Definition: adj weird, eerie
Quotation: “Now as England was a country of fixed ways, they imprisoned him in the same chamber where they had put Oldenburg twenty years before.
“But some things were changed even in England; James II was peevish and fitful where his older brother had been merry, and so Daniel was kept closer than [...]
Entries from March 2008
Eldritch
March 31st, 2008 · 2 Comments
Tags: Word of the Day
Kludge
March 30th, 2008 · No Comments
Definition: noun a system and especially a computer system made up of poorly matched components
Quotation: “‘Cable is a kludge,’ remarked Mr. Harris of Jupiter Communications, using a computer term for an inelegant solution to a technical problem. ‘The market is aching to have everything in full motion, and cable is sort of a middle-of-the-road solution.’”
[...]
Tags: Word of the Day
Contumely
March 24th, 2008 · No Comments
Definition: noun harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; also : an instance of such language or treatment
Quotation: “These days, with its spinoffs and reruns, the show has become something of a joke itself, risking critical contumely and self-parody by spreading like an oil slick into every unoccupied slot on television.” - from [...]
Tags: Word of the Day
Fugue
March 23rd, 2008 · 2 Comments
Definition: 1 a: a musical composition in which one or two themes are repeated or imitated by successively entering voices and contrapuntally developed in a continuous interweaving of the voice parts b: something that resembles a fugue especially in interweaving repetitive elements
2: a disturbed state of consciousness in which the one affected seems to perform [...]
Tags: Word of the Day
Tree Rollins & Co.
March 18th, 2008 · 1 Comment
I saw a little blurb on the ACC Tournament coverage the other day about Tree Rollins and it inspired a new addition to the Fortress of Knowledge. In researching the entry, I found lots of delicious trivia. Some of my favorite entries: “Most stupendous dunk in a game”, “Most backboards [...]
Tags: Sports
Commensurate
March 18th, 2008 · No Comments
Definition: equal in measure or extent : coextensive 2 : corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate
Quotation: “Neal’s basketball blunders are commensurate with his general lack of talent at all things competitive”. - me
Tags: Word of the Day
Recidivism
March 15th, 2008 · No Comments
Definition: noun a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially : relapse into criminal behavior
Quotation: “Does Mr. Muraskin not know any 13 year old children he’d personally be distraught over to know they’d been abused by a recidivistic sex offender?”
- from a post on Jeff Matthews Is Not Making [...]
Tags: Word of the Day
Riposte
March 13th, 2008 · No Comments
Definition: noun 1 : a fencer’s quick return thrust following a parry 2 : a retaliatory verbal sally : retort 3 : a retaliatory maneuver or measure
Quotation: “Barack Obama told The Reno Gazette-Journal that ‘Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that, you know, Richard Nixon did not [...]
Tags: Word of the Day
Schadenfreude
March 12th, 2008 · 3 Comments
Definition: noun enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others (from German meaning, literally, “damage joy”)
Quotation: “…troubled male stars like Robert Downey Jr. are encouraged to move past problems to a second act in their careers, while the personal battles of women like Lindsay Lohan or the late Anna Nicole Smith are often played for maximum [...]
Tags: Word of the Day
Sang-froid
March 11th, 2008 · No Comments
Definition: noun self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain. (from French meaning, literally, “cold blood”)
Quotation: “‘I mean, it’s just kind of like … whatever … I’m here for a purpose,’ the affidavit quotes her as saying. ‘I know what my purpose is. I am not a … moron, you know what I mean.’
Ms. Lewis complimented [...]
Tags: Word of the Day