severe brain damage or death.
sick building syndrome: An illness affecting workers in office buildings,
characterized by skin irritations, headache, and respiratory problems, and thought to
be caused by indoor pollutants, microorganisms, or inadequate ventilation. Also
building sickness.
sinus rhythm: The rhythm of the heart produced by impulses from the sinus node:
restored the patient to normal sinus rhythm.
small-cell lung cancer: Cancer of a highly malignant form that affects the lungs,
tends to metastasize to other parts of the body, and is characterized by small round or
oval cells which resemble oat grains and have little cytoplasm.
spastic colon: Irritable bowel syndrome; also a colon affected with spasms.
spider vein: A telangiectasia (as of the legs or face) often appearing as a central
area with outward radiations resembling the legs of a spider.
spinal tap: Lumbar puncture.
stent: 1. A device used to support a bodily orifice or cavity during skin grafting or to
immobilize a skin graft following placement. 2. A slender thread, rod, or catheter
248
inserted into a tubular structure, such as a blood vessel, to provide support during or
after anastomosis. [after Charles R. Stent (1845-1901), English dentist]
suction curettage: A method of abortion performed during the first trimester of
pregnancy, in which the contents of the uterus are withdrawn through a narrow tube.
Also vacuum aspiration, vacuum curettage.
sustained-release: Designed to release a drug in the body slowly over an extended
period of time: sustained-release capsules.
sweat test: A test for cystic fibrosis that involves measuring the subject's sweat for
abnormally high sodium chloride content.
swimmer's ear: Inflammation of the canal in the outer ear that is characterized by
itching, redness, swelling, pain, and discharge and that typically occurs when water
trapped in the outer ear during swimming becomes infected usually with a bacterium.
T
tacrine: A drug that halts or reverses memory loss temporarily in some individuals
with Alzheimer's disease, but does not alter the course of the disease. [tetrahydrotetra- + hydro- + acridine]
telemedicine: The use of telecommunications technology to provide, enhance, or
expedite health care services, as by accessing off-site databases, linking clinics or
physicians' offices to central hospitals, or transmitting x-rays or other diagnostic
images for examination at another site.
tension headache: Bilateral headache marked by mild to moderate pain of variable
duration that typically is accompanied by contraction of the neck and scalp muscles.
tertiary care: Highly specialized medical care usually over an extended period of
time that involves advanced and complex procedures and treatments performed by
medical specialists in state-of-the-art facilities.
therapeutic touch: A technique in alternative medicine that involves passing the
hands over the body of the person being treated and that is held to induce relaxation,
reduce pain, and promote healing.
thoracic outlet syndrome: Any of several syndromes in which blood vessels or
nerves are compressed, usually by an overlying muscle, as they pass from the neck
region to the arm, causing pain, numbness, and weakness of the arm and hand.
thrush: A contagious disease caused by a fungus, Candida albicans, that occurs most
often in infants and children, characterized by small whitish eruptions on the mouth,
throat, and tongue, and usually accompanied by fever, colic, and diarrhea. [probably
of Scandinavian origin]
tilt-table: An examining table that can be tilted to a nearly upright position for
assessment of a patient's circulatory response to gravitational change.
tissue fluid: A fluid that permeates the spaces between individual cells, that is in
osmotic contact with the blood and lymph, and that serves in interstitial transport of
nutrients and waste.
topical anesthesia: Superficial loss of sensation in the mucous membranes or the
skin, produced by direct application of a local anesthetic.
topical anesthetic: Any of various drugs that are applied directly to the surface of a
part of the body and produce topical anesthesia.
trauma center: A hospital unit specializing in the treatment of patients with acute
and especially life-threatening traumatic injuries.
249
triptan: Any of a class of drugs (as sumatriptan) that bind to and are agonists of
serotonin receptors and are used to treat migraine attacks.
tubal pregnancy: Ectopic pregnancy in a fallopian tube.
turf toe: A minor but painful usually sports-related injury typically involving
hyperextension of the big toe that results in spraining or tearing of the ligaments at
the joint between the metatarsal and basal phalanx. [from the occurrence of the injury
among athletes who play on artificial turf]
type 1 diabetes: A form of diabetes mellitus that usually develops during childhood
or adolescence and is characterized by a severe deficiency in insulin secretion
resulting from atrophy of the islets of Langerhans and causing hyperglycemia and a
marked tendency toward ketoacidosis.
type 2 diabetes: A common form of diabetes mellitus that develops especially in
adults and most often in obese individuals and that is characterized by hyperglycemia
resulting from impaired insulin utilization coupled with the body's inability to
compensate with increased insulin production.
U
underdiagnose: To diagnose (a condition or disease) less often than it is actually
present.
undertreat: To treat inadequately: undertreat a disease.
unstable angina: Angina pectoris characterized by sudden changes (as an increase in
the severity or length of anginal attacks or a decrease in the exertion required to
precipitate an attack) especially when symptoms were previously stable.
utilization review: A critical evaluation (as by a physician or nurse) of health-care
services provided to patients that is made especially for the purpose of controlling
costs and monitoring quality of care.
V
vaccinology: The science or methodology of vaccine development.
vacuum aspiration: A method of abortion performed during the first trimester of
pregnancy, in which the contents of the uterus are withdrawn through a narrow tube.
vaginosis: A disease of the vagina.
ventricular assist device: A device implanted in the chest or upper abdomen to
assist a damaged or weakened heart in pumping blood.
virucidal: Having the capacity to or tending to destroy or inactivate viruses:
virucidal agents; virucidal activity.
W
West Nile virus: A flavivirus that causes an illness marked by fever, headache,
muscle ache, skin rash, and sometimes encephalitis or meningitis and that is spread
chiefly by mosquitoes. [from West Nile province of Uganda, where the virus was
isolated in 1937]
whirlpool bath: A therapeutic bath in which all or part of the body is exposed to
forceful whirling currents of hot water.
white-coat hypertension: A temporary elevation in a patient's blood pressure that
occurs when measured in a medical setting (as a physician's office) and that is
250
usually due to anxiety on the part of the patient. [from the white laboratory coats
worn by physicians]
Williams syndrome: A rare genetic disorder marked especially by hypercalcemia of
infants, heart defects, characteristic facial abnormalities, and mild to moderate
mental retardation but a high verbal aptitude. [J.C.P. Williams (b1922), New
Zealand physician]
Y
yeast infection: Infection of the vagina with an overgrowth of a normally present
candidal fungus (Candida albicans) that is characterized by a discharge and
inflammation; an infection (as thrush) caused by a yeast fungus.
yuppie flu: Chronic fatigue syndrome.
12. 22. JARGON MILITARY (98)
A
Abates /ăb∂tē, -tĭs/: A defensive obstacle formed by felled trees with sharpened
branches facing the enemy. [French, from abattre, “to strike down, slaughter”]
aidman: A member of an army medical corps attached to a field unit. [short for
medical aid man]
air-to-air: Operating between, launched from, or involving rockets or aircraft in
flight: air-to-air missiles; air-to-air communications.
air-to-surface: Operating from or designed to be fired from aircraft at targets on the
ground: air-to-surface missiles.
AK-47: A Soviet-designed 7.62 mm (.30 cal.) gas-operated magazine-fed rifle for
automatic or semiautomatic fire. [Russian avtomat Kalashnikova 1947 Kalashnikov
automatic rifle of 1947]
APC: An armored vehicle used to transport military personnel. [armored personnel
carrier]
armored car: A lightly armored vehicle, usually mounted with a turret, used for
military reconnaissance, combat support, and security.
armored personnel carrier: An armored vehicle, usually equipped with treads,
used to transport infantry.
army group: An operational military formation consisting of two or more armies
and their supporting elements.
assault gun: 1. An assault weapon. 2. A turretless armored vehicle having the
chassis of a tank but mounting a larger gun, used in antitank combat and infantry
support.
assault rifle: Any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles designed for
individual use in combat.
assault weapon: An infantry weapon, such as an assault rifle, designed for
individual use.
251
B
biological weapon: A harmful biological agent (as a pathogenic microorganism or a
neurotoxin) used as a weapon to cause death or disease usually on a large scale.
C
Cammie: 1. Camouflage fabric. 2. Cammies: Garments made from camouflage
fabric.
charge of quarters: An enlisted man designated to handle administrative matters in
a unit especially after duty hours. Abbr. CQ.
Charlie: Used as a collective name for the Vietcong during the war in Vietnam.
[short for Victor Charlie, from the communications code words for VC (Vietcong)]
combat boot: A boot that laces up the front and has a thick rubber outsole, worn
especially by infantry.
combat zone: An area where military combat is taking place.
comfort woman: A woman forced to serve as a prostitute for Japanese servicemen
during World War II.
command car:
An open armored car designed especially for military
reconnaissance and capable of traveling over rough terrain.
counterguerilla: A guerrilla who is trained to thwart enemy guerrilla operations.
court of inquiry: A military court that inquires into and reports on questionable
actions involving military personnel or property.
D
death ray: A weapon that generates an intense beam of particles or radiation by
which it destroys its target.
death squad: A clandestine military or paramilitary group employed to carry out
political assassinations.
drop zone: The area into which soldiers or supplies are parachuted from an aircraft.
drum magazine: A cylindrical container for feeding cartridges into the firing
chamber of a submachine gun or light machine gun.
E
electronic countermeasure: The disruption of the operation of an enemy's
equipment (as by jamming radio or radar signals).
enlisted: Of, relating to, or being a member of a military rank below a commissioned
officer or warrant officer.
F
flight lieutenant: A commissioned officer in the British air force who ranks with a
captain in the army.
flight pay: An additional allowance paid to military personnel who take part in
regular authorized aircraft flights.
flight suit: A usually one-piece garment especially of fire-resistant fabric worn
especially by a member of a military aircrew.
flying officer: A commissioned officer in the British air force who ranks with a first
lieutenant in the army.
252
forward air controller: A military officer who directs from a forward position on
the ground or in the air the action of combat aircraft engaged in close air support of
land forces.
4-F: Classification as unfit for military service; also a person having this
classification.
franc-tireur: A civilian and especially a guerrilla fighter or sniper. [French, from
franc “free” + tireur, “shooter”]
friendly fire: Discharge of a military weapon that injures or kills an ally.
G
groundburst: The detonation of a nuclear warhead at ground level.
group captain: A commissioned officer in the British air force who ranks with a
colonel in the army.
H
Humvee: A trademark used for a durable wide-bodied military vehicle with fourwheel drive.
hup: Used to mark a marching cadence. [probably alteration of hep]
I
infantry fighting vehicle: A heavily armed, armored combat vehicle, having tracks
or wheels and often having amphibious capability, used to transport infantry into
battle and support them there.
J
Jaygee /jājē/: Lieutenant junior grade: a commissioned officer in the navy or coast
guard ranking above an ensign and below a lieutenant. [junior grade]
K
Kalashnikov: Any of a series of assault rifles of Soviet design, especially the AK47. [after Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov (born 1919), Soviet arms engineer]
killing field: A scene of mass killing (as from a battle or massacre).
L
left shoulder arms: A position in the manual of arms in which the butt of the rifle is
held in the left hand with the barrel resting on the left shoulder; also a command to
assume this position.
lend-lease: The transfer of goods and services to an ally to aid in a common cause
with payment made by a return of the original items or their use in the cause or by a
similar transfer of other goods and services. [U.S. Lend-Lease Act (1941)]
littoral warfare: Military combat in and near shallow water depths.
M
MiG /mĭg/: Any of a series of Russian fighter aircraft using piston and later jet
engines, such as the MiG 15, an interceptor used during the Korean War, and the
MiG 21, exported around the world during the 1970s. [after Artem Ivanovich
253
Mikoyan (1905-1970), and and Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich (1892-1976), Russian
aircraft designers]
military-industrial complex: The aggregate of a nation's armed forces and the
industries that supply their equipment, materials, and armaments.
motor torpedo boat: A small fast patrol craft usually armed with torpedoes,
machine guns, and depth charges.
M16: A 223 caliber (5.56 millimeter) gas-operated magazine-fed rifle for
semiautomatic or automatic operation used by United States troops since the mid
1960s. [model 16]
N
no-fly zone: Airspace in which certain aircraft, especially military aircraft, are
forbidden to fly.
P
picketboat: A craft used (as by the coast guard) for harbor patrol.
pilot officer: A commissioned officer in the British air force who ranks with a
second lieutenant in the army.
pocket battleship: Any of several German warships built in the late 1920s and early
1930s that were smaller, less well armed, and less heavily armored than a
conventional battleship.
pincer movement: A military attack by two coordinated forces that close in on an
enemy position from different directions.
port arms: A position in the manual of arms in which the rifle is held diagonally in
front of the body with the muzzle pointing upward to the left; also a command to
assume this position.
posting: Appointment to a post or a command.
provost court: A military court convened in occupied territory and usually
composed of one officer, in which trials for minor offenses are held. [provost,
military police officer + court]
provost guard: A unit of military police. [provost, military police officer + guard]
psyops: Military operations usually aimed at influencing the enemy state of mind
through noncombative means (as distribution of leaflets). [psychological operations]
Q
Q-ship: A decoy ship, especially an armed ship disguised as a merchant ship to
entice submarines to surface so that they may be attacked with gunfire. [Q, naval
classification]
R
rail gun: A weapon, consisting mainly of conducting metal rails, that uses
electromagnetic force to accelerate a projectile to a much greater speed than that
achieved by conventional chemical propellant weapons.
rallying cry: A cry used by a body of fighters in war.
Razzia /răzē∂/: A plundering raid. [Arabic dialectal azya, from Arabic azwa, “raid,
military attack,” from az, “to raid”]
254
ready box: A box placed near a gun (as on a ship) to hold ammunition kept ready for
immediate use.
rear echelon: An element of a military headquarters or unit located at a considerable
distance from the front and concerned especially with administrative and supply
duties.
recoil-operated: of a firearm Utilizing the movement of parts in recoil to operate the
action.
red alert: The final stage of alert in which enemy attack appears imminent.
repeating: of a firearm Designed to load cartridges from a magazine.
right shoulder arms: A position in the manual of arms in which the butt of the rifle
is held in the right hand with the barrel resting on the right shoulder; also a
command to assume this position.
route step: A style of marching in which troops maintain prescribed intervals but
are not required to keep in step or to maintain silence.
RPV: An unmanned aircraft flown by remote control and used especially for
reconnaissance. [Remotely Piloted Vehicle]
S
sarin: A poisonous liquid that inhibits the activity of cholinesterase and is used as a
nerve gas in chemical warfare. [German, originally a code name]
Schmeisser: Any of various German automatic weapons designed for use by
individual troops during World War II, especially either of two types of submachine
gun. [after HugoSchmeisser, 20th-century German arms engineer (to whom this type
of weapon was mistakenly attributed by Allied military men)]
scout car: A military reconnaissance vehicle.
senior airman: 1. abbr. SrA A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Air Force that is
above airman first class and below staff sergeant. 2. One who holds this rank.
service club: A recreation center for enlisted personnel provided by one of the armed
services.
service medal: A medal awarded to an individual for military service in a specified
war or campaign.
shaped charge: An explosive charge the energy of which is focused in one direction
so that it usually achieves an armor-penetrating effect.
silent service: 1. Navy: used with the. 2. The submarine service: used with the.
skip bomb: To attack by releasing delayed-action bombs from a low-flying airplane
so that they skip along a land or water surface and strike a target.
sniperscope: An optical device for use especially with a rifle that allows a person to
see targets better in the dark.
soldier's medal: A United States military decoration awarded for heroism not
involving combat.
spahi: 1. One of a former corps of irregular Turkish cavalry. 2. One of a former
corps of Algerian native cavalry in the French army. [Middle French, from Turkish
sipahi, from Persian sipāhī, “cavalryman”]
Sten: A light simple 9-millimeter British submachine gun. [R. V. Shepherd, 20th
century English army officer + H. J. Turpin, 20th century English civil servant +
Enfield, England]
strike force: An armed force equipped to deliver a strong offensive or retaliatory
blow.
255
submunition: Any of a group of smaller weapons carried as a warhead by a missile
or projectile and expelled as the carrier approaches its target.
surface-to-air missile: abbr. SAM. A guided missile launched from land or sea
against an airborne target.
surface-to-surface missile: abbr. SSM. A missile launched from land or sea at a
target that is also on the earth's surface.
T
table of organization: A table listing the number and duties of personnel and the
major items of equipment authorized for a military unit.
tabun: A poisonous combustible liquid that is soluble in organic solvents used as a
nerve gas in chemical warfare. [German, originally a code name]
temporary duty: Temporary military service away from one's permanent duty
station.
terminal leave: A final leave consisting of accumulated unused leave granted to a
member of the armed forces just prior to separation or discharge from service.
torpedo bomber: A military airplane designed to carry torpedoes.
trench warfare: Warfare in which the opposing forces attack and counterattack from
a relatively permanent system of trenches protected by barbed-wire entanglements.
W
war zone: 1. An area in which military combat takes place. 2. An area at sea in
which ships are prone to being attacked during a war.
wing commander: A commissioned officer in the British air force who ranks with a
lieutenant colonel in the army.
12. 23. JARGON MUSIC (107)
A
arpeggiate: 1. To play or sing (a chord) in arpeggio. 2. To represent (the tones of a
chord) as separate notes, as on a staff.
arpeggio: 1. The sounding of the tones of a chord in rapid succession rather than
simultaneously. 2. A chord played or sung in this manner. [Italian, from arpeggiare,
“to play the harp,” from arpa, “harp,” of Germanic origin]
art-rock: Rock music that incorporates elements of traditional or classical music.
atonalist: One who composes atonal music.
atonal: Lacking a tonal center or key; characterized by atonality.
B
barre also bar: 1. A handrail fixed to a wall, as in a dance studio, used by ballet
dancers as a support in certain exercises. 2. A fingering technique used with fretted
stringed instruments in which a finger is laid across the fretboard to stop all or
several strings at once. [French, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin barra, of
Gaulish origin]
256
barre chord also bar chord: A chord fingered on a fretted stringed instrument using
a barre.
beating reed: A reed in a musical instrument that vibrates against the edges of an air
opening (as in a clarinet or organ pipe) to which it is attached.
bell-lyra: A glockenspiel mounted in a portable lyre-shaped frame and used
especially in marching bands.
bodhran /bōrän, bou-/: A hand-held goatskin drum used in traditional Irish music
and often played with a stick. [Irish Gaelic bodhrán, from Middle Irish bodrán, from
Old Irish, from bodar, “deaf, deafening”]
broken consort: An ensemble whose instruments are not all from the same family.
busk: To play music or perform entertainment in a public place, usually while
soliciting money. [earlier, to be an itinerant performer, probably from busk, “to go
about seeking, cruise as a pirate,” perhaps from obsolete French busquer, “to prowl,”
from Italian buscare, “to prowl,” or Spanish buscar, “to seek”]
C
chamber orchestra: A small orchestra usually with one player for each part.
charango: A ten-stringed mandolin of Andean regions with a sound box traditionally
fashioned from the shell of an armadillo or tortoise, now also made of wood.
chest register: One of the lower ranges of the voice in singing or speaking. Also
chest voice.
clave /klävā/: 1. A cylindrical hardwood stick used in a pair as a percussion
instrument. 2. A syncopated two-bar musical pattern.
con anima: In a spirited manner, used as a direction in music. [Italian, literally, with
spirit]
conga: A tall barrel-shaped or tapering drum of Afro-Cuban origin that is played
with the hands. [American Spanish, probably from feminine of congo, “black
person,” from Congo, region in Africa]
con moto: With movement: in a spirited manner—used as a direction in music.
[Italian]
cool jazz: A style of jazz that emerged by the early 1950s, characterized by rhythmic
and emotional restraint, extensive legato passages, and a reflective character. [on the
model of hot jazz, bop]
countermelody: A secondary melody that is sounded simultaneously with the
principal one.
country rock: A form of popular music combining features of country music and
rock 'n' roll.
cover version: A recording of a song that was previously recorded or made popular
by another.
D
death metal: A type of heavy metal music that is characterized by the use of dark,
violent, or gory imagery.
didjeridoo or didgeridoo /dĭj∂rēdoo/: A musical instrument of the Aboriginal
peoples of Australia, consisting of a long hollow branch or stick that makes a deep
drone when blown into.
double flat: A symbol ( ) placed before a note to indicate that it is to be lowered by
two semitones.
257
double sharp: A symbol ( ) placed before a note to indicate that it is to be raised by
two semitones.
double-stop: To produce two tones simultaneously on (a stringed instrument) by
stopping two strings with one hand while bowing them with the other.
drum machine: An electronic device containing a sequencer that can be
programmed to arrange and alter digitally stored drum sounds.
dub: Jamaican popular music in which audio effects and spoken or chanted words
are imposed on an instrumental reggae background. [Middle English dubben, from
Old English dubbian, perhaps from Old French aduber]
dumka: A song, especially a Slavic folksong, that has alternating happy and sad
passages. [Slovak, Ukrainian folksong, from Ukrainian, diminutive of duma,
“thought, memory, narrative poem,” of Germanic origin]
E
early music: Western music from the beginning of the Middle Ages to about 1750,
including that of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.
electronica: Dance music featuring extensive use of synthesizers, electronic
percussion, and samples of recorded music or sound. [probably from New
Electronica, recording label of the British firm Beechwood Music Ltd]
elevator music: Unobtrusive arrangements of popular songs that are designed to be
played as background music in public places, such as shopping malls and elevators.
F
fake book: A book or collection of pages containing information about songs,
especially their lyrics, melodies, and chord progressions, used by musicians as a
substitute for standard sheet music or as a framework for improvisation.
free jazz: Free-form jazz marked especially by an abandonment of preset chord
progression and a lack of melodic pattern.
free reed: A reed in a musical instrument (as a harmonium) that vibrates in an air
opening just large enough to allow the reed to move freely.
French harp: 1. A small rectangular instrument consisting of a row of free reeds set
back in air holes, played by exhaling or inhaling.
fretboard: A fingerboard that is fitted with frets.
G
gagaku: The ancient court music of Japan. [Japanese, from ga, “elegance” + gaku,
“music”]
gangsta rap also gangster rap: A style of rap music associated with urban street
gangs and characterized by violent, tough-talking, often misogynistic lyrics. [from
African American Vernacular English gangsta, “gangster,” alteration of gangster]
garage band: An amateur rock band typically holding its rehearsals in a garage and
usually having only a local audience.
glitter rock: Rock music characterized by performers wearing glittering costumes
and bizarre often grotesque makeup.
Goth: A fan or performer of goth.
258
goth: 1. A style of rock music that often evokes bleak, lugubrious imagery. 2. A
performer or follower of this style of music. [from Gothic (from a view of Gothic
styles or genres as dark or gloomy)]
guiro /gwērō, gwîrō/: A Latin American percussion instrument made of a hollow
gourd with a grooved or serrated surface, played by scraping with a stick or rod.
[American Spanish güiro, from Taino]
H
hammered dulcimer or hammer dulcimer: A musical instrument with wire strings
of graduated lengths stretched over a sound box, played by striking with two padded
hammers.
hand bell: A small bell having a handle, especially one of a set of bells tuned to
different pitches and used in musical performance.
hemiola: A musical rhythmic alteration in which six equal notes may be heard as
two groups of three or three groups of two.
J
just intonation: A tuning system having intervals that are acoustically pure.
L
lounge music: A style of popular music influenced by swing and jazz, often played
in cocktail lounges.
M
mbaqanga /úmbäkäŋgä/: A South African dance music that combines traditional
elements (as chanting and drumming) with elements of modern music (as jazz).
[Zulu umbaqanga, literally, “steamed cornmeal bread”]
mellotron: An electronic keyboard instrument programmed to produce the taperecorded sounds usually of orchestral instruments. [from Mellotron, a trademark]
mountain dulcimer: 1. A narrow, often hourglass-shaped stringed instrument
having three or four strings and a fretted fingerboard, typically held flat across the
knees while sitting and played by plucking or strumming.
mouth harp: 1. A small rectangular instrument consisting of a row of free reeds set
back in air holes, played by exhaling or inhaling.
MPEG /ěmpěg/: 1. Any of a set of standards established for the compression of
digital video and audio data. 2. A file of digital video and audio data that has been so
compressed: downloaded an MPEG of the new video from the Internet. [moving
pictures experts group]
MP3: 1. An MPEG standard used especially for digitally transmitting music over the
Internet. 2. A file containing a song or other audio data that is encoded using this
standard: The band released its latest single as an MP3 on the Internet.
N
new jack: Of, relating to, or being urban, hip, and usually black: the new jack
generation. [jack (man, guy)]
new jack swing: Pop music usually performed by black musicians that combines
elements of jazz, funk, rap, and rhythm and blues.
259
P
piano roll: A roll of paper containing perforations corresponding to the notes of a
musical composition, used in operating a player piano.
pink noise: A mixture of sound waves with an intensity that diminishes
proportionally with frequency to yield approximately equal energy per octave.
plagal cadence: A cadence with the subdominant chord immediately preceding the
tonic chord.
player piano: A mechanically operated piano, especially a pedal-operated or motordriven piano using pneumatic suction to move the keys in correspondence to the
perforations on a turning piano roll.
power chord: A combination of two tones consisting of a root and its fifth that is
often used in rock music.
Q
quena /kān∂/: A recorderlike Andean flute having a notched mouthpiece. [Aymara]
R
ragga: A style of reggae music that incorporates hip-hop and rhythm and blues
elements. [shortening and alteration of ragamuffin (from the style of clothes worn by
the music's fans)]
rai: A form of popular Algerian music combining traditional Arabic vocal styles
with various elements of popular Western music and featuring outspoken, often
controversial lyrics. [Algerian French raï, perhaps from dialectal Arabic (ha er-)ray,
“(here is the) view” (frequently heard in the songs), from Arabic ra’y, “view,” from
ra’, “to observe”]
render: To arrange: rendered the composition for string quartet. [Middle English
rendren, from Old French rendre, “to give back,” from Vulgar Latin rendere,
alteration of Latin reddere (influenced by prēndere, “to grasp”): red-, re- + dare, “to
give”]
rhythm band: A band usually composed of schoolchildren who play simple
percussion instruments (as rhythm sticks, sleigh bells, or tambourines) to learn
fundamentals of coordination and music.
rhythm stick: One of a pair of plain or notched wood sticks that are struck or
rubbed together to produce various percussive sounds and are used especially by
young children in rhythm bands.
ripieno: Tutti. [Italian, literally, filled up]
rock steady: Popular music originating in Jamaica in the 1960s as a slower form of
ska, with an emphasis on harmonies and on socially conscious lyrics.
S
shamisen also samisen: A Japanese musical instrument resembling a lute, having a
very long neck and three strings played with a plectrum. [Japanese samisen: san,
“three” (from Middle Chinese sam) + mi, “taste, touch” (from Middle Chinese mujh)
+ sen, “string” (from Middle Chinese sianh)]
shape-note singing: A traditional style of unaccompanied group singing using a solfa notation in which the shape of the note indicates its pitch. Also shape singing.
260
sinfonia concertante /kän(t)s∂rtäntē, -sh∂r-, -tā/: A concerto for more than one solo
instrument. [Italian, literally, symphony in concerto style]
ska: Popular music originating in Jamaica in the 1960s, having elements of rhythm
and blues, jazz, and calypso and marked by a fast tempo and a strongly accented
offbeat. [from the phrase “Love Skavoovie,” greeting used by Jamaican bassist Cluet
Johnson, one of the early creators of ska, or imitative of the sound of a guitar in
tandem with a rim click on a snare drum]
slack-key: Of or being a style of Hawaiian popular music played by fingerpicking an
acoustic guitar that has been tuned to any of various open chords.
sol-fa syllables: The syllables do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, used in singing the tones of
the scale.
soukous /sookoos/: A rumbalike West African dance music originating in Congo.
[perhaps (via Lingala), from French secouer, “to shake” from Old French secourre,
from Latin succutere, “to jolt”: sub-, “sub-” + quatere, “to shake”]
speed metal: Heavy metal music that is exceptionally harsh and fast. Also thrash.
spit valve: A water key.
Stabat Mater: 1. A medieval Latin hymn on the sorrows of the Virgin Mary at the
Crucifixion. 2. A musical setting for this hymn. [from Medieval Latin Stabat Mater
(dolōrōsa), “the Mother was standing (full of sorrow),” the first words of the hymn:
Latin stabat, third person sing. imperfect tense of stare, “to stand” + Medieval Latin
Mater, “Mother” (of God)]
staccato: 1. Cut short crisply; detached: staccato octaves. 2. Marked by or composed
of abrupt, disconnected parts or sounds: staccato applause. [Italian, past participle of
staccare, “to detach,” short for distaccare, from obsolete French destacher, from Old
French destachier]
staccato mark: A pointed vertical stroke or a dot placed over or under a musical
note to be produced staccato.
steel drum: A metal percussion instrument of Trinidadian origin, fashioned from an
oil barrel and having a concave array of flattened areas that produce different tones
when struck.
steel pan: A steel drum.
synth-pop: 1. Informal A synthesizer. 2. A style of light popular music made with
synthesizers. Also synth.
T
tardo: Slow used as a direction in music. [Italian, from Latin tardus]
techno: Any of various styles of dance music characterized by electronic sounds and
a high-energy, rhythmic beat.
techno-pop: Popular music featuring extensive use of synthesizers.
Tejano: A style of conjunto music originating in southern Texas and combining
influences from country music, rhythm and blues, and popular Latin styles.
thirty-second rest: A musical rest corresponding in time value to a thirty-second
note.
through-composed: Having a different melody for each strophe.
tonette: A simple fipple flute with a range somewhat larger than an octave that is
often used in elementary music education.
261
trip-hop: Electronic dance music usually based on a slow hip-hop beat and
incorporating hypnotic synthesized and prerecorded sounds. [probably blend of trip
(high from a psychedelic drug) + hip-hop]
triple-tongue: To play a rapidly repeated series of notes on a wind instrument by
sequentially placing the tongue in the positions for t, t, and k.
tubular bell: Any of a set of tuned metal pipes used as an orchestral instrument.
Often used in the plural.
tuning head: 1. The part of a stringed instrument adjoined to the end of the neck,
where the strings are wound.
tuning machine: A mechanism in the head of a guitar or similar instrument,
consisting of a worm screw and gear attached to a post around which a string is
wound, used to adjust the tension and regulate the pitch of the string.
tutti: 1. With all voices or instruments performing together used as a direction in
music. 2. A passage or section performed by all the performers. [Italian, masculine
plural of tutto, “all,” from Vulgar Latin tottus, alteration of Latin totus]
twelve-tone row: The 12 chromatic tones of the octave placed in a chosen fixed
order and constituting with some permitted permutations and derivations the melodic
and harmonic material of a serial musical piece.
U
uilleann pipe also uillean pipe /īl∂n/: A Celtic bagpipe whose air supply is
produced by a bellows held under the arm and operated by the elbow.
W
water key: A lever covering a small hole on certain brass instruments, such as the
trombone, that is pressed to drain saliva that has accumulated in the instrument. Also
called spit key.
western swing: Swing music played typically on country-music instruments (as
guitar, fiddle, or steel guitar).
whole rest: A rest having the value of four beats in common time.
world music: Music from cultures other than those of Western Europe and Englishspeaking North America, especially popular music from Latin America, Africa, and
Asia.
Z
zouk: A popular dance music of the French West Indies, combining African
drumming styles with influences from American and Caribbean popular music.
12. 24. JARGON PHILOSOPHY (14)
A
analytic philosophy: 1. A cluster of philosophical traditions holding that
argumentation and clarity are vital to productive philosophical inquiry. 2. A
philosophical school of the 20th century whose central methodology is the analysis
of concepts or language. Leading practitioners have included Bertrand Russell,
262
George Edward Moore, Rudolf Carnap, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. 3. Philosophy as
professionally practiced in the United States and Great Britain in the 20th century. 4.
A philosophical movement that seeks the solution of philosophical problems in the
analysis of propositions or sentences; also philosophical analysis.
anthropic principle: Either of two principles in cosmology. a. conditions that are
observed in the universe must allow the observer to exist; also weak anthropic
principle. b. the universe must have properties that make inevitable the existence of
intelligent life; also strong anthropic principle.
B
binarism: A mode of thought predicated on stable oppositions (as good and evil or
male and female) that is seen in post-structuralist analysis as an inadequate approach
to areas of difference; also a specific dichotomy subscribed to or reinforced in such
thought: the binarism of West and East. [French binarisme]
C
cogito: 1. The philosophic principle that one's existence is demonstrated by the fact
that one thinks. 2. The intellectual processes of the self or ego. [New Latin cogito,
ergo sum, literally, “I think, therefore I am,” principle stated by René Descartes]
E
essentialism: The metaphysical theory that the essential properties of an object can
be distinguished from those that are accidental to it.
I
intentionality: The property of being about or directed toward a subject, as inherent
in conscious states, beliefs, or creations of the mind, such as sentences or books.
O
occasionalism: The doctrine that God is the sole causal actor and that all events are
merely occasions on which God brings about what are normally thought of as their
effects.
ontological: 1. Of or relating to essence or the nature of being. 2. Of or relating to
the argument for the existence of God holding that the existence of the concept of
God entails the existence of God.
ordinary-language philosophy: A trend in philosophical analysis that seeks to
resolve philosophical perplexity by revealing sources of puzzlement in the
misunderstanding of ordinary language.
P
pluralistic: 1. Of or relating to social or philosophical pluralism. 2. Having multiple
aspects or parts: the idea that intelligence is a pluralistic quality that... varies in
many dimensions among individuals.
post-structuralism: A movement or theory (as deconstruction) that views the
descriptive premise of structuralism as contradicted by reliance on borrowed
263
concepts or differential terms and categories and sees inquiry as inevitably shaped by
discursive and interpretive practices.
proprium: In Aristotelian thought, a predicable property common to all members of
a kind but not constituting part of the definition of that kind. [Medieval Latin, from
neuter of Latin proprius, “proper”]
R
reference frame: 1. A set of coordinate axes in terms of which position or
movement may be specified or with reference to which physical laws may be
mathematically stated. Also frame of reference. 2. A set of ideas, as of philosophical
or religious doctrine, in terms of which other ideas are interpreted or assigned
meaning.
W
will to power: The drive of the superman in the philosophy of Nietzsche to perfect
and transcend the self through the possession and exercise of creative power.
12. 25. JARGON POLITICS (54)
B
Baathism: The principles and policies of the Baath political party of Iraq and Syria
characterized especially by promotion of pan-Arab socialism. [Baath, “party” (part
translation of Arabic hizb al-ba’ath, literally, “Renaissance Party”) + -ism]
big tent: A group, especially a political coalition, that accommodates people who
have a wide range of beliefs, principles, or backgrounds: [Lyndon] Johnson's...
efforts to bring businessman and laborer, black and white, city dweller and dirt
farmer into his big tent... seemed to mark him as a smoother.
bloodstained: Responsible for killing or slaughter: a bloodstained government.
brass collar Democrat: A conservative Democrat especially in the south who votes
the straight Democratic ticket.
buckraking: The practice of accepting large sums of money for speaking to business
or special interest groups, especially when viewed as compromising the objectivity
of journalists. [blend of buck, and muckraking]
C
Castroism: The political and socioeconomic principles and policies of Fidel Castro.
contractarianism: Any of various theories that justify moral principles or political
arrangements by appealing to a social contract that is voluntarily committed to under
ideal conditions for such commitment.
D
destalinize: To undergo or cause to undergo destalinization.
destalinization: The process of discrediting and eliminating the political policies,
methods, and personal image of Joseph Stalin.
264
E
European Union: An economic and political union established in 1993 after the
ratification of the Maastricht Treaty by members of the European Community, which
forms its core. In establishing the European Union, the treaty expanded the political
scope of the European Community, especially in the area of foreign and security
policy, and provided for the creation of a central European bank and the adoption of
a common currency by the end of the 20th century.
fence-mending: The rehabilitating of a deteriorated political relationship.
Fidelista: An adherent of Castroism. [American Spanish, from Fidel Castro + -ista,
–ist]
First Nation: An organized aboriginal group or community, especially any of the
bands officially recognized by the Canadian government.
G
garrison state: A state organized to serve primarily its own need for military
security; also a state maintained by military power.
-gate: A scandal involving alleged illegal acts and often a cover-up, especially by
government officials: Irangate. [after Watergate]
good-neighbor: Marked by principles of friendship, cooperation, and
noninterference in the internal affairs of another country: a good-neighbor policy.
groupuscule: A small group of political activists. [French, from groupe, “group” +
-uscule (as in corpuscule — corpuscle)]
Gulf War: A war fought in 1991 in which a coalition of countries led by the United
States destroyed much of the military capability of Iraq and drove the Iraqi army out
of Kuwait. Also Persian Gulf War.
I
identity politics: Political attitudes or positions that focus on the concerns of social
groups identified mainly on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation:
However, identity politics, whether in the guise of nationalism, feminism, or some
other form of political expression is on the defensive these days. Also called
Particlarism.
irredenta: A region that is culturally or historically related to one nation but is
subject to a foreign government. [from Italian (Italia) irredenta, “unredeemed”
(Italy), Italian-speaking areas subject to other countries, feminine of irredento: in-,
“not” + redento, “redeemed” (from Latin redemptus, past participle of redimere, “to
redeem”)]
M
minor party: A political party whose electoral strength is so weak that it has little
chance of gaining control of a government.
muckrake: To search for and expose misconduct in public life. [from the man with
the muckrake, tool for raking muck, who cannot look up to heaven because he is so
obsessed with the muck of worldly profit, in Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan]
mugwump: 1. A person who acts independently or remains neutral, especially in
politics. 2. Often Mugwump A Republican who bolted the party in 1884, refusing to
265
support presidential candidate James G. Blaine. [Massachusett mugguomp,
mummugguomp, “war leader”]
N
nationhood: National status; specifically a legal relationship involving allegiance on
the part of an individual and usually protection on the part of the state.
New Right: A political movement made up especially of Protestants, opposed
especially to secular humanism, and concerned with issues especially of church and
state, patriotism, laissez-faire economics, pornography, and abortion.
P
paleoconservative: Informal Extremely or stubbornly conservative in political
matters.
paleoliberal: Extremely or stubbornly liberal in political matters.
Pan-Slavism: A movement advocating the political and cultural union of Slavic
nations and peoples.
pax: A time of wide-ranging stability when there is only a single dominant power.
Used with a Latinized name: Editorials lauding the civilizing influence of Pax
Britannica were met with... a crushing disinterest from most of the public”. [from
Latin pax, “peace”]
peace dividend: An amount of money taken from a defense budget and appropriated
elsewhere in times of peace when less money is required for defense than in times of
hostility or war.
point person: One who is in the forefront; especially a principal spokesman or
advocate: the point man for the President's economic policy.
political prisoner: A person who has been imprisoned for holding or advocating
dissenting political views.
provincialism: The act or an instance of placing the interests of one's province
before one's nation.
punditocracy: A group of powerful and influential political commentators. [pundit
+ -cracy]
Q
quasi-legislative: 1. Having a partly legislative character by possession of the right
to make rules and regulations having the force of law: a quasi-legislative agency.
2. Essentially legislative in character but not within the legislative power or function
especially as constitutionally defined: quasi-legislative powers.
R
reserved power: A political power reserved by a constitution to the exclusive
jurisdiction of a specified political authority.
resident commissioner: 1. A nonvoting representative of a dependency in the
United States House of Representatives. 2. A resident administrator in a British
colony or possession.
residual power: Power held to remain at the disposal of a governmental authority
after an enumeration or delegation of specified powers to other authorities.
266
S
shadow cabinet: A group of leaders of a parliamentary opposition who constitute
the probable membership of the cabinet when their party is returned to power.
show trial: A trial (as of political opponents) in which the verdict is rigged and a
public confession is often extracted.
soft money: Political donations made in such a way as to avoid federal regulations or
limits, as by donating to a party organization rather than to a particular candidate or
campaign.
special district: A political subdivision of a state established to provide a single
public service (as water supply or sanitation) within a specific geographic area.
spinmeister: Spin doctor: a person (as a political aide) responsible for ensuring that
others interpret an event from a particular point of view.
state socialism: An economic system with limited socialist characteristics that is
effected by gradual state action and typically includes public ownership of major
industries and remedial measures to benefit the working class.
superagency: A large complex governmental agency especially when set up to
supervise other agencies.
swaraj /sw∂räj/: National or local self-government in India. [Hindi svarāj, from
Sanskrit sva, “own” + Hindi rāj, “rule”]
T
third reading: The final stage of the consideration of a legislative bill before a vote
on its final disposition.
Trotskyism: The political, economic, and social principles advocated by Trotsky;
especially the theory and practice of communism developed by or associated with
Trotsky and usually including adherence to the concept of worldwide revolution as
opposed to socialism in one country.
two-party: Characterized by two major political parties of comparable strength.
U
utopian socialism: Socialism based on a belief that social ownership of the means
of production can be achieved by voluntary and peaceful surrender of their holdings
by propertied groups.
V
veto-proof: Having enough potential votes to be enacted over a veto or to override
vetoes consistently: a veto-proof bill.
W
whispering campaign: The systematic dissemination by word of mouth of
derogatory rumors or charges especially against a candidate for public office.
world federalism: 1. Federalism on a worldwide basis. 2. Capitalized W & F. a. the
principles and policies of the World Federalists. b. the body or movement composed
of World Federalists.
world federalist: 1. An adherent or advocate of world federalism. 2. Capitalized W
& F: a member of a movement arising after World War II advocating the formation
267
of a federal union of the nations of the world with limited but positive governmental
powers.
12. 26. JARGON PRINTING (29)
B
bibliopegia: The art of binding books.
blue screen: A photographic technique in which a subject is filmed in front of a blue
background so as to allow matte compositing of the film with other footage; also the
blue background.
Bubble-Jet Printer: A trademark for a printer consisting of a grid of ink-containing
nozzles that forms an image when the ink is heated and expanded, forcing it out onto
the page.
bullet: A heavy dot (·) used to highlight a particular passage. [French boulette,
diminutive of boule, “ball,” from Old French, from Latin bulla]
bulleted: Highlighted or set off with bullets: a bulleted list.
C
chroma-key: A photographic compositing technique based on the separation of
colors in the original images; especially blue screen.
E
emdash: A symbol (—) used in writing and printing to indicate a break in thought or
sentence structure, to introduce a phrase added for emphasis, definition, or
explanation, or to separate two clauses.
endash: A symbol ( - ) used in writing or printing to connect continuing or inclusive
numbers or to connect elements of a compound adjective when either of the elements
is an open compound, as: 1880-1945 or Princeton-New York trains.
I
impact printer: A printing device in which a printing element directly strikes a
surface (as in a typewriter).
ink-jet printer: A printer that forms an image by using electromagnetic fields to
guide electrically charged ink streams onto the page.
L
linecaster: A machine that casts metal type in lines.
N
nonimpact printer: A device, such as an ink-jet or bubble-jet printer, that produces
an image without mechanically striking the page the image is printed on.
number sign: The symbol (#), used to represent the word number.
268
P
perfect binding: A book binding in which a layer of adhesive holds the pages and
cover together.
platemaker: A machine for making printing plates and especially offset printing
plates.
R
relief printing: The process of printing from an inked raised surface especially when
the paper is impressed directly upon the surface.
S
sexto: The size of a piece of paper cut six from a sheet; also a book, a page, or paper
of this size. [Latin sexto, ablative of sextus, “sixth”]
sheetfed: Of, relating to, being, or printed by a press that prints on paper in sheet
form.
sixmo: The size of a piece of paper cut six from a sheet; also a book, a page, or paper
of this size.
softback: Softcover.
space mark: The symbol #.
spiral-bound: Having a spiral binding.
stereolithography: A three-dimensional printing process that makes a solid object
from a computer image by using a computer-controlled laser to draw the shape of the
object onto the surface of liquid plastic.
stop bath: An acid solution used to check the developing process of a photographic
negative or print.
T
thermal printer: A dot matrix printer (as for a computer) in which heat is applied to
the pins of the matrix to form dots on usually heat-sensitive paper.
trim size: The actual size (as of a book page) after excess material required in
production has been cut off.
W
webfed: Of, relating to, or printed by a web press.
web-offset: Offset printing by web press.
web press: A rotary press that prints on a continuous roll of paper.
12. 27. JARGON PSYCHOLOGY (77)
A
act out: 1. To express (as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without
modification to comply with social norms. 2. To behave badly or in a socially
269
unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful
emotions (as fear or frustration).
acute stress disorder: Posttraumatic stress disorder that occurs immediately or soon
after a traumatic event.
addictive: Characterized by or susceptible to addiction: an addictive personality.
adjusted: Having achieved psychological balance, especially regarding others or the
demands of everyday life: a poorly adjusted teenager.
affective disorder: A mental disorder characterized by a consistent, pervasive
alteration in mood, and affecting thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
analytic psychology: The theory of psychoanalysis developed by Carl Jung that
focuses on the concept of the collective unconscious and the importance of balancing
opposing forces within the personality.
anhedonia: A psychological condition characterized by inability to experience
pleasure in normally pleasurable acts. [New Latin, from a- + Greek hedon,
“pleasure”]
anterograde: Affecting memories of a period immediately following a shock or
seizure: anterograde amnesia.
Asperger's syndrome: A psychiatric disorder, most often noted during the early
school years, characterized by impairments in social interaction and repetitive
behavior patterns. [after Hans Asperger (1906-1980), Austrian pediatrician]
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A syndrome of disordered learning and
disruptive behavior that is not caused by any serious underlying physical or mental
disorder and that has several subtypes characterized primarily by symptoms of
inattentiveness or primarily by symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsive behavior
(as speaking out of turn) or by the significant expression of all three.
B
biting stage: In psychoanalysis, the second stage of the oral phase of psychosexual
development, from approximately 8 to 18 months of age, during which a child may
express hostility by biting, spitting, or chewing on objects.
C
clinical depression: A psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to
concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, anhedonia, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt,
helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death.
communication disorder: Any of various disorders, such as stuttering or
perseveration, characterized by impaired written or verbal expression.
codependency: A psychological condition or a relationship in which a person is
controlled or manipulated by another who is affected with a pathological condition
(as an addiction to alcohol or heroin); dependence on the needs of or control by
another.
connectionism: A school of cognitive science that holds that human mental
processes (as learning) can be explained by the computational modeling of neural
nets which are thought to simulate the actions of interconnected neurons in the brain.
270
D
derealization: A feeling of altered reality (as that occurring in schizophrenia or in
some drug reactions) in which one's surroundings appear unreal or unfamiliar.
dissociative identity disorder: Multiple personality disorder.
disturbed: Showing signs or symptoms of mental or emotional illness: crimes that
could only be committed by a disturbed person.
drama therapy: Psychotherapy that incorporates the use of dramatic techniques,
such as improvisation and performance.
dysthymia: A mood disorder characterized by mild depression. [New Latin
dysthymia, from Greek dusthūmiā, “despondency”: dus-, “dys-” + -thūmiā, “thymia”]
E
empty nest syndrome: A feeling of depression experienced by some parents after
their children have grown and left home.
EQ: Intelligence regarding the emotions, especially in the ability to monitor one's
own or others' emotions and to interact effectively with others. [Emotional Quotient]
escape mechanism: A mode of behavior or thinking adopted to evade unpleasant
facts or responsibilities.
evolutionary psychology: The study of the psychological adaptations of humans to
the changing physical and social environment, especially of changes in brain
structure, cognitive mechanisms, and behavioral differences among individuals.
F
father image: An idealization of one's father often projected onto someone to whom
one looks for guidance and protection.
G
group dynamics: The interacting forces within a small human group; also the
sociological study of these forces.
H
halo effect: Generalization from the perception of one outstanding personality trait
to an overly favorable evaluation of the whole personality.
hard-wire: To determine or put into effect by physiological or neurological
mechanisms; make automatic or innate: It may be that certain orders of anxiety are
hard-wired in us.
Hawthorne effect: The stimulation to output or accomplishment that results from
the mere fact of being under observation; also such an increase in output or
accomplishment. [from the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Co., Cicero,
Ill., where its existence was established by experiment]
histrionic personality disorder: A psychological disorder characterized by
excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior.
271
I
introverted: Marked by interest in or preoccupation with oneself or one's own
thoughts as opposed to others or the environment; shy or reserved.
L
latency period: The fourth stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic
theory, from about five years to puberty, during which a child apparently represses
sexual urges and prefers to associate with members of the same sex. It is preceded by
the phallic stage and followed by the genital stage.
left brain: The cerebral hemisphere to the left of the corpus callosum, controlling
activities on the right side of the body, and in humans, usually controlling speech and
language functions.
lifemanship: The skill or practice of achieving superiority or an appearance of
superiority over others (as in conversation) by perplexing and demoralizing them.
M
major depression: 1. Major depressive disorder. 2. An episode of depression
characteristic of major depressive disorder.
major depressive disorder: A mood disorder having a clinical course involving one
or more episodes of serious psychological depression lasting two or more weeks each
with no intervening episodes of mania.
major tranquilizer: Any of a group of drugs, such as the phenothiazines or
butyrophenones, that are used to treat psychosis.
mass hysteria: A condition in which a large group of people exhibit similar physical
or emotional symptoms, such as anxiety or extreme excitement.
mass psychogenic illness: The occurrence of psychogenic illness in a group of
people at the same time. Examples include the biting manias and dancing manias that
spread throughout parts of Europe between the 13th and 17th century.
mental block: A sudden cessation of speech or a thought process without an
immediate observable cause, sometimes considered a consequence of repression.
mental disease: Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an
individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by
social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head
trauma. Also called mental illness.
mentalese: A hypothetical language in which concepts and propositions are
represented in the mind without words.
mental health: 1. A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an
individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in
society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.
mental illness: Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an
individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by
social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head
trauma.
mentally ill: Suffering from a mental illness. People who are mentally ill considered
as a group.
metacognition: Awareness or analysis of one's own learning or thinking processes.
272
mind-blowing: 1. Of, relating to, or being drugs (as LSD) capable of producing
abnormal psychic effects (as hallucinations) and sometimes psychotic states. 2.
Mentally or emotionally exciting or overwhelming.
mind game: 1. An act or series of acts of calculated psychological manipulation,
especially in order to confuse or intimidate. 2. An activity that provides
entertainment and challenges the intellect.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory: abbr. MMPI. A test of personal
and social adjustment based on a complex scaling of the answers to an elaborate true
or false test. [University of Minnesota]
mood disorder: Any of several psychological disorders (as major depressive
disorder or bipolar disorder) characterized by abnormalities of emotional state.
movement therapy: A method of psychological treatment in which movement and
dance are used to express and deal with feelings and experiences, both positive and
negative.
multiple personality disorder: A hysterical neurosis in which the personality
becomes dissociated into two or more distinct but complex and socially and
behaviorally integrated parts each of which becomes dominant and controls behavior
from time to time to the exclusion of the others.
Munchausen syndrome: A psychological disorder characterized by the repeated
fabrication or causation of disease symptoms or trauma for the purpose of gaining
medical attention or treatment. [after Münchhausen Baron, Karl Friedrich
Hieronymus von (because the fabricated diseases recalled his fictionalized accounts
of his life)]
Munchausen syndrome by proxy: A psychological disorder in which a parent or
other caregiver gains attention from medical professionals by repeatedly causing or
fabricating disease symptoms in a child.
O
obsessive-compulsive: Relating to or characterized by a tendency to dwell on
unwanted thoughts or ideas or perform certain repetitious rituals, especially as a
defense against anxiety from unconscious conflicts: obsessive-compulsive behavior.
An obsessive-compulsive person.
organic brain syndrome: Any of various disorders of cognition caused by
permanent or temporary brain dysfunction and characterized especially by dementia.
P
panic attack: The sudden onset of intense anxiety, characterized by feelings of
intense fear and apprehension and accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath,
sweating, and trembling.
paraphilia: Any of a group of psychosexual disorders characterized by sexual
fantasies, feelings, or activities involving a nonhuman object, a nonconsenting
partner such as a child, or pain or humiliation of oneself or one's partner.
passive-aggressive: Of, relating to, or having a personality disorder characterized by
habitual passive resistance to demands for adequate performance in occupational or
social situations, as by procrastination, stubbornness, sullenness, and inefficiency.
peer pressure: Pressure from one's peers to behave in a manner similar or
acceptable to them.
273
perseveration: 1. a. Uncontrollable repetition of a particular response, such as a
word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of a stimulus, usually
caused by brain injury or other organic disorder. b. The tendency to continue or
repeat an act or activity after the cessation of the original stimulus. 2. The act or an
instance of persevering; perseverance.
pervasive developmental disorder: abbr. PDD. Any of several disorders, such as
autism and Asperger's syndrome, characterized by severe deficits in many areas of
development, including social interaction and communication, or by the presence of
repetitive, stereotyped behaviors. Such disorders are usually evident in the first years
of life and are often associated with some degree of mental retardation.
Peter Pan: 1. An adult who does not want to grow up. 2. One who hangs on to
adolescent interests and attitudes.
posttraumatic stress disorder: abbr. PTSD. A psychological disorder affecting
individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events, such as
torture, murder, rape, or wartime combat, characterized by recurrent flashbacks of
the traumatic event, nightmares, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness, and social
withdrawal.
R
reality check: An assessment to determine if one's circumstances or expectations
conform to reality.
recovered memory: 1. A memory of an experience, especially a traumatic one, that
is recalled after an often lengthy period of repression. 2. An imagined event believed
to be recalled as such a memory.
repressed memory: A memory that is repressed because of the anxiety it engenders.
right brain: The cerebral hemisphere to the right of the corpus callosum, controlling
activities on the left side of the body and, in humans, usually controlling perception
of spatial and nonverbal concepts.
S
separation anxiety: A form of anxiety experienced by a young child and caused by
separation from a significant nurturant figure and typically a parent or from familiar
surroundings.
siege mentality: A defensive or overly fearful attitude.
sociodrama: 1. A psychotherapeutic technique that utilizes dramatization and roleplaying to identify and remedy intergroup problems and conflicts. 2. A dramatization
in which this technique is employed. [socio- + psychodrama]
somatization: Conversion of a mental state (as depression or anxiety) into physical
symptoms; also the existence of physical bodily complaints in the absence of a
known medical condition.
spontaneous recovery: Reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response
without positive reinforcement.
SSRI: A class of drugs, such as fluoxetine or sertraline, that inhibit the uptake of
serotonin by neurons of the central nervous system and are primarily used in the
treatment of depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. [Selective Serotonin
Reuptake Inhibitor]
274
T
talk therapy: Psychotherapy emphasizing conversation between therapist and
patient.
trichotillomania: The compulsion to tear or pluck out the hair on one's head and
face and often to ingest it. [tricho- + Greek tillein, “to pluck hair” + -mania]
W
will to power: A conscious or unconscious desire to exercise authority over others.
12. 28. JARGON RELIGION (89)
A
altar girl: A girl who is an altar server.
altar server: An attendant to an officiating cleric in the performance of a liturgical
service; an acolyte.
ancestor worship: The custom of venerating deceased ancestors who are considered
still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene
in the affairs of the living.
B
bimah: A raised platform in a synagogue from which the Torah is read. [Yiddish &
Late Hebrew; Yiddish bime, from Late Hebrew bīmāh, from Late Greek bēma,
“raised platform”]
Book of Changes: A Chinese book of ancient origin consisting of 64 interrelated
hexagrams along with commentaries attributed to Confucius. The hexagrams,
originally used for divination, embody Taoist philosophy by describing all nature and
human endeavor in terms of the interaction of yin and yang. [Chinese (Mandarin) Yì
Jng, Book of Changes: yì, “change” + jng, “classic, book”]
Book of Mormon: One of the sacred books of the Mormon Church, published in
1830 by Joseph Smith, and believed by Mormons to contain the sacred history of the
lost tribes of Israel in the Americas and to prophesy the appearance of Jesus after the
Resurrection to establish religious order.
Book of the Dead: A collection of ancient Egyptian funerary texts from various
periods, containing prayers, magic formulas, and hymns to be used by the soul of the
deceased for guidance and protection on its journey to the afterlife.
Brahmana: Any of several ancient Hindu religious prose texts that explain the
relationship of the Vedas to the sacrificial ceremonies. [Sanskrit Brāhmanam, from
neuter of brāhmana, “brahminical”]
bris: Judaism The rite or ceremony of male circumcision, usually performed on the
eighth day of life. [Ashkenazi Hebrew b∂ris, from Hebrew b∂rît (mīlâ), “covenant”
(of circumcision)]
275
C
Candomble: A religion based on African traditions with elements derived from
Christianity, practiced chiefly in Brazil. [Portuguese Candomblé, ritual drum music,
of Bantu origin (perhaps imitative of the sound of drums)]
cargo cult: Any of various Melanesian religious groups characterized by the belief
that material wealth (as money or manufactured goods) can be obtained through
ritual worship.
catholicos: A primate of certain Eastern churches and especially of the Armenian or
of the Nestorian church. [Late Greek katholikos, from Greek, “general”]
chi also ch'i or Qi or qi /chē/: The vital force believed in Taoism and other Chinese
thought to be inherent in all things. The unimpeded circulation of chi and a balance
of its negative and positive forms in the body are held to be essential to good health
in traditional Chinese medicine.
chimere /č∂mîr, sh∂-/: A loose sleeveless robe worn especially by Anglican bishops.
churched: Belonging to or participating in a church.
confirmand:
A candidate for religious confirmation. [Latin confirmandus,
gerundive of confirmare]
crypto-Jew: A member of a Jewish community forced to convert to another religion
and outwardly embracing it while secretly maintaining Jewish practices.
D
daven: To recite Jewish liturgical prayers.
Day of the Dead: November 1 and November 2 collectively, celebrated
concurrently with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in Mexico and parts of Central
America in commemoration of the dead.
Douay Version: An English translation of the Vulgate used by Roman Catholics.
[Douay, France]
E
established church: A church that a government officially recognizes as a national
institution and to which it accords support.
F
First Reader: A Christian Scientist chosen to conduct meetings for a specified time
and specifically to read aloud from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy.
Forty Hours: A Roman Catholic devotion in which the churches of a diocese in 2day turns have the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar for continuous daytime
veneration.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: In the Book of Revelation, four horsemen that
personify pestilence, war, famine, and death, sent as harbingers of the end of the
world.
G
gawp: To gawk. [Variant of obsolete galp, “to gawk, gape,” of unknown origin]
Gog and Magog: In Judeo-Christian tradition, the satanic powers who wage war
against God and the righteous at the end of the world.
276
H
hadith: Islam 1. a. A report of the sayings or actions of Muhammad or his
companions, together with the tradition of its chain of transmission. b. The collective
body of these traditions. [Arabic ad, “report, news, tradition,” from addaa, “to
report,” from adaa, “to be new”]
hamantasch: A 3-cornered pastry with a filling (as of poppy seeds or prunes)
traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday Purim. [Yiddish homentash, from
Haman (in the Bible, a Persian minister who was hanged for plotting the destruction
of the Jews) + tash, “pocket, bag”]
I
'Id al-Fitr also Eid al-Fitr: Islam A festival that ends the fast of Ramadan. [Arabic `
Īd al-Fir, “Feast of Breaking the Fast”: `Īd, “feast” (from Aramaic `ed, “day of
assembly,” from `ad, “to fix a time.”) + al-, “the” + fir, “breaking the fast” (from
faara, “to split, break, break the fast”)]
immovable feast: A religious holiday, such as Christmas, that does not change in
date from year to year.
intertestamental: Of, relating to, or forming the period of two centuries between the
composition of the last book of the Old Testament and the first book of the New
Testament.
J
Jah: In Rastafarianism, God or Jehovah. [Hebrew]
K
kami: Any of the sacred beings worshiped in Shintoism, conceived as spirits abiding
in natural phenomena and sometimes in people with extraordinary qualities.
[Japanese.]
kiruv: The practice of turning secularized Jews toward Orthodox Judaism. [Mishnaic
Hebrew qîrûb, “bringing near, rapprochement,” from Hebrew qirub, “to bring near,”
derived stem of qirab, “he came near”]
kiss of peace: A ceremonial gesture, such as a kiss or handclasp, used as a sign of
love and union in some Christian churches during celebration of the Eucharist.
M
macumba: A polytheistic religion of African origin involving syncretistic elements
and practiced mainly by Brazilian blacks in urban areas. [Brazilian Portuguese]
madrassah: A building or group of buildings used for teaching Islamic theology and
religious law, typically including a mosque.
magick: An action or effort undertaken because of a personal need to effect change,
especially as associated with Wicca or Wiccan beliefs.
Mahabharata: A Sanskrit epic principally concerning the dynastic struggle and civil
war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas in the kingdom of Kurukshetra about
the 9th century B.C., and containing the text of the Bhagavad-Gita, numerous
subplots, and interpolations on theology, morals, and statecraft.
major seminary: A Roman Catholic seminary giving usually the entire six years of
senior college and theological training required for major orders.
277
Manu: Hinduism The primordial father of the human race and sovereign of the earth
who first instituted religious ceremonies and devised a code of laws. [Sanskrit Manu,
from manu, “man”]
mechitza: A partition erected in the seating section of an Orthodox synogogue to
prevent the mixing of men and women.
medicine woman: A female shaman or shamanistic healer, especially among Native
American peoples.
megachurch: A large, independent, usually nondenominational worship group,
especially one formed as an offshoot of a Protestant church.
minor seminary: A Roman Catholic seminary giving all or part of high school and
junior college training with emphasis on preparing candidates for a major seminary.
missiology: The study of the church's mission especially with respect to missionary
activity.
Mitra: The Hindu god of friendship and alliances, usually invoked together with
Varuna as an upholder of order, punisher of falsehood, supporter of heaven and
earth, and bringer of rain.
moderator: The officer who presides over a synod or general assembly of the
Presbyterian Church.
Monarchianism: Any of several Christian heresies of the second and third centuries
A.D. that attempted to maintain monotheism and the unity of the Godhead but
thereby denied the independent hypostasis of God the Son. [from Latin Monarchiānī,
“the Monarchians,” from monarchia, “monarchy”]
Moroni: An ancient prophet believed to have buried the sacred history of the
Americas compiled by his father, Mormon, near Palmyra, New York, in the early
fifth century A.D., and to have later appeared to Joseph Smith as an angel to direct
him to the burial site.
mourners' bench: A bench for mourners or repentant sinners placed at the front in a
revival meeting: That night I was escorted to the front row and placed on the
mourners' bench with all the other young sinners.
N
neo-pagan: A person who practices a contemporary form of paganism (as Wicca).
O
Office of the Dead: An office traditionally sung or said before a burial mass in the
Roman Catholic Church, now obligatory only on All Souls' Day.
Opus Dei: A Roman Catholic organization composed of both clergy and lay
members and dedicated to fostering Christian principles at all levels of society. [New
Latin Opus Deī, “work of God:” Latin opus, “work” + Latin Deī, genitive of Deus,
“God”]
ordinand: A person who is a candidate for ordination.
P
pax: 1. Ecclesiastical a. A small flat tablet adorned with a sacred image that
worshippers kiss when offered the kiss of peace. b. The kiss of peace. [Medieval
Latin pax, from Latin, “peace”]
278
Purusha: Hinduism The primeval man, considered to be the soul of the universe,
which was created out of his body. [Sanskrit Purua, from purua, “man”]
Q
qabala or qabalah or kabbalah or kabbala or kabala also cabala: 1. A body of
mystical teachings of rabbinical origin, often based on an esoteric interpretation of
the Hebrew Scriptures. 2. A secret doctrine resembling these teachings. [Medieval
Latin cabala, from Hebrew qabblâ, “received doctrine, tradition,” from qibbel, “to
receive”]
qabalistic or kabbalistic or cabalistic: Of or relating to the Kabbalah.
R
rishi: A divinely inspired poet or sage in India, sometimes regarded as a saint.
roshi: The spiritual leader of a group of Zen Buddhists. [Japanese roshi, “old
master”]
S
Sabellianism: A version of Monarchianism holding that the Godhead was
differentiated only into a succession of modes or operations and that the Father
suffered as much as the Son. [after Sabellius (fl. 3rd cent. A.D.), Monarchian
theologian]
santera: A priestess of Santeria. [American Spanish, from Spanish, feminine of
santero, “cult priest”]
Santeria also santeria: An African-based religion similar to voodoo, originating in
Cuba and Brazil, which combines the worship of traditional Yoruban deities with the
worship of Roman Catholic saints. [from American Spanish santería, “worship of
saints,” from Spanish santo, “saint”]
santero: A priest of Santeria. [American Spanish, from Spanish santo, “saint, cult
priest”]
seeker church: A large, independent, usually nondenominational worship group,
especially one formed as an offshoot of a Protestant church. Also megachurch.
Shemini Atzereth: Judaism A festival happening after the seventh day of Succoth,
marked by a service in memory of the dead and a special prayer for rain. [Hebrew
mînî `eret, “eighth (day) of assembly”: mînî, “eighth” + `eret, “assembly” (from `ar,
“to retain”)]
Shiviti also shiviti: A decorative plaque inscribed with the Hebrew verse “I have set
the Lord always before me” (Psalms 16:8), hung in synagogues and Jewish homes as
a reminder of God's presence. [Hebrew iwwîtî, “I have set” (first word of the verse),
from iwwâ, “to set, place”]
soma: An intoxicating or hallucinogenic beverage, used as an offering to the Hindu
gods and consumed by participants in Vedic ritual sacrifices. [Sanskrit soma; akin to
sunoti, “he presses”]
state church: Established church.
stated clerk: An executive officer of a Presbyterian general assembly, synod, or
presbytery ranking below the moderator.
storefront church: A city church that utilizes storefront quarters as a meeting place.
279
Succoth also Sukkoth: Judaism A harvest festival commemorating the booths in
which the Israelites resided during their 40 years in the wilderness, lasting for either
8 or 9 days and beginning on the eve of the 15th of Tishri. [Hebrew sukkôt, “(feast)
of booths (commemorating the temporary shelters of the Jews in the wilderness),”
sukkâ, “booth,” from sākak, “to weave together, screen”]
sung mass: High mass: a mass marked by the singing of prescribed parts by the
celebrant and the choir or congregation.
systematic theology: A branch of theology concerned with summarizing the
doctrinal traditions of a religion (as Christianity) especially with a view to relating
the traditions convincingly to the religion's present-day setting.
T
Tao: 1. In Taoism, the basic, eternal principle of the universe that transcends reality
and is the source of being, non-being, and change. 2. In Confucianism, the right
manner of human activity and virtuous conduct seen as stemming from universal
criteria and ideals governing right, wrong, and other categories of existence.
[Chinese (Mandarin) dào, “way”]
tapas: Religious austerity. [Sanskrit tapah, tapas-, “heat, austerity”]
theonomous: Governed by God: subject to God's authority. [from Greek the-, “god”
+ -nomous, “lawful,” (as in autonomous)]
theonomy: The state of being theonomous: government by God.
Three Hours: A service of devotion between noon and three o'clock on Good
Friday.
Tishah-b'Ab: A Jewish holiday observed with fasting on the ninth of Ab in
commemoration of the destruction of the temples at Jerusalem.
tzitzit /tsits∂s, tsētsēt/: The fringes or tassels worn on traditional or ceremonial
garments by Jewish males as reminders of the commandments of Deuteronomy
22:12 and Numbers 15:37-41. [Hebrew]
U
Unification Church: A Christian church founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon and
known for its communal activities.
V
Vatican Council: Either of two ecumenical councils of the Roman Catholic Church,
the First Vatican Council (1869-1870) and the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965),
convoked by Pius IX and John XXIII, respectively. The First is noted for its
affirmation of papal infallibility, and the Second resulted in the revision of most of
the liturgy, the replacement of Latin with vernacular languages in rites, and more
open relationships with non-Catholic denominations.
vulgate: 1. The common speech of a people; the vernacular. 2. A widely accepted
text or version of a work. 3. Vulgate: The Latin edition or translation of the Bible
made by Saint Jerome at the end of the fourth century A.D., now used in a revised
form as the Roman Catholic authorized version. [Medieval Latin vulgāta, from Late
Latin vulgāta (editiō), “popular” (edition), from Latin, feminine past participle of
vulgāre, “to make known to all,” from vulgus, “the common people”]
280
W
wat: A Buddhist temple in Thailand or Cambodia. [Thai, from Sanskrit vatah,
“enclosure”]
Wicca: 1. A polytheistic Neo-Pagan nature religion inspired by various pre-Christian
western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother goddess and which
includes the use of herbal magic and benign witchcraft. 2. A group or community of
believers or followers of this religion. [Old English wicca, “necromancer”]
Y
Yizkor: A Jewish memorial service for the dead. [Hebrew yizkōr, “may (God)
remember,” from zākar, “to remember”]
Z
zaddik: 1. A righteous and saintly person by Jewish religious standards. 2. The
spiritual leader of a modern Hasidic community. [Yiddish tsadek, from Hebrew
saddiq, “just, righteous”]
12. 29. JARGON SCIENCE (89)
A
atomic pile: An early type of nuclear reactor whose core consisted of layers of
graphite block interspersed with uranium, designed to create a sustained fission
reaction.
attractor: A set of physical properties toward which a system tends to evolve,
regardless of the starting conditions of the system.
B
bohrium: Symbol Bh. An artificially produced radioactive element with atomic
number 107 whose most long-lived isotopes have mass numbers of 261, 262, and
264 with half-lives of 11.8 milliseconds, 0.1 seconds, and 0.44 seconds, respectively.
Also unnilseptium. [after Bohr, Niels Henrik David, 1885-1962, Danish physicist]
C
closed universe: A model of the universe in which there is sufficient matter, and
thus gravitational force, to halt the expansion initiated by the big bang.
communication engineering: The branch of engineering dealing with the
development and operation of communications technology, including
telecommunications and computer programming.
computer-aided design: The use of computer programs and systems to design
detailed two- or three-dimensional models of physical objects, such as mechanical
parts, buildings, and molecules.
281
D
dark matter: Physical objects or particles that emit little or no detectable radiation
of their own and are postulated to exist because of unexplained gravitational forces
observed on other astronomical objects. Dark matter is believed to be part of the
missing mass.
designer gene: A gene modified or created by genetic engineering.
dispersant: A liquid or gas added to a mixture to promote dispersion or to maintain
dispersed particles in suspension.
Doppler laser: A technique that detects the frequency shift between the source and
reflected waves of a laser, used in calculating the relative speed difference between
the laser source and reflecting object.
drag coefficient: A factor representing the drag acting on a body (as an automobile
or airfoil).
E
electrorheology: The study of the changes in flow properties that occur in certain
fluids exposed to electric fields.
F
fictitious force: The physically apparent but nonexistent force needed by an
observer in a noninertial frame to make Newton's laws of motion hold true. The
centrifugal force is a fictitious force. Also called pseudo force.
fifth force: Any of the hypothetical forces believed to cause bits of matter to repel
each other but not to be strong enough to counteract gravity.
G
genetic engineering: Scientific alteration of the structure of genetic material in a
living organism. It involves the production and use of recombinant DNA and has
been employed to create bacteria that synthesize insulin and other human proteins.
genetic map: A graphic representation of the arrangement of genes or DNA
sequences on a chromosome. Also gene map.
genomics: The study of all of the nucleotide sequences, including structural genes,
regulatory sequences, and noncoding DNA segments, in the chromosomes of an
organism.
genotoxin: A chemical or other agent that damages cellular DNA, resulting in
mutations or cancer. [New Latin geno-, “gene” (from Greek genos, “race,
offspring”)]
geotechnical engineering: A science that deals with the application of geology to
engineering.
gnotobiotics /nōtōbīŏtĭks/: The study of organisms or environmental conditions that
have been rendered free of bacteria or contaminants or into which a known
microorganism or contaminant has been introduced for research purposes. [Greek
gnotos, “known”+ biotics, “study of living organisms”]
gravitational lens: A massive celestial object, such as a galaxy, whose gravity bends
and focuses the light of a more distant object, resulting in a magnified, distorted, or
multiple image of the original light source for a distant observer.
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gravity assist: The use of the energy obtained from a gravitational field to change
the speed or shape of a spacecraft's orbit.
gyro horizon: An instrument displaying a line on a flight indicator that lies within
the horizontal plane and about which the pitching and banking movements of an
aircraft are shown. [gyroscopic horizon]
H
Hadean Time: The geological time period during which Earth formed, from the start
of the solar system (4.6 billion years ago) until accretion, impact, and local melting
led to stable Earth-Moon orbits and the oldest Earth rocks (3.8 billion years ago).
Also Hadean Eon. [after Hades (from the intense heat during part of this period)]
Hawking radiation: A form of radiation believed to emanate from black holes,
arising from the creation of pairs of subatomic particles in the space adjacent to the
black hole, with one particle falling into the black hole and the other radiating away.
The energy lost to such radiated particles is believed to cause the eventual
disappearance of the black hole. [after Hawking, Stephen William, (b 1942),
american physicist]
heliopause: The area in which the outgoing solar wind and the incoming plasma
from interstellar space meet. It is the boundary of our solar system.
hydrocast: The process of using a device consisting of several water-collection
bottles, such as Nansen bottles, that are wired and clamped together and used to
collect data on water characteristics at various depths.
I
ichnology: The branch of paleontology dealing with the study of fossilized
footprints, tracks, burrows, or other traces as evidence of the activities of the
organisms that produced them. [Greek ikhnos, “footprint” + -logy]
impact structure: A large geologic structure, such as a crater or astrobleme, created
by the violent collision between a planet and a space projectile such as a comet or
meteor.
inflationary universe: A model of the universe in which the early universe
undergoes a period of exponentially rapid expansion, required to develop the high
degree of homogeneity shown by the present-day universe.
International Scientific Vocabulary: abbr. ISV. A part of the vocabulary of the
sciences and other specialized studies that consists of words or other linguistic forms
current in two or more languages and differing from New Latin in being adapted to
the structure of the individual languages in which they appear.
intraspecific also intraspecies: Arising or occurring within a species: intraspecific
competition.
in vitro fertilization: Fertilization of an egg in a laboratory dish or test tube;
specifically fertilization by mixing sperm with eggs surgically removed from an
ovary followed by uterine implantation of one or more of the resulting fertilized
eggs.
283
J
junk DNA: DNA that does not code for proteins or their regulation but constitutes
approximately 95 percent of the human genome. It is postulated to be involved in the
evolution of new genes and possibly in gene repair.
L
laser cooling: The slowing down of atoms or molecules by the use of a laser whose
frequency has been adjusted to remove momentum from the particles.
logic gate: A mechanical, optical, or electronic system that performs a logical
operation on an input signal.
M
Macho: Any of various massive dark objects, such as a brown dwarf star or large
planet, in the outermost regions of a galaxy, that may explain the observed
anomalous rotation of most galaxies. [Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Object]
magnetoacoustics: The science that deals with the interaction or interconversion of
magnetic and acoustic phenomena.
magnetooptics: The branch of physics that deals with phenomena associated with
magnetic effects on matter as it emits light. It has been used to develop a data-storage
technique in computer applications.
magnetorheology: The study of the changes in flow properties that occur in certain
fluids exposed to magnetic fields.
magnetotail: The long, trailing limb of the earth's magnetosphere on the side facing
away from the sun.
mass spectrometer: A mass spectroscope that records its data electronically.
mass spectroscope: Any of various devices that use magnetic fields, electric fields,
or both to determine the masses of isotopes in a sample by producing a mass
spectrum. Two types of mass spectroscopes are the mass spectrograph and the mass
spectrometer.
mass spectrum: A band of charged particles of different masses formed when a
beam of ions is passed through the deflecting fields of a mass spectroscope, from
which the masses of atoms, molecules, or isotopes can be determined.
meta-analysis: The process or technique of synthesizing research results by using
various statistical methods to retrieve, select, and combine results from previous
separate but related studies.
metatheory: A theory devised to analyze theoretical systems.
meteoritics: The branch of astronomy that deals with meteors.
microgram: A unit of mass equal to one thousandth (10-3) of a milligram or one
millionth (10-6) of a gram.
missing mass: 1. The difference between the observed mass of the universe and the
mass needed to halt the expansion of the universe. 2. The unobserved matter needed
for the observed rotation of most galaxies to match theoretical predictions.
molecular knife: A synthetic enzyme capable of cutting out and destroying specific
genes such as those in a virus that control its replication or the production of a
protein.
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N
nanofabrication: Any technique used to create objects or mechanisms on the scale
of nanotechnology.
nanosecond: One billionth (10-9) of a second.
nanotechnology: The science and technology of building electronic circuits and
devices from single atoms and molecules.
neotectonics: A technique for predicting earthquakes that involves measuring the
rate of slippage of landmarks along faults.
noninertial frame: An accelerating reference frame for which Newton's laws of
motion do not apply and in which force does not equal the product of an object's
mass and acceleration.
O
open-label: Being or relating to a clinical trial in which the treatment given to each
subject is not concealed from either the experimenters or the subject: an open-label
multicenter study.
open universe: A model of the universe in which there is insufficient matter, and
thus insufficient gravitational force, to halt the expansion initiated by the big bang.
oscillating universe: A closed-universe model in which the expansion of the
universe slows and reverses, causing a collapse into a singularity which then
explodes into a new universe, repeating the cycle.
P
paleomagnetism: 1. The earth's magnetic field as it existed in the past. 2. The
magnetic field present in fossilized rocks, created by the earth's magnetic field when
the rocks were formed.
particle accelerator: A device, such as a cyclotron or linear accelerator, that
accelerates charged subatomic particles or nuclei to high energies.
photonics: The study or application of electromagnetic energy whose basic unit is
the photon, incorporating optics, laser technology, electrical engineering, materials
science, and information storage and processing.
planetary science: A branch of astronomy that deals with the condensed matter of
the solar system and especially with the planets and their moons.
planetwide: Extending throughout or involving an entire planet.
potential difference: Symbol V. The amount of energy per unit charge needed to
move a charged particle from a reference point to a designated point in a static
electric field; voltage.
protogalaxy: A cloud of gas believed to be the precursor to a galaxy.
pseudo force: The physically apparent but nonexistent force needed by an observer
in a noninertial frame to make Newton's laws of motion hold true. The centrifugal
force is a pseudo force. Also called fictitious force.
P value: The probability of an event or outcome in a statistical experiment;
specifically level of significance. [probability]
Q
quantum physics: The branch of physics that uses quantum theory to describe and
predict the properties of a physical system.
285
quantum system: A physical or theoretical system that cannot be correctly described
without the use of quantum physics.
quantum teleportation: The instantaneous transference of properties from one
quantum system to another without physical contact.
quantum theory: 1. A theory in physics based on the principle that matter and
energy have the properties of both particles and waves, created to explain the
radiation of energy from a blackbody, the photoelectric effect, and the Bohr theory,
and now used to account for a wide range of physical phenomena, including the
existence of discrete packets of energy and matter, the uncertainty principle, and the
exclusion principle. 2. Any of various specific applications of this theory.
quark: Any of a group of six elementary particles having electric charges of a
magnitude one-third or two-thirds that of the electron, regarded as constituents of all
hadrons. [from Three quarks for Muster Mark!, a line in Finnegans Wake by James
Joyce] Word History: “Three quarks for Muster Mark!/Sure he hasn't got much of a
bark/And sure any he has it's all beside the mark.” This passage from James Joyce's
Finnegans Wake, part of a scurrilous 13-line poem directed against King Mark, the
cuckolded husband in the Tristan legend, has left its mark on modern physics. The
poem and the accompanying prose are packed with names of birds and words
suggestive of birds, and the poem is a squawk against the king that suggests the
cawing of a crow. The word quark comes from the standard English verb quark,
meaning “to caw, croak,” and also from the dialectal verb quawk, meaning “to caw,
screech like a bird.” It is easy to see why Joyce chose the word, but why should it
have become the name for a group of hypothetical subatomic particles proposed as
the fundamental units of matter? Murray Gell-Mann, the physicist who proposed this
name for these particles, said in a private letter of June 27, 1978, to the editor of the
Oxford English Dictionary that he had been influenced by Joyce's words: “The
allusion to three quarks seemed perfect” (originally there were only three subatomic
quarks). Gell-Mann, however, wanted to pronounce the word with (ô) not (ä), as
Joyce seemed to indicate by rhyming words in the vicinity such as Mark. Gell-Mann
got around that “by supposing that one ingredient of the line ‘Three quarks for
Muster Mark’ was a cry of ‘Three quarts for Mister... ’ heard in H.C. Earwicker's
pub,” a plausible suggestion given the complex punning in Joyce's novel. It seems
appropriate that this perplexing and humorous novel should have supplied the term
for particles that come in six “flavors” and three “colors.”
quark star: A hypothetical celestial object that is the remnant of a massive star that
has collapsed with a force sufficient to reduce all particles to strange quarks.
R
radio astronomy: Astronomy dealing with radio waves received from outside the
earth's atmosphere.
red dwarf: A star having substantially lower surface temperature, intrinsic
luminosity, mass, and size than the sun.
reference frame: 1. A set of coordinate axes in terms of which position or
movement may be specified or with reference to which physical laws may be
mathematically stated. Also called frame of reference. 2. A set of ideas, as of
philosophical or religious doctrine, in terms of which other ideas are interpreted or
assigned meaning.
286
ripple tank: An apparatus consisting of a small water-filled tank and an oscillator
that creates waves, used to demonstrate wave motion and wave properties such as
interference and diffraction.
S
saturation point: The point at which a substance will receive no more of another
substance in solution.
string: A hypothetical one-dimensional object that is infinitely thin but has a length
of 10-33 centimeters, that vibrates as it moves through space, and whose mode of
vibration manifests itself as a subatomic particle.
string theory: A theory in physics: all elementary particles are manifestations of the
vibrations of one-dimensional strings.
strip-chart recorder: A device used for the continuous graphic recording of timedependent data.
subcool: Supercool.
supercool: To cool below the freezing point without solidification or crystallization.
systematic error: An error that is not determined by chance but is introduced by an
inaccuracy (as of observation or measurement) inherent in the system.
T
t distribution: A probability density function that is used especially in testing
hypotheses concerning means of normal distributions whose standard deviations are
unknown and that is the distribution of a random variable t = (u√n)/v where u and v
are themselves independent random variables and u has a normal distribution with
mean 0 and a standard deviation of 1 and v2 has a chi-square distribution with n
degrees of freedom.
transverse wave: A wave in which the vibrating element moves in a direction
perpendicular to the direction of advance of the wave.
t-test: A statistical test involving confidence limits for the random variable t of a t
distribution and used especially in testing hypotheses about means of normal
distributions when the standard deviations are unknown.
W
wave tank: An apparatus consisting of a small water-filled tank and an oscillator that
creates waves, used to demonstrate wave motion and wave properties such as
interference and diffraction. Also called ripple tank.
X
x-coordinate: A coordinate whose value is determined by measuring parallel to an
x-axis; specifically abscissa.
Y
y-coordinate: A coordinate whose value is determined by measuring parallel to a yaxis; specifically ordinate.
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Z
z-coordinate: A coordinate whose value is determined by measuring parallel to a zaxis.
12. 30. JARGON SOCIOLOGY (71)
A
anthropography: The branch of anthropology that deals with the geographical
distribution of specific human cultures.
B
black-on-black: Involving a black person against another black person: black-onblack crime.
C
codicology: The study of manuscripts as cultural artifacts for historical purposes.
community service: Services volunteered by individuals or an organization to
benefit a community or its institutions.
crime against humanity: Atrocity (as extermination or enslavement) that is directed
especially against an entire population or part of a population on specious grounds
and without regard to individual guilt or responsibility even on such grounds.
D
devil theory: A theory of history: political and social crises arise from the deliberate
actions of evil or misguided leaders rather than as a natural result of conditions.
E
enculturation: The process by which an individual learns the traditional content of a
culture and assimilates its practices and values.
exchange student: A student from one country received into an institution in another
country in exchange for one sent to an institution in the home country of the first.
F
family values: Values especially of a traditional or conservative kind which are held
to promote the sound functioning of the family and to strengthen the fabric of
society.
folklife: The traditions, activities, skills, and products (as handicrafts) of a particular
people or group.
foodways: The eating habits and culinary practices of a people, region, or historical
period.
288
G
Garifuna: A member of a people of African and American Indian descent that live
mainly along the Caribbean coast of northern Central America; Black Carib; also
the Arawakan language containing many Cariban elements spoken by the Garifunas.
[American Spanish Garífuna, from Proto-Carib karipona, “Carib”]
Gesellschaft: A rationally developed mechanistic type of social relationship
characterized by impersonally contracted associations between persons; also a
community or society characterized by this relationship. [German, companionship,
society]
H
hapa haole: Of part-white ancestry or origin; of white and Hawaiian ancestry.
[Hawaiian, from hapa, “half” (from English half) + haole, “one who is not descended
from the aboriginal Polynesian inhabitants of Hawaii; especially white”]
homosocial: Of, relating to, or involving social relationships between persons of the
same sex and especially between men.
harijan: A member of the outcaste group in India. Untouchable. [Sanskrit harijana,
“one belonging to the god Vishnu,” from Hari Vishnu + jana, “person”]
human relations: 1. A study of human problems arising from organizational and
interpersonal relations (as in industry). 2. A course, study, or program designed to
develop better interpersonal and intergroup adjustments.
I
industrial sociology: Sociological analysis directed at institutions and social
relationships within and largely controlled or affected by industry.
K
kinara: A candelabra with seven candlesticks used in celebrating Kwanzaa.
[Swahili, candlestick]
kin selection: A theory of natural selection which states that a usually altruistic
behavior or attribute that lowers the fitness of a particular individual is selected for if
it increases the probability of survival and reproduction of related kin who possess
some or all of the same genes as the altruistic individual.
Kwanzaa: An African-American cultural festival held from December 26 to January
1. [Swahili kwanza, “first”]
L
liberated: Freed from or opposed to traditional social and sexual attitudes or roles: a
liberated woman; a liberated marriage.
lifeway: 1. A customary manner of living; a way of life. 2. A custom, practice, or art:
the traditional lifeways of a tribal society.
low-rent: 1. Having inexpensive rent: a low-rent apartment. 2. Of low social status
or moral character: Steve Buscemi... may play low-rent, amoral types — hit men,
weasels, snivelers — but... he's more complicated than that. 3. Lacking taste or
refinement: a low-rent television drama.
289
M
managed competition: A theory of health care delivery services that holds that the
quality and efficiency of such services would improve if, in a market controlled by
the federal government, independent groups had to compete for health care
consumers.
meme: A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is
transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. [shortening
(modeled on gene), of mimeme from Greek mimēma, “something imitated,” from
mimeisthai, “to imitate”]
memetics: The study of memes and their social and cultural effects.
Mesoamericanist: One who studies the cultures and artifacts of Mesoamerica.
microculture: The distinctive culture of a small group of people within a limited
geographical area or within an organization such as a school or business.
microlith: A very small blade made of flaked stone and used as a tool, especially in
the European Mesolithic Period.
N
nanny state: A government perceived as having excessive interest in or control over
the welfare of its citizens, especially in the enforcement of extensive public health
and safety regulations.
Nazca: A pre-Incan civilization that flourished on the southern coast of Peru from
about 200 B.C. to about A.D. 600, known for its polychrome vessels decorated with
stylized designs and for the enormous drawings of geometric and zoomorphic forms
etched in the desert floor 200 miles south of Lima.
negative income tax: A system of federal subsidy payments to families with
incomes below a stipulated level.
O
Oreo: usually disparaging A black person who adopts the characteristic mentality
and behavior of white middle-class society. [from Oreo, trademark for a chocolate
cookie with a white cream filling]
overclass: The upper social stratum of society, composed of wealthy and
professional people, especially when viewed as controlling society's economic
power.
P
phallocentric: Centered on men or on a male viewpoint, especially one held to entail
the domination of women by men. [phallus + -centric]
phallocratic: Relating to, resulting from, or advocating masculine power and
dominance.
Polonia: People of Polish descent living outside Poland.
preceramic : Of or being a society or culture prior to the use of ceramics or pottery.
pro-family: 1. Favoring or encouraging traditional family structures and values.
2. Opposing abortion and often birth control.
protestant ethic: An ethic that stresses the virtue of hard work, thrift, and selfdiscipline.
290
Q
quality time: Time during which one focuses on or dedicates oneself to a person or
activity: When you decide to turn on the TV, you decide... not to spend quality time
with your family.
queer theory: An approach to literary and cultural study that rejects traditional
categories of gender and sexuality.
R
race norming: The practice of adjusting scores on a standardized test by using
separate curves for different racial groups.
radical chic: A fashionable practice among socially prominent people of associating
with radicals or members of minority groups.
remittance man: One living abroad on remittances from home.
rescue mission: A city religious mission seeking to convert and rehabilitate the
down-and-out.
retribalization: The act of forming or returning to a tribal group or division.
ribbon development: A system of buildings built side by side along a road.
Rom: Gipsy. [Romany, “married man, husband, male Gypsy”]
Roma: Gypsies considered as a group. [Romany, pl. of rom, “man”]
rurban: Of, relating to, or constituting an area which is chiefly residential but where
some farming is carried on. [blend of rural and urban]
S
scheduled caste: Any of the historically disadvantaged Indian castes of low rank,
now under government protection. [from such castes having been entered on a list or
“schedule” during British rule]
sky burial: A traditional Tibetan funeral practice in which the body of a dead person
is exposed to the open air to be eaten by vultures.
solid-state physics: The branch of physics that deals with the physical properties of
solid materials, especially the electromagnetic, thermodynamic, and structural
properties of crystalline solids. Also condensed matter physics.
struggle for existence: The automatic competition of members of a natural
population for limited vital resources (as food, space, or light) that results in natural
selection.
support group: A group of people, sometimes led by a therapist, who provide each
other moral support, information, and advice on problems relating to some shared
characteristic or experience: a support group for cancer survivors.
T
tag, rag, and bobtail: a. A disorganized or disorderly crowd of people: mob. b. The
lowest class of people.
transgressive: Exceeding a limit or boundary, especially of social acceptability.
transracial: Involving, encompassing, or extending across two or more races:
transracial adoption.
two-spirit: A person, especially a Native American man, who assumes the sexual
identity and is granted the social status of the opposite sex.
291
U
Ugly American: An American in a foreign country whose behavior is offensive to
the people of that country. [The Ugly American (1958), collection of stories by
Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer, American authors]
Uncle Tom: 1. A black who is overeager to win the approval of whites (as by
obsequious behavior or uncritical acceptance of white values and goals). 2. A
member of a low-status group who is overly subservient to or cooperative with
authority: the worst floor managers and supervisors by far are women… Some of
them are regular Uncle Toms. [Uncle Tom, pious and faithful black slave in Uncle
Tom's Cabin, pre-civil war novel (1851) by Harriet Beecher Stowe]
urban legend: An apocryphal story involving incidents of the recent past, often
including elements of humor and horror, that spreads quickly and is popularly
believed to be true.
V
veterans' preference: Preferential treatment given qualified veterans of the United
States armed forces under federal or state law; special consideration (as by allowance
of points) on a civil service examination.
W
white-bread: Blandly conventional, especially when considered as typical of white
middle-class America: The proven ability of blacks to appeal to mainstream
America... shattered forever the mythology that only white-bread ‘mainstream’
culture could sell.
white flight: The departure of whites from places (as urban neighborhoods or
schools) increasingly or predominantly populated by minorities.
white separatist: One who advocates the creation of a society in which whites live
separately from other races or from which nonwhite races are excluded.
white supremacist: One who believes that white people are racially superior to
others and should therefore dominate society.
womanism: A form of feminism focused especially on the conditions and concerns
of black women.
Y
youthquake: A shift in cultural norms influenced by the values, tastes, and mores of
young people. [youth + earthquake]
12. 31. JARGON SPORT (330)
A
abseil: Rappel. [German abseilen, from ab, “down, off” + seil, “rope”]
alley-oop: Basketball 1. A play in which a pass is lobbed above the basket and a
player jumps up and attempts to catch the ball and score before returning to the floor.
2. The pass made in such a play. 3. interj. Used to signal the start of a strenuous
292
activity, such as lifting. [French allez-oop, cry of circus acrobat about to leap, from
allez, pl. imperative of aller, “to go,” from Old French aler, “to walk”]
armlock: A wrestling hold in which the opponent's arm is held so that it cannot be
moved.
asana: Any of various bodily positions assumed in yogic exercise.
assist: a. A fielding and throwing of a baseball in a way that enables a teammate to
put out a runner. b. A pass, as in basketball or ice hockey, that enables the receiver to
score a goal. c. Official credit that is given for such a pass. 3. A mechanical device
providing aid. [Middle English assisten, from Old French assister, from Latin
assistere: ad-, “ad-” + sistere, “to stand”]
attackman: A player (as in lacrosse) assigned to an offensive zone or position.
away game: A game played on an opponent’s grounds: Home and away games.
B
back-check: To check or defend against an ice hockey opponent while skating back
toward one's own goal.
backcourtman: A guard on a basketball team.
back judge: A football official whose duties include keeping the game's official
time and identifying eligible pass receivers.
back nine: The second half of an 18-hole golf course.
back swing: The initial part of a stroke, in which one moves a racket or club, for
instance, to the position from which forward motion begins.
ball control: An offensive strategy, as in football, in which a team tries to keep
possession of the ball as long as possible so as to limit the opposition's chances to
score.
ball handler: A player who controls the ball in any of various games; especially a
player who is skilled at handling the ball (as in basketball).
bank shot: A shot in basketball in which the ball glances off the backboard before
reaching the basket.
barrel racing: A rodeo event for women in which a mounted rider makes a series of
sharp turns around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern.
base path: Baseball The area within which a base runner must stay when running
between bases.
basket catch: Baseball A catch made with the palm of the glove turned upward and
the wrist kept close to the body.
batting cage: A screen placed around the back and sides of the home plate area to
stop baseballs during batting practice.
bell lap: The final lap of a race, as at a track meet, signaled by the ringing of a bell
as the leader begins the lap.
best-ball: A form of team competition in golf in which the best individual score on a
hole is recorded as the team's score.
blood sport: A sport involving bloodshed, such as cockfighting.
blueline or blue line: Either of two blue lines running across an ice-hockey rink,
usually 60 feet from each goal, and dividing the rink into defensive, neutral, and
offensive zones.
blueliner: A defenseman in ice hockey.
board check: A body check, as in ice hockey, in which a player pushes or bumps an
opponent into the boards.
293
bodyboard also body-board: A very short surfboard with one straight end, ridden
usually by lying on one's chest.
body check: A check, as in ice hockey, in which a player impedes another with the
body.
boobird: A home fan at a sporting event who boos one or more members of the
home team.
breaker zone: The nearshore zone between the outermost breakers and the area of
the wave uprush. Also called surf zone.
brushback: Baseball An inside, usually high fastball intended to force the batter to
move away from the plate.
bucktail: 1. Hair from the tail of a deer, often dyed and used especially in artificial
fishing flies. 2. An artificial fly made with bucktail.
bull rush: A direct forceful rush by a defensive player in football.
bumper pool: A billiard game played on a usually small table with several fixed
cushioned obstacles that necessitate the use of bank shots.
bungee cord /bŭnjē/: An elasticized rubber cord, often fitted with hooks at the ends,
used to fasten, bear weight, or absorb shock. [origin unknown]
bungee jumping /bŭnjē/: The sport of jumping usually head-first from a great height
while attached to a bungee cord.
butterflyer: A swimmer who specializes in the butterfly.
C
called strike: Baseball A pitch judged by the umpire to be a strike and not swung at
by the batter.
canyoneering: The sport of exploring canyons (as by climbing, rappelling,
swimming, or rafting).
caver: 1. One that caves. 2. One who explores or studies caves, especially as a sport
or recreational pursuit.
chest pass: A pass, as in basketball, in which the ball is propelled away from the
chest with a quick extension of the hands and arms.
chin music: A usually high inside pitch in baseball intended to intimidate the batter.
circuit training: A method of physical conditioning in which one moves from one
exercise to another, usually in a series of different stations or pieces of equipment.
circus catch: A catch (as in baseball or football) requiring an extraordinary or
spectacular effort.
clap skate: A speed skate that has a blade attached by a hinge at the heel, allowing
one to skate more efficiently by keeping the full length of the blade on the ice while
the heel is raised.
climbing wall: A wall specially designed for climbing and often built to simulate a
rocky surface.
closed stance: A stance (as in golf) in which the forward foot is closer to the line of
play than the back foot.
clutch: 1. Being or occurring in a tense or critical situation: Won the championship
by sinking a clutch putt. 2. Tending to be successful in tense or critical situations:
The coach relied on her clutch pitcher.
combination shot: A shot in pool in which a ball is pocketed by an object ball.
combined: A skiing competition combining two separate events (as a downhill race
and a slalom race).
294
comebacker: A grounder in baseball hit directly to the pitcher.
contact hitter: A hitter in baseball who seldom strikes out.
cooldown: A period following strenuous physical activity in which stretching or
milder exercise is performed to allow the body gradually to return to normal.
cornerback also corner back: Football Either of two defensive halfbacks stationed
a short distance behind the linebackers and relatively near the sidelines.
cornerman: 1. One who plays in or near the corner as: a. a cornerback. b. a
basketball forward. 2. A boxer's second.
cross-train: 1. To train in different sports, mainly by alternating regimens, as in
running, bicycling, and swimming. 2. To train (another) in different tasks or skills.
cross-trainer: 1. An athletic shoe designed for cross-training, as for running and
court sports.
cut fastball: Baseball A fastball released with most pressure from the tip of the
middle finger so that it breaks slightly in the manner of a curve ball as it approaches
the plate.
cutoff man: A player in baseball who relays a ball from an outfielder to the infield.
cycling: 1. The act, sport, or technique of riding or racing on a bicycle, motorcycle,
or similar vehicle. 2. Relating to or used in cycling.
cyclo-cross: The sport of racing bicycles over rough terrain that usually requires
carrying the bicycle over obstacles. [French, from cyclo + cross-country (from
English)]
D
daily dozen: A set of exercises that one does every day.
dancercise: Energetic dancing done for the purpose of aerobic exercise. [blend of
dance, and exercise]
dartboard: A circular board, often of cork, used as the target in a game of darts.
deadman: An anchor (as a metal plate) buried in snow and used (as in mountain
climbing) to secure a rope.
dinger: Home run. [perhaps from ding, “to strike” + -er]
domestique: A member of a competitive bicycle-racing team whose role is to assist
the team leader, as by setting the pace.
doping: The use of a drug or blood product to improve athletic performance.
double bogey: A golf score of two strokes over par on a hole.
double fault: Two successive service faults in tennis, resulting in the loss of a point.
double reverse: An offensive play in which the ball is handed off in a reverse and
then handed off again to a player running in the opposite direction, restoring the
original direction of the play.
downhiller: A downhill skier.
dream team: A team or group whose members are among the most qualified or
talented in their particular fields.
driving range: An area equipped with distance markers, clubs, balls, and tees for
practicing golf shots.
drop pass: A pass, as in hockey or soccer, in which the passer advances beyond the
puck or ball, leaving it for a trailing teammate.
duck hook: A pronounced and unintended hook in golf.
295
E
encroachment: Football A violation of the rules in which a player enters the neutral
zone and makes contact with an opponent prior to the snap of the ball.
end around: A football play in which an offensive end comes behind the line of
scrimmage to take a handoff and attempts to carry the ball around the opposite flank.
earned run average: Baseball abbr. ERA. A measure of a pitcher's performance
obtained by dividing the total of earned runs allowed by the total of innings pitched
and multiplying by nine.
F
fallaway: Made while moving away from the basket in basketball: fallaway jump
shot.
fartlek: 1. An athletic training technique, used especially in running, in which
periods of intense effort alternate with periods of less strenuous effort in a continuous
workout. 2. A workout using this technique. [Swedish, speed play: fart, running,
speed (from fara, “to go, move,” from Old Norse per- + lek, “play”]
fast-pitch: Softball which is played with 9 or 10 players on each side and in which
pitches are thrown with speed and base stealing is allowed.
fielding percentage: The average (as of a baseball fielder) determined by dividing
the number of putouts and assists by the number of chances.
field judge: A football official whose duties include covering action on kicks and
forward passes and timing intermission periods and time-outs.
fight song: a song used to inspire enthusiasm usually during an athletic competition.
first string: A group of players that play regularly or start games for a sports team.
five hole: The space between a goalie's leg pads, as in ice hockey. [from the four
corners of the goal being the other four holes]
flag football: A type of football in which the advancement of the ball is stopped by
removing a flag attached to the ball carrier's clothing.
flea-flicker: Football 1. An offensive play in which the ball is handed off, often in a
double reverse, and then tossed back to the quarterback, who throws a long pass. 2.
An offensive play in which a pass is thrown to a receiver who then laterals the ball to
a teammate.
four-ball: A golf match in which the best individual score of one partnership is
matched against the best individual score of another partnership for each hole.
free-climb: 1. To climb (as a rock face) without using aids for support. 2. To freeclimb something.
free kick: An unobstructed kick of a stationary ball, as in soccer or Rugby,
especially one awarded when the opposition commits a foul.
free safety: A safety in football who has no particular receiver to cover in a man-toman defense.
front nine: The first half of an 18-hole golf course.
G
game ball: A ball (as a football) presented to a player or coach in recognition of an
outstanding contribution to a team victory.
gang-tackle: To bring down (a ballcarrier in football) with several tacklers.
296
give-and-go: A play (as in basketball or hockey) in which a player passes to a
teammate and immediately cuts toward the net or goal to receive a return pass.
goalmouth: The area directly in front of the goal, as in soccer or hockey.
go-kart: A small motorized vehicle used especially for racing. [alteration of gocart]
go-to: Being a player on an athletic team who is relied upon to make important
plays, especially in clutch situations: the team's go-to receiver.
grass court: A tennis court with a grass surface.
ground rule double: Baseball A double awarded to a batter when a batted ball
bounces and goes over, strikes and goes over, or is touched by a player and goes over
an outfield wall.
gun lap: The final lap of a race in track signaled by the firing of a gun as the leader
begins the lap.
gutter ball : A ball played in bowling that goes into the gutter and scores no points.
H
half-pipe: A U-shaped high-sided ramp or runway used especially in snowboarding,
skateboarding, or in-line skating.
hammer throw: A field event in which a usually 16-pound metal sphere attached to
a flexible handle is thrown for distance.
hang time: 1. The amount of time that a football remains aloft after it is kicked. 2.
The amount of time that an athlete remains airborne while jumping.
hapkido /häpkēdō/: A Korean martial art based on kicking motions and
incorporating elements of aikido. [Korean, from hap-, “together, joined” + ki,
“breath, energy” + to, “way, art”]
hard court: A tennis court with a hard surface, such as asphalt, rather than grass.
Courts with a clay surface are usually considered hard courts outside of the United
States.
hat trick: 1. Three goals scored by one player in one game, as in ice hockey. 2.
Three wickets taken in cricket by a bowler in three consecutive balls. 3. Three
consecutive wins or outstanding accomplishments by the same individual, such as a
jockey in horse racing. [from the hat with which the feat was traditionally rewarded
in cricket.]
heartbreaker: A narrow or last-minute defeat.
heavy bag: A stuffed or inflated bag that is usually suspended for free movement
and that is punched for exercise or for training in boxing.
high bar: A gymnastics apparatus consisting of a single bar mounted approximately
eight feet above the ground and used for swinging maneuvers. Also called horizontal
bar.
high stick: A hockey stick carried so that the blade is above a specified illegal
height, shoulder height in professional play.
high-stick: To strike (an opponent) with a high stick in ice hockey.
hole in one: The driving of a golf ball from the tee into the hole in a single stroke.
hook: 1. a. A short swinging blow in boxing delivered with a crooked arm. b. The
course of a ball that curves in a direction away from the dominant hand of the player
propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player. c. A stroke that sends a ball on
such a course. d. A ball propelled on such a course. e. In surfing, the lip of a breaking
wave. 2. Baseball A curve ball. 3. Basketball A hook shot.
297
hook check: A check in ice hockey in which a defender uses the crook of the stick to
pull the puck away from an opponent.
hosel: The socket or neck in the head of a golf club into which the shaft is inserted.
[Diminutive of hose]
hot corner: Baseball The player position for defending the area around third base.
hummer: Baseball A fastball.
I
ice dancing: A sport in which ice-skating pairs perform to music routines similar to
ballroom dances.
inbounds line: Either of two broken lines running the length of a football field at
right angles to the yard lines.
individual medley: A swimming race in which each contestant swims each part of
the course with a different stroke.
Indy car: A single-seat open-cockpit racing car with the engine in the rear. [by
shortening & alteration from Indianapolis, Indiana]
inrun: The approach ramp of a ski jump.
inward dive: A dive in which the diver, standing on the end of the board or platform
with the back to the water, leaps up and rotates forward.
ironman: A male athlete of remarkable endurance or durability.
ironwoman: A female athlete of remarkable endurance or durability.
J
judoka: One who participates in judo. [Japanese jūdōka, from jūdō, “judo” + -ka,
“person”]
jump hook: A hook shot in which the player jumps before releasing the ball.
jump pass: A pass made by a player (as in football or basketball) while jumping.
K
kickball: A children's game having rules similar to baseball but played with a large
ball that is rolled toward homeplate instead of pitched and kicked instead of batted.
kickboard: A buoyant board used to keep the upper body of a swimmer afloat while
allowing free movement of the legs, used chiefly to improve kicking technique or
develop leg strength and endurance.
kick turn: A stationary turn in skiing in which one ski is lifted so that its back end
touches the ground and is then pivoted to point in the opposite direction, with the
body and other ski turning together to complete the maneuver.
kidney punch: A punch to the lower back, illegal in boxing.
L
lax /lăks/: Lacrosse. [by shortening & alteration (x as symbol for -crosse)]
layin: A shot in basketball made from near the basket usually by playing the ball off
the backboard.
leaderboard: A board that displays the leaders in a competition.
leg curl: An exercise, usually performed lying on the stomach with weights, in
which one lifts one or both heels towards the buttocks and then returns to the starting
position, while the rest of the body is kept immobile.
298
leg out: Baseball To make (as a base hit) by fast running.
line judge: A football linesman whose duties include keeping track of the official
time for the game.
Little League: A commercially sponsored baseball league for boys and girls from 8
to 12 years old.
long game: The aspect of golf involving long shots with woods and low irons.
M
major penalty: A 5-minute suspension of a player in ice hockey or lacrosse.
masters: Competing in, relating to, or being a competition for athletes over a
specified age (as 40): a masters runner.
medley relay: A relay race in swimming in which each member of a team uses a
different stroke.
metric mile: The 1,500-meter run in track and field.
minicamp: A special abbreviated training camp for football players held usually in
the spring or early summer.
minimumweight: 1. The lightest weight division in professional boxing, having an
upper limit of 105 pounds (47.2 kilograms). 2. A boxer competing in this weight
division.
money player: An athlete, especially a team member, who performs exceptionally
well at crucial times.
mountain bike: A sturdy bicycle distinguished by wide tires and horizontal
handlebars, often used for off-road cycling.
N
natural hat trick: A hat trick in which three goals are scored in succession by one
player in one game.
neutral zone: 1. Football An imaginary area as wide as the length of the football
extending across the field between the lines of scrimmage, in which the presence of
any player other than the center at the snap of the ball constitutes a violation of the
rules.
2. Sports The area of an ice hockey rink between the two blue lines that is
neither an offensive nor a defensive zone.
nontitle: Of, relating to, or being an athletic contest in which a title is not at stake.
noseguard: A defensive lineman in football who plays opposite the offensive center.
nose tackle: Noseguard.
O
object ball: The ball in billiards or pool that a player hits or intends to hit first with
the cue ball.
one-bagger: A base hit that allows the batter to reach first base.
onside kick: Football A kickoff in which the ball carries just far enough, at least ten
yards, to be recovered legally by the kicking team.
open stance: A stance (as in golf) in which the forward foot is farther from the line
of play than the back foot.
opposite field: Baseball The part of the field that is across from or opposite the side
of home plate at which the batter stands, as right field for a left-handed batter.
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orienteering: A cross-country race in which each participant uses a map and
compass to navigate between checkpoints along an unfamiliar course. [modification
of Swedish orientering, from orientera, “to orient”]
outlet pass: A pass made in basketball by the player taking a defensive rebound to a
teammate to start a fast break.
P
paddle tennis: A game like tennis that is played with a paddle and rubber ball on a
small court.
pass pattern: Football A predetermined course that a receiver runs in order to be in
position to catch a pass.
pass rush: Football An attempt by the defensive linemen to tackle the quarterback or
prevent a pass.
peloton /pel∂tän/: The main body of riders in a bicycle race. [French, literally, ball]
penalty area: An area marked on a soccer field in front of each goal within which a
violation of the rules by a defending player results in a penalty kick.
penalty kick: In soccer, a free kick on the goal defended only by the goalkeeper,
awarded when a defensive player has committed a foul in the penalty area.
penalty killer: In ice hockey, any of the players other than the goalie who attempts
to prevent the opposition from scoring on a power play.
penalty shot: An unhindered shot on the goal defended only by the goalkeeper,
awarded to an offensive player as a result of certain violations of the rules by the
defensive team, especially when a player with a clear scoring chance has been
obstructed illegally, as in ice hockey.
pick-and-roll: Basketball An offensive play in which a player stops to block a
defender for a teammate handling the ball and then slips behind the defender to
accept a pass.
pike: A mid-air position in sports such as diving and gymnastics in which the athlete
bends to touch the feet or grab the calves or back of the thighs while keeping the legs
straight.
play-action pass: Football A pass play in which the quarterback fakes a handoff to a
running back before throwing the ball.
plyometrics: Exercise involving repeated rapid stretching and contracting of
muscles (as by jumping and rebounding) to increase muscle power. [probably
irregular from plio-, “more” + -metrics (as in isometrics)]
point: 1. A unit of scoring or counting. 2. Either of two positions in ice hockey just
inside the offensive zone near the boards, usually assumed by defenders attempting
to keep the puck in the offensive zone. 3. Basketball A position in the forecourt
beyond the top of the key, usually taken by the point guard.
point guard: Basketball A guard who runs the team's offense, usually from the
point.
point-shaving: The illegal practice of deliberately limiting the number of points
scored by one's team in an athletic contest, as in return for a payment from gamblers
to ensure winnings.
point-to-point: A cross-country steeplechase.
poke check: A check in ice hockey in which a defender uses the blade of the stick to
push the puck off the stick of an opponent.
300
pole: 1. a. A long slender usually cylindrical object (as a length of wood). b. A shaft
which extends from the front axle of a wagon between wheelhorses and by which the
wagon is drawn: tongue. c. a long staff of wood, metal, or fiberglass used in the pole
vault. 2. The inside front row position on the starting line for a race.
pommel horse: 1. An apparatus for gymnastic exercises that consists of a padded,
loaf-shaped object with two pommels on top and stands horizontal to the floor,
usually on adjustable legs. 2. An athletic event in which the pommel horse is used.
post: 1. A goal post. 2. The starting point at a racetrack.
post up: To take up a position against a defender in the post in basketball while
standing with one's back to the basket. To post up against (a defender) in basketball.
power forward: A basketball forward whose size and strength are used primarily in
controlling play near the basket.
power walk: To walk quickly for exercise especially while carrying or wearing
weights.
prevent defense: Football A defensive formation or strategy that employs an
additional pass defender in an attempt to prevent long gains by the offense, usually
near the end of the game.
puck control: An offensive strategy in ice hockey in which a team tries to keep
possession of the puck as long as possible so as to limit the opposition's chances to
score.
pump fake: A fake in which a player simulates throwing a pass (as in football) or
taking a shot (as in basketball).
punt formation: An offensive football formation in which a back making a punt
stands approximately 10 yards behind the line and the other backs are in blocking
position close to the line.
put out: Baseball To retire a runner.
Q
quarterback sneak: Football An offensive play in which the quarterback runs
forward into the offensive line immediately after receiving the ball at the snap.
quick kick: Football A punt made, as on third down, from a running or passing
formation in order to surprise the opposing team.
R
rally: To exchange several strokes before a point is won, as in tennis.
rallying: The sport of driving in automobile rallies.
rappel: A descent of a vertical surface, as a cliff or wall, by sliding down a belayed
rope that is passed under one thigh and over the opposite shoulder or through a
device that provides friction, typically while facing the surface and performing a
series of short backward leaps to control the descent. To descend from a steep height
by this method. [French, recall, “return, rappel,” from Old French, recall, from
rapeler, “to recall”: re-, “re-” + apeler, “to summon”]
red card: A red-colored card shown by a referee to a player, especially in soccer, to
indicate that the player is being ejected from the game.
red zone: The area of a football field inside an opponent's 20-yard line.
relief pitcher: Baseball A pitcher who replaces another during a game.
reliever: Baseball A relief pitcher.
301
rep: Informal A repetition of a particular movement done as exercise, especially in
weightlifting.
repechage /rēp∂šäž/: A trial heat, especially in rowing, allowing competitors who
have already lost a heat another chance to qualify for the semifinals. [French
repêchage, “rescuing, repechage,” from repêcher, “to finish up again, rescue”: re-,
“again” (from Old French) + pêcher, “to fish for” (from Old French pescher)]
reserve clause: A clause formerly included in the contract of a professional athlete
that allowed the automatic extension of the contract for a year beyond its expiration,
thus binding the player to the organization until release, retirement, or a trade.
reverse dive: A dive in which the diver leaves the springboard or platform facing the
water and then rotates the body backward.
rip entry: An entry in diving in which there is little splash.
road racing: Racing over public roads; automobile racing over roads or over a
closed course designed to simulate public roads.
road trip: A trip taken by a sports team to play one or more away games.
rock climbing: The sport or activity of climbing sheer rock faces, especially by
means of specialized techniques and equipment.
rodeo /rōdēō, rōdāō/: 1. Roundup. 2. a. A public performance featuring bronco
riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, and Brahma bull riding. b. A contest resembling a
rodeo. [Spanish, from rodear, “to surround,” from rueda, “wheel,” from Latin rota]
role player: A team athlete who plays mainly in specific situations.
roll-off: A play-off match in bowling.
roundball: Basketball.
run-and-gun: Relating to or being a fast, freewheeling style of play in basketball
that de-emphasizes set plays and defense.
run-and-shoot: A freewheeling style of offense in football that emphasizes passing.
runback: A run made in football after catching an opponent's kick or intercepting a
pass.
runner's high: A feeling of euphoria that is experienced by some individuals
engaged in strenuous running and that is held to be associated with a release of
endorphins by the brain.
S
safety: Football a. A play in which a member of the offensive team downs the ball,
willingly or unwillingly, behind his own goal line, resulting in two points for the
defensive team. b. One of two defensive backs; a safetyman.
scatback: An offensive back in football who is an especially fast and elusive
ballcarrier.
service box: The area in which a player stands while serving in various court games
(as squash or handball).
service court: A part of the court into which the ball or shuttlecock must be served.
set shot: A two-handed shot in basketball taken from a stationary position.
setting-up exercise: Any of a series of gymnastic exercises used to give an erect
carriage, supple muscles, and easy control of the limbs.
shag: Baseball To chase and catch (fly balls) in practice. [perhaps from obsolete
shag, “to shake”]
shootaround: A usually informal basketball practice session.
shooting guard: A guard in basketball whose chief role is as an outside shooter.
302
short game: The aspect of golf involving short shots near the green and putting.
shot on goal: A shot, as in hockey or soccer, that enters the goal or that would have
entered the goal had the goalkeeper not blocked it.
shovel pass: A short underhand pass (as in football).
show jumping: The competitive riding of horses one at a time over a set course of
obstacles in which the winner is judged according to ability and speed.
side horse: A gymnastics apparatus for swinging and balancing feats that consists of
a padded rectangular or cylindrical form with two pommels on the top and that is
supported in a horizontal position above the floor. Also called pommel horse.
side-out: The termination of a team's right to serve (as in volleyball).
skimboard: A thin, flat, round or rectangular board used in skimboarding.
skimboarding: The sport of riding a skimboard over shallow water on a beach and
into oncoming waves close to shore. The board is usually tossed ahead and jumped
on after a running approach.
skyboard: A lightweight board similar to a snowboard, usually equipped with foot
bindings and a recovery parachute, used for skysurfing.
skysurfing: The sport of performing maneuvers or stunts during free fall while
riding on a skyboard.
slam dunk: Basketball A dramatic forceful dunk shot; a shot in basketball made by
jumping high into the air and throwing the ball down through the basket.
slap shot: A fast-moving shot made in hockey with a full swinging stroke.
sliding seat: A rower's seat (as in a racing shell) that slides fore and aft.
sliding tackle: A tackle in soccer in which the defender leaps forward or slides and
extends a leg in order to disrupt the play or get possession of the ball. At some levels
of play, sliding tackles are illegal.
slotback: An offensive football halfback who lines up just behind the slot between
an offensive end and tackle.
slugging percentage: The ratio (as a rate per thousand) of the total number of bases
reached on base hits to official times at bat for a baseball player.
small forward: A basketball forward who is usually smaller than a power forward
and whose play is characterized by quickness and scoring ability.
spin fishing: A method of fishing in which a lure is cast by use of a light flexible
rod, a spinning reel, and a light line.
spinning reel: A fishing reel with a nonmoving spool on which the line is wound by
means of a revolving arm which can be disengaged to allow the line to spiral freely
off the spool during casting.
spinning rod: A light flexible fishing rod used with a spinning reel.
split decision: A decision declaring the winner of a boxing match in which the
judges and referee are not unanimous in their opinions.
split end: Football A pass receiver who lines up apart from the rest of the
formation.
split-fingered fastball: Baseball A fastball thrown with the ball held between the
index and middle finger, causing the ball to drop sharply near home plate.
split shot: A small ball-shaped sinker of malleable metal having a slit for the
insertion of a fishing line.
sport fish: A fish prized for the sport involved in catching it. Also called game fish.
sportfisherman: A motorboat designed for sportfishing.
sportfishing: The sport of catching fish using a rod and reel.
303
sport kite: A highly maneuverable kite controlled by two or more lines and flown
using both hands. Also stunt kite.
spot pass: A pass directed to a predetermined place on a playing area so that the
receiving player arrives at the same time as the pass.
spray skirt: A piece of waterproof fabric that fits around a kayaker and extends over
the opening of a kayak to keep out water.
spread formation: An offensive football formation in which the pass receivers are
spread out across the field.
sprint car: A rugged racing automobile that is midway in size between midget racers
and ordinary racers, has about the same horsepower as the larger racers, and is
usually raced on a dirt track.
squash tennis: A singles racket game resembling squash played with an inflated ball
the size of a tennis ball.
squeeze play: Baseball A play in which the batter attempts to bunt so that a runner
on third base may score.
stakes race: A horse race in which the prize offered is made up at least in part of
money (as entry fees) put up by the owners of the horses entered.
Stanley Cup: 1. A championship hockey tournament played each year by qualifying
teams from the National Hockey League. 2. The trophy awarded for this
championship, shaped like a bowl mounted on a pedestal. [after Frederick Arthur,
Lord Stanley of Preston (1841-1908), governor general of Canada and donator of the
trophy for the winning team in the 1893-1894 season]
stay-at-home: Not engaging much in the offensive play: a stay-at-home defenseman.
step aerobics: Aerobics performed in a choreographed routine by stepping up onto
and down from a portable platform.
steeplechase: a. A horserace across open country or over an obstacle course. b. A
footrace of usually 3,000 meters over a closed track with four hurdles and a water
obstacle. [from the use of church steeples as landmarks]
stickman: A player in any of various games (as hockey or lacrosse) played with a
stick.
strawweight also minimumweight: 1. The lightest weight division in professional
boxing, having an upper limit of 105 pounds (47.2 kilograms). 2. A boxer competing
in this weight division.
street hockey: A variation of ice hockey played on pavement by players wearing
shoes or in-line skates and often using a ball instead of a puck.
stroke play: Golf competition scored by total number of strokes.
strong safety: A safety in football who plays opposite the strong side of an offensive
formation.
stutter step: A momentary hesitation or false step by a runner (as in football) done
to fake a defender out of position.
suicide squeeze: A squeeze play in which the runner runs all out at the pitch without
knowing whether the batter will contact the ball.
Super Bowl: A football game played each year to determine the championship of the
National Football League.
super G: A downhill skiing race that has fewer gates set farther apart than those used
in a giant slalom. Also super giant slalom.
superheavyweight: An athlete (as an Olympic weightlifter, boxer, or wrestler) who
competes in the heaviest class or division.
304
super middleweight: 1. A weight division in professional boxing having an upper
limit of 168 pounds (75.6 kilograms), between middleweight and light heavyweight.
2. A boxer competing in this weight division.
sweeper: A lone defender who plays between the last line of defenders and the goal
in some defensive configurations in soccer.
swim fin: A flat rubber shoe with the front expanded into a paddle used in skin
diving.
T
tag team: A team of two or more wrestlers who take turns competing against one of
the wrestlers on another team, with the idle teammates waiting outside the ring until
one of them is tagged by their competing teammate.
tap-in: A very short easy putt in golf.
team foul: One of a stipulated number of personal fouls allowed for a team in a
given period of play before the opposing team is granted a bonus free throw for each
personal foul.
team handball: A game played between two teams of seven players each, the object
being to throw the ball into a hockeylike goal at either end of the rectangular court.
The ball is moved by dribbling and passing with the hands.
tee-ball: A form of baseball played by young children in which the ball is not
pitched but hit from a stationary position on top of a tee.
telemark: A downhill turn performed on cross-country skis in which the knees are
bent, the inside heel is lifted, and the weight is on the outside ski, which is advanced
ahead of the other and angled inward until the turn is complete. [Norwegian, after
Telemark, a region of southern Norway]
telemarking: The act or sport of performing telemarks.
tennist: A tennis player.
T formation: Football An offensive formation in which the fullback lines up
directly behind the center and the quarterback with a halfback on either side or in
which two running backs line up behind the quarterback in a line parallel to the line
of scrimmage.
three-ball: Relating to or being a golf match in which three players compete against
one another with each playing a single ball.
three-peat: A third consecutive championship. [blend of three and repeat]
three-pointer: A basketball shot or field goal from beyond the three-point line.
three-point line: A line on a basketball court forming an arc at a set distance (as 22
feet) from the basket beyond which a field goal counts for three points.
throw-in: A play used to restart play in soccer after the ball has gone over the
sideline, in which a player on the team not responsbile for putting the ball out of
bounds flings the ball with both hands over the head back onto the field.
tight end: Football An offensive end who lines up close to a tackle.
time trial: A competitive event, as in sports, that participants must complete within
a given period of time, often in order to qualify for another event.
tools of ignorance: A baseball catcher's equipment. [from the notion that a smart
athlete would not play such a grueling position]
trial horse: One set up as an opponent for a champion in trial competitions or
workouts.
triple bogey: A golf score of three strokes over par on a hole.
305
triple-double: An instance of a player accumulating 10 or more points, assists, and
rebounds in one basketball game.
triple jump: A distance jump in track and field consisting of a hop landing on the
take-off foot, a stride landing on the other foot, and a jump landing on both feet.
triple-team: To block or guard (an opponent) with three players at one time.
triple threat: A football player adept at running, kicking, and passing.
turfski: A short ski with rollers on the bottom that can be used to ski down a grassy
slope.
turf toe: A minor but painful usually sports-related injury typically involving
hyperextension of the big toe that results in spraining or tearing of the ligaments at
the joint between the metatarsal and basal phalanx. [from the occurrence of the injury
among athletes who play on artificial turf]
tweener: A player who has some but not all of the necessary characteristics for each
of two or more positions (as in football or basketball).
U
underthrow: To throw (a ball or pass) short of the intended receiver in football;
also to throw a pass short of : underthrow a receiver.
unearned run: A run scored as a result of a fielding error, not counted in figuring a
pitcher's earned run average.
unweight: To reduce the pressure on (a ski) by shifting one's weight in order to
execute a turn.
upfield: In or into the part of the field toward which the offensive team is headed.
V
vaulting horse: A piece of gymnastic equipment with an upholstered body used
especially for vaulting.
velodrome: A sports arena with a banked oval track for bicycle and motorcycle
racing.
visiting: Playing on an opponent's grounds: the visiting team.
W
waiver: Permission for a professional athletic club to assign a player to the minor
leagues or release a player from the club, granted only after all other clubs have been
given the opportunity to claim the player and have not done so.
wakeboard: A short board with foot bindings on which a rider is towed by a
motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest for aerial maneuvers.
wallyball: A game similar to volleyball played on a four-walled court with a ball the
same size as but harder than a volleyball that is allowed to bounce once off the
ceiling or one of the walls before being returned over the net.
warning track: Baseball A strip of dirt or gravel along the outfield wall, designed to
warn outfielders when they are approaching the wall.
watersport: A sport played or undertaken on or in the water, as swimming,
snorkeling, or surfing.
weak side: 1. The side of a football formation having the smaller number of players;
specifically the side of a formation away from the tight end. 2. The side of a court or
field (as in basketball or soccer) away from the ball.
306
weigh-in: An official weighing of the participants in an athletic contest, such as in a
boxing or wrestling match, in order to ensure that they weigh within the limits
stipulated for the event.
weight man: An athlete who competes in any of the field events in which a weight is
thrown or put.
weight room: A room containing equipment for weight training.
weight training: Weightlifting done as a training program for improving or
maintaining overall fitness, strength, or endurance.
wideout: Wide receiver; a football receiver who normally lines up several yards to
the side of the offensive formation.
wing: a. Either of the forward positions played near the sideline, especially in
hockey. b. A player who plays such a position.
winger: A player who plays wing, as in hockey or soccer.
wood shot: 1. A golf shot played with a wood. 2. A stroke in a racket game in which
the ball or shuttlecock is hit with the frame of the racket rather than the strings.
World Cup: 1. A soccer tournament held every four years in which qualifying
national teams compete to determine a world champion. 2. The championship
awarded to the winner of this tournament.
wrist shot: A quick shot made in hockey by snapping the wrists forward with the
puck against the stick blade.
wrong-foot: Chiefly British To cause (as an opponent in soccer or tennis) to lean
into or step with the wrong foot.
Y
yard line: Any of a series of marked or imaginary lines one yard apart on a football
field that are parallel to the goal lines and that indicate the distance to the nearest
goal line.
yellow card: A yellow-colored card shown by a referee to a player, especially in
soccer, to indicate that the player has committed a flagrant foul. Being shown two
yellow cards results in ejection from the game.
yips: Nervousness or tension that causes an athlete to fail to perform effectively,
especially in missing short putts in golf.
Z
zone defense: A system of defense (as in basketball or football) in which each player
guards an assigned area rather than a specified opponent.
12. 32. JARGON ZOOLOGY (72)
A
Africander: Any of a breed of tall red cattle that were originally developed in South
Africa, are well adapted to heat, and have a humped back and large spreading horns.
307
African gray: A parrot (Psittacus erithacus) native to equatorial Africa that has gray
plumage, a red tail, and a whitish face and is commonly domesticated especially for
its ability in learning to talk.
African wild dog: A powerful canid (Lycaon pictus) having a mottled coat of black,
white, and reddish yellow that was formerly common in sub-Saharan Africa where it
hunted in large packs but is now restricted to small populations in southern and
eastern Africa.
amplexus: The copulatory embrace of frogs and toads, during which the male
fertilizes the eggs that are released by the female. [Latin amplexus, “an embracing,”
from past participle of amplect, “to embrace”: am-, ambi-, “around” + plectere, “to
twine”]
anchoveta: A small anchovy (Cetengraulis mysticetus) of the Pacific coast of
America from southern California to Peru. [Spanish anchoveta, diminutive of
anchova]
Andean condor: A very large American vulture (Vultur gryphus) of the high Andes
having the head and neck bare and the plumage dull black with a downy white neck
ruff and white patches on the wings.
Australian shepherd: Any of a breed of agile intelligent short-tailed working dogs
developed in the United States for herding livestock.
B
bandicoot: 1. Any of several large rats of the genera Bandicota and Nesokia of
southeast Asia. 2. Any of several ratlike marsupials of the family Peramelidae, of
Australia and adjacent islands, that feed on insects and plants and have a long,
tapering snout and elongated hind legs. [Telugu bantikokku: banti, “ball” + kokku,
“long beak”]
blue marlin: A large marlin (Makaira nigricans) that is widely distributed in warm
seas and is valued as a sport fish.
bonobo: A species of chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) of north-central Congo (formerly
Zaire), having black hair and more arboreal habits than the common chimpanzee (P.
troglodytes). Also pygmy chimpanzee. [of central African origin]
brine shrimp: Any of various small crustaceans of the genus Artemia.
C
catarrhine: Of or being a group of primates including the Old World monkeys,
apes, and humans, characterized by nostrils that are close together and directed
frontward or downward. A catarrhine primate, such as a gorilla. [from Greek kata-,
“down” + rhino-, “nose”]
Cavalier King Charles spaniel: Any of a breed of toy spaniels developed in Great
Britain from English toy spaniels and having a tapered muzzle and a long silky coat.
[cavalier + King Charles spaniel, a breed of toy spaniel, from Charles II of England]
color phase: 1. A seasonally variant pelage color. 2. a. A genetic variant manifested
by the occurrence of a skin or pelage color unlike the wild type of the animal group
in which it appears. b. An individual marked by such a variant.
colorpoint shorthair: Any of a breed of domestic cats of Siamese body type and
coat pattern but occurring in different colors.
common cattle grub: A cattle grub (Hypoderma lineatum) which is found
throughout the United States and whose larva is particularly destructive to cattle.
308
D
desert locust:
A destructive migratory locust (Schistocerca gregaria) of
southwestern Asia and parts of northern Africa.
desert tortoise: A large burrowing land tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) of arid regions
of the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico.
detritivore: An organism (as an earthworm or a fungus) that feeds on dead and
decomposing organic matter.
diadromous: Of a fish Migratory between salt and fresh waters.
domestic shorthair: American shorthair; a short-haired domestic cat especially of
unknown pedigree.
E
exotic shorthair: Any of a breed of stocky short-haired domestic cats developed in
the United States by crossing American shorthairs and Persians.
extremophile: An organism that lives under extreme environmental conditions (as in
a hot spring or ice cap).
F
froglet: A young frog; specifically one that has recently metamorphosed from a
tadpole.
G
goanna: Any of several large Australian monitor lizards (genus Varanus of the
family Varanidae). [alteration of iguana]
J
jack crevalle /jăk krĭvălē/: A carangid fish (Caranx hippos) that is an important food
fish especially along the west coast of Florida.
K
king penguin : A large penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) of Antarctic regions,
having an orange oval on the side of the face and a yellow patch at the base of the
throat.
L
lobe-finned fish: A member of the subclass Crossopterygii, a group of bony fishes
with paired rounded fins, suggesting limbs, that are extinct except for the
coelacanths. The lobe-finned fishes are regarded by some as ancestors of amphibians
and other terrestrial vertebrates.
M
marine iguana: A shore-dwelling seaweed-eating iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
of the Galápagos Islands that often feeds in the sea.
montadale: Any of an American breed of white-faced hornless sheep noted for
heavy fleece and good meat conformation. [Montana state + dale]
309
mosquito fly: Any of various large insects of the order Odonata or suborder
Anisoptera, having a long slender body and two pairs of narrow, net-veined wings
that are usually held outstretched while the insect is at rest.
O
ocicat /äsēkat/: Any of a breed of domestic cats developed by crossing Siamese,
American shorthair, and Abyssinian cats and having a short spotted coat. [blend of
ocelot and cat]
ono: A large vigorous mackerel (Acanthocybium solandri) that is common in warm
seas and esteemed as a food and sport fish. [Hawaiian]
oriental shorthair: A slender short-haired domestic cat of a breed resembling the
Siamese in conformation but having a solid-colored coat in a wide range of colors.
P
palmetto bug: Any of an order or suborder (Blattaria) of chiefly nocturnal insects
including some that are domestic pests.
pelage: Color Something felt to resemble the coat of a mammal: “The hardwoods
were a soft pale green in the dark pelage of the conifers.” [French, from Old French,
from peil, pel, “hair,” from Latin pilus]
pikeminnow: Any of several large cyprinid fishes (genus Ptychocheilus) of western
North America.
poison-arrow frog: Any of several small, often brightly colored terrestrial frogs that
inhabit the rain forests of Central and South America and secrete from their skin
some of the most poisonous biological toxins known, such as batrachotoxin. [from
the use of the frog's toxic secretions to coat arrowheads]
potbellied pig: A small domesticated pig native to Vietnam, often raised as a house
pet, having a saddle-shaped back and usually dark coloration.
puddle duck: A duck (as a mallard or shoveler) that feeds by dabbling.
pygmy chimpanzee: A species of chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) of north-central
Congo (formerly Zaire), having black hair and more arboreal habits than the common
chimpanzee (P. troglodytes). Also called bonobo.
pygmy hippopotamus: A small hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) of Liberia
and Côte d'Ivoire, found in lowland forests and swamps.
R
rabbit-eared bandicoot: Either of two burrowing nocturnal bandicoots (Macrotis
lagotis and M. leucura) having a long tapered muzzle and large pointed ears.
raccoon dog: A small omnivorous canid (Nyctereutes procyonoides) of eastern Asia
having a long yellowish-brown coat and facial markings resembling that of a
raccoon. Called also tanuki.
redear: A common sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) of the southern and eastern
United States that resembles the bluegill but has the back part of the operculum
bright orange red and that feeds especially on snails.
red sindhi: Any of a breed of humped rather small red dairy cattle developed in
southwestern Asia and extensively used for crossbreeding with European stock in
tropical areas. [red + sindhi, “one belonging to Sind,” Pakistan]
310
reproductive isolation: The inability of a species to breed successfully with related
species due to geographical, behavioral, physiological, or genetic barriers or
differences.
requiem shark: Any of a family (Carcharhinidae) of sharks (as the tiger shark) that
includes some dangerous to humans.
Rhode Island Red: Any of an American breed of domestic fowls having dark
reddish-brown feathers.
Rhode Island White: Any of an American breed of domestic chickens resembling
Rhode Island Reds but having pure white plumage.
ringed turtle dove: A small pale dove (Streptopelia risoria) that has a black ring
around the sides and back of the neck, exists chiefly in domestication as a cage bird,
and is probably of African origin.
rock shrimp: Any of several hard-shelled warm-water shrimp (genus Sicyonia,
especially S. brevirostris) that are harvested chiefly in the Gulf of Mexico and widely
sold as food.
romeldale: Any of a United States breed of sheep yielding a heavy fleece of fine
wool and producing a quickly maturing high-grade market lamb. [blend of Romney,
Rambouillet, France, and Corriedale, ranch in New Zealand]
romney: Any of a British breed of hardy long-wooled sheep especially adapted to
damp or marshy regions and raised for both mutton and wool. [Romney Marsh,
pasture tract in England]
Russian blue: Any of a breed of slender long-bodied large-eared domestic cats with
short silky bluish-gray fur.
S
scale insect: Any of various small homopterous insects of the superfamily Coccoidea
that suck the juices of plants, the females of which secrete and remain under waxy
scales on plant tissue.
sea monkey: A brine shrimp (Artemia salina) that hatches from dormant encysted
eggs and is sometimes raised in aquariums.
shiba inu: Any of a breed of small thick-coated agile dogs developed in Japan.
[Japanese shiba-inu, from shiba, “brushwood” + inu, “dog”]
spotted owl: A large North American owl (Strix occidentalis) of old-growth forests
from southwest British Columbia to central Mexico, having dark brown plumage
with a heavily spotted chest and barred belly.
squamate: Any of an order (Squamata) of reptiles including the snakes and lizards
and related extinct forms. [ultimately from Late Latin squamatus, “scaly,” from
Latin squama]
stable fly: A fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) that sucks the blood of domestic animals and
humans.
sweat bee: Any of various small, ground-nesting bees of the family Halictidae that
are attracted to perspiration.
T
tanuki: The fur of a raccoon dog. [Japanese, raccoon dog]
thousand-legger: Millipede: any of a class (Diplopoda) of myriapod arthropods
having usually a cylindrical segmented body covered with hard integument, two
pairs of legs on most apparent segments, and unlike centipedes no poison fangs.
311
tigon: A hybrid between a male tiger and a female lion. [tiger + lion]
U
uakari /wäkärē/: Either of two short-tailed mostly naked-faced South American
monkeys (Cacajao melanocephalus and C. calvus). [from an unidentified language
of western Brazilian Amazonia]
V
vedalia: An Australian ladybug (Rodolia cardinalis) introduced to many countries to
control scale insects. [New Latin, genus name]
W
West highland white terrier: A small white terrier with upright ears and tail,
developed in Scotland from Cairn, Scottish, and Skye terriers.
Westie: West highland white terrier.
X
xenopus: Any of various aquatic, tongueless, clawed frogs of the genus Xenopus,
native to southern Africa, especially X. laevis, widely used in the study of vertebrate
development. [xeno- + Greek pous, “foot”]
Y
yabby: Any of various burrowing Australian crayfishes (genus Cherax, especially
C. destructor) that are used for food. [Wemba-Wemba (Australian aboriginal
language of Victoria) yabij]
Z
zebra mussel: A small freshwater mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) with a usually
striped shell, native to Eurasia but widely established since the late 1980s in the
Great Lakes and other North American waterways.
13. LOAN WORD (306)
A loan word is “a word taken from another language and at least partly
naturalized.” (red dictionary). It is not written with italics, underlining, or other
special indications of being a word of a different language.
312
A
accoucheur: One that assists at a birth, especially an obstetrician. [French]
ad rem: Relevant; pertinent. To the point; relevantly. [Latin]
aficionada: A woman who is a devotee or fan. [Spanish, feminine of aficionado,
“devotee”]
a la grecque: Served in a sauce made of olive oil, lemon juice, and several
seasonings (as fennel, coriander, sage, and thyme). [French, “in the Greek manner”]
alforja: A saddlebag. [Spanish, from Old Spanish, from Arabic al-hurj: al-, “the” +
hurj, “saddlebag”; akin to Persian khurjīn]
allée: A walkway lined with trees or tall shrubs. [French, from Middle French alee]
Allonge: An amendment or addition to a document or record. [French]
Althing: The parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest assembly in Europe, first
convened in 930. [Old Norse althing, parliament, whole assembly: allr, “all” + thing,
“assembly”]
amarone: A robust dry red Italian wine with a high alcohol content. [Italian, from
Italian dialect (Veneto), literally, tart, very dry, augmentative of amaro, “tart, bitter,”
from Latin amarus, “bitter”]
ancho: A dried poblano pepper. [American Spanish (chile) ancho, “wide” (chili),
from Spanish, from Old Spanish, from Latin amplus]
anchoveta: A small anchovy (Cetengraulis mysticetus) of the Pacific coast of
America from southern California to Peru. [Spanish anchoveta, diminutive of
anchova]
animalier: A sculptor or painter of animal subjects. [French, from animal “animal”,
from Latin]
a outrance: To the limit; unsparingly. [French]
Aranyaka: Any of several Sanskrit religious and philosophical treatises, closely
connected with the Brahmanas and Upanishads, and intended to be read by hermits
in the quiet of the forest. [Sanskrit Āranyakam, from neuter sing. of āranyaka-,
“pertaining to the forest,” from āranya-, from aranyam, “foreign land, wilderness,
forest,” from arana-, “distant, foreign”]
arco: With a bow. Used chiefly as a direction to indicate the resumption of bowing
after a pizzicato passage. [Italian, arco, “bow,” from Latin arcus]
arepa: A baked or fried cornmeal cake of traditional Colombian cuisine. [Cariban
∂repa, “maize”]
arroz con pollo: A dish of chicken cooked with rice and usually flavored with
saffron. [Spanish, literally, rice with chicken]
Atharva-Veda also Atharva Veda or Atharvaveda: One of the four Vedas,
consisting mostly of spells of black and white magic. [Sanskrit Atharvavedah:
atharvā, “priest” + vedah, “sacred lore, knowledge, Veda”]
au poivre: Prepared or served with a generous amount of usually coarsely ground
black pepper: steak au poivre. [French, with pepper]
avant: Culturally or stylistically advanced; avant-garde: avant jazz. [French avant-,
“front,” from avant, before, from Latin abante]
avgolemono: A soup or sauce made of chicken stock, rice, egg yolks, and lemon
juice. [New Greek augolemono, from augo, “egg” + lemoni, “lemon”]
ayahuasca: A hallucinogenic brew made from the bark and stems of a tropical South
American vine of the genus Banisteriopsis, especially B. caapi, mixed with other
psychotropic plants, used especially in shamanistic rituals by certain Amazonian
313
Indian peoples. [American Spanish, from Quechua, “rope of the dead, narcotic”: aya,
“corpse” + huasca, “rope”]
Ayurveda: The ancient Hindu science of health and medicine. [Sanskrit āyurveda:
āyuh, “life, health” + vedah, “knowledge, lore”]
azulejo: A glazed usually blue ceramic tile originally of Portugal and Spain.
[Portuguese or Spanish]
B
baba ghanoush: An appetizer or spread made chiefly of eggplant, tahini, garlic,
olive oil, and lemon. [Arabic dialect būbaghanūj]
babiche /bəbēš/: Strips of rawhide, sinew, or gut used for sewing, lacing, or
fastening: snowshoes webbed with babiche. [Canadian French, of Algonquian origin]
ballon: Buoyancy or lightness in movement that allows a dancer to rise and fall
smoothly. [French, balloon]
bandito: An outlaw especially of Mexican extraction or origin. [Italian]
barquette: A small boat-shaped pastry shell. [French, diminutive of barque, “bark”
(ship)]
barre also bar: 1. A handrail fixed to a wall, as in a dance studio, used by ballet
dancers as a support in certain exercises. 2. A fingering technique used with fretted
stringed instruments in which a finger is laid across the fretboard to stop all or
several strings at once. [French, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin barra, of
Gaulish origin]
basmati rice: An aromatic long-grain rice from India. [Hindi basmati, “fragrant,”
from bas, “fragrance, perfume,” from Sanskrit vasa]
batata: A type of sweet potato having somewhat dry, bland, yellowish to white
flesh, used as a staple food in many tropical countries. Also boniato, camote.
[American Spanish, perhaps of Taino origin]
bateau also bateau /bătō/: Nautical 1. Canada & New England. A long, light,
flatbottom boat with a sharply pointed bow and stern. 2. South Atlantic & Gulf
States. A small, light, flatbottom rowboat. [Canadian, and Louisiana French from
French, boat, from Old French batel, from Old English bat ]
battu: Of a ballet movement Performed with a striking together of the legs. [French,
from past participle of battre, “to beat”]
battue: 1. The beating of woods and bushes to flush game.2. A hunt in which this is
done. [French, feminine of battu, past participle of battre, “to beat,” from Old French
batre]
beau ideal: The perfect type or model. [French beau idéal, “ideal beauty”]
Beaujolais nouveau: A Beaujolais wine that is released shortly after a grape harvest
and is sold for immediate consumption. [French, literally, new Beaujolais]
ben trovato: Appropriate even if untrue; happily invented: a story that is ben
trovato. [Italian, from the saying se è non vero, è ben trovato, “(even) if it is not true,
it is well invented”: ben, “well” + trovato, past participle of trovare, “to find, invent”]
beurre manie: Flour and butter kneaded together used as a thickener in sauces.
[French, literally, handled butter]
beurre noir: Butter cooked over low heat until it has turned dark brown. [French
beurre, “butter” + noir, “black”]
blanc de chine: White Chinese porcelain usually used for making figurines.
[French, literally, white of China]
314
boniato: A sweet potato having white dry flesh with little sweetness that is usually
grown in subtropical regions (as Cuba). Also called batata, camote. [American
Spanish, perhaps from Taino]
bota: A leather bag or sack for holding wine. [Spanish]
botanica: A shop that sells herbs, charms, and other religious or spiritual items,
especially those associated with Santeria. [American Spanish botánica, from Greek
botanik, feminine of botanikos, “herbal”]
boubou: A long, loose-fitting African garment. [French, from Malinke bubu]
bourride: A fish stew similar to bouillabaisse that is usually thickened with egg
yolks and strongly flavored with garlic. [French, from Occitan bourrido, alteration of
boulido “something boiled,” from bouli, “to boil,” from Latin bullire]
bruschetta /brüšet∂/: Thick slices of bread grilled, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with
olive oil, often topped with tomatoes and herbs, and usually served as an appetizer.
[Italian, from Italian dialect (Tuscany), from bruscare, “to toast, burn,” probably
from Vulgar Latin brusicare, frequentative of brusare, brusiare, “to burn”]
bubkes: The least amount; beans: won't win bubkes this year; also nothing:
received bubkes at nomination time. [Yiddish (probably short for kozebubkes,
literally, “goat droppings”), plural of bubke, bobke, diminutive of bub, “bob bean,”
of Slavic origin; akin to Polish bòb, “bean”]
bullet: 1. a. A usually metal projectile in the shape of a pointed cylinder or a ball that
is expelled from a firearm, especially a rifle or handgun. b. Such a projectile in a
metal casing; a cartridge. 2. An object resembling a projectile in shape, action, or
effect.
3. Printing A heavy dot (·) used to highlight a particular passage.
[French boulette, diminutive of boule, “ball,” from Old French, from Latin bulla]
burladero: A wooden shield near the wall in a bullring for bullfighters to take
shelter behind if pursued. [Spanish, from burlar, “to make fun of, elude,” from burla,
“joke”]
C
cache: 1. A hiding place used especially for storing provisions. 2. A place for
concealment and safekeeping, as of valuables. 3. A store of goods or valuables
concealed in a hiding place: maintained a cache of food in case of emergencies.
[French, from cacher, “to hide,” from Old French, “to press, hide,” from Vulgar
Latin coācticāre, “to store, pack together,” frequentative of Latin coāctāre, “to
constrain,” from coāctus, past participle of cōgere, “to force”]
caipirinha /kīp∂rēny∂/: A cocktail consisting of lime, sugar, and rum. [Brazilian
Portuguese, from caipira, “backwoodsman, rustic”]
calabaza: A large winter squash (Cucurbita moschata) that resembles a pumpkin
and is typically grown in the West Indies and tropical America. [Spanish]
camote /kəmōtā/: A type of sweet potato having somewhat dry, bland, yellowish to
white flesh, used as a staple food in many tropical countries. Also called boniato,
batata.
capellini: Angel-hair pasta. [Italian, plural of capellino, diminutive of capello,
“hair,” from Latin capillus]
carbonnade: A beef stew cooked in beer. [French, literally, dish of grilled meat,
from Italian carbonata, from carbone, “charcoal, coal,” from Latin carbon-]
carne asada: A grilled Mexican dish of spicy marinated steak strips sometimes
served in a burrito or taco. [Spanish, grilled meat]
315
carte du jour: Menu. [French, literally, card of the day]
cartelize: To form as or become a cartel. [German Kartell, from French cartel, from
Italian cartello, “placard,” from Medieval Latin cartellus, “charter,” diminutive of
Latin charta, carta, “paper made from papyrus” + -ize]
casa: chiefly Southwest Dwelling. [Spanish & Italian, from Latin, cottage]
casita: A small house. [Spanish, diminutive of casa]
cascabel: A small, round, medium-hot dried chili. [Spanish, “bell, rattle,” from Old
Provençal cascavel, from Vulgar Latin cascābellus, probably from quassicāre, “to
rattle, crack,” from Latin quassāre, “to shatter,” from the sound of the loose seeds in
the dried fruit”]
cavalletti: A series of timber jumps that are adjustable in height for schooling
horses. [Italian, plural of cavalletto, “trestle,” diminutive of cavallo, “horse,” from
Latin caballus]
cerveza: Beer. [Spanish, from Latin cervesia, “a kind of beer”]
chaine: A series of short usually fast turns by which a ballet dancer moves across
the stage. [French, from past participle of chaîner, “to chain”]
chalupa: A fried corn tortilla sometimes shaped like a boat and usually filled with a
savory mixture (as of meat, vegetables, or cheese). [Mexican Spanish, from Spanish,
boat, skiff, from French chaloupe]
chamisa: 1. A saltbush (Atriplex canescens) of the western United States and
Mexico having winged seeds. 2. A rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) having
yellow flowers. [American Spanish chamiza, chamizo, ultimately from Spanish
chamiza, “brushwood, kindling,” from Portuguese or Galician chamiça, from chama,
“flame,” from Latin flamma]
charas: Hashish: the concentrated resin from the flowering tops of female hemp
plants (Cannabis sativa or C. indica) that is smoked, chewed, or drunk for its
intoxicating effect. [Hindi caras & Urdu charas]
cheechako: Tenderfoot – used chiefly in Alaska. [Chinook, from chee, “new” from
xi, “right away,” + chako, “come,” from Nootka]
cheongsam /chôngsäm/: A long dress with a high collar and slit skirt, traditionally
worn by Chinese women. [Chinese (Cantonese) ch'eūng shaam, “long gown,”
equivalent to Chinese (Mandarin) cháng, “long” + Chinese (Mandarin) shān,
“gown”]
chiffonade /shĭf∂nād/: Shredded or finely cut vegetables or herbs used especially as a
garnish. [French chiffonnade, from chiffonner, “to crumple,” from chiffon]
chile relleno: A stuffed chili pepper that usually contains cheese or meat and is fried
or grilled. [Spanish, stuffed chili pepper]
chimichurri: A sauce made of chopped fresh parsley seasoned with garlic, pepper,
and herbs and bound with oil and vinegar.
chipotle: A ripe jalapeño pepper that has been dried and smoked for use in cooking.
chuppah: A canopy under which the bride and groom stand during a Jewish
wedding ceremony. [Yiddish khupe, from Hebrew huppāh]
cioppino /ch∂pēnō/: A stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish, tomatoes,
and white wine. [Italian, perhaps variant of northwest Italian ciuppin]
claro: A light-colored usually mild cigar. [Spanish, from claro, “light,” from Latin
clarus]
classico: Produced in a delimited area of Italy known for its standards of quality:
Chianti classico.
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clave: 1. A cylindrical hardwood stick used in a pair as a percussion instrument. 2. A
syncopated two-bar musical pattern. [American Spanish, from Spanish, keystone,
from Latin clāvis, “key”]
coco: The coconut palm; also its fruit. [Spanish coco & Portuguese côco, “coconut”]
cojones: Testes. [Spanish, literally, testicles]
compadre: A close friend or associate; a companion. [Spanish, joint father,
godfather, friend, from Medieval Latin compater, “joint priest, godfather”: Latin
com-, “com-” + Latin pater, “father”]
con anima: In a spirited manner, used as a direction in music. [Italian, literally,
“with spirit”]
concours d'elegance: A show or contest of vehicles and accessories in which the
entries are judged chiefly on excellence of appearance and turnout. [French concours
d'elegance, literally, “competition of elegance”]
conglomerateur: A person who forms or heads a conglomerate. [conglomerate + eur (as in entrepreneur)]
con moto: With movement: in a spirited manner used as a direction in music.
[Italian]
corniche: A road that winds along the side of a steep coast or cliff. [short for French
route en corniche, “route, road” + en, “on” + corniche, “rock ledge, cornice,” from
Italian cornice]
corsetiere: One who makes, fits, or sells corsets, brassieres, girdles, and similar
undergarments. [French corsetière, feminine of corsetier, “corset-maker,” from
corset, “corset,” from Old French]
costumier: One that makes or supplies costumes; a costumer. [French, from
costume, “costume”]
crème anglaise: A rich vanilla-flavored sauce that can be served hot or cold with
cake, fruit, or another dessert. [French crème, “cream” + anglaise, feminine of
anglais, English]
crème brûlée: A custard with a crust of caramelized sugar.[French, “burnt cream,”
crème, “cream” + brûlée, “burnt,” feminine past participle of brûler, “to burn”]
cremini: An edible, dark-brown mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) with a rounded cap.
[Italian]
crostini: Small slices of usually toasted bread topped with a spread or other food.
[Italian, plural of crostino, from crosta, “crust, rind,” from Latin crusta, “shell,
crust”]
cuitlacoche also huitlacoche: A bulbous black fungus (Ustilago maydis) that infects
corn, producing silvery, swollen, pebblelike kernels. The kernels have a smokysweet flavor and are sometimes harvested and used in a variety of Mexican dishes.
Also called corn smut, maize mushroom, Mexican truffle. [American Spanish,
from Nahuatl quitlacochtli: quitlatl, “dung” + cochtli, “asleep”]
curandera: A woman who practices folk medicine; an herb doctor. [American
Spanish, feminine of curandero, “healer”]
curandero: A man who practices folk medicine; an herb doctor. [American Spanish,
from Spanish curar, “to cure,” from Latin curare, “to cure, take care of,” from cura,
“care”]
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D
degringolade: A rapid decline or deterioration (as in strength, position, or condition)
downfall. [French, from dēgringoler, “to tumble down,” from Middle French
desgringueler, from des-, “de-” + gringueler, “to tumble,” from Middle Dutch
crinkelen, “to make curl,” from crinc, cring “ring”]
de novo: Over again, anew. [Latin dē novō]
Día de los Muertos: Day of the Dead. [Spanish, día, “day” + de, “of” + los, “the” +
muertos, pl. of muerto, “dead”]
digestif: An alcoholic drink (as brandy or a liqueur) usually taken after a meal.
[French, literally, digestive]
dirigisme /dērēžēsmə/: Economic planning and control by the state. [French, from
diriger, “to direct,” from Latin dirigere + -isme, “-ism”]
dishdasha: A long usually white robe traditionally worn by men in the Middle East.
[Arabic dishdāsha]
dolce far niente: Pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness. [Italian, literally, sweet
doing nothing]
dolcetto: A light fruity red wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. [Italian, a grape
variety, wine made from the grape, from dolcetto “somewhat sweet,” from dolce]
domaine: A vineyard especially in Burgundy that makes and bottles wine from its
own grapes. [French (short for domaine vinicole or viticole)]
doula: A woman experienced in childbirth who provides advice, information,
emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after
childbirth. [Modern Greek, female helper, maidservant, from Greek doulē, “female
slave”]
doux: Of champagne Very sweet. [French, literally, sweet, from Old French douz]
du jour: 1. Prepared for a given day: The soup du jour is cream of potato. 2. Most
recent; current: the trend du jour. [French du, “of the” + jour, “day”]
dumka: A song, especially a Slavic folksong, that has alternating happy and sad
passages. [Ukrainian, diminutive of duma, “thought, memory, narrative poem,” of
Germanic origin]
duro: A Spanish or Spanish American peso or silver dollar. [Spanish, short for peso
duro, “hard” peso]
E
eau de parfum: A perfumed liquid containing a percentage of fragrant oils that is
lower than that in perfume but greater than that in eau de toilette. [French, literally,
perfume water]
eau de toilette: A perfumed liquid containing a lower percentage of fragrant oils
than is contained in ordinary perfume or eau de parfum. [French, literally, water for
washing and dressing]
echt /eč/: True, genuine: an echt New Yorker. [German echt & Yiddish ekht]
eiswein: A sweet German wine made from grapes that have frozen on the vine; also
a similar wine made elsewhere. [German, from eis, “ice” + wein, “wine”]
embarcadero: A pier, wharf, or landing place, especially on a river or inland
waterway.
embolus: A mass, such as an air bubble, a detached blood clot, or a foreign body,
that travels through the bloodstream and lodges so as to obstruct or occlude a blood
318
vessel. [Latin, piston of a pump, from Greek embolos, stopper, plug, from emballein,
to insert]
Emmentaler: Swiss cheese. [German, from Emmental, Switzerland]
en clair: In plain language: a message sent en clair. [French, “in clear”]
epazote: The pungent leaves of the wormseed plant, used as a seasoning in Mexican
cooking. [American Spanish, from Nahuatl epazotl: epatl, “skunk” + tzotl, “filth”
(from its smell)]
euro: The basic unit of currency among participating European Union countries.
[After Europe]
F
farfalle: Pasta in the shape of bow ties. [Italian, pl. of farfalla, “butterfly”]
feldsher: A medical or surgical practitioner without full professional qualifications
or status in some east European countries and especially Russia. [Russian fel'dsher,
from German feldscher, feldscherer, “field surgeon,” from feld, “field” + scherer,
“barber, surgeon”]
feng shui: The Chinese art or practice of positioning objects, especially graves,
buildings, and furniture, based on a belief in patterns of yin and yang and the flow of
chi that have positive and negative effects. [Chinese (Mandarin) fēng shuǐ, “wind &
water”: fēng, “wind” + shuǐ, “water”]
Fidelista: An adherent of Castroism. [American Spanish, from Fidel Castro + -ista,
–ist]
film noir: A type of crime film featuring cynical malevolent characters in a sleazy
setting and an ominous atmosphere that is conveyed by shadowy photography and
foreboding background music; also a film of this type. [French, literally, black
film]
fino: A very dry Spanish sherry. [Spanish, from fino, “fine,” from fin, “end,” from
Latin finis]
flota: A fleet of Spanish ships. [Spanish]
focaccia: A flat Italian bread traditionally flavored with olive oil and salt and often
topped with herbs, onions, or other items. [Italian, “hearth-cake,” from Vulgar Latin
focācea, from variant of Late Latin focācia, “of the hearth,” feminine of focācius,
from Latin focus, “hearth”]
fouette: A quick whipping movement of the raised leg in ballet usually
accompanying a pirouette. [French, from past participle of fouetter, “to whip,” from
Middle French, from fouet, “whip,” from Old French]
franc-tireur: A civilian and especially a guerrilla fighter or sniper. [French, from
franc, “free” + tireur, “shooter”]
frass: Debris or excrement produced by insects. [German, “feed, result of eating,
insect damage,” from Middle High German vrâz, from Old High German frāz, from
frezzan, “to eat”]
fritto misto: Small morsels of meat, seafood, or vegetables coated with batter and
deep fried. [Italian, literally, mixed fried (food)]
frotteur: A person who engages in the sexual act of frottage. [French, from frotter,
“to rub”]
frottage: 1. The act of rubbing against the body of another person, as in a crowd, to
attain sexual gratification. 2. a. A method of making a design by placing a piece of
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paper on top of an object and then rubbing over it, as with a pencil or charcoal. b. A
design so made.
fufu: A thick, doughlike West African food made by boiling and pounding a starchy
vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava. [of West African origin]
fumet: A reduced and seasoned fish, meat, or vegetable stock. [French, literally,
pleasant aroma (of meat cooking), from Middle French, from fumer, “to give off
smoke or steam,” from Latin fumare, from fumus]
fusilli: Pasta in short spirals or corkscrews. [Italian, from pl. diminutive of fuso,
“spindle,” from Latin fūsus]
G
gado gado: An Indonesian salad of mixed vegetables dressed with a peanut and
coconut milk sauce.[Indonesian, from menggado, “to eat side dishes without rice”]
gaijin: A non-Japanese person. [Japanese gai, “outside, foreign” (from Middle
Chinese wajh) + jin, “person”]
ganache: A rich icing made of chocolate and cream heated and stirred together, used
also as a filling, as for cakes or pastry. [French]
garda: A police officer in the Republic of Ireland. [Irish garda, literally, guardian of
the peace]
garde-manger: A cook who specializes in the preparation of cold foods (as meats,
fish, and salads). [French, literally, one who keeps food]
gharry: A horse-drawn carriage, used primarily in Egypt and India, often as a cab.
[Hindi gari, probably ultimately from Sanskrit garta, “chariot”]
gelee /žəlā/: A cosmetic gel. [French, jelly]
Gesellschaft: A rationally developed mechanistic type of social relationship
characterized by impersonally contracted associations between persons; also a
community or society characterized by this relationship. [German, companionship,
society]
godet: A triangular piece of fabric usually set into the hem of a garment to add
fullness. [French, goblet, “godet,” from Middle Dutch codde, “cylindrical piece of
wood”]
gluhwein: Mulled wine. [German glühwein, from glühen, “to mull, glow” + wein,
“wine”]
gordita: A deep-fried pocket of cornmeal dough filled with a savory mixture.
[Mexican Spanish, diminutive of gorda, “thick” tortilla, from Spanish, feminine of
gordo, “fat, thick,” from Late Latin gurdus, “dull, blunt”]
graticule: The network of lines of latitude and longitude upon which a map is drawn.
[French, from Latin craticula, “fine latticework,” diminutive of cratis, “wickerwork,
hurdle”]
gratine: Covered with bread crumbs or grated cheese and browned (as under a
broiler). [French, from past participle of gratiner, “to cook au gratin,” from gratin]
gratinee: To cook au gratin.
gringa: Used as a disparaging term for a foreign woman in Latin America, especially
an American or English woman. [Spanish, feminine of gringo]
gringo: Used as a disparaging term for a foreigner in Latin America, especially an
American or English person. [Spanish, foreign, foreign language, gibberish, probably
alteration of griego, Greek, from Latin Graecus]
guanabana: Soursop. [American Spanish guanábana, from Taino]
320
guayabera: A light open-necked cotton shirt, often with large pockets and pleats
down the front, that is typically worn outside the pants. [American Spanish]
gul: A stylized octagonal motif in Oriental rugs. [Persian, rose]
guiro /gwērō/: A Latin American percussion instrument made of a hollow gourd
with a grooved or serrated surface, played by scraping with a stick or rod. [American
Spanish güiro, from Taino]
H
Habanero: A very hot roundish chili pepper (Capsicum chinense) that is usually
orange when mature. [American Spanish (chile) habanero, literally, Havanan chili]
hacendado also haciendado: The owner or manager of a hacienda. [American
Spanish, from Spanish hacienda]
hammam: Turkish bath. [Turkish hamam, “bath,” from Persian hammam, from
Arabic]
haniwa: Large hollow baked clay sculptures placed on ancient Japanese burial
mounds. [Japanese]
hapa haole: Of part-white ancestry or origin; especially of white and Hawaiian
ancestry. [Hawaiian, from hapa, “half” (from English half) + haole, “a white
person”]
Harijan: An Untouchable. [Sanskrit harijana, person of Hari, child of God (coined
as a euphemism for Untouchable by Mohandas K. Gandhi in 1931): Hari, a name for
Vishnu + jana, “person, child”]
haut monde: High society. [French, literally, high world]
hispanidad: 1. A movement to reassert the cultural unity of Spain and Latin
America.
2. A characteristic feature of Spanish occurring in another language.
[from Latin Hispānia, Spain]
humuhumunukunukuapuaa /hoomoohoomoonookoonookooäpooää/: Either of two
triggerfishes, Rhinecanthus aculeatus or R. rectangulus, native to the outer reefs of
Hawaii, the latter having a broad black band on the side and a black triangle at the
beginning of the tail. [Hawaiian humuhumu-nukunuku--pua'a, “trigger fish with a
blunt snout like a pig's”: humuhumu, “small trigger fish” (from reduplication of
Proto-Polynesian sumu, “trigger fish”) + nukunuku, “small snout,” reduplication of
nuku, “snout” + ā, “like” + pua'a, “pig”]
I
ikat: 1. A craft in which one tie-dyes and weaves yarn to create an intricately
designed fabric. 2. The fabric so created. [Malay, tying, binding]
in flagrante delicto: 1. In the very act of committing an offense; red-handed. 2. In
the act of having sex. [Medieval Latin flagrante dēlictō, while the crime is blazing:
flagrante, ablative of flagrāns, “blazing” + dēlictō, ablative of dēlictum, “offense”]
intifada: Uprising, Rebellion; an armed uprising of Palestinians against Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [Arabic intifāda, literally, “the act of
shaking off”]
irredenta: A region that is culturally or historically related to one nation but is
subject to a foreign government. [from Italian (Italia) irredenta, “unredeemed”
(Italy), Italian-speaking areas subject to other countries, feminine of irredent: in-,
“not” + redento, “redeemed” (from Latin redemptus, past participle of redimere, “to
redeem”)]
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ISO /īĕsō/: An organization, the International Organization for Standardization, that
sets standards in many businesses and technologies, including computing and
communications. [From Greek isos, “equal”]
J
judoka: One who participates in judo. [Japanese jūdōka, from jūdō, “judo” + -ka,
“person”]
K
Kamaaina: One who has lived in Hawaii for a long time. [Hawaiian kama'āina, from
kama, “child” + 'āina, “land”]
kami: Any of the sacred beings worshiped in Shintoism, conceived as spirits abiding
in natural phenomena and sometimes in people with extraordinary qualities.
[Japanese]
kanban: Just-in-time. [Japanese, sign, placard; from the cards used on assembly
lines to signal that parts are needed]
kata: A set combination of positions and movements (as in karate) performed as an
exercise. [Japanese, literally, model, pattern]
keiretsu: A network of businesses that own stakes in one another as a means of
mutual security, especially in Japan, and usually including large manufacturers and
their suppliers of raw materials and components. [Japanese, series, affiliation: kei,
“system” + retsu, “row, line”]
kente: 1. A brightly patterned, handwoven ceremonial cloth of the Ashanti. 2. A
durable machine-woven fabric similar to this fabric, prominently featured in
Afrocentric fashion. [Twi kente, “cloth”]
Komsomol: A Russian Communist youth organization. [Russian, from
Kommunisticheskii Soyuz Molodezhi, Communist Union of Youth]
Kristallnacht: The night of November 9, 1938, on which the Nazis coordinated an
attack on Jewish people and their property in Germany and German-controlled lands.
[German, night of (broken) glass: Kristall, “crystal” (from Middle High German,
from Old High German cristalla, from Latin crystallus, “crystal” + nacht, “night”
(from Middle High German naht, from Old High German)]
L
langostino: Any of several edible crustaceans (as of the genus Pleuroncodes) that are
or resemble small lobsters or large shrimp. [Spanish, diminutive of langosta, “spiny
lobster, locust,” from Vulgar Latin lacusta, alteration of Latin locusta]
La Niña: A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America,
occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather
patterns.
La Raza: Mexicans or Mexican Americans considered as a group, sometimes
extending to all Spanish-speaking people of the Americas. [American Spanish, “the
people”]
latifundio: A large landed estate in Spain or Latin America. [Spanish, from Latin
lātifundium, “latifundium”]
latifundista: The owner of a latifundio.
322
latigo: chiefly west a long strap on a saddletree of a western saddle to adjust the
cinch. [Spanish látigo, “whip”]
latilla: A usually peeled limb or stick used as a ceiling material, as between beams or
vigas. [American Spanish, diminutive of Spanish lata, “small stick,” from Vulgar
Latin latta, of Germanic origin]
lavash: A thin leavened flatbread of Armenian origin. [Armenian, from Turkish
lavaş]
limpa: Rye bread made with molasses or brown sugar. [Swedish]
loden: 1. A durable, water-repellent, coarse woolen fabric used chiefly for coats and
jackets. 2. A deep olive green. [German, “coarse fabric,” from Middle High German
lode, from Old High German lodo]
lorgnon or lorgnette: A pair of eyeglasses or opera glasses with a handle. [French,
from lorgner, “to take a sidelong look at,” from Middle French, from lorgne,
“squinting”]
luminaire: A complete lighting unit. [French, lamp, lighting]
M
macumba: A polytheistic religion of African origin involving syncretistic elements
and practiced mainly by Brazilian blacks in urban areas. [Brazilian Portuguese]
mahout: The keeper and driver of an elephant. [Hindi mahāvat, mahāut, from
Sanskrit mahāmātrah, “one having great measure,” mahout: mahā-, “great” +
mātram, “measure,” from mimīte, mā-, “he measures”]
maisonette: Chiefly British 1. A small house. 2. An apartment occupying two or
more floors of a larger building and often having its own entrance from outside.
[French maisonnette, diminutive of maison, “house, dwelling,” from Old French,
from Latin mānsiō, mānsiōn-]
masa: Dough made of dried corn that has been soaked in limewater then rinsed and
ground, used especially in tortillas and tamales. [American Spanish, from Spanish,
“dough,” from Old Spanish, from Latin massa, “mass, dough”]
masa harina: A flour made from dried masa. [Mexican Spanish, literally, “flour,
masa”]
maxixe /m∂šēsh/: A ballroom dance of Brazilian origin that resembles the two-step.
[Brazilian Portuguese]
mesclun: A mixture of young leafy greens, often including young lettuces, used as
salad. [Provençal mesclom, mesclumo, “mixture,” from Vulgar Latin, misculāre, “to
mix thoroughly”]
meshuggeneh or meshuggener: 1. Crazy; senseless. 2. One who is crazy. [Yiddish
meshugener, meshugene]
mezzaluna: A curved steel blade, often with a vertical handle at each end, used to
chop food. [Italian, crescent, mezzaluna: mezza, feminine of mezzo, “half” + Latinm
luna, “moon”]
millefleur: Having a background with a pattern of flowers and plants. [from French
(de) mille fleurs, (de) mille-fleurs, “(of) a thousand flowers”: mille, “thousand,” from
Latin mīlia, pl. of mīlle, “thousand” + fleurs, pl. of fleur, “flower”]
mor: Forest humus that forms a layer of largely organic matter distinct from the
mineral soil beneath. [Danish, literally, humus]
moustachio: A mustache, especially a luxuriant one. [ultimately from Italian
dialectal mustaccio, “mustache”]
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moxa: A cone or cylinder of cotton wool or other combustible material, placed on
the skin and ignited in order to produce counterirritation. [Japanese]
N
nada: Nothing. [Spanish, from Latin (res) nata, “situation, circumstance,” literally, a
thing come into being]
noir: 1. Of or relating to the film noir genre. 2. A genre of crime literature featuring
tough, cynical characters and bleak settings. 3. Suggestive of danger or violence.
[short for “film” noir + short for French roman noir, “black novel”]
nopalito: A fleshy young tender stem segment of the prickly pear cactus (especially
Opuntia ficus-indica) or the nopal cactus used as food. [Spanish, from Nahuatl
nohpalli]
nouveau: New and different, often fashionably so: the perfect [Los Angeles]
combination: a gas station that is also a nouveau convenience store. [from phrases
such as art nouveau]
nouvelle: Of or relating to nouvelle cuisine: a nouvelle restaurant.
nouvelle cuisine: A form of French cuisine that uses little flour or fat and stresses
light sauces and the use of fresh seasonal produce; also a national or regional cuisine
that stresses lightness and freshness in preparation: American nouvelle cuisine.
[French nouvelle, “new” + cuisine, “cuisine”]
novillada: A bullfight in which the bulls engaged are less than four years old.
[Spanish, from novillo, “young bull,” from Latin novellus, “young,” diminutive of
novus, “new”]
novillero: A bullfighter restricted by professional rules to engaging bulls less than
four years of age.
numero uno: 1. One that is first in rank, order, or importance. 2. One's own
interests; oneself. [Spanish número uno, or Italian numero uno, “number one”]
O
oloroso: A full-bodied, medium-sweet sherry. [Italian, “fragrant,” from Late Latin
olōrōsus, variant of odōrōsus, from Latin odor, odōr-, “odor”]
orecchiette /ōrākē∂tā/: Small oval pasta. [Italian, plural of orecchietta, diminutive of
orecchia, “ear,” from Latin auricula]
oy: interjection Used especially to express exasperation or dismay: Oy, what a mess.
[Yiddish]
P
paczki /poonchkē/: A round Polish pastry similar to a doughnut, usually filled with
fruit and topped with sugar or icing. [Polish paczki, “bud, doughnut,” diminutive of
pak, “bud”]
panga: A large heavy knife used for cutting sugarcane and underbrush and as a
weapon. [Swahili]
papier colle: Collage. [French, glued paper]
parang: A short sword, cleaver, or machete common in Malaysia and Indonesia.
[Malay]
pastitsio: A Greek baked dish made of ground meat layered with pasta and usually
topped with white sauce and cheese. [Modern Greek, from Italian pasticcio]
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peloton: The main body of riders in a bicycle race. [French, literally, ball]
picadillo: A spicy Spanish and Latin American dish made of seasoned ground meat
and vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and onions. [American Spanish, from
Spanish, minced meat, diminutive of picado, “mincing,” from past participle of picar,
“to prick, to mince”]
pikake /pēkäkā/: An evergreen climbing jasmine (Jasminum sambac) of Asia long
cultivated for its profuse fragrant white flowers. [Hawaiian pīkake, literally,
peacock, from English]
pinot grigio: A dry white wine that is produced in Italy. [Italian, literally, gray
Pinot]
pinot noir: A dry red wine produced from the same grape as French burgundy.
[French, literally, black Pinot]
pirogue: A canoe made from a hollowed tree trunk; a piragua. [French, from Spanish
piragua, “a canoe made by hollowing out a tree trunk”]
plein air or plein-air: 1. Of or being a style of painting produced out of doors in
natural light. 2. Taking place outdoors: plein air dining. [From French (en) plein air,
(in) the open air: en, “in” + plein, “full” + air, “air”]
podzol also podsol: A leached soil formed mainly in cool, humid climates. [Russian:
pod, “under” + zola, “ashes”]
point d'appui: Foundation, base. [French, literally, point of support]
porcini /pôrchēnē/: A large wild edible brownish boletus mushroom (Boletus
edulis). [Italian, plural of porcino, short for fungo porcino, literally, “porcine
mushroom”]
posole: 1. Kernels of corn that have been soaked in lime water, hulled, and dried. 2.
A stew or soup made with posole, pork, chili, and other seasonings. [American
Spanish pozole, from Nahuatl pozolli]
privatdozent: An unsalaried university lecturer or teacher in German-speaking
countries remunerated directly by students' fees. [German privatdozent, from privat,
“private” + dozent, “teacher,” from Latin docent-, docens, present participle of
docēre, “to teach”]
puna: A treeless windswept tableland or basin in the higher Andes. [American
Spanish, from Quechua]
putsch /pooč/: A secretly plotted and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a
government. [German]
Q
quena /kān∂/: A recorderlike Andean flute having a notched mouthpiece. [Aymara]
quesadilla: A flour tortilla folded in half around a savory filling, as of cheese or
beans, then fried or toasted. [American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of
quesada, “type of cheesecake,” from queso, “cheese,” from Old Spanish, from Latin
caseus]
quiche: A rich unsweetened custard pie, often containing ingredients such as
vegetables, cheese, or seafood. [French, from German dialectal küche, diminutive of
German kuchen, “cake”]
quiche lorraine: A quiche containing cheese and bacon bits. [French, quiche of
Lorraine]
325
quinta: A country villa or estate especially in Portugal or Latin America. [Spanish &
Portuguese, quinta, “farm rented at one fifth of its income,” from Latin, feminine of
quintus, “fifth”]
R
Reiki: A system of touching with the hands based on the belief that such touching
by an experienced practitioner produces beneficial effects by strengthening and
normalizing certain vital energy fields held to exist within the body. [Japanese,
literally, spirit, from rei, “spirit, soul” + ki, “vital force, mind”]
rentier: A person who lives on income from property or investments. [French, from
rente, “yearly income,” from Old French]
repechage /rĕpēšäž/: A trial heat, especially in rowing, allowing competitors who
have already lost a heat another chance to qualify for the semifinals. [French
repêchage, “rescuing, repechage,” from repêcher, “to finish up again, rescue”: re-,
“again” (from Old French) + pêcher, “to fish for” (from Old French pescher, from
Vulgar Latin piscāre, from Latin piscārī]
riant: Cheerful; mirthful. [French, present participle of rire, “to laugh,” from Old
French, from Latin rīdēre]
ristra: A string on which foodstuffs, such as chilies, onions, or garlic, are threaded
or tied for storage. [Spanish, from Old Spanish riestra, variant of riesta, rieste, from
Latin restis, “rope, cord”]
rosemaling: Painted or sometimes carved decoration (as on furniture, walls, or
wooden dinnerware) in Scandinavian peasant style that consists especially of floral
designs and inscriptions. [Norwegian, from rose, “rose” + maling, “painting”]
roti: A round soft flat unleavened bread; also such a bread wrapped around a filling
and eaten as a sandwich. [Hindi & Urdu roti, “bread,” akin to Sanskrit rotika, “kind
of bread”]
rotogravure: 1. Photogravure. 2. A section of a newspaper devoted to rotogravure
pictures. [German Rotogravur, blend of Latin rota, “wheel,” and German
Photogravur, photogravure]
rouille: A peppery garlic sauce. [French, literally, rust (from its color)]
RSVP: To respond to an invitation. [French rèpondez s'il vous plait]
ruana: 1. A poncholike garment, open in front, often worn as a wrap. 2. A poncho.
[American Spanish, from Spanish, woolen garment, ultimately from Latin ruga,
“wrinkle”]
S
salade niçoise: A salad of tomatoes, anchovies, black olives, and other ingredients,
especially green beans, tuna, and hard-boiled egg. [French: salade, “salad” + niçoise
fem. of niçois, “of Nice”]
santera: A priestess of Santeria. [American Spanish, from Spanish, feminine of
santero, “cult priest”]
Santeria also santeria: An African-based religion similar to voodoo, originating in
Cuba and Brazil, which combines the worship of traditional Yoruban deities with the
worship of Roman Catholic saints. [from American Spanish santería, “worship of
saints,” from Spanish santo, “saint,” from Old Spanish, from Late Latin sanctus]
santero: A priest of Santeria. [American Spanish, from Spanish, cult priest, from
santo, “saint”]
326
schlub also shlub: Slang A person regarded as clumsy, stupid, or unattractive.
[Yiddish, from Polish zhób, “trough, blockhead”]
schlump: A stupid, worthless, or unattractive person. [Yiddish shlump, “sloppy
dowdy person”]
schmatte /šmät∂/: 1. A rag. 2. An old or ragged garment. [Yiddish shmate, from
Polish szmata]
seif dune: A sharp-crested longitudinal sand dune common to the Sahara and
ranging up to 300 m (900 ft) in height and 300 km (200 mi) in length. [Arabic sayf,
“sword”]
senryu: A 3-line unrhymed Japanese poem structurally similar to haiku but treating
human nature usually in an ironic or satiric vein. [Japanese]
serrano: A cultivar of the tropical pepper Capsicum annuum having small, blunt,
highly pungent red or green fruit used in cooking. [American Spanish, from Spanish
“from the mountains,” from sierra, “mountain range”]
Shiba Inu: Any of a breed of small thick-coated agile dogs developed in Japan.
[Japanese shiba-inu, from shiba, “brushwood” + inu, “dog”]
smalto: Colored glass or enamel or a piece of either used in mosaic work. [Italian,
smalt, “smalto”]
soba: A Japanese noodle made with buckwheat flour. [Japanese, buckwheat,
buckwheat noodle]
sofrito: A sautéed mixture of seasonings and finely chopped vegetables, such as
onions, garlic, and peppers, used as a base for many Spanish, Caribbean, and Latin
American dishes. [American Spanish, from variant past participle of Spanish sofreír,
“to fry lightly”]
sonde: Any of various devices for testing physical conditions (as at high altitudes,
below the earth's surface, or inside the body). [French, literally, sounding line]
sopaipilla or sopapilla: A crisp, puffy, deep-fried pastry often served with honey or
syrup. [American Spanish, diminutive of Spanish sopaipa, “fried dough sweetened
with honey,” from earlier xopaipa, from Mozarabic xupaipa, diminutive of úppa,
súppa, “bread soaked in oil,” from Old Spanish sopa, “food soaked in liquid,” of
Germanic origin]
sous-chef : The chef who is second in authority in a restaurant or kitchen, ranking
below the head chef. [French: sous, “under” + chef, “chef”]
souvlaki: Shish kebab. [Modern Greek soublakia, plural of soublaki, from
diminutive of soubla, “skewer,” from Middle Greek, from Latin subula, “awl,” from
suere, “to sew”]
spaetzle /špetsl∂/: A small dumpling cooked by running batter through a colander
into boiling water. [German spätzle, from German dialect, diminutive of spatz,
“sparrow, dumpling”]
Sri: 1. Used in India as a title of respect for a man. 2. Hinduism Used as a title for a
deity or holy man. [Hindi ri, from Sanskrit, splendor, majesty, honorific]
swag 1: 1. a. Something (as a decoration) hanging in a curve between two points:
festoon. b. A suspended cluster (as of evergreen branches). 2. a. Goods acquired by
unlawful means: loot. b. Spoils, profits. 3. A depression in the earth
swag 2: 1. Sway, lurch. 2. Sag, droop. 3. To adorn with swags. 4. To arrange (as
drapery) in swags. [perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian svagga, “to
sway, rock”; akin to Middle Low German swacken, “to rock”]
327
swaraj: National or local self-government in India. [Hindi svaräj, from Sanskrit sva,
“own” + Hindi rāj, “rule”]
Syrah: 1. A variety of grape cultivated especially in Australia, southern France, and
the United States. 2. A full-bodied red wine made from this grape. [French syrah]
T
tanuki: The fur of a raccoon dog. [Japanese, raccoon dog]
tapa: Any of various small, savory Spanish dishes, often served as a snack or with
other tapas as a meal. [Spanish, “lid, appetizer,” of Germanic origin]
taqueria /täk∂rē∂/: A place where tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes are
made and sold.
tardo: Slow, used as a direction in music. [Italian, from Latin tardus]
tarte tatin: A caramelized apple tart that is baked with pastry on top and then
inverted for serving. [French, Tatin tart, after the Tatin sisters of Lamotte-Beuvron,
France]
Tejano: A style of conjunto music originating in southern Texas and combining
influences from country music, rhythm and blues, and popular Latin styles.
teppanyaki: A Japanese dish of meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a large griddle
usually built into the diner's table; also this style of cooking. [Japanese, from
teppan, “griddle” + yaki, “broiling”]
tikka: An Indian dish of marinated meat cooked on a skewer. [Hindi & Urdu tikkā,
“small piece of meat”]
totsiens /tôtsēns/: Used to express farewell. [Afrikans: tot, “until” + siens, “seeing”]
tristeza: A highly infectious disease of citrus trees grafted on sour orange rootstocks
that is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus (species Citrus tristeza virus of the
genus Closterovirus, family Closteroviridae) transmitted by aphids and that
eventually causes death of the trees. [Portuguese, literally, sadness, from Latin
tristitia, from tristis, “sad”]
turista: Traveler’s diarrhea. [Spanish, tourist]
U
udon: A thick Japanese noodle made with wheat flour, usually served in soup or
broth. [Japanese, wheat noodle]
umami: A taste sensation that is meaty or savory and is produced by several amino
acids and nucleotides (as glutamate and aspartate). [Japanese, savoriness, flavor]
umeboshi: A salty, tart condiment made from pickled Japanese plums. [Japanese:
ume, “Japanese plum” + hoshi, “dried” (from hosu, “to dry”)]
V
valuta: 1. The agreed upon or exchange value of a currency. 2. Foreign exchange.
[Italian, value, from Vulgar Latin valuta]
vanaspati: A hydrogenated vegetable fat used as a butter substitute in India. [Hindi,
short for vanaspati ghe, literally, ghee from vegetable matter]
vaporetto: A motorboat serving as a canal bus in Venice, Italy. [Italian, diminutive
of vapour, “steamboat,” from French vapeur, from bateau a vapeur, “steamboat”]
328
verbum sap: Enough said, used to indicate that something left unsaid may or should
be inferred. [short for New Latin verbum sapienti (sat est) a word to the wise (is
sufficient)]
vers-librist: A writer of free verse. [French vers-libriste]
viga: A rafter or roofbeam, especially a trimmed and peeled tree trunk whose end
projects from an outside adobe wall. [American Spanish, from Spanish, perhaps from
Latin bīga, “team of horses, cart” (from the long pole between the two horses)]
vise: Visa. [French, past participle of viser, “to visa,” from visa]
W
waterzooi: A stew of fish or chicken and vegetables in a seasoned stock thickened
with cream and egg yolks. [Dutch dialect, from water, “water” + zooi, “quantity of
cooked food”]
Y
yanqui /yāŋkē/: A citizen of the United States as distinguished from a Latin
American. [Spanish, from English Yankee]
Z
zapateo: Zapateado. [Spanish] (see jargon dance).
zeitgeber: An environmental agent or event (as the occurrence of light or dark) that
provides the stimulus setting or resetting a biological clock of an organism.
[German, from Zeit, “time” + Geber, “giver”]
14. MISNOMER (3)
A misnomer is “an error in naming a person, place, or thing” (white
dictionary). Some misnomers are so old and so common that people have
completely forgotten that they are in fact errors. The classic example is the word
INDIAN, as used to designate the aboriginal inhabitants of the Americas. The
misnomer came into being because Christopher Columbus, when he met the redskinned natives of North America, thought that he had arrived in India, and
therefore he called these natives “Indians.” And the name, although of course
entirely erroneous, stuck.
329
A
atom: According to its elements, “a-” and “-tom,” an atom is something which
“cannot be cut.” The scientists who first discovered the atom, as the smallest part of
an element, applied this name to their discovery because they thought that these tiny
particles were really the “smallest in nature,” and would never be “cut” into even
smaller divisions. But Albert Einstein succeeded in “splitting the atom” (into
protons, electrons, neutrons, and other “sub-atomic” particles), thus making this
denomination a misnomer.
P
panama: A lightweight hat of natural-colored straw hand-plaited of narrow strips
from the young leaves of the jipijapa; also a machine-made imitation of this.
[American Spanish panama, from Panama, Central America. These hats are made in
Ecuador, of course, not in Panama]
W
World Series: A contest or event that is the most important or prestigious of its kind:
the World Series of the equestrian world. [From the World Series, the annual
championship of Major League Baseball, a game which is played only in the United
States, Canada, and the Caribbean]
15. NEW CONNOTATION (19)
Most words’ meanings change over time, and, for reasons which no one can
explain, some words are especially prone to this shift of meaning. The word
NICE is probably the all-time champion. In Chaucer’s time it meant “stupid” or
“wanton.” Since then, at different times and in different places, it has meant,
“precise,” “fussy,” and “licentious,” among other things.
In modern times, there are words that have “gone crazy” by acquiring entirely
new meanings, and any dictionary that wants to consider itself modern and complete
has to keep track of these changes in signification.
330
A
attitude: 1. A negative or hostile state of mind: Don’t pay any attention to her;
she’s got an attitude. 2. a cool, cocky, defiant, or arrogant manner.
B
bad: 1. Good; great: Michael Jackson is a super-bad dancer. 2. Tough; mean.
beast: Something formidably difficult to control or deal with.
C
challenged: Having a disability or impairment. 2. Deficient or lacking: an ethically
challenged politician.
constipated: Stiff, stodgy, or recalcitrant: united only in a constipated hatred of
change of any kind.
E
exploded: Showing the parts separated but in correct relationship to each other: an
exploded view of a carburetor.
F
fruitcake: A foolish, eccentric, or crazy person: a fruitcake under the delusion that
he was St. Nicholas.
H
hairy: 1. Tending to cause nervous tension (as from danger) 2. Difficult to deal with
or comprehend: a hairy math problem.
holiday: A period of exemption or relief: corporations enjoying a tax holiday.
L
lethal: An abnormality of genetic origin causing the death of the organism
possessing it.
lurk: To read messages on an Internet discussion forum (as a newsgroup or a chat
room) without contributing information (as addresses, schedules, and notes).
N
navigate: To go from one web site to another on the internet: Navigate to the inbox.
R
rack: A woman’s breast.
respite: Providing or being temporary care in relief of a primary caregiver: respite
care; a respite worker.
S
slam dunk: 1. A forceful dramatic move: I asked him whether the slam dunk of the
indictment was a spontaneous or planned bit of theater. 2. A sure thing: For a
person like you, admission to Harvard is a slam dunk.
331
spare tire: A paunch; a potbelly.
surf: To look at a variety of things casually, especially while browsing the Internet
or television channels.
W
World Series: A contest or event that is the most important or prestigious of its kind:
the World Series of the equestrian world. [from the World Series, annual
championship of Major League Baseball]
Y
yo-yo: 1. To move from one position to another repeatedly. 2. Shifting back and
forth or up and down uncertainly or unexpectedly. 3. A condition or situation
marked by regular fluctuations from one extreme to another. 4. A stupid or foolish
person: I like this yo-yo; who is he?
16. ONOMATOPOEIA (15)
Onomatopoeia is “the formation or use of words such as BUZZ or MURMUR
that imitate the sound associated with the object or action they refer to” (white
dictionary). We are all familiar with this kind of word-formation, and onomatopoeic
words are common and of everyday use, like CRASH, WHACK, BOOM, and
BURP.
One thing that is curious is that onomatopoeia takes different forms in different
languages. An English-speaker’s BR-R-R! (to express feeling cold) is a Spanishspeaker’s cha-chay. Many such comparisons could be made: English OUCH! (pain)
– Spanish ay-au!; English CRASH! – Spanish pun! English KNOCK, KNOCK –
Spanish tun – tun! etc.
B
blooey: Haywire, awry: The engine went blooey. [blooey, interjection representing
an explosive sound]
332
boink: vulgar To copulate with. [boink, boing, interjections imitative of a
reverberating sound]
C
charango: A ten-stringed mandolin of Andean regions with a sound box
traditionally fashioned from the shell of an armadillo or tortoise, now also made of
wood.
choo-choo: A locomotive train.
clonk: To make a dull hollow thumping sound.
K
kerplunk: To fall with a sound like that of a heavy object falling rapidly into water.
n. A kerplunking sound or movement. [ker-, intensive pref. (probably from Scots) +
plunk]
klatch or klatsch: A casual social gathering, usually for conversation. [German
klatschen, “to gossip, make a sharp noise”]
P
plump: 1. To drop abruptly or heavily: plumped into the easy chair. 2. To give full
support or praise: plumped for the candidate throughout the state.
plunk also plonk: 1. To throw or place heavily or abruptly: plunked the money down
on the counter. 2. To strum or pluck (a stringed instrument). 3. To drop or fall
abruptly or heavily.
S
smoosh: To squash or mash: some particularly unhappy homeowners have tried to
scrape the ladybugs off their walls, or worse, smooshed them.
squoosh: To squash or squeeze: You can... dream about which celebs you'd die to
see squooshed into a tiny room.
T
tee-hee: 1. A sound made in imitation of a giggle or titter. 2. An instance of giggling
or tittering.
tu-whit tu-whoo: The cry of an owl.
U
urp: To vomit.
Z
zowie: Used to express astonishment or admiration especially in response to
something sudden or speedy. [imitative of the sound of a speeding vehicle]
333
17. REGIONALISM (191)
A regionalism, as the name implies, means a word or expression that is used
chiefly or exclusively in a given region. In this category we have not included all the
new words we found, since some of them are very esoteric, like Irish BANJAX,
meaning “damage, ruin,” while others are words that are used only in one restricted
region, like FARL – Scottish – a small thin triangular cake or biscuit, and still others
are names that are given regionally to things that are found universally,
like
CHOOK (Australia and New Zealand), “chicken.”
A
abseil: chiefly British Rappel. [< German abseilen, from ab, “down,” “off” + seil,
“rope”]
admass: chiefly British Mass-media advertising; also the society influenced by it.
[advertising + mass]
ae: chiefly Scottish One.
afters: British Dessert.
agony aunt: chiefly British A columnist, like “Ann Landers,” who writes an agony
column.
airer: British A frame on which clothes are aired or dried.
all-in: 1. chiefly British All-inclusive. 2 chiefly British Being almost without
restrictions: all-in wrestling.
amn’t: chiefly Scottish & Irish Am not.
B
back bacon: chiefly British Canadian Bacon.
bang on: chiefly British Exactly correct or appropriate.
barbie: chiefly Australian Barbecue. [by shortening & alteration]
barrow boy: chiefly British A costermonger (person who sells food from a cart or
stand).
beano: British A noisy festive celebration. [alteration of beanfeast, festive
occasion]
beggar-my-neighbour: chiefly British Beggar-thy-neighbour (policy that produces
gain for one group at the expense of another).
bent: chiefly British Dishonest, corrupt.
berk: British Fool. [probably short for Berkeley (or Berkshire) hunt, rhyming slang
for cunt]
bike: chiefly Scottish A nest of wild bees, wasps, or hornets.
334
bittock: chiefly Scottish a little bit.
blae: Scottish Blue.[Middle English bla, “dark blue,” from Old Norse blar]
blastie: Scottish An ugly little creature. [Scots blast, “to wither,” from blast]
bleeding: chiefly British Bloody, used as an intensive.
blighty: chiefly British One's native land (as England). [modification of Hindi &
Urdu bilātī , “foreign,” English, alteration of vilāyatī, from vilāyat, “province, realm,
country” beyond India, from Persian, dominion, province, from Arabic wilāya]
blowed: chiefly Southern & upper Southern U.S. Nonstandard Used in the phrase:
I'll be blowed to express amazement or confusion.
bludge: 1. chiefly Australian & New Zealand To avoid work or responsibility. 2.
chiefly Australian & New Zealand Sponge. [back-formation from British argot
bludger, pimp, probably contraction of bludgeoner, one wielding a bludgeon, from
bludgeon]
book off: chiefly Canadian To notify an employer that one is not reporting for work
(as because of sickness).
boots: British A servant who shines shoes especially in a hotel.
bothy: Scots A hut or small cottage. [ultimately from Old Irish both, “hut”]
brumby: Australian A wild or unbroken horse. [origin unknown]
bugger all: slang British Nothing.
bugger off: slang British Leave, depart. Often used as a command.
bumf or bumph: chiefly British Slang 1. Printed matter, such as pamphlets, forms,
or memorandums, especially of an official nature and deemed of little interest or
importance. 2. Toilet paper. [short for bum fodder: bum + fodder]
bumfuzzle: chiefly Southern U.S. To confuse. [probably bum-(< bamboozle) +
fuzzle (perhaps blend of fuddle and fuzzy)]
butty: British Sandwich.
C
candy floss: 1. British Cotton candy. 2. usually candyfloss. British Something
attractive but insubstantial.
canyoning: chiefly British Canyoneering.
car park: chiefly British A parking lot.
carry-cot: British A portable bed for an infant.
cashpoint: chiefly British An automated teller machine.
champers: British Champagne .
chancer: British A scheming opportunist.
chappie: British Fellow.
cheechako: Tenderfoot, used chiefly in Alaska. [Chinook Jargon, from chee, “new”
(< xi, “right away”) + chako, “come,” (< Nootka cokwa, “come,” imperative)]
cheesed off: chiefly British Angry, irritated. [origin unknown]
clapped-out: chiefly British Worn-out; tired.
claw back: chiefly British To get back (as money) by strenuous or forceful means
(as taxation).
clootie: chiefly Scottish Used as a name of the devil. [diminutive of cloot, cloven
hoof]
compadre: chiefly Southwestern U.S. A close friend or associate; a companion.
[Spanish compadre, “godfather”]
cuppa: chiefly British A cup of tea. [alteration of “cup of (tea)”]
335
curate's egg: chiefly British Something with both good and bad qualities. [from a
story in Punch about a curate who, having been served a bad egg by his bishop, said
that parts of it were excellent]
D
dog's breakfast: chiefly British A confused mess or mixture.
dolly bird: British A pretty young woman.
donkey jacket: British A jacket of heavy material worn especially by laborers.
donkey's years: chiefly British A very long time.
doss-house: chiefly British A cheap rooming house or hotel.
drink-driving: British Driving a vehicle while drunk.
drophead: British A convertible automobile.
E
eleven-plus: British An examination taken by schoolchildren between the ages of 11
and 12 that determines the type of secondary education to which they are assigned.
F
fanny: slang British Vulva. [perhaps from Fanny, nickname of Frances]
fewtrils: England Things of little value: trifles. [origin unknown]
fiddly: chiefly British Requiring close attention to detail: the tiny control buttons on
the back are fiddly.
flatmate: chiefly British One of two or more persons sharing the same flat.
fly-strike: British Infestation with fly maggots.
forrader: chiefly British Further ahead. [English dialect, comparative of English
forward]
fraudster: chiefly British A person who engages in fraud: cheat.
French letter: chiefly British Condom.
full marks: chiefly British Full or due credit or praise.
G
gadzookery: British The use of archaisms (as in a historical novel).
gearchange: British gearshift.
git: British A foolish or worthless person.
gobshite: Chiefly British Slang A person regarded as mean or contemptible. [perhaps
ultimately from obsolete gobshite, wad of expectorated chewing tobacco or tobacco
juice: gob + dialectal shite, “excrement” (from Middle English shiten, “to defecate,”
from Old English scitan]
graduand: British One about to graduate: a candidate for a degree. [Medieval Latin
graduandus, gerundive of graduare]
granger: 1. chiefly Upper Midwest. A farmer. 2. chiefly Northeastern U.S. A
member of the Grange (an association of farmers founded in the United States in
1867) 3. chiefly British A farm, especially the residence and outbuildings of a
gentleman farmer. [Middle English, granary, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin
granica, from Latin granum, “seed”]
granny woman: Southern U.S. A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist
women in childbirth; midwife.
336
greaseproof paper: British A heavy stiff waxed paper.
green paper: British A government document that proposes and invites discussion
on approaches to a problem.
grogshop: chiefly British A usually low-class barroom.
guidwillie: Scottish Cordial, cheering. [Scots guidwill, goodwill]
H
hard cheese: chiefly British Tough luck - often used interjectionally.
hardstanding: chiefly British Parking lot; also a paved area for parking an airplane.
haruspication: chiefly British An act or instance of foretelling something.
haver: chiefly British To hem and haw. [origin unknown]
heartsome: chiefly Scottish Giving spirit or vigor.
hisself: chiefly Southern & South Midland U.S. Himself.
hissy: chiefly Southern and South Midland A fit of bad temper [short for hissy fit]
hols: British Vacation. [short for holidays]
hongi: New Zealand 1. To greet another or exchange greetings in Maori fashion by
touching or pressing noses together. 2. The act or an instance of making such a
greeting. [Maori]
hoser: Canadian Slang A clumsy, boorish person, especially an uncouth, beerdrinking man.
housing estate: British Housing development.
I
Indian sign: chiefly British Hex, spell.
K
kerfuffle: chiefly British Disturbance, fuss. [alteration of carfuffle (from Scottish
Gaelic cearr, “wrong, awkward” + fuffle, “to become disheveled”)]
kinema /kĭn∂m∂/: British Variant of cinema.
kitchen-sink: 1. chiefly British Portraying or emphasizing the squalid aspects of
modern life: the kitchen-sink realism of contemporary British drama. 2. Being or
made up of a hodgepodge of disparate elements or ingredients.
knackered: chiefly British Very tired; exhausted.
knowed: chiefly Southern & upper Southern U.S. A past tense and past participle of
know.
kraal: South African A rural village.
L
ladies: chiefly British Ladies’ room.
loonie: Canadian A coin worth one Canadian dollar. [from the image of a loon on
the obverse of the coin]
loose box: British Box stall: an individual enclosure within a barn or stable in which
an animal may move about freely without a restraining device.
loud-hailer: chiefly British Bullhorn.
lucky dip: British A receptacle (as a bag) containing small articles which are to be
drawn (as at a party or fair) without being seen.
337
M
mains: British Of or relating to utility distribution mains: mains voltage; mains
water.
marge: British Margarine.
marse /märs/: Southern Master.
massa: Southern Master.
mod con: chiefly British A modern convenience, usually used in plural. [from mod
con, abbreviation for modern convenience]
mommuck: Ocracoke Island, North Carolina To harass; bother.
mug up: British To study intensively (as for an examination).
N
natter: chiefly British Idle talk or conversation; chat. [probably imitative]
newsreader: chiefly British A news broadcaster.
nicker: slang British The basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom; also pound
sterling. [perhaps from nicker – one that nicks]
no-hoper: chiefly British One that has no chance of success.
notice board: chiefly British A board bearing a notice or on which notices may be
posted; especially: bulletin board.
number plate: chiefly British License plate (of a car).
O
off-the-peg: chiefly British 1. Made beforehand, especially for general sale. 2.
Lacking originality or individuality 3. Readily available.
Oncet /wŭnst/: Southern & South Midland U.S. Once.
P
Paki: chiefly British Used as a disparaging term for a person from Pakistan or
neighboring countries or for the descendant of such a person. [short for Pakistani]
pandy: chiefly British. To strike on the open palm of the hand with a cane or strap
for punishment at school. [probably from Latin pand, imperative sg. of pandere, “to
spread out, open (the palm)”]
parking strip: Upper Midwest & Western U.S. The grass strip, often planted with
shade trees, between a sidewalk and a street. Also, regionally, boulevard, boulevard
strip, grassplot, neutral ground, parkway, terrace, tree belt, tree lawn.
pash: British Smash. [Middle English passhen]
pastor: chiefly Southwest Herdsman.
peart: chiefly Southern & Midland Being in good spirits: lively. [alteration of pert]
pedalo: chiefly British A small recreational paddleboat powered by pedals. [French
pédalo, from pédale, “pedal” + -o (perhaps as in Meccano, children's construction
set)]
pinta: British A pint of milk. [pint + -a (as in cuppa)]
pin-table: British Pinball machine.
ploughman's lunch: British A cold lunch served especially in an English pub
typically including bread, cheese, and pickled onions.
338
po-faced: British Having an assumed solemn, serious, or earnest expression or
manner: piously or hypocritically solemn. [perhaps from po, chamber pot, toilet,
from French pot, “pot”]
polo-neck: chiefly British Turtleneck.
postbag: 1. British Mailbag. 2. British A single batch of mail: letters.
post-free: chiefly British Postpaid.
pram: British Baby carriage.
press-up: British Push-up.
proudful: chiefly Southern U.S. Full of pride; proud.
pseud: British A person who pretends to be an intellectual. [short for pseudointellectual]
punnet: British A small basket for fruits or vegetables. [origin unknown]
purpose-built: chiefly British Built for a particular purpose.
pushchair: chiefly British Stroller.
Q
quamish: Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Sick in the stomach; nauseated.
[alteration of qualmish]
quod /kwäd/: slang British Prison. [origin unknown]
R
refuse bin: British Dumpster.
ring off: chiefly British Hang up (a phone): to keep delayed, suspended, or held up.
ring road: chiefly British A highway skirting an urban area.
roll-neck: British Turtleneck.
roundabout: British A traffic circle.
routeway: chiefly British An established or selected course of travel or action.
rozzer: slang British Police officer. [conundrum]
S
scarper: British Flee, run away; broadly: leave, depart. [probably ultimately from
Italian scappare, from Vulgar Latin excappare, “escape”]
self-catering: British Provided with lodging and cooking facilities but not meals:
self-catering holiday cottages.
self-drive: chiefly British A rental car.
skint: chiefly British Penniless. [alteration of skinned]
slag1: slang chiefly British A lewd or promiscuous woman. [earlier argot slag,
coward, worthless person]
slag2: chiefly British To criticize harshly.
slanging match: chiefly British A heated exchange of abuse.
slieve: Irish A mountain. [Irish Gaelic sliabh, from Old Irish slíab]
slimmer: chiefly British A person dieting to lose weight.
slob ice: Canadian Slushy or broken ice floating as a mass at sea. [from dialectal
slob, “muddy land,” from Irish Gaelic slab, “mud”]
sod off: British Scram, usually used as a command.
spendy: chiefly Northwest Expensive.
spliff: Slang Jamaica A marijuana cigarette.
339
splore: 1. Scottish Frolic, carousal. 2. Scottish Commotion. [origin unknown]
spod: chiefly British Slang One who spends an inordinate amount of time
exchanging remarks in computer chatrooms or participating in discussions in
newsgroups or on bulletin boards. [origin unknown]
spotted dick: British A pudding made with suet and currants or raisins. [dialect dick
pudding, probably from the name Dick]
stallholder: chiefly British One who manages a stall at which articles are sold.
star turn: chiefly British The featured skit or number in a theatrical production;
broadly: the most widely publicized person or item in a group.
status Indian: Canadian A federally registered member of a band or First Nation,
having special status under Canadian law.
stramash: 1. chiefly Scottish Disturbance, racket. 2. Crash, smashup.
streets: chiefly British By a considerable margin: a nice woman, streets above these
other callers.
studentship: British A grant for university study.
swag 2: chiefly Australian A pack of personal belongings.
swaggie: chiefly Australian Swagman. One who carries a swag when traveling.
swan: chiefly Southern U.S. To declare; swear. Used in the phrase I swan as an
interjection. [probably alteration of dialectal (I) s' warrant, (I) shall warrant]
swipes: British Poor, thin, or spoiled beer; also, beer. [origin unknown]
T
tele: British Television.
televisual: chiefly British Of, relating to, or suitable for broadcast by television.
tied cottage: British A cottage or house owned by an employer (as a farmer) and
reserved for occupancy by an employee.
tittie: chiefly Scottish Sister. [probably baby talk alteration of sister]
toffee-nosed: chiefly British Conceited, snobbish.
top up: British To make up to the full quantity, capacity, or amount. To replenish a
supply.
tower block: chiefly British A tall building (as a high-rise apartment building).
trad: chiefly British Traditional.
transport café: British A roadside restaurant frequented chiefly by truck drivers.
tree belt: upper Midwest & Western U.S. The grass strip, often planted with shade
trees, between a sidewalk and a street.
tree lawn: upper Midwest & Western U.S. The grass strip, often planted with shade
trees, between a sidewalk and a street.
trouser suit: chiefly British Pantsuit.
U
urp: Mississippi River Delta To vomit.
W
waesucks: Scottish Used to express pity. [Scots wae, woe (from Middle English
wa) + sucks, alteration of English sakes]
washateria: chiefly Southern A self-service laundry.
wholemeal: British Whole wheat.
340
wisha: chiefly Irish Used as an intensive or to express surprise. [Irish mhuise,
muise, probably alteration of Mary (Jesus' mother)]
wodge: chiefly British A bulky mass or chunk; lump, wad.
Y
yob: chiefly British A rowdy, aggressive, or violent young man.[Alteration of boy
(spelled backward)]
yobbo: chiefly British A yob. [yob + -o]
18. SLANG (115)
Slang is “an informal nonstandard vocabulary composed typically of coinages,
arbitrarily changed words, and extravagant, forced, or facetious figures of
speech.”
One characteristic of slang words is that they are usually short-lived. This means
that any dictionary that focuses on – or even simply includes – slang words has to
be careful to keep itself up-to-date. Today’s “hot” slang words are liable to be
tomorrow’s passe, or even meaningless, expressions.
A
angel’s share: The quantity of an alcoholic liquor lost to evaporation during the
distilling process.
artsy: Arty.
B
back office: The internal operations of an organization that are not accessible or
visible to the general public: The... bank will... modernize its back office and
computer systems and improve its marketing and customer service.
baddie: One that is bad, especially a villain or criminal.
baked: Drunk or intoxicated.
beastie: A small animal.
beer belly: A protruding abdomen, especially as the result of habitual beer drinking.
Bible banger: A Bible thumper.
341
Bible thumper: Used as a disparaging term for a Christian, especially a
fundamentalist or evangelical Christian, considered to be overly zealous in
haranguing or censuring others.
bikini scar: A horizontal scar across the center of the lower abdomen, especially one
resulting from a cesarean section.
bitchin' or bitchen: Excellent; first-rate. [alteration of bitching, from (son of a)
bitch]
blacky also blackie: Used as a disparaging term for a Black person.
blitzed: Drunk or intoxicated.
bodice ripper: A work of popular fiction characterized by scenes of unrestrained
romantic passion.
boiled: Intoxicated; drunk.
booty also boody: The buttocks. [African American Vernacular English, from
obsolete Black English booty, body, perhaps alteration of body]
bottom feeder: 1. One that feeds low on the food chain; a scavenger. 2. a. An
opportunist who profits from the misfortunes of others: The frazzled, adrenalinepumped tabloid newshounds [in the movie] are the bottom feeders of contemporary
journalism. b. A low or despicable person.
brainiac: A highly intelligent person: These companies are not hot Silicon Valley
startups swarming with Gen-X brainiacs. [probably from Brainiac, a highly
intelligent villain in DC Comics, blend of brain and maniac]
brewski: 1. Beer. 2. A serving of beer. [brew + -ski, -sky, n. suff. (from Russian -ski,
perhaps modeled on Russky)]
B school: A business school.
bubba: 1. chiefly Southern U.S. Brother. 2. A white working-class man of the
southern United States, stereotypically regarded as uneducated and gregarious with
his peers. [alteration of bub]
busted: 1.a. Smashed or broken: busted glass; a busted rib. b. Out of order;
inoperable: a busted vending machine. 2. Bankrupt or out of funds: I'd offer to pay
but I'm busted.
3. Tamed or broken: a busted bronco. 4. Placed under arrest: a
busted shoplifter.
butch: Exhibiting stereotypically or exaggeratedly masculine traits or appearance.
Used especially of lesbians and gay men. [probably from the male nickname Butch]
C
carrottop: A person with red hair; a redhead.
cheapo: Cheap. One who is cheap.
chicken scratch: An instance of cramped or illegible handwriting: his signature - an
unforgeably idiosyncratic chicken scratch.
chill pill: Something that calms nerves or induces relaxation.
chopped liver: One that is insignificant or not worth considering.
chump change: A small amount of money.
control freak: One who has an obsessive need to exert control over people and
situations.
cookie: A person, usually of a specified kind: a lawyer who was a tough cookie.
[Dutch koekje, diminutive of koek, “cake,” from Middle Dutch koeke]
crackhead: A heavy user of crack cocaine.
342
creepy-crawly: Informal 1. One, such as a spider, insect, or worm, that crawls. 2.
creepy-crawlies; a sensation of fear, repugnance, or nervous agitation.
crunchy-granola: Displaying liberal social attitudes and lifestyles associated with
the 1960s: There's a distinct crunchy-granola flavor to much of the area, with
macrobiotic restaurants, earring vendors on the street...
D
dick: 1. A person, especially a man, regarded as mean or contemptible. 2. To take
advantage of; cheat. 3. To have sexual intercourse with.
dirtbag: A filthy or vile person.
dirty laundry: Personal affairs that could cause embarrassment or distress if made
public: Let's not air our dirty laundry in front of our guests.
dis: 1. A disparaging remark or act; insult: was meant as a tribute, not a dis.
2. To show disrespect: dissed her elders; dissed the law.
ditz: A scatterbrained or eccentric person.
doodly-squat: A small or worthless amount.
doofus: An incompetent, foolish, or stupid person.
dork: A stupid, inept, or foolish person: the stupid antics of America's favorite teenage cartoon dorks.
dorky: Foolishly stupid; clueless.
douche bag: An unattractive or offensive person.
down-and-dirty: 1. Intently and fiercely competitive, often unscrupulously so:
Keeping his cool has never been easy for him in the playoffs... when opponents do
their down-and-dirty best to bewitch, bother and bewilder him. 2. Bawdy; lewd.
dreamboat: 1. A person considered exceptionally good-looking and sexually
attractive. 2. A luxurious, well-designed automobile or other vehicle.
duh: Interj Used to express disdain for something deemed stupid or obvious,
especially a self-evident remark.
E
eighty-eight: A piano.
F
family jewels: 1. Jealously guarded assets or secrets. 2. The male genitals.
four-eyed: Informal Wearing eyeglasses.
fubar: Utterly botched or confused. [fucked up beyond all recognition]
G
gangbanger: A member of a violent street gang.
gassed: Drunk or intoxicated.
geeked: Filled with excitement or enthusiasm.
gobshite:A person regarded as mean or contemptible. [perhaps ultimately from
obsolete gobshite, wad of expectorated chewing tobacco or tobacco juice: gob +
dialectal “shite,” “excrement” (from Middle English shiten, “to defecate,” from Old
English scītan]
gramma: A grandmother. [alteration of grandma]
grams: A grandmother.
343
H
hard knocks: The practical experiences of life, including hardships and
disappointments: He hadn't grown up in the school of hard knocks. Politically he had
lived an easy life.
headbanger: A fan of heavy metal music: an arena full of headbangers holding
their lighters aloft.
hinky: 1. Nervous, jittery. 2. Suspicious. [alteration of argot hincty, suspicious]
homeboy: 1. A male friend or acquaintance from one's neighborhood or hometown.
2. A fellow male gang member.
homegirl: 1. A female friend or acquaintance from one's neighborhood or
hometown. 2. A fellow female gang member.
homey: A homeboy or homegirl.
horror show: 1. A situation or example of great horror. 2. Something provoking
great dismay or disgust: The basement was a horror show after the sleepover party.
hot stuff: 1. One that is exceptionally good, interesting, or exciting: Our volleyball
team is hot stuff this year. 2. A person who is sexually aroused or arousing.
hot ticket: An extremely popular person or thing.
hype1: 1. Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion: The hype surrounding the
murder trial. 2. Exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or
promotional material: It is pure hype, a gigantic PR job. 3. An advertising or
promotional ploy: Some restaurant owners in town are cooking up a $75,000 hype to
promote New York as ‘Restaurant City, U.S.A.’ 4. Something deliberately
misleading; a deception: He says that there isn't any energy crisis at all, that it's all a
hype, to maintain outrageous profits for the oil companies.
hype: Excellent, cool.
J
jacked: Very excited or agitated, especially from taking a stimulant.
jack shit: 1. Nonsense, crap. 2. Any of several intoxicating or narcotic drugs;
especially heroin. 3. Damn. 4. A worthless, offensive, or detestable person. 5. a.
Used as an interjection. b. used as an intensive usually with the. 6. Nothing:
anything: doesn’t know jack shit about modern art.
jammin': Excellent; first-rate. [from jam]
joe: Informal Brewed coffee. [short for (old black) joe, military slang for coffee,
from the title of a song by Stephen Foster]
K
klick also klik: A kilometer. [alteration of click (probably influenced by kilometer)]
kvetch: 1. To complain persistently and whiningly: driven crazy by his mother-inlaw’s kvetching. 2. A chronic, whining complainer: His mousy girlfriend turned into
an inveterate kvetch after marriage. 3. A nagging complaint: a rambling kvetch
against the system. [from Yiddish kvetshn, “to squeeze, complain”]
L
licorice stick: A clarinet.
be like: To say or utter. Used chiefly in oral narration: And he's like, “Leave me
alone!”
344
M
main squeeze: One's primary romantic partner or sweetheart.
majorly: To a great or an intense degree: got majorly depressed when she saw her
test scores.
mall rat: A person, especially a teenager or young adult, who frequently passes time
wandering through shopping malls.
meat market: 1. An establishment, such as a nightclub, where one looks for a
sexual partner. 2. A location or circumstance, such as an audition, where people are
viewed as commodities.
mess over: 1. To treat harshly or unfairly. 2. Abuse.
mook: An insignificant or contemptible person.
N
newbie: One that is new to something, especially a novice at using computer
technology or the Internet.
noggin: 1. A small mug or cup. 2. A unit of liquid measure equal to one quarter of a
pint.
P
piehole: Mouth.
PO'ed: Extremely irritated or angry. [piss off + -ed]
porky: Fat or corpulent.
props: 1. Due: takes pains to give the man his props. 2. Respect: Teachers have to
earn their props just like everybody else. 3. Credit: at least deserves props for
writing a song about something that rings true.
puddle jumper: A small and comparatively lightweight airplane; especially a
privately owned passenger airplane.
pussy: 1. A weak or cowardly man or boy. 2. Wimp, sissy.
R
ripped: 1. Having an extremely defined physique; toned: ripped, bulging muscles.
2. Intoxicated by alcohol or a drug.
ripper: One that is an excellent example of its kind.
roofie: A tablet of the sedative flunitrazepam. [probably alteration (influenced by
roof), of Rohypnol]
S
schizy also schizzy /skĭtsē/: Characterized by the coexistence of disparate or
antagonistic elements. [shortening and alteration of schizoid]
schlump also schlub: A stupid, worthless, or unattractive person. [Yiddish shlump,
sloppy or dowdy person]
scuzzbucket : A repulsive or disgusting person or thing.
shit: 1. Insolent talk or behavior. 2. A small or worthless amount: He doesn't know
shit. [Middle English shitten, probably from Old English –sciten (as in besciten,
covered with excrement), past participle of scītan]
sleazebag: A person regarded as sleazy.
sleazo: Sleazy.
345
sleazy: 1. a. Shabby, dirty, and vulgar; tawdry: sleazy storefronts with torn industrial
carpeting and dirt on the walls. b. Dishonest or corrupt; disreputable: Some sleazy
characters hang around casinos. 2. Made of low-quality materials; cheap or shoddy.
3. Thin and loosely woven; flimsy: The coat has a sleazy lining.
slimeball: A despicable or disgusting person. [slime + -ball (probably as in oddball)]
smack: Heroin. [perhaps from Yiddish shmek, “sniff, whiff, pinch (of snuff)”]
snarky: Irritable or short-tempered; irascible. [from dialectal snark, “to nag,” from
snark, snork, “to snore, snort,” from Dutch and Low German snorken, of imitative
origin]
SOB: abbreviation Bastard, son of a bitch.
sozzled: Drunk; intoxicated. [from sozzle, “to splash, loll about, be lazy,” from
earlier sossle, probably from soss, “to splash in mud, fall heavily,” of imitative
origin]
spin doctor: A person who publicizes favorable interpretations of the words and
actions of a public figure, especially a politican.
spinmeister: A spin doctor.
splitsville: 1. In or into a state of separation or breakup: a couple that was splitsville
after 12 years of marriage. 2. A state of separation or breakup: a rocky relationship
headed for splitsville.
stoner: a. One who is habitually intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. b. One who is a
delinquent or failure. [stoned + -er]
sucky: Awful.
T
tall boy: A beer can or bottle that holds 16 ounces.
trashed: Drunk or intoxicated.
W
willy: Penis. [from the name Willy]
wiped out: Intoxicated, high.
with it: 1. Aware of or knowledgeable about the latest trends or developments.
2. Mentally responsive and perceptive: I'm just not with it today.
19. OFFENSIVE SLANG (16)
Offensive slang means words that are purposely designed to hurt the person or
group that they refer to. Of course, polite people never use such words; but that
does not by any means diminish their prevalence.
346
B
bantustan: Any of the former Black homelands in South Africa. [from Bantu (on the
model of Hindustan)]
C
Chink: A Chinese person. [< back-formation and alteration of Chinese influenced
by chink (referring to the slitted eyes of Chinese people)]
coonass: Used as a disparaging term for a Cajun.
D
darky: Used as a disparaging term for a Black person.
dink: Used as a disparaging term for a North Vietnamese soldier or guerrilla in the
Vietnam War.
F
flamer: A homosexual man.
G
greaseball: A person of Hispanic or Mediterranean descent.
H
high yellow: A black person of light complexion.
hyphenated: Of or relating to naturalized citizens or their descendants or culture. [<
Irish – American, Polish – American, etc]
J
jigaboo: Used as a disparaging term for a black person.
N
nancy: A homosexual man.
P
Paki: Used as a disparaging term for a person from Pakistan or neighboring
countries or for the descendant of such a person. [short for Pakistani]
poof: Used as a disparaging term for an effeminate or homosexual male. [probably
alteration of puff, “braggart, homosexual man,” from puff (influenced by poof)]
poontang: Used as a disparaging term for a woman. [perhaps from French putain,
“prostitute,” from Old French, from pute, feminine of put, “foul, stinking,” from
Latin pūtidus, from pūtēre, “to be rotten, stink”]
R
Russky: A Russian. [Russian russki, “Russian”]
347
S
spaz or spazz: One who is considered clumsy or inept. To be clumsy or inept. [short
for spastic and spasm]
20. VULGAR SLANG (32)
Vulgar slang means “a crudely indecent word or phrase” (white dictionary).
A
artsy-fartsy: Pretentiously or affectedly artistic.
ass: Used as a postpositive intensive especially with words of derogatory
implication: fancy-ass.
assed: Ass, used in combination: sorry-assed state of affairs.
B
badass: 1. Ready to cause or get into trouble: mean: pretending to be a badass
gunslinger. 2. Of formidable strength or skill: such a badass guitar player.
boff: 1. To have sexual intercourse with. 2. To engage in sexual intercourse. [from
boff, “to hit,” variant of buff, from Middle English buffe, “a blow,” from Old French,
of imitative origin]
boner: An erection of the penis.
booty also boody: a. The vulva or vagina. b. Sexual intercourse. [African American
Vernacular English, from obsolete Black English booty, “body,” perhaps alteration
of body]
butthead: A person regarded as stupid or inept.
butthole: The anus.
C
crapola: Rubbish; nonsense. [crap + -ola (probably modeled on trade names like
Shinola, a brand of shoe polish)]
D
dickhead: An inept, foolish, or contemptible person.
dipshit: A foolish or contemptible person.
dork: The penis.
F
fucked-up: 1. Completely messed up or mishandled; botched. 2. Badly damaged or
injured. 3. Exceedingly drunk or intoxicated.
fuckhead: A person regarded as inept, foolish, or contemptible.
348
fugly: Very ugly. [shortening of fucking ugly]
G
gangbang: 1. Sexual intercourse, often rape, involving one person or victim and
several others who have relations with that person in rapid succession. 2. Sexual
intercourse involving several people who select and change partners in an
indiscriminate manner.
gangbanger: One who takes part in a gangbang.
H
hard-ass: One who inflexibly follows or enforces rules.
horse's ass: A stupid or incompetent person; blockhead.
J
jack shit: A small or worthless amount: Those guys can't do jack shit.
K
kick-ass: Strikingly or overwhelmingly tough, aggressive, powerful, or effective
N
nooky: Sexual intercourse.
P
piss and vinegar: Vim, spunk
piss away: To fritter away: squander.
piss-poor: Very bad: extremely poor.
poontang: Sexual intercourse with a woman. [perhaps from French putain,
“prostitute,” from Old French, from pute, feminine of put, “foul, stinking,” from
Latin pūtidus, from pūtēre, “to be rotten, stink”]
S
shag: To engage in sexual intercourse with. To engage in sexual intercourse.
[perhaps from obsolete shag, “to shake, wiggle”]
shit-can: 1. To dismiss (an employee) from a position. 2. To bring (a policy or
program, for example) to an end; terminate. [from shit-can, toilet]
shitkicker: 1. A coarse unsophisticated person. 2. A big heavy shoe or boot.
shitload: A large amount; a lot.
W
whack off: Masturbate.
349
21. TABOO DEFORMATION (8)
Taboo deformation means conscious alteration of the form of a tabooed word (a
word excluded from use or mention because of its sacred or shameful nature).
Taboo words usually relate to religion, body functions, nakedness, sex, or (in
primitive societies) hunting.
B
bejabbers: Bejesus.
bejesus: Used as a mild oath; used as a noun for emphasis: The bear scared the
bejesus out of us. [by Jesus]
C
crikey: Used as a mild oath. [Christ]
cripes: Used to express annoyance, anger, or dismay. [Christ]
F
frigging: Used as an intensive. [fucking]
J
jeepers: Used as a mild oath [Jesus]
jeepers creepers: Jeepers. [Jesus Christ]
S
sheesh: Used to express disappointment, annoyance, or surprise. [Jesus]
22. TOPONYM (108)
A toponym is “a common noun derived from the name of a place.” (white
dictionary)
350
A
African gray: A parrot (Psittacus erithacus) native to equatorial Africa that has gray
plumage, a red tail, and a whitish face and is commonly domesticated especially for
its ability in learning to talk.
African wild dog: A powerful canid (Lycaon pictus) having a mottled coat of black,
white, and reddish yellow that was formerly common in sub-Saharan Africa where it
hunted in large packs but is now restricted to small populations in southern and
eastern Africa.
Amazon dolphin: A South American dolphin, Inia geoffrensis, that inhabits the
Amazon and Orinoco rivers and fluctuates in color from bright pink to gray,
depending on age and environmental factors such as sunlight, water temperature, and
stress.
American shorthair: Any of a breed of cats with a short thick coat of variable color
and pattern that are descended from cats brought to America by European settlers.
anaheim: A cultivar of the tropical pepper Capsicum annuum having long, tapering,
mildly pungent green or red fruit. [after Anaheim, a city of southern California]
Andean condor: A very large American vulture (Vultur gryphus) of the high Andes
having the head and neck bare and the plumage dull black with a downy white neck
ruff and white patches on the wings.
arabica: 1. a. A species of coffee, Coffea arabica, originating in Ethiopia and widely
cultivated for its high-quality, commercially valuable seeds. b. The beanlike seed of
this plant. 2. The coffee brewed from the seed of this plant.
arborio rice: A rounded, medium-grain rice from Italy that is both firm and creamy
when cooked. [< Arborio, town in the Po valley in Italy]
asiago: A yellow Italian cheese suitable for grating when aged. [< Asiago, Italy]
Asti Spumante: A sweet sparkling white wine made in and around the village of
Asti in Piedmont. [< Asti, Italy + Italian spumante, “effervescent,” literally,
“foaming”]
Australian rules football: A game resembling rugby that is played between two
teams of 18 players on a field 180-190 yards long that has four goalposts at each end.
B
Beaux Arts: Of or relating to an architectural style originating in France in the late
19th century and characterized by classical forms, symmetry, rich ornamentation,
and a grand scale. [after the École des Beaux Arts, School of Fine Arts, in Paris]
Bavarian cream: A dessert of custard, whipped cream, gelatin, and often other
flavorings, such as puréed fruit or chocolate. [Bavaria]
Belgian waffle: A waffle having large depressions that is usually topped with fruit
and whipped cream.
belon: A European flat oyster of coastal waters of northwestern France. [< Bèlon,
river in Brittany]
Bengal tiger: A tiger (Panthera tigris subsp. tigris) of India, Bhutan, Bangladesh,
and Myanmar.
Borstal: British Reformatory. [Borstal, English village where the first such
institution was set up]
Boston marriage: A long-term, intimate, sometimes discreetly sexual relationship
between two women. [perhaps after the devoted women pairs from Boston depicted
in The Bostonians by Henry James.]
351
Brigadoon: A place that is idyllic, unaffected by time, or remote from reality. [from
Brigadoon, village in the musical “Brigadoon” (1947) by A. J. Lerner and F. Loewe]
C
California current: A cold current originating in the northern Pacific Ocean and
passing southward and then southwestward along the western coast of North
America.
Californio: One of the original Spanish colonists of California or their descendants.
[Spanish, from California]
cantal: A hard cheddar-type cheese made in the south of France. [< Cantal,
mountain massif and department in Auvergne, France]
charolais: 1. Any of a breed of large white beef cattle developed in France. 2. A
semisoft French cheese made of a blend of cow's milk and goat's milk. [< Charolles,
a town in the Burgundy region of eastern France]
Chicago School: A group of U.S. architects of the late 19th to early 20th century,
including William Le Baron Jenney and Louis Sullivan, noted for their utilitarian
designs and their use of steel framing as a skeleton for multistory buildings.
chicken Kiev: A dish made of a rolled chicken fillet that is filled with butter, coated
with batter, and fried until crisp. [< Kiev, city in the Ukraine]
Chinese boxes: A set of boxes of graduated size, each fitting inside the next larger
one.
Chinese crested: Any of a breed of hairless or coated dogs with a plumed tail and a
crest of hair on the head.
claddagh /klädə/: A ring with a raised design of two hands clasping a crowned
heart, usually given as a token of love or friendship. [< Claddagh, a fishing village
and suburb of Galway, Ireland]
colby: A moist mild cheese similar to cheddar. [Colby, Wisconsin]
Cornish pasty: A filled pastry containing cooked meat and vegetables. [< Cornwall,
England]
Cornish rex: Any of a breed of cats with a very short soft wavy coat free of guard
hairs and a small head with large ears.
D
Delhi belly: Diarrhea contracted in India especially by tourists. [< Delhi, India]
Devon rex: Any of a breed of large-eared cats having a very short wavy or curly
coat with sparse guard hairs. [< Devon, England]
Dijon mustard: A prepared mustard made from dark mustard seeds, white wine, and
spices. [< Dijon, France]
double Gloucester: A smooth, firm, mild yellow cheese. [< Gloucester, city of
England]
E
Emmentaler: Swiss cheese. [German, from Emmental, Switzerland]
European flat: A flat-shelled European oyster (Ostrea edulis).
352
F
Florence flask: A round flatbottom flask with a long neck, used in laboratory work.
[< Florence, Italy]
Foggy Bottom: The United States Department of State. [< Foggy Bottom, district in
Washington, D.C]
French bread: Bread made with water, flour, and yeast and baked in long crusty
loaves.
French harp: 1. A small rectangular instrument consisting of a row of free reeds set
back in air holes, played by exhaling or inhaling.
fuji: A spun silk clothing fabric in plain weave originally made in Japan. [< Fuji,
mountain in Japan]
G
Gadarene: Headlong, precipitate: a gadarene rush to the cities. [from the demonpossessed Gadarene swine in Matthew 8:28 that rushed into the sea]
glen plaid: A twill pattern of broken checks; also a fabric woven in this pattern.
[short for glenurquhart plaid, from Glen Urquhart, valley in Inverness-shire,
Scotland]
Graustark: An imaginary land of high romance; also a highly romantic piece of
writing. [Graustark, imaginary country in the novel Graustark (1901) by George B.
McCutcheon, American novelist]
H
Habanero: A very hot roundish chili pepper (Capsicum chinense) that is usually
orange when mature. [American Spanish (chile) habanero, literally, Havanan chili]
hantavirus: Any of a group of viruses carried by rodents that cause epidemic
hemorrhagic fever and severe respiratory infections in humans. [after the Hantan
River, South Korea (near which Westerners were first infected by the virus in the
1950s)]
Hangtown fry: An omelet or scrambled eggs containing oysters. [< Hangtown,
nickname for Placerville, California]
Havarti: A mild, semisoft, pale yellow cheese of Danish origin. [after Havartigaard,
name of the experimental farm in Denmark where it was developed]
Hawaiian shirt: A colorfully patterned short-sleeved sport shirt. [from the fact that
the style originated in Hawaii]
Hawthorne effect: The stimulation to output or accomplishment that results from
the mere fact of being under observation; also such an increase in output or
accomplishment. [from the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Co., Cicero,
Ill., where its existence was established by experiment]
Herez: A Persian rug characterized by a large central geometric medallion and by
angular floral designs. [Herez, Heriz, town in Iran]
house music: A style of disco music with a heavy bass beat, initially popularized in
underground all-night parties held in abandoned warehouses. [after (The
Ware)house, nightclub in Chicago where it was first popularized]
353
I
Imari: A multicolored Japanese porcelain usually characterized by elaborate floral
designs. [< Imari, Japan]
Irish confetti: A rock or brick used as a missile.
Italian bread: An oval or oblong loaf of bread with a crisp crust.
K
kalamata olive also calamata olive: An edible variety of olive with a fruity flavor
and meaty texture.[after Kalamata, Greece, city around which the olives are grown]
key deer: A nearly extinct subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus
clavium) native to the Florida Keys. [after the Florida Keys]
Key lime: 1. A lime indigenous to the Florida Keys, having a yellow rind and
yellowish-green fruit. 2. A yellowish green.
key lime pie: A usually meringue-topped lime-custard pie traditionally made from
key limes.
L
Limousin: Any of a French breed of medium-sized yellowish-red cattle bred
especially for meat. [< Limousin, France]
M
Maine coon: A large long-haired cat of a breed native to North America, having a
bushy tapered tail and often a full ruff.
marionberry: The large black juicy fruit of a cultivar of a hybrid blackberry that
originated in Oregon and is grown chiefly in the northwestern United States; also a
bramble bearing marionberries. [Marion County, Oregon]
martello tower: A short, circular tower, usually made of stone and located near a
shoreline as a defensive fortification. [< Cape Mortella, Corsica]
montmorency: A cherry that is grown commercially for its bright red sour fruit.
[French, from Montmorency, France]
Munchausen syndrome: A psychological disorder characterized by the repeated
fabrication or causation of disease symptoms or trauma for the purpose of gaining
medical attention or treatment. [after German soldier Baron Karl Friedrich
Hieronymus von Münchhausen (because the fabricated diseases recalled his
fictionalized accounts of his life)]
N
Nantua sauce: A cream sauce flavored with shellfish (as lobster). [< Nantua,
France]
niçoise olive: A small, edible variety of olive with a rich flavor. [< niçois, “of Nice,”
< Nice, city of France]
napa leather: A glove leather made by tawing sheepskins with a soap-and-oil
mixture; also a similar soft leather. [Napa, California]
New Jersey tea: A low deciduous shrub (Ceanothus americanus) of the buckthorn
family that is found in the eastern United States and has dull green leaves and small
white flowers borne in large terminal panicles.
354
nova: Cured and smoked salmon; especially salmon that has been cured in a mixture
of salt and sugar and smoked at a low temperature. [short for Nova Scotia salmon]
O
Orvieto: A usually dry Italian white wine. [Orvieto, Italy]
Oz1: An unreal, magical, often bizarre place: regarded New York City as the Oz of
the Northeast. [after the fantasy land Oz created by L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful
World of Oz and other novels]
P
Pacific oyster: An oyster (Crassostrea gigas) cultured in the United States and
Europe, having a scalloped shell and a fruity flavor.
panama: A lightweight hat of natural-colored straw hand-plaited of narrow strips
from the young leaves of the jipijapa; also a machine-made imitation of this.
[American Spanish panamá, from Panama, Central America]
pilsner or Pilsner also pilsener or Pilsener: 1. A light, golden lager having a strong
flavor of hops. 2. A tall, thin, footed beer glass. [<German Pilsner, Pilsener, of
Pilsen, Czech Republic, where the beer was first brewed]
Prairie School: A group of American architects practicing mainly in the Midwest in
the early 20th century, whose designs for low, horizontally extended houses and
emphasis on natural materials were influenced especially by Frank Lloyd Wright.
[from the use of horizontal lines in imitation of the flatness of the Midwestern
prairie]
Prairie style: 1. The architectural style of the Prairie School. 2. A style of
decorative arts associated with this school, characterized especially by strong
horizontal and vertical elements.
Q
quiche lorraine: A quiche containing cheese and bacon bits. [< French, quiche of
Lorraine, France]
R
red sindhi: Any of a breed of humped rather small red dairy cattle developed in
southwestern Asia and extensively used for crossbreeding with European stock in
tropical areas. [< red + sindhi, one belonging to Sind, Pakistan]
Rhine wine: 1. A usually white wine produced in the Rhine valley. 2. A wine
similar to Rhine wine produced elsewhere.
Rhode Island White: Any of an American breed of domestic chickens resembling
Rhode Island Reds but having pure white plumage.
rioja: A wine from the Rioja region of Spain; especially a dry red wine from this
region.
Rome Beauty: A round red apple that has firm slightly tart flesh and is used
especially for baking. [< Rome, village in Adams County, Ohio]
romeldale: Any of a United States breed of sheep yielding a heavy fleece of fine
wool and producing a quickly maturing high-grade market lamb. [blend of Romney,
Rambouiellet, and Corriedale, valleys in England]
355
Romney: Any of a British breed of hardy long-wooled sheep especially adapted to
damp or marshy regions and raised for both mutton and wool. [< Romney Marsh,
pasture tract in England]
Russian blue: Any of a breed of slender long-bodied large-eared domestic cats with
short silky bluish-gray fur.
Russian sage: An upright Asian subshrub (Perovskia atriplicifolia) of the mint
family that is grown as an ornamental for its long narrow panicles of violet-blue
flowers and grayish-green stems and leaves.
S
salade niçoise: A salad of tomatoes, anchovies, black olives, and other ingredients,
especially green beans, tuna, and hard-boiled egg. [< French: salade, “salad” +
niçoise fem. of niçois, “of Nice” < Nice, city of France]
Semtex: A highly malleable plastic explosive. [< Semtín village in the Czech
Republic where the explosive is manufactured + English explosive]
Shanghainese: 1. Of or relating to the city of Shanghai. 2. A native or inhabitant of
Shanghai. 3. The variety of Chinese spoken in Shanghai. [Shanghai1 + -nese (as in
Chinese)]
Shetland sheepdog: A herding dog of a breed developed in the Shetland Islands,
having a rough coat and resembling a small collie.
Sten: A light simple 9-millimeter British submachine gun. [< R. V. Shepherd, 20th
century English army officer + H. J. Turpin, 20th century English civil servant +
Enfield, England]
Swiss cheese: A hard cheese characterized by elastic texture, mild nutlike flavor, and
large holes that form during ripening.
T
taleggio: A soft creamy cheese made from the whole milk of cows. [< Italian, from
Taleggio commune and valley in Italy]
Tammany: Of, relating to, or constituting a group or organization exercising or
seeking municipal political control by methods often associated with corruption and
bossism. [< Tammany Hall, headquarters of the Tammany Society, political
organization in New York City]
Teapot Dome: A former U.S. Navy oil reserve in east-central Wyoming north of
Casper. Secretly leased to Harry F. Sinclair's oil company by Secretary of the Interior
Albert B. Fall in 1921, it became a symbol of the governmental scandals of the
Harding administration.
terai: A wide-brimmed double felt sun hat worn especially in subtropical regions. [<
Tarai, lowland belt of India]
Tilsit: A semisoft porous light yellow cheese with a flavor that ranges from mild to
sharp. [< German Tilsiter, from Tilsit (now Sovetsk, Russia)]
U
unakite: An altered igneous rock that is usually opaque with green, black, pink, and
white flecks and is usually used as a gemstone. [< Unaka Mountains, Tennessee &
North Carolina + -ite]
356
V
Valencia orange: A sweet orange having few seeds and a thin skin. [< Valencia,
Spain]
valpolicella: A dry red Italian table wine. [< Valpolicella, district in northern Italy]
W
Wensleydale: A mild white friable cheese of English origin. [< Wensleydale, valley
in North Yorkshire]
West Nile virus: A flavivirus (species West Nile virus of the genus Flavivirus) that
causes an illness marked by fever, headache, muscle ache, skin rash, and sometimes
encephalitis or meningitis and that is spread chiefly by mosquitoes. [< West Nile
province of Uganda, where the virus was isolated in 1937]
white way: A brilliantly lighted street or avenue especially in a city's business or
theater district. [< The Great White Way, nickname for the theatrical section of
Broadway, New York City]
Y
York rite: 1. A ceremonial observed by one of the Masonic systems. 2. A system or
organization that observes the York rite and confers in the United States 13 degrees
of which the last three are in commanderies of Knights Templar. [< York, England]
Z
zarzuela: A usually comic Spanish operetta. [< Spanish, probably from La Zarzuela,
royal residence near Madrid where it was first performed]
Zonian: A United States citizen living in the Panama Canal Zone.
23. TRUNCATION (18)
Truncation is the formation of a new word by deleting the first part of an alreadyexisting word. It is the counterpart of back-formation.
Sometimes truncation can involve deletion of parts of a word from both the front
and the back, as with FRIDGE (refrigerator).
B
bot: Robot.
biner: Carabiner (a soldier armed with a carbine).
357
burb also 'burb: Informal A suburb: when the condos get so dense out in those
’burbs that the deer have to run right through hot tubs. [short for suburb; usually
used in plural]
D
do: A hairdo.
do-rag: A scarf or kerchief worn as a head covering, often tied at the nape of the
neck. [< hairdo + rag]
doze: To use a bulldozer; bulldoze.
dozer: Bulldozer.
H
hood: A neighborhood, especially an inner-city neighborhood.
N
Net: The Internet.
P
psi: Parapsychological phenomena or abilities considered as a group. [shortening and
alteration of parapsychological]
R
rents: Parents
S
scry: To see or predict the future by means of a crystal ball. [<descry]
shrooms: Mushrooms.
T
toon: 1. A cartoon, especially an animated cartoon. 2. A character in an animated
cartoon.
’tude: An arrogant or hostile attitude or disposition.
tween: A child between middle childhood and adolesence, usually between 8 and 12
years old. [< between, influenced by teen]
W
web: World Wide Web.
Z
za: Pizza.
358
24. ZYGONYM (112)
A zygonym is a word made up by the fusion of two other words, or parts of them.
Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, was a champion at the coining of
zygonyms, like CHORTLE (chuckle and snort) and FRABJOUS (fabulous and
rapturous). He called these creations “portmanteau words.” (a portmanteau is a kind
of suitcase that stands on end and can be opened up by means of hinges, thus
presenting two closet-like compartments)
A
advertorial: An advertisement promoting the interests or opinions of a corporate
sponsor, often presented in such a way as to resemble an editorial. [advertisement +
editorial]
agritourism: Tourism in which tourists board at farms or in rural villages and
experience farming at close hand.
agroforestry: A system of land use in which harvestable trees or shrubs are grown
among or around crops or on pastureland, as a means of preserving or enhancing the
productivity of the land.
aramid: Any of a group of lightweight but very strong heat-resistant synthetic
aromatic polyamide materials that are fashioned into fibers, filaments, or sheets and
used especially in textiles and plastics. [aromatic polyamide]
avgas: Gasoline formulated for use in piston-driven airplanes.
B
basilect: The variety of speech that is most remote from the prestige variety,
especially in an area where a creole is spoken. For example, in Jamaica, Jamaican
Creole is the basilect whereas Standard Jamaican English is the acrolect or prestige
language. [basi- + dialect]
buppie: A young black city or suburban resident with a well-paid professional job
and an affluent lifestyle. [black + yuppie]
C
candygram: A delivery of candy or other sweets along with a personalized
message.
carjack: To commit forcible theft of (a vehicle) from its users. [car + hijack]
catnapper: One who steals cats usually to sell them for research. [cat + -napper (as
in kidnapper)]
cineplex: A complex that houses several movie theaters. [cinema + -plex]
359
circumjacent: Lying around; surrounding. [circum- (as in circumference) +
adjacent]
cockapoo: A dog that is a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle. [alteration of
cocker (spaniel) + poodle]
cosmeceutical: A preparation having both cosmetic and pharmaceutical properties.
[cosmetic + pharmaceutical]
D
dancercise: Energetic dancing done for the purpose of aerobic exercise.
demonolatry: Worship of demons. [demon + idolatry]
dramedy: A comedy (as a film or television show) having dramatic moments.
E
ecomanagement: Any of various strategies to minimize or eliminate the adverse
effects of human activities on the environment.
ecoterrorism: Terrorism or sabotage committed in the name of environmental
causes.
edutainment: 1. The act of learning through a medium that both educates and
entertains. 2. Any of various media, such as computer software, that educate and
entertain.
emoticon: A series of keyed characters used especially in e-mail to indicate an
emotion, such as pleasure [:-)] or sadness [:-(] [emotion + icon]
evapotranspiration: Loss of water from the soil both by evaporation and by
transpiration from the plants growing thereon. [evaporation + transpiration]
e-zine: A magazine that is published electronically, especially on the Internet.
F
fanzine: An amateur-produced magazine written for a subculture of enthusiasts
devoted to a particular interest: a science fiction fanzine. [fan + magazine]
feminazi: usually disparaging An extreme or militant feminist. [feminist + Nazi]
flaperon: A control surface on an aircraft wing functioning both as a flap and as an
aileron.
flexcash: Money provided by an employer to be used by an employee to obtain
various benefits, such as health insurance and life insurance. Also called flexdollars.
four-peat: A fourth consecutive championship. [four + repeat]
frankenfood: Genetically engineered food. [franken- (as in Frankenstein) + food]
fugly: Very ugly. [fucking + ugly]
funplex: An entertainment complex that includes facilities for various sports and
games and often restaurants. [fun + multiplex]
G
gasolier: A gaslight chandelier. [alteration of gaselier, from gas + -elier (as in
chandelier)]
gaydar: The ability to recognize homosexuals through observation or intuition. [gay
+ radar]
genderlect: A variety of speech or conversational style used by a particular gender.
[gender + dialect]
360
greenwashing: Expressions of environmentalist concerns especially as a cover for
products, policies, or activities. [green environmentalist + brainwashing]
groupuscule: A small group of political activists. [group + -uscule (as in
corpuscule < corpuscle)]
H
hardscape: The part of a building's grounds consisting of structures, such as patios,
retaining walls, and walkways, made with hard materials. [hard + landscape]
haylage: A stored forage that is essentially a grass silage wilted to 35 to 50 percent
moisture. [hay + silage]
hazmats: Hazardous materials. [hazardous + materials]
heliskiing: Downhill skiing on glaciers or remote mountains reached by helicopter.
[helicopter + skiing]
hydronic: Of or relating to a heating or cooling system that transfers heat by
circulating a fluid through a closed system of pipes. [hydro- + -onic (as in
electronic)]
I
Irangate: A scandal occurring during the Reagan administration in which members
of the executive branch sold weapons to Iran and illegally used the profits to
continue funding an army of rebels in Nicaragua. [Iran + watergate]
J
juco: Junior college; also an athlete at a junior college. [junior college]
M
medicide: Suicide accomplished with the aid of a physician.
medigap: Supplemental health insurance that covers costs (as of medical care or a
hospital stay) not covered by Medicare. [Medicare + gap]
microquake: Microearthquake.
mocktail: A cocktail containing no alcohol. [mock + cocktail]
montadale: Any of an American breed of white-faced hornless sheep noted for
heavy fleece and good meat conformation. [Montana + dale (as in Airedale terrier)]
moxibustion: The burning of moxa or other substances on the skin to treat diseases
or to produce analgesia. [moxa + combustion]
N
navaid: A device or system (as a radar beacon) that provides a navigator with
navigational data. [navigation aid]
neatnik: One who is habitually neat and orderly. [neat + -nik (as in beatnik)]
netiquette: Etiquette practiced or advocated in electronic communication over a
computer network.
netizen: A person who is a frequent or habitual user of the Internet. [net + citizen]
nicad: A rechargeable storage battery that has a nickel cathode and a cadmium
anode, [nickel + cadmium]
nutraceutical: A food or naturally occurring food supplement thought to have a
beneficial effect on human health. [nutrition + pharmaceutical]
361
Nuyorican: A person of Puerto Rican birth or descent living primarily in New York
City. [Nuyor (alteration of New York + Puerto Rican]
O
ocicat: Any of a breed of domestic cats developed by crossing Siamese, American
shorthair, and Abyssinian cats and having a short spotted coat. [ocelot + i + cat]
P
parafoil: A nonrigid, parachutelike, usually nylon airfoil of ribbed or cellular
construction, used especially in kites and paragliders. [parachute + airfoil]
paraglider: 1. A recreational aircraft consisting of a large parafoil equipped with a
harness from which a rider hangs while gliding from a height. 2. One who engages in
paragliding. [parafoil + glider]
paragliding: The sport or activity of flying by means of a paraglider. [parafoil +
gliding]
pararescue: A search and rescue mission by specially trained personnel who can
parachute to the site: a pararescue team.
parkade: A multilevel structure for parking motor vehicles. [park + arcade]
permatemp: A person who works on a long-term basis without being treated as a
permanent employee, especially one who agrees to a series of temporary contracts
lacking the benefits of permanent employees. [permanent + temp]
philanthropoid: A person who works for a philanthropic organization.
[philanthropist + anthropoid]
plantocracy: 1. A ruling class formed of plantation owners. 2. Leadership or
government by this class. [plantation + -cracy]
pomo: 1. Postmodern. 2. Postmodernist. [post modern]
poli-sci: A social science concerned chiefly with the description and analysis of
political and especially governmental institutions and processes. [political science]
populuxe: 1. A futuristic design style of the late 1950s and early 1960s often using
pastel colors, synthetic materials, and stainless steel and evoking a sense of luxury. 2.
Of or relating to this design style: nostalgia for populuxe furniture of the sixties.
[popular + deluxe]
probit: A unit of measurement of statistical probability based on deviations from the
mean of a normal distribution. [probability + unit]
psyops: Military operations usually aimed at influencing the enemy state of mind
through noncombative means (as distribution of leaflets). [psychological operations]
psywar: Psychological warfare.
R
racon: A radar transmitter that upon receiving a radar signal emits a signal which
reinforces the normal reflected signal or which introduces a code into the reflected
signal especially for identification purposes. [radar beacon]
radwaste: Radioactive waste.
rebar: A steel rod with ridges for use in reinforced concrete. [reinforcing bar]
rockumentary: A documentary about rock music or rock musicians. [rock +
documentary]
362
romeldale: Any of a United States breed of sheep yielding a heavy fleece of fine
wool and producing a quickly maturing high-grade market lamb. [blend of Romney,
Rambouellet, and Corriedale (breeds of sheep)]
rurban: Of, relating to, or constituting an area which is chiefly residential but where
some farming is carried on. [rural + urban]
S
scanties: Abbreviated panties for women. [scant + panties]
scaredy-cat: An unduly fearful person. [scared + -y + cat]
scarehead: A big, sensational, or alarming newspaper headline.
Semtex: A highly malleable plastic explosive. [Semtin (village in the Czech
Republic where the explosive is manufactured) + explosive]
shareware: Copyrighted software that is available free of charge on a trial basis,
usually with the condition that users pay a fee for continued use and support. [share
+ software]
shopaholic: A person who shops compulsively or very frequently. [shopping +
alcoholic]
sigint: Intelligence obtained through the interception of transmission signals. [signal
+ intelligence]
skort: A pair of shorts having a flap or panel across the front and sometimes the
back to resemble a skirt. [skirt + short]
slanguage: 1. Language marked by the use of slang. 2. Slang peculiar to a group: the
slanguage of the street. [slang + language]
snarf: To eat or drink rapidly or eagerly; devour: snarfed down some cookies. [snort
+ scarf]
snoozle: Nuzzle. [snooze and nuzzle]
Soroptimist: A member of a service club composed of professional women and
businesswomen. [sorority + optimist]
soundscape: An atmosphere or environment created by or with sound: the raucous
soundscape of a city street; a play with a haunting soundscape. [sound + landscape]
stanine: Any of the nine classes into which a set of normalized standard scores
arranged according to rank in educational testing are divided, which include the
bottom 4 percent and the top 4 percent of the scores in the first and ninth classes and
the middle 20 percent in the fifth, and which have a standard deviation of 2 and a
mean of 5. [standard score + nine]
stiction: The force required to cause one body in contact with another to begin to
move. [static + friction]
sunchoke: Jerusalem artichoke, in both senses also called girasol. 1. A North
American sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus) having yellow, rayed flower heads and
edible tubers. 2. The tuber of this plant, eaten as a vegetable. [sun + artichoke]
swaption: An option giving the buyer the right to enter into a swap agreement by a
specified date. [swap + option]
syngas: Synthesis gas.
T
tankini: A woman's two-piece swimsuit consisting of bikini briefs and a tank top.
[tank top + bikini]
363
teleportation: The act or process of moving an object or person by psychokinesis.
[tele- + transportation]
thyristor: Any of several semiconductor devices that act as switches, rectifiers, or
voltage regulators. [thyratron + transistor]
tigon: A hybrid between a male tiger and a female lion. [tiger + lion]
tosh: Foolish nonsense. [trash + bosh]
trip-hop: Electronic dance music usually based on a slow hip-hop beat and
incorporating hypnotic synthesized and prerecorded sounds. [trip (high from a
psychedelic drug) + hip-hop]
trishaw: A tricycle with a 2-seat passenger compartment covered by a usually
folding top and a separate seat for a driver who pedals. [tri- + rickshaw]
V
varistor: An electrical resistor whose resistance depends on the applied voltage.
[variable + resistor]
vinal: A synthetic textile fiber that is a long-chain polymer consisting largely of
vinyl alcohol units. [polyvinyl alcohol]
voc-ed: Vocational education.
vo-tech: Relating to, providing, or receiving vocational and technical education and
training: a vo-tech school; vo-tech students.
W
washateria or washeteria: chiefly Southern A self-service laundry. [wash + -ateria
or -eteria (as in cafeteria)]
webcast: A broadcast of an event or a recording of an event over the World Wide
Web: a webcast of the solar eclipse.
wetware: The human brain or a human being considered especially with respect to
human logical and computational capabilities. [wet + software]
Winnie: An award presented annually by a professional organization for notable
achievement in fashion design. [winner + -ie]
X
Xeriscape: A trademark used for a landscaping method that employs droughtresistant plants in an effort to conserve resources, especially water. [xer- (“dry”) +
landscape]
Y
Yinglish: English marked by numerous borrowings from Yiddish. [Yiddish +
English]
youthquake: A shift in cultural norms influenced by the values, tastes, and mores of
young people. [youth + earthquake]
364
25. ZYGOPHONE (9)
A zygophone is a type of acronym where the sounds corresponding to letters are
combined with the names of those letters to make a new word. Also, it can be the
expansion of part of a word to form a new word.
C
calutron: An electromagnetic apparatus for separating isotopes according to their
masses. [California University cyclotron]
CFIDS /sēfĭdz/: Chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome.
F
F/X /ĕfĕks/: Special effects (visual effects added to a movie or a taped television
show during processing). [letter names ef and ex representing effects]
H
Humfarts: Humanities and Fine Arts. A departmental division in many colleges
and universities.
J
jaygee /jājē/: Lieutenant junior grade: a commissioned officer in the navy or coast
guard ranking above an ensign and below a lieutenant. [junior grade]
JPEG /jāpĕg/: Computer Science 1. The standard algorithm for the compression of
digital images. 2. A digital image stored as a file so compressed: e-mailed me a
JPEG of her house. [Joint Photographic Experts Group]
P
PJs or PJ's or pj's: Pajamas.[pajamas, pl. of PAJAMA]
S
SCSI /skŭzē/: A small computer system interface used for connecting peripheral
devices, such as external disk drives and scanners, as used on personal computers.
[Small Computer System Interface]
W
wuss: A person regarded as weak or timid and especially as unmanly: Cats are for
wusses, dog men say. [WIMP + PUSSY]
365
IV. CONCLUSION
By dint of dedicated labor we have reached the goal we set ourselves two years
ago: we have combed through two state-of-the-art dictionaries in search of “new
words.” We feel fulfilled, not only because our labor is finished, but because it
turned out to be far more rewarding and edifying than we could possibly have
imagined at the outset.
First, we pitted the 4th edition of the American Heritage Dictionary (“the white
dictionary” – 2000) against the 3rd edition of the same dictionary (“the black
dictionary” – 1992). Sandra read aloud each and every word of the white dictionary,
while Guillermo followed along in the black dictionary. Every time that Sandra read
a word that Guillermo did not find in the black dictionary, that was one of our
“target” words, and we made a note of it in our notebook, for subsequent
classification. This task took us a full year.
Then, as soon as we had finished this part of our thesis, we went right to work on
the second phase of the study: we carried out exactly the same procedure with the
11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (“the red dictionary” –
2003), as against the black dictionary of 11 years before. This was also a huge, timeconsuming task, considering that the red dictionary boasted of having 10,000 new
words and new meanings of words.
When at last we finished with the last word in the red dictionary, we could take
stock of the new words we had gleaned, to begin classifying them. We found that we
had a total of 6,775 new words. These are the words we had searched for so
366
diligently – the words that the owner of the black dictionary would not be able to
look up, to verify their meaning. This was the corpus of “modern language” that we
had striven to isolate.
367
V.
APPENDIX: SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THIS
THESIS
During the course of making this thesis, another idea occurred to us: some of
the “new words” we found were so novel and fascinating that they practically begged
to be given special treatment. They stuck out. We began to feel a call to set these
words apart and give them a special place, where they could be brought to the
attention of a wider audience.
Finally, we settled upon 50 neologisms as a good number, to receive this “special
treatment.” They are:
newest weapon in the anarchist’s
arsenal. [jargon – crime]
BLIVIT: 1. Something annoying or
pointless: this homework is such a
blivit it’s an insult. 2. Something
difficult or impossible to name: Hand
me that blivit. [conundrum]
BOTTLE BLOND: A person whose
hair has been bleached blond: a
discotheque full of bottle blonds with
tank tops and high heels. [jargon –
fashion]
BOYCHIK: A boy or young man: a
precocious boychik. [hybrid: boy +
Yiddish –chik, diminutive suffix]
A
ARROZ CON POLLO /ärōs k∂n
pôyō/: A dish of chicken cooked with
rice and usually flavoured with
saffron: had some delish arroz con
pollo at a Mexican restaurant. [jargon
– cookery]
B
BEESTUNG: Full and sensuous.
Used of lips. Silicone lip implants to
make beestung lips like Angelina
Jolie’s. [general]
BERK: A fool: After the honeymoon
it began to dawn on her that her
husband was basically a berk. [folk
etymology: short for Berkeley (or
Berkshire) hunt, rhyming slang for
“cunt”]
BIOTERRORISM: The use of
biological agents, such as pathogenic
organisms or agricultural pests, for
terrorist purposes: bioterrorism is the
C
CALLABLE: Subject to being
redeemed at the demand of the issuer:
callable bonds. [jargon – business]
CARJACK: To commit forcible theft
of (a vehicle) from its users: did some
time in prison for carjacking.
[zygonym: car + hijack]
368
CASITA: A small house: has a casita
in the San Diego area. [diminutive:
Spanish, diminutive of casa]
CHATROOM: A site on a computer
network where online conversations
are held in real time by a number of
users: spent whole days schmoozing in
chatrooms. [jargon – computers]
COLD CALL: A telephone call or
visit made to someone who is not
known or not expecting contact, often
in order to sell something: no-call
legislation to abolish cold calls.
[jargon – business]
COMPUTER GRAPHICS: 1. The
set of technologies used to create art
with computers: majoring in computer
graphics. 2. Art or designs created
using such technologies: computer
graphics and virtual reality go hand in
hand. [jargon – computers]
CONTROL FREAK: One who has
an obsessive need to exert control over
people and situations: a typical
mother-in-law: a control freak.
[slang]
E
E-CASH: Money available as an
electronic account, used in Internet
commerce: never uses any kind of
cash except e-cash. [jargon –
business]
ECO-CONSCIOUS: Marked by or
showing concern for the environment:
eco-conscious consumers. [jargon –
ecology]
F
FRANKENFOOD: Genetically engineered food: had a real banana
instead of the usual frankenfood.
[zygonym: Frankenstein + food]
FUBAR: Utterly botched or confused:
the office is fubar ever since the
computer virus hit. [acronym: fucked
up beyond all recognition]
FUGLY: Very ugly: I wouldn’t call
her “plain”; I’d call her downright
fugly. [vulgar slang]
G
GAYDAR: The ability to recognize
homosexuals through observation or
intuition: relied on his gaydar to steer
him right in the crowded bar.
[zygonym: gay + radar]
GENERATION X: The generation
following the post-World War II baby
boom, especially people born in the
United States and Canada from the
early 1960’s to the late 1970’s: Disco
music is a generation x phenomenon.
[coinage: from Generation X, a novel
by Douglas Copeland (born 1961),
Canadian writer]
GRINCH: One who spoils the sport
or pleasure of others: brought up to be
both a dog in the manger and a
grinch. [eponym: from the Grinch,
character in the children’s story “How
the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1957),
by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)]
D
DEF: Very good; cool: I think that
movie is really def. [folk etymology:
alteration of “death” (from the phrase
“to death” = excessively: love you to
death)]
DELISH: Delicious: I never had fig
ice cream before, but it’s delish [backformation]
DIRTY LAUNDRY: Personal affairs
that could cause embarrassment or
distress if made public: Let’s not air
our dirty laundry in front of our
guests. [slang]
DINK: A couple with two incomes
and no children; also a member of
such a couple: a new, elegant housing
development peopled mostly by dinks.
[acronym: double income no kids]
369
making their eleventh-hour pitches for
the mugwumps in the swing states.
[hobson-jobson: from Massachusett
mugguomp, mummugguomp, “war
leader”]
H
HAWTHORNE EFFECT: The
stimulation
to
output
or
accomplishment that results from the
mere fact of being under observation;
also such an increase in output or
accomplishment: scientific “proofs”
that were flawed by the Hawthorne effect. [jargon – psychology &
toponym: from the Hawthorne Works
of the Western Electric Co., Cicero,
Ill., where its existence was
established by experiment]
HOLS: Vacation: Where are you
going for the Christmas hols? [backformation, from holidays]
HOOD: A neighborhood, especially
an inner-city neighborhood: Have you
soon that movie “Boys in the Hood?”
[truncation]
N
NANCY: A homosexual man: Who
would ever have suspected that the
captain of the basketball team was a
nancy? [vulgar slang]
NAVIGATE: To go from one web
site to another on the internet:
Navigate to the inbox. [new
connotation]
NETIZEN: A person who is a
frequent or habitual user of the
Internet: teaching the youngsters to be
responsible netizens. [net + citizen]
P
PAINTBALL: 1. A game in which
players on one team seek to eliminate
those on an opposing team by marking
them with a water-soluble dye shot in
capsules from air guns: grownups who
take paintball very seriously, playing
with teams for money. [jargon –
games]
PHAT: Excellent: first-rate: phat
fashion; a phat rapper. Earlier, sexy:
She’s phat. [folk etymology: pretty
hot and tempting]
PHREAKER: One who gains illegal
access to the telephone system:
couldn’t install a pay phone because
of
the
phreakers
in
the
neighborhood..
J
JESUS FREAK: An overly-zealous
fundamentalist Christian: metamorphosed from an agnostic to a Jesus
freak. [hybrid: Hebrew + conundrum]
K
KVETCH:
1.
To
complain
persistently and whiningly: driven
crazy
by
his
mother-in-law’s
kvetching. 2. A chronic, whining
complainer: His mousy girlfriend
turned into an inveterate kvetch after
marriage. 3. A nagging complaint: a
rambling kvetch against the system.
[slang & hobson-jobson: from Yiddish
kvetshn, “to squeeze, complain”]
L
LEZ: Used as a disparaging term for a
lesbian: started feeling strange being
around all those nancys and lezes.
[back-formation]
S
SANDWICH GENERATION: A
generation of people who give care to
their children and their parents at the
same time: The sandwich generation
exists due to the lack of state provision
for the elderly. [general]
SCREENSAVER:
A
software
program that displays constantly
changing images or dims the
M
MUGWUMP: A person who acts
independently or remains neutral,
especially in politics: both candidates
370
brightness of a display screen to
protect the screen from having an
image etched onto its surface: made
the realistic flying butterflies her
default screensaver. [jargon –
computers]
SEARCH ENGINE: A software
program that searches a database and
gathers and reports information that
contains or is related to specified
terms: made “Yahoo” his default
search engine. [jargon – computers]
SLANGUAGE: 1. Language marked
by the use of slang: If you’re not a
slang user yourself, slanguage can be
hard to understand. 2. Slang peculiar
to a group: the slanguage of the street.
[zygonym: slang + language]
players would make anyone feel
vertically challenged. [euphemism]
W
WAITRON: Waitperson: couldn’t get
the
waitron’s
attention.
[folk
etymology: blend of waiter or waitress
and –tron (suggesting the machinelike
impersonality of such work, from
neutron, taken as a gender-neutral
term)]
WUSS: A person regarded as weak or
timid and especially as unmanly: Cats
are for wusses, dog men say.
[zygophone: wimp + pussy]
X
XYZ /ĕkswīzē/: Used to indicate to
someone that the zipper of his or her
pants is open: Hey, check it out! Xyz!
[acronym: examine your zipper]
U
URP: To vomit: The baby urped all
over the front seat of the car.
[onomatopoeia]
Y
YOUTHQUAKE: A shift in cultural
norms influenced by the values, tastes,
and mores of young people: The 60’s
saw the biggest youthquake in
America in the 20th century.
[zygonym: youth + earthquake
V
VEEJAY: An announcer of a program
(as on television) that features music
videos: an extrovert headed towards a
career as a veejay. [folk etymology:
video + deejay]
VERTICALLY
CHALLENGED:
Short: living around those basketball
371
We suggest that a reader who is really interested in improving his or her
vocabulary, by making it more current and colloquial, learn these 50 words. It is not
difficult, given the fact that these words are so interesting and so obviously modern.
A person can take the approach that he or she is going to learn the words passively,
in the first place: in other words, he or she will become familiar enough with them so
that if he or she reads of hears one of them, he will not be in the dark. He or she will
be able to place it into context, with understanding.
Then, as a second step, the reader can try to use the new words actively, as part
of his or her speech – with the idea, of course, of making that speech more stylish
and precise. The ultimate goal, naturally, would be to make all 50 words “active.”
And, once these 50 words have been assimilated, either passively of actively,
then there is an open invitation to carry out the same process with another 50 words.
It is not at all difficult to choose 50 words out of this dictionary that attract one’s
attention. And the process is doubly rewarding if it is carried out by two people, or
even three, or more. That makes it easier to choose the words (with more variety,
since each person has special personal interests) and easier to assimilate them, since
the people involved can test each other.
The process can be repeated as many times as one likes. But one thing is
guaranteed: no matter how many times it is done – even if it is only once – the
person’s vocabulary is that much richer, and he or she can feel that much more
confident that the language he or she uses is up-to-date, sophisticated, and
entertaining.
VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY
-American Heritage Dictionary
William Morris, ed.
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Boston
1969
-American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd Ed.
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Boston
1992
-American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Ed.
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Boston
2000
-Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Ed.
Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Springfield, MA
2003
-Neologisms and Other Special Etymological Categories
Segarra, S. & Gordillo, H.
U. de Cuenca
1998
-www.Merriam-Webster.com
-www.Merriam-WebsterCollegiate.com
-www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/06-03/06-29-03/b05sr073.htm