cacoethes
It's possible I've heard this one before, but I like it too much to pass it up, and I don't think I ever knew what it meant before. A "cacoëthes"...
Archive for January, 2008
has the hump
Apparently, in British slang, to "have the hump" is to be "annoyed or upset with someone," according to The Free Dictionary. I wonder if the phrase derives ultimately from Kipling....
lolest
In a comment thread for a YouTube video, someone named "DarthMauricius" wrote (on December 19, 2007): "This is the lolest video ever" The meaning is obvious; I'm just pleased and...
mulligrubs
In a comment on a journal entry a few years back, Sarah P introduced me to the term "mullygrubs," which turns out to be an alternate spelling for mulligrubs, which...
skewwhiff
When I read this word in Perdido Street Station, I assumed it was a misprint; but I looked it up, and sure enough, "skewwhiff" is an adjective or adverb from...
Punny name headline
A headline I saw in late October, apparently provided by Dow Jones Newswires, read: CORRECT: Microsoft Executive Is Harry Patz, Not Putz The corrected article is titled "Wireless Carriers Target...
janitor
Everyone knows that "January" derives from the name of Janus, the Roman god of doors and beginnings and endings. But what I didn't know until a couple weeks ago is...