Word of the day

Random, unrelated words

Boffo- is a term used for describing a play or movie that is very successful- great reviews,
popular with the public, earning lots of money. There is no particular agreement on the
word's origin, but it may be a sort of portmanteau of "box office".

Jet Black- If something is deeply, darkly black, it is sometimes referred to as "jet black".
Jet is a sort of mineral made of highly compressed carbon used in fine jewelry.
It was especially sought after in Victorian times and was the source of Jean Valjean's wealth
in Les Miserables. It is a form of lignite and is deeply black. So if something is "jet black"
it resembles the extreme blackness of the gemstone.

Davit- In some movies like Titanic, or if you have taken a cruise, you may have noticed the
lifeboats hanging from a sort of crane-like device that can, when necessary, swing out and lower them into the ocean.
Those cranes are called davits
 
Ague (pronounced something like "a-gyou")
is an illness involving fever and shivering, sweating and chills,
and is often associated with malaria. Not used so much in modern times.
 
Capitulate vs Recapitulate

Capitulate comes from roots meaning "head" or "heading",
In its modern sense it is used to mean giving in under pressure to something
one does not want. similar terms might be surrender, give in, give up, submit, accede,
acquiesce...
Whereas capitulate usually refers to surrender rather than accepting an extreme consequence,
like death or enslavement, other words like accede or acquess usually imply a more
measured balancing of pros and cons.

The general resolved to capitulate rather than engage in a blood-bath that he could not win.

The coach acquiesced and allowed girls to play on his team, when otherwise he would lose half his funding.

Recapitulate does not mean to surrender again. "Heading" is one of the roots of recapitulate.
A document, contract, law, agreement... has information categorized under different headings,
paragraphs and so on. To recapitulate means to repeat the main points of some document, essay,
news item... to summarize and clarify the various points.

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Shrapnel
Is a term that is often misused.
Originally, it was a very specific type of anti-personnel weapon named for its inventor, lieutenant-general Henry Shrapnel,
and has been obsolete since the end of world war one. Basically an artillery shell, after discharge, released a bunch of buckshot-like
"bullets" that went on to do more widespread damage/harm.

Since that time, the projectile is filled with explosive and that explosion sends fragments of the casing (and additional materials)
in all directions to spread death and destruction over a wider area. So, if you are struck by such a weapon it would be more
correct to say that you have been wounded by exploding fragments- rather than shrapnel.

Cruciverbalist
Is a "fancy" word for a person who works on crossword puzzles.

Vested vs Invested
Vested means having a fixed title or given right-such as the right to perform marriages, sell certain commodities, prove ownership
(as in a house or other property.
Through some sight on Google, I have been vested with the right to perform marriages.

Invested (as in invest) means to put money or time into something, such as stock or savings plan or product that you hope earns money in the future.
Early on, I invested in Bitcoin, and now I am set for life.
 
Some sort-of related words

Tableau
A tableau is a group of motionless figures often depicting a scene from literature, a painting, showing relationships,
interrelationships, like a moment "frozen in time"-sort of like the figures in this paining...


Vignette
A vignette is originally a type of sketch or photograph, often expressing or evoking a mood with
a central image that kind of fades away toward the edges of the frame. The term has come to mean something like
an isolated glimpse of life. so, in a play or a movie, and so on, there can be short scenes or vignettes that,
sort of like a tableau, represent in a visual way inner thoughts, feelings...
A few days ago My wife and I saw the movie Last of the Showgirls. Rather than develop the material with lots of action
and conflicts, we were presented with vignettes that sort of explained how things developed over time to become the way they were.



Collage
A collage is a piece of artwork or decoration made from bits and pieces of paper, newsprint, fabric, and so forth, glued onto
a board or canvas to create a design or express something through juxtaposition.


Montage
Montage is seen in film/movies and is when, instead of shooting a scene in one continuous shot, many short snippets or
fragments are inter-cut together to create a more intense, dramatic effect.


Mise en scene
Mise en scene comes originally from stage plays and describes how prop, characters, backgrounds and so forth
are placed to create a more meaningful arrangement. In movies, also, the juxtaposition and placement of various elements
leads to a better understanding of the directors intentions.

 
Synchronicity
Ok, you are just about to call a friend to see if he can play some tennis, and just as
you are picking up the phone, it begins to "ring". You answer and the person calling you is
the same person you were about to call. Coincidence or synchronicity, and
what's the difference?
I had always used the term to describe a function of the "mind" that finds meaning
in things- the same sort of thing that finds meaning in sounds and scribbles and permits
language to develop, religions to develop, and so on. Jung, the inventor of the term,
described it differently- as "meaningful coincidences" that suggest a deeper, underlying
order in the universe... an acausal connecting principle" between the psyche and the
external world of events- a sort of "cosmic consciousness", or "collective unconscious".

By "collective unconscious" Jung meant something like an invisible, as yet, undetectable
something that is all pervasive- sort of like "dark matter" that connects everything and everyone,
and makes psychic events possible.

Almost everyone except psychics, fortune-tellers, and that sort, rejects Jung's "theory",
but we still have the word in our dictionary- so I suggest using my interpretation- that synchronicity
is basically just human's propensity to make associations and find connections and meanings in things-
even to the extent that we do so sometimes when no connection exists.
 
Transom
Especially in older movies, you will see someone in a hallway outside someone's door, above the door is a window.
Is that window a transom? Not exactly. The horizontal beam above the door is the transom. The window above it is
the "transom window". Many boats have a transom- a flat or square surface that goes from port to starboard- sometimes
for mounting a motor or mounting a rudder.

Transom windows were used for ventilation in days before air conditioning, and also for natural lighting.

 
Parlay vs Parley

Parlay Means to take a small amount of money (or something of little value) and increase its value.
Typically it is used in gambling to describe taking a small amount of money and
by re-betting the winnings, sometimes over and over, into a much larger amount- Parlayed into a small fortune.
It can also be used in a non-gambling sense. A person has a small savings, enough to buy some run-down
apartment building, and, by fix them up, parlay a small savings into a reliable income.

Parley Comes from different roots that mean to speak or discuss. Usually parley is used
when the discussion is between opponents as in- the union representative was sent to parley with the
factory representative in an attempt to gain better working conditions.
 
Some words about government.

Kakistocracy is a government of the worst, least qualified, unscrupulous.

Kleptocracy is a government of thieves-who attain power not for the benefit of
the people, but in order to steal from the countries resources with unrestrained political corruption.
As of 2024 The USS was ranked #69 on on a scale of 1-100 of corruption.

Plutocracy is a government of of the wealthy who enter politics to achieve power and further their own self interests.

Oligarchy is similar to a plutocracy where the elite of a country, intellectuals, billionaires, use their power
to promote self-interests.

Ochlocracy is "mob rule" where a weak or corrupt government is confronted by gangs who may fight
corruption, or conversely, indulge in looting and/or killing for their own interests. Gangsters or mobsters,
here in the USA, once controlled city governments through threats, killings, and bribery.

Coulrocacy is basically a "government of clowns".
 
Censor----- Censer----- Sensor

Censor- Censor can be a noun or a verb.
As a noun it is a person who tries to suppress/ban material of various kinds- movies, books, military or political documents, ideas and so forth.
As a verb it is the act, itself, of suppression.

Censer- A censer is a container used for the burning of incense- as part of a religious ceremony, or, maybe, just because you like the smell.

Sensor- A sensor is a device for detecting, measuring, or responding to various stimuli, conditions, or situations.
Many automobiles, for example, have sensors that automatically turn the headlights on or off for the drivers convenience.
 
Some random words

Quail- to shrink or cower, to recoil in dread or terror, tremble with fear.
Also a bird.

Bludgeon- A heavy club, a cudgel or truncheon. Also the act of using a heavy club to repeatedly beat someone into submission.

Pareidolia- A tendency of the mind to perceive patterns or meaningful figures in random shapes, like shadows or clouds, for example.
 
A few more random words

Caldera- A caldera is a vast, bowl-shaped depression formed when magma is spewed out of the earth
through volcanic action. the magma, no longer supporting the surface, allows the land to sink,
sometimes to become a lake or a landscape full of hot-springs, thermal vents, geysers.

Nonesuch- A Nonesuch is a person or thing that is without equal, perfect, excellent...
As a tennis player, he was a nonesuch, winning easily against top-rated players from the time he was thirteen
years old.

Veltschmerz (pronounced like velt-shmerts) means world-pain in German- it's like when you look around at the world
and are disappointed by what you see, disillusioned by what it has become, a world without hope or future,
where everything comes to nothing.

Inglenook- An inglenook is basically a fire corner or "fire-nook", a cozy warm area to hang out without trying to heat
the entire world. in earlier times they were practical areas for cooking, drying clothes... In modern times, they
tend to be more decorative than functional.
 
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Shrug- A long-ago teacher of min once said to never write "shrug your shoulders", to just write "shrug".
Though I still see lots of people saying "shrug your shoulders", I understand what she meant, after all, shoulders are the only
thing we shrug. We don't shrug toes or eyebrows, hips or elbows- so when we say "shrug" the shoulders are understood.

Shrug can be understood to mean, I don't know, I don't care, I am indifferent to that, who cares, "whatever", I'm, confused,
count me out...

To "shrug off" is more of a mental kind of shrugging. Someone may ask you to do something and you "shrug it off"-
basically ignore that person's wishes, cast them aside... In almost all cultures the shrug is understood to mean about the same thing.

Desiderata- We think of desiderata as that poem like thing that people tape to their refrigerator, that sometimes gives them a sense of calm-
as a sort of list of what is and is not important in life.
Desiderata comes from Latin roots that mean "things to be desired or wanted", and desiderium is a feeling of loss or grief for those things, unfortunately lost.
When showing up for a meeting or negotiation, one may start with desiderata- perhaps a list of desires that would move things closer to agreement.

Litany- A litany is, from the Greek for supplication, a practice in some churches where the clergy make some recitation and the people respond with a formulated reply.
In normal, non-church usage, litany means a long, tedious list of things. Don't ever ask Audrey how she is doing or you will get stuck listening
to a litany of complaints and grievances about her health and home-life.

Grawlix- If you ever read a comic-strip where one of the character is shouting, out of control, with anger, well, instead of writing out
curse words of a type that would be "bleeped" on television, the cartoonist will often substitute symbols like "$*#&@!!", that we understand
by conventional usage to be swearing.
 
More words

Cupidity means greediness, avarice, A lust for wealth.
Does cupidity have anything to do with Cupid?
Welllllllllllllll, yes, sort of, Both words come from a Latin root meaning "desire".
Cupid is the Roman god of desire, of love, attraction....
Cupidity is the "love" of money, "desire" for money, "attraction" to money.

Pall vs Pawl

Pall- a Pall is a covering- and could be used to refer to various types of cover.
Commonly, pall is used to mean a cloth covering for a coffin, tomb, hearse,
and by extension anything that covers or casts a feeling a feeling of gloom- as in the smog
cast a pall over the city, giving the appearance of a world of the dead.

Pawl- a pall is a bar or lever designed to keep a ratcheting mechanism from spinning backwards.
In clocks, for example, the pawl is pulled by a spring against the toothed wheel to prevent it slipping
backward.

 
Graven

Means, carved, etched, inscribed, "engraved".
A graven image is a carved image, but usually used in a negative sense- the image of a carved idol.

Craven

Means cowardly. When Poe writes "craven raven", he means a cowardly raven, though to call a bird "craven"
never made much sense to me.

Maven

Refers to someone who is an expert, an authority immersed in a particular subject, dazzlingly skilled-
a computer maven, language maven, food maven...
 
Sublime vs Subliminal
(What's "up" with that)

Subliminal- is a word that has Latin roots sub (below, under),
and limin (threshold). So the word basically means below the threshold
of consciousness or awareness.
Writing is often directed by a subliminal process of unconscious feelings
rather than laboriously plotting. Subliminal advertising is the use of subconscious
cues that flit by so quickly they are imperceptible to the eye, and then later you unaccountably
have a desire for Elodia's frozen tamales.

Sublime- means grand, lofty, exalted, awe inspiring, high-flown.
magnificent, high in the sense of approaching perfection.
So, OK, if sub means below and lim means threshold, why dose sublime
seem to mean the opposite of subliminal?
Well, in addition to below, sub can also mean "up to" and lim can mean something like "lintel" or "limit".
In that way sublime means up to the limit.

"Up to the limit seems to be the opposite of "below the threshold", but that's Latin for you.

Faraday cage- Michael Faraday was a chemist/physicist who studied the relationship
between magnetism and electricity. A Faraday cage is a conductive, metallic enclosure-
like a box or sack that prevents the contents from being affected by electromagnetic waves.

My wife, for example has a fear of her brain being damaged by radio waves from her phone-
so she keeps the phone in a foil-lined pouch. Electronic skimmers, proximity scanners and such can
be used to "swipe" your card and steal your identity. Now, people are using things like Faraday cages to prevent the
passing of electromagnetic signals between devices.

 
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Arbitrage is a type of buying and selling of things, goods, stocks, currency... by taking advantage of the fact that
the price of items will tend to vary in different places and all you have to do is buy when and where prices are
cheap then sell where prices tend to be higher.
So, isn't that just the normal way of doing business? Why does it need a special word?

Rodomontade is boastful, inflated talk- braggadocio, self-praise...

Canard comes from French roots that mean "quack" or "duck" and even "hoax".
Basically, a canard is a false rumor or fabricated report- as in the story about immigrants
eating dogs and cats from the neighborhood.


A canard can also refer to a pair of small wing-like pieces toward the front of an airplane (or ship) that helps with
stability.

Squinch I throw this in just because I like the sound of it. In architecture a squinch is a type of arch used to support a
a dome (several squinches may be necessary).
In more general usage squinch means to make smaller, to pucker, squeeze, compress,
as in how a person squinches up their face into a look of displeasure.

 
A word you may never use

Dilatancy
a phenomenon exhibited by certain materials that tent to increase in volume under pressure.

When you squeeze a wet sponge, for example, the water spews out and the sponge compresses.
But when you walk on wet sand at the beach, the volume becomes greater and the water under your
foot get drier. here is a video that tries to explain the process.

 
Projection
Projection has various meanings
and one of them is psychological...

In psychology, "projection" is a defense mechanism where individuals unconsciously attribute their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses to others.

Here's a more detailed explanation:
  • Definition:
    Projection is a type of defense mechanism where someone unconsciously attributes their own undesirable thoughts, feelings, or impulses to someone else.

  • Purpose:
    This helps to protect the ego from discomfort or anxiety by denying the existence of these thoughts or feelings within oneself and instead perceiving them as originating from someone else.

    • Examples:
        • A person who is feeling jealous might accuse their partner of being unfaithful.
        • Someone who is struggling with anger might accuse others of being angry.
        • Someone who is feeling insecure might criticize others for their perceived flaws.
    • Psychological Roots:
      The concept of projection was first introduced by Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalytic theory.
    • How to Spot It:
      Look for signs like defensiveness, making unfounded accusations, and being overly critical.
    • Impact:
      Projection can negatively impact relationships and lead to misunderstandings and conflict.
    • Additionally, in politics, there is a tendency for certain figures to blame the opposing party for
      bad behavior and then, almost immediately, commit that bit of corruption, themselves, first.
 
Rasputin

What does it mean to call someone Rasputin?

A "Rasputin" might be any person who exercises great but insidious influence
especially over those holding great power-
and not unlike a situation in recent American politics.

Rasputin in American English
(ræˈspjuːtɪn, -tn) noun. any person who exercises great but insidious influence. Word origin. [after Grigori Efimovich Rasputin (1871–1916), Siberian peasant monk who was very influential at the court of Czar Nicholas II and Czarina Alexandra]
 
disquisition vs inquisition
While both "disquisition" and "inquisition" involve questioning and inquiry, "disquisition" refers to a formal, thorough, and often lengthy discussion or analysis, while "inquisition" implies a more severe, official, and potentially confrontational investigation or interrogation.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • Disquisition:
    • Meaning: A formal, lengthy, and detailed discussion or analysis of a topic.

    • Example: "The professor delivered a lengthy disquisition on the history of quantum mechanics".

    • Tone: Generally academic, analytical, and informative.
    • Inquisition:
        • Meaning: A formal investigation or interrogation, often associated with a sense of authority and potential for harsh questioning.
        • Example: "The police conducted a thorough inquisition of the suspect".
        • Tone: Can be serious, formal, and potentially accusatory.
 
Compliment vs Complement

Compliment is a statement of praise, admiration, approval or respect-
sort of like, "You have a really great voice."

Complement means to complete, enhance or add to something as an improvement or enhancement-
sort of like,"that new painting complements the color of of your furniture."
 
Illicit vs elicit

illicit mean unlawful, wrong or unacceptable-
as in,"He converted his apartment into an illicit "chop-shop"
until the owner found out."

Elicit means to draw out or bring forth- sort of like,"He was able to elicit
deeper, and more complex tones with his new, more expensive, violin."
 
The other day I saw a TV comedy show from the '60s where the wife announced her
pregnancy by saying, "The rabbit died". So, what's with that? Were rabbits really killed
during old pregnancy tests? Here is a short explanation from Google.

Yes, in the past, some early pregnancy tests, known as "rabbit tests," involved injecting a woman's urine into rabbits, and
the rabbits always died during the process, regardless of the test result, leading to the euphemism "the rabbit died" for a positive pregnancy test.

Here's a more detailed explanation:
  • The "Rabbit Test":
    In the 1920s and 1930s, scientists discovered that the urine of pregnant women contained a unique substance that could cause changes in the ovaries of rabbits.

  • How it worked:
    A woman's urine was injected into a rabbit, and then the rabbit was killed to examine its ovaries for signs of pregnancy.

  • The "rabbit died" euphemism:
    The phrase "the rabbit died" became a common, albeit somewhat morbid, way of announcing a positive pregnancy test.

  • Misconception:
    Many people mistakenly believed that the rabbit only died if the woman was pregnant, but in reality, the rabbits always died as part of the test procedure.

  • Alternatives and Modern Tests:
    Later, the "Hogben test" used African clawed frogs, which allowed for results without killing the animal, and modern pregnancy tests rely on detecting the hormone hCG in blood or urine, eliminating the need for animal testing altogether.
 
Leidenfrost effect

I Found a really nice stainless pan at a thrift store, but had a problem with making omelettes.
they would tend to stick.

The leidenfrost effect (named after a German Physician, Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost) helps to
solve that problem.

 
Dissociation vs Disassociation

Dissociation is a term for a mental disconnect from a person's thoughts, feelings, actions- a separation
from the reality of their life- usually as a reaction to a traumatic or unbearable situation.

Disassociation, on the other hand, is a more conscious rejection or separation from something, as in-
"Fred is so unhappy with the leaders of his political party that he wants to publicly disassociate himself
from their proposals."
 
Euneirophrenia (you-NEER-0h-fren-ee-ah) might be defined as a word that you
will probably never use- that means the peaceful, happy state of mind
one has after waking from a pleasant dream.
 
Odin's Ravens
Well, if you solve the Waffle game in the minimum number of moves, you will
get some kind of acknowledgment, like "Odin's Ravens!". OK, what does that mean?

Well, Odin, of Norse myth, Thor's father, had a couple ravens, Huginn (thought)
and Muninn (memory). They would fly around the various worlds and realms and
bring information about what's going on back to Odin. Symbolically, they represent
wisdom.
 
Tisane (pronounced something like tuh-zan)

Tisane is a word that derives from the French word for "herbal tea".
Basically, it is a "tea" but without the tea. All true teas come from
one variety of plant- the camellia sinensis, which can be processes
or harvested differently to make green, black, oolong and other teas.

Tisanes, on the other hand can be made from mixtures of grains, roots,
bark, herbs, spices, fruits, and so forth, avoiding caffeine for the most part.
 
And Bob's your uncle.

This is an idiom, used more commonly by the British than here in the USA.
The origin of the phrase is unknown for certain, but may have originally to do
with things going more quickly and smoothly when nepotism is involved.

Now days it is used to mean something like, "And there you have it, or wasn't that simple?-
sort of like "To make chocolate chip cookies, just follow these three steps and one-two-three-
Bob's your Uncle!"

Pre-suasion

Pre-suasion is a term that you might find used in in behaviorism, advertising,
indoctrination or marketing.

Basically, it is not using logic to convince or statistics to persuade, but rather,
preparing, ahead of time, using images or associations that prepare the mind
to more easily react in a positive way
 
Spork, Splad, Runcible spoon-- or what?

Spork- Spork is a portmanteau word (a word formed by combining two words to make one new word)
for a dining utensil combining a spoon and a fork. Usually the tip end of the bowl part
has little points or tines. so, for example, you go to a fast food place and, whatever you order- well,
they just give you a spork. Another spork design has a spoon on one end and a fork on the other-
so, when you turn it around to use it, you end up with spaghetti sauce or chocolate ice-cream all over the place.

Splayd- well, sporks don't work very well as either a spoon or fork. But then, around 1948 or so, some
Australian guy named William McArthur invented and patented the splayd, a combo fork, knife, and spoon.
They became a faddish item for about the next twenty years- often given as wedding gifts.
Runcible spoon- "Runcible" is a word Made-up by Edward Lear, most famous for the poem-
The Owl and the Pussycat. Lear like the word"runcible" and used it to describe a cat, a wall and a hat
Here is something from the third verse of the owl poem.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

So, basically a runcible spoon is is like a splayd.


Over the years, there have been many specialized spoon types-
here are a few:

a "pearl spoon" is a small spoon made from mother-of-pearl, especially for
scooping caviar without affecting the taste.

An iga yaki is a Japanese ceramic/pottery spoon with a large bowl and a flat bottom
that will not fit in your mouth and makes you slurp.

A grapefruit spoon has a sort of triangle shape with sharp bent-up edges that cuts
out the slices as you eat.

And then there is the Tennis Spoon- a handle or grip with a round. flat (usually wooden)
disk on the end for practicing focusing and hitting in the "sweet-spot".
 
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Limn or limning

Limn basically means to depict or
portray something in a certain way- either by using words
or pictures.

The full moon hung just above the horizon and limned the Eastern clouds with an aura resembling liquid gold.

Betty Boop, the cartoon character was originally limned as having dog-like features.

 
Deduction vs induction
Deduction and induction are two fundamental types of reasoning. Deduction moves from general premises to specific conclusions, while induction moves from specific observations to general conclusions. Deduction aims for certainty, meaning if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true. Induction, on the other hand, aims for probability, meaning the premises support the conclusion, but don't guarantee it.

Deduction is often described as a "top-down" approach, starting with a general principle and applying it to a specific case. For example, if you know all birds have feathers and you see a robin, you can deductively conclude that a robin has feathers.

Induction, conversely, is a "bottom-up" approach, starting with specific observations and forming a general conclusion. For example, if you observe many swans and they are all white, you might inductively conclude that all swans are white.

Well, did Sherlock Holmes use deduction or not?

Sherlock Holmes' reasoning, while often referred to as deduction, is more accurately described as induction. He uses a process of gathering specific observations and evidence to draw broader conclusions and formulate theories. While he may appear to use deduction (drawing conclusions from general principles), his actual method involves starting with specific observations and moving towards a general conclusion, which is the essence of inductive reasoning or in Holmes case, abduction.
 
Inimical

Means working against, tending to harm, hostile, injurious.

They formed a voting block inimical to our interests.

The government has established a pattern that is inimical to freedom and
rules of law.
 
Some words that kind of rhyme

1. Girth. A measurement around something- like a great sequoia redwood, or
someone's waist.

2. Dearth, means a lack or scarcity- a dearth of new ideas.

3. Firth. A word used mostly in Britain, and especially Scotland, means an inlet,
a place where freshwater flows into the sea- an estuary. The word comes from old norse "fjrr".
Fjord is a similar sounding word withe a similar meaning.

4 Kerf, A kerf is the width of a cut or slot made by a saw blade. If that width is not taken into
account your piece may be too long or short and ruin your creation.
 
Another word you may never use...


Thurible- A thurible is a censer.
A censer is a thing/container in which in incense is burned.
So, why not just call it a censer?
Well, it is a particular kind of censer. It dangles from a chain
and a priest waves it around wafting the scent in a kind
of religious ritual- as opposed to a-
Sensor- a device that "senses" or measures things- like humidity,
for example... or that senses motion when someone breaks into
your home.- as opposed to a-
Censor- that can be a person who censors, or suppresses objectionable
material, or the act of suppressing, itself. Bookburnung, for
example, would be a sort of censorship.

Well, I guess that's enough for now.
 
Enclave
Am enclave is an area that is within a larger area or territory
where the inhabitants tend to be culturally distinct.
So, if someone suggests going to "Little Italy" for dinner, then they see that
area as a distinct area with it's particulture culture.

Conclave
A conclave is an assembly of cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church
that meet secretly for the election of a new Pope.

 
Karma vs Kismet

Yes, they both refer to fate, but different aspects of fate.

Kismet is like the fate, destiny, or life that just happens, for no particular reason,
other than that just happens to be your fate- predestination.


In a fairy tale, the destiny of a newborn girl child is prophesied. The evil Queen tries to have
the child killed, but despite the Queen's efforts, the girl grows up and replaces the evil Queen
on the throne. Nothing could change the baby's fate, that is an example of kismet.

Karma is an example of a kind of fate that is more the result of cause and effect.
There are some commercials on TV where an executive pretends to be a homeless person.
Two people entering a skyscraper treat the homeless person badly. The third person
helps the shabbily dressed homeless woman. The three people were there to apply
for a job. It turns out the owner of the company had disguised herself to see
what the applicants were really like. The kind and considerate applicant got the job.
This, in a way, is like Karma. One's destiny is determined, not from birth, but
because of a person's actions.
 
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Schadenfreude vs Freudenschade vs Sadism

Well, we should be familiar with schadenfreude,
(of German origin). It comes from roots that translate
as "harm-joy". Basically it means taking pleasure in the
misfortune of others. If, for example a crabby, well-dressed,
overweight man slips on a banana peel and splits the back of
his pants, some may find that amusing, but if a sickly,
homeless person did the same, feelings might
be different.

Oops, I forgot Epicaricacy- from the Greek "Joy upon Evil".
Basically it means the same as schadenfreude

Freudenschade is kind of the opposite of schadenfreude-
ans comes from roots meaning "happiness-damage" and
means feeling sadness at another's good fortune. The neighbor
wins a $100,000 lottery prize on his first attempt, ever.... "so, It makes me want to
just hate life, like what's the point of even trying?"

Oops, I forgot the Sadism part. Sadism is more like a mental disorder,
where one person enjoys inflicting pain, suffering, torture, on someone else.
just for the fun of it. Those other things, above, are more like experiencing jealousy over
someone's good fortune, not an urge to eat their brain while sipping
Chianti with the President.
 
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That rings a bell

One day, but not today or yesterday, I saw on You Tube a man explaining
that the idiomatic phrase, "That rings a bell"comes from a period
in history where many people were obsessed with taphophobia, and
because of this fear of premature burial could have a mechanism installed
in their coffin by which they could ring a bell to indicate they were still alive.

But when we say that something "rings a bell", we mean it brings up a memory
or association-- and not, "Help, dig me up, I can't breathe!"

So where do we get a term involving bells that relates to memories or associations?
Well, When Pavlov was formulating his experiments on classical conditioning
he used bells to create a link between the sound of a bell and salivation-
associated with the smell of food. This is the explanation I am going with.

None of that negates the fact that, during the 18th and 19th centuries, a fear of being buried
alive was understandable. Medicine was primitive, then, as compared to today.
The general population could cite numerous, notorious examples of premature burials.
Edgar Allen Poe wrote several stories based on these fears.

Being buried prematurely is one of the most terrifying of all fears. Edgar Allan Poe wrote about it and it has been the subject matter of many horror movies. Surprisingly real life cases of this terrible mistake are more common than one might think. Years ago when embalming wasn’t as common and because of inferior medical equipment to detect life there are numerous cases where people have had the terrifying experience of regaining consciousness in their own coffin. a quick search will disclose many such cases. Some sources are from newspaper articles or journals and include the exact text which gives you a feeling of the time period.
 
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Various, mostly unrelated, words

Sapiophile- A sapiophile (from the roots wise and love) is a person that is
attracted to someone mainly due to their intelligence. A synonym for sapiophile
might be Sapiosexual. In ancient Greece, knowledge and understanding was revered
in the culture. In more modern times, Marilyn Monroe (IQ 168) found men who were intellectuals,
like Einstein, Arthur Miller or Elia Kazan attractive. Monroe's reported IQ was higher than Einstein's.

Frenetic- means, or refers to, wild, hectic, disordered activity.


Frantic- is sort of like frenetic, except involving more mental stress, fear and worry.
The couple frantically searched the neighborhood for their new dog that somehow
escaped the backyard.

Zoot- Especially in England, zoot was a word for marijuana and a zoot suit was
a style of dress worn by hep cats and pachucos-- wide shoulders, high-waisted baggy pants
with narrow cuffs. In Los Angeles there were racial attacks and riots called the zoot suit riots.


Zut alors- is a "French" expression (not really used much by the French) that is an expression
of surprise sort of like "well dang" (or damn or darn)
 
pidginization -
the process of becoming a pidgin (= a type of language that develops when people who do not speak the same language need to communicate with each other, which usually has a simple grammar and vocabulary influenced by several different languages):

Pidginization is a linguistic process that happens when people who do not speak the same language come into contact.

While pidginization involves reduction and simplification, creolization is characterized by expansion and elaboration.

Source: Cambridge Dictionary
 
Twiddle means to fiddle around, to do something without much thought, often repetitive.
The guy in the dentist's office twiddled hid pen between his fingers as if it was a small baton.

Fiddle In addition to playing a violin, fiddle means to handle or fuss around with something in a nervous, restless sort of way.
Unable to see the moon clearly, the backyard astronomer fiddled with the lenses on his telescope, eventually
discovering a sticky fingerprint made from strawberry jelly.

Fidget means to make quick, unconscious, nervous, movements.
The audience members began to fidget in their seats when the performer had not shown up after over an hour
had elapsed.


Sow bug, roly-poly, pill-bug, doodlebug, slater, or woodlouse?
Basically, these are all fairly common names for the same sort of garden "bug". The word you use
is determined, to a degree, by where you grow up. The main difference is with the "roly-poly" or "pill bug" which
can roll itself into a ball shape when it feels threatened, The sow bug because of two appendages at the rear
cannot roll up and will just scurry away. Sow bugs and roly-polys are crustaceans, related to shrimp and
lobsters, not insects.

 
Spendthrift seems to mean the opposite of its real definition.
Seems like it should refer to a person who is thrifty when he spends,
but it really refers to a person who is extravagant in their spending,
in their behavior, Scattergood has a similar construction and use of word
meanings that seem to conflict. it means, I suppose, if you scatter the good, then
you will be left with the bad. It means the same as spendthrift.
A Prodigal (like the Biblical son) is a person, like a spendthrift who leaves
home with a hunk of money and blows it before going back to be supported
by the parents, once again. Profligate is another word that fits with these others.
It means basically the same thing- an extravagant wastrel that squanders his savings.

Spindrift is a word that sounds similar to spendthrift. Spindrift is the light, frothy
spray that blows from the crest of an ocean wave and can refer to anything light
and airy- as in the second stanza of Thomas' poem, In my Craft or Sullen art.

Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.
 
Is it bisque or chowder?

Bisque comes from a French word meaning "crayfish soup", or
possibly, "twice cooked".
In general, a bisque is a smooth, creamy, seafood soup where
the ingredients have been pureed and or strained to remove lumpiness.
Though it originated as a seafood, it can be mage with vegetables, like
or sweet potatoes. Bisque is also a term for a type of pottery.

A chowder is also a creamy soup, often with seafood, but is not usually pureed
and has recognizable ingredients like clam bits and potato chunks, or possibly corn.

Ameliorate or alleviate
Ameliorate means to make something that is bad, unpleasant or unsatisfactory, better.
The new city council did their best to ameliorate poor living conditions.

Alleviate
Alleviate means to not just make less bad, but to actually improve or fix a problem.
The new stop lights will alleviate the long-standing traffic hazard at the corner of 4th and L streets.

Kessler syndrome
If someone is talking about the Kessler syndrome, they are referring to a (so far) hypothetical
situation involving man-made objects in Earth's orbit that could theoretically collide with each other,
thereby creating more (debris) objects that could also collide and geometrically increase the chances for
further destruction and catastrophe.
 
Parhelion
A parhelion, sometimes called a sundog or mock sun is an atmospheric effect that causes the Sun to
appear to have two glowing companions- one on each side- so it looks like three suns lined up in a row.
This fairly rare optical condition is most likely to happen when there are ice crystal in the
atmosphere that (sort of like a rainbow) cause the rays to split (as with a prism) by about 22 degrees.
Depending on circumstances, like clouds, only one extra image might occur.
 
Diametric
or diametrical
means- at opposite poles, characterized by opposite extremes. These opposites could be
almost anything- religious beliefs, opinions, social position, preferences...
-The husband and wife were diametric opposites. She was a Democrat, he a Republican.
She played violin, he played banjo. She read Kafka, he read the Wheaties box...
 
Some of this, some of that

Dilettante A dilettante is a dabbler in some subject (art for example)
that put on a show or pretence of knowledge, though that knowledge or understanding
is superficial and possibly pretentious.
Dilatant, however, is a scientific word that refers to substances that tend to thicken under pressure.

Hubris Hubris comes from Greek tragedy and is the attribute that causes the downfall of the
protagonist- excessive pride, arrogance, overconfidence.

Ignominious means humiliating, despicable, embarrassing...
Because of overconfidence, and lack of practice, he suffered an ignominious defeat.

Tabernacle means a place or dwelling for gathering for worship. Back in the time of nomadic people
in the middle east a tabernacle would be set up in a tent. It would contain all the holy
items required for their worship ceremonies. Nowadays, the word might be used for a church-
or the area within the church where worship takes place.
 
Take it (something) with a grain of salt.

OK what does salt have to do with anything in particular. I can see the logic of "take it with a spoonful
of sugar" but a grain of salt, why that?

Way back in classical Roman times, "a grain of salt" was often added in a recipe for an antidote
to something (poison for example)- so, if you didn't trust your wine to be pure and good, you would
take it with a grain of salt. Now, the term is used a bit differently- meaning "to be skeptical
in dealing with someone or something. So when uncle fred wants to borrow some money, and says
he will pay you back double- well, I would take that with a grain of salt.
 
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