Here in the States, one often sees trailers like this for “the feel-good movie of the summer” and the like. I suppose it’s done to reassure audiences that the film is exactly what it says on the tin (not like, for example, those complicated foreign movies), and they needn’t worry about situations like that time Grandma took the kids to see A Boy and His Dog.
Something unmeant occurred when the Wiktionary definition was parsed (and number eight is clearly a bug here or a bad edit there), but it comes off vaguely narrative and poetic.
It’s practically straight out of Lovecraft. I miss that rag. In college I had a giant disintegrating cardboard box full of them. (I had this nutty idea I was going to write a role-playing game in the genre.) I was in a band that was briefly named “Maria, the Horse that Eats Cats” (named for the subject of an article titled “Animal lovers outraged at horse – THAT EATS CATS!”) before the other members decided on something more hackneyed.
I eventually gave them all (the magazines) to an appreciative flatmate. Thank Google they’ve been preserved digitally:
To be fair to bilby, you must admit that Buffy works by acknowledging and exploiting precisely the flaws he cites (and more). (And because Dross* Joss W. is brilliant.)
’nach: A nice thing about Wikipedia is that on second reading, it seems like an entirely different book.
Finally, a philosophy for slackers. Presumably our anthem is “Battle of Who Could Care Less”. Or something. (Everyone’s already familiar with the salute.)
A more parallel equivalent is (please forgive me) clambake. The more common hen party and stag party exploit a less anatomical (and less comestible) metaphor.
P.S. (Regarding yarb’s rhetorical citation): Although it’s in no way a scientific sample, Crispian Jago and Neil Davies’ Skeptic Trumps deck surely includes the most prominent members of the “New Athiest” movement. (There might be one or two theists hiding in there.) A quick visual scan suggests that, were you making quotas, you’d want to start with race, not sex. Perhaps it’s a Vienna sausage party.
Yes. Linkified, with the caveat that it’s more of a those-dumb-scientists-are-wasting-our-money humor piece than an actual news item (e.g., the subtitle is “Happy Feet Penguin Goes Missing... Nom Nom Nom Nom”, and the linked sources cited are an editorial and an article in The Sun. The bit where they shove the penguin down the ramp is a little funny). You might find more useful information here.
bilby: I agree. It has an raffishly imperfect symmetry. The bs mirror the ds while the es somersault into schwa-like Latin alphas. (See also the comments on apocope.)
ruzuzu: If you put it in the right font and flip it on its back, you get (approximately) ajqeppaq (if you’re into that). Better yet, break your suggestion into the practically-coherent phrase bed dab bel.* (Giving that the same treatment yields jaq peq paq, which sounds like something one might find on the website proposed by sionnach.
* Oh. That should be “bed bad bel”, which is much funnier, and which I entirely missed. (At least I got it right up-side down.) More egg on my face, and I just changed.
Comments by leaden
Show previous 200 comments...
leaden commented on the word The entire plot is revealed in the trailer.
Here in the States, one often sees trailers like this for “the feel-good movie of the summer” and the like. I suppose it’s done to reassure audiences that the film is exactly what it says on the tin (not like, for example, those complicated foreign movies), and they needn’t worry about situations like that time Grandma took the kids to see A Boy and His Dog.
October 2, 2011
leaden commented on the word accumulate - cumulate
Neat. Consider listing the longer of each pair, so we can click through to definitions.
October 1, 2011
leaden commented on the word hodden
What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hodden grey, an’ a that;
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine;
A Man’s a Man for a’ that.
— Robert Burns. “A Man’s a Man for a’ That”. (source)
P.S.: I’m dubious, fbharjo.
October 1, 2011
leaden commented on the word Exxon-Mobil's
This entry appears to describe the city of Holguín (formerly of Cuba, but apparently now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Exxon).
October 1, 2011
leaden commented on the word PSX-2，Personal
His close friends just called him “2，”.
October 1, 2011
leaden commented on the word RiVER
Is this some kind of Easter-egg hunt? W, as they say, TF?
October 1, 2011
leaden commented on the word Fajčíková
?
October 1, 2011
leaden commented on the word mean
Something unmeant occurred when the Wiktionary definition was parsed (and number eight is clearly a bug here or a bad edit there), but it comes off vaguely narrative and poetic.
September 30, 2011
leaden commented on the word java_one_future
According to Wordnik, java_one_future is found in contexts similar to those in which mean is found. (I gather it’s a synonym of Z score.)
?
September 30, 2011
leaden commented on the word Babies living on board Titanic
I don’t remember those. (Of course, that’s just proof they erased my memory. Gonna need a new tin-foil hat.) Are you thinking of the headline “Space alien virus turned sailors into zombies!” (1992 Sept. 29, page 3)? (That saucer sorta’ looks radioactive. Or electrical, which is close as makes no odds from a journalistic perspective.)
September 30, 2011
leaden commented on the word Babies living on board Titanic
September 30, 2011
leaden commented on the word Animal lovers outraged at horse – THAT EATS CATS!
http://books.google.com/books?id=5-wDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6
September 30, 2011
leaden commented on the word Strange breed of cat found on Saturn's moon
It’s practically straight out of Lovecraft. I miss that rag. In college I had a giant disintegrating cardboard box full of them. (I had this nutty idea I was going to write a role-playing game in the genre.) I was in a band that was briefly named “Maria, the Horse that Eats Cats” (named for the subject of an article titled “Animal lovers outraged at horse – THAT EATS CATS!”) before the other members decided on something more hackneyed.
I eventually gave them all (the magazines) to an appreciative flatmate. Thank Google they’ve been preserved digitally:
http://books.google.com/books/serial/ISSN:0199574X?rview=1
September 30, 2011
leaden commented on the word nautical
sionnach: It reminds me of Smithers’ assertion that “women and seamen don't mix.”
September 30, 2011
leaden commented on the word nautical
In case Wordnik is never fixed (which seems more likely every month), see
http://www.wordnik.com/tags/nautical
for the complete list of words tagged “nautical”.
September 29, 2011
leaden commented on the word pffiffiffi
According to Wordnik, pffiffiffi is found in contexts similar to those in which ! is found.
September 29, 2011
leaden commented on the word vampire pumpkins and watermelons
’zu: Are you saying your book will be like ITGPCB, but Hallowe’enier? I’m totally Bram Stokered.
To be fair to bilby, you must admit that Buffy works by acknowledging and exploiting precisely the flaws he cites (and more). (And because
Dross* Joss W. is brilliant.)’nach: A nice thing about Wikipedia is that on second reading, it seems like an entirely different book.
* Shaking fist Curse you, bilby!
September 29, 2011
leaden commented on the word whateverism
Finally, a philosophy for slackers. Presumably our anthem is “Battle of Who Could Care Less”. Or something. (Everyone’s already familiar with the salute.)
September 28, 2011
leaden commented on the word sausage party
A more parallel equivalent is (please forgive me) clambake. The more common hen party and stag party exploit a less anatomical (and less comestible) metaphor.
September 28, 2011
leaden commented on the word hackle
I am amazed to learn (thanks to hernesheir) that hackle can be a verb (apparently the frequentative form of hack). I suppose that’s what hackers do all day.
September 28, 2011
leaden commented on the word sausage party
P.S. (Regarding yarb’s rhetorical citation): Although it’s in no way a scientific sample, Crispian Jago and Neil Davies’ Skeptic Trumps deck surely includes the most prominent members of the “New Athiest” movement. (There might be one or two theists hiding in there.) A quick visual scan suggests that, were you making quotas, you’d want to start with race, not sex. Perhaps it’s a Vienna sausage party.
September 28, 2011
leaden commented on the word sausage party
I applaud Wiktionary for having the cojones to include an etymology.
September 28, 2011
leaden commented on the word aka
“Aka, small white rata vine, Metrosideros perforata (photo, John Braggins)” source
See also The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia’s entry (for some reason under AKA).
September 27, 2011
leaden commented on the word AKA
The CDC definition clearly refers to aka (although the modern sources I can find call Metrosideros perforata by this name).
September 27, 2011
leaden commented on the word penguin
Yes. Linkified, with the caveat that it’s more of a those-dumb-scientists-are-wasting-our-money humor piece than an actual news item (e.g., the subtitle is “Happy Feet Penguin Goes Missing... Nom Nom Nom Nom”, and the linked sources cited are an editorial and an article in The Sun. The bit where they shove the penguin down the ramp is a little funny). You might find more useful information here.
September 26, 2011
leaden commented on the word nectocalyx
One might call it a slumbrously undulatating obumbrant umbraculiform manubriumless umbrella, but it’s best not to.
I also enjoy the CDC’s (probably now obsolete) use of the word person.
September 26, 2011
leaden commented on the word nectocalyx
Buying or selling?
September 26, 2011
leaden commented on the word a dumb rat, Ion
See adumbration.
September 25, 2011
leaden commented on the word mouse in a bottle
“How ironic! You came here looking for the definition of mouse in a bottle, now you are the definition!”
September 25, 2011
leaden commented on the word jaq peq paq
“Did you mean jaw pew paw?”
Yes. Yes, I did. It’s as though you read my mind.
September 25, 2011
leaden commented on the word beddable
bilby: I agree. It has an raffishly imperfect symmetry. The bs mirror the ds while the es somersault into schwa-like Latin alphas. (See also the comments on apocope.)
ruzuzu: If you put it in the right font and flip it on its back, you get (approximately) ajqeppaq (if you’re into that).
Better yet, break your suggestion into the practically-coherent phrase bed dab bel.* (Giving that the same treatment yields jaq peq paq, which sounds like something one might find on the website proposed by sionnach.* Oh. That should be “bed bad bel”, which is much funnier, and which I entirely missed. (At least I got it right up-side down.) More egg on my face, and I just changed.
September 25, 2011