Tue Sep 30
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om•ma•tid•i•um
[om-uh-tid-ee-uhm]
— noun
One of the structural elements, resembling a single simplified eye, that make up the compound eye of insects and other arthropods.
Mon Sep 29
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par•a•syn•the•sis
[par-uh-sin-thuh-sis]
— noun
The formation of words by a combination of compounding and adding an affix, as in downhearted, formed from down plus heart plus -ed, not down plus hearted.
Fri Sep 26
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qui•nel•la
[kee-nel-uh]
— noun
A system of betting in which the better, in order to win, must pick the first two finishers of a race, but not necessarily in the correct sequence.
Tue Sep 23
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Cat beating up a printer
#
“ A rumble has commenced in my descending bowel, heralding a tremendous defecation. ”
Binx Bolling
Sat Sep 20
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Fifty People, One Question
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“ Melancholia is the profane ground out of which springs the sacred. ”
Eric G. Wilson
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om•mat•o•phore
[uh-mat-uh-fawr]
— noun
A movable stalk ending with an eye, as found in certain snails.
Tue Sep 16
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ret•ro•nym
[re-truh-nim]
— noun
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.
#
Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
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“ And now it goes as it goes and where it ends is Fate. ”
Aeschylus
Mon Sep 15
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“ At a given time, you’re probably the only person who cares how angry you are. ”
Merlin Mann
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par•a•prax•is
[par-uh-prak-sis]
— noun
A minor error, such as a slip of the tongue, thought to reveal a repressed motive.
Sun Sep 14
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re•cid•i•vate
[ri-sid-uh-veyt]
— verb
To return to a previous pattern of behavior, especially to return to criminal habits.
Fri Sep 12
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zeug•ma
[zoog-muh]
— noun
A construction in which a single word, especially a verb or an adjective, is applied to two or more nouns when its sense is appropriate to only one of them or to both in different ways, as in He took my advice and my wallet.
Wed Sep 10
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par•am•ne•sia
[par-am-nee-zhuh]
— noun
1. A distortion of memory in which fantasy and objective experience are confused.
2. An inability to recall the meanings of common words.
2. An inability to recall the meanings of common words.
Tue Sep 9
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de•sid•er•a•tive
[di-sid-er-uh-tiv]
— adjective
1. Of, relating to, or expressing desire.
2. Grammar Designating a clause, a sentence, or in some languages an inflected verb form that expresses desire.
2. Grammar Designating a clause, a sentence, or in some languages an inflected verb form that expresses desire.
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Alan Watts on music and education
Mon Sep 8
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par•en•ter•al
[pa-ren-ter-uhl]
— adjective
1. Physiology Located outside the alimentary canal.
2. Medicine Taken into the body or administered in a manner other than through the digestive tract, as by intravenous or intramuscular injection.
2. Medicine Taken into the body or administered in a manner other than through the digestive tract, as by intravenous or intramuscular injection.
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Anti-Dachshunds
Fri Sep 5
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“ Brother, can you paradigm? ”
Grafitti seen at IBM Austin, 1989
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quin•cunx
[kwing-kuhngks]
— noun
An arrangement of five objects with one at each corner of a rectangle or square and one at the center.
Tue Sep 2
#
Hey Little Twelve Toes
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Tip Foil GSM speaker chatter
Many GSM phones (such as the iPhone) create an annoying noise when placed near unshielded speakers. Laying the phone on top of a piece of aluminum foil significantly cuts down on the chatter.
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in•ef•fa•ble
[in-ef-uh-buhl]
— adjective
1. Incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible: ineffable joy.
2. Not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable: the ineffable name of the deity.
2. Not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable: the ineffable name of the deity.