“My uncle was ad-libbing as a physician.” I talked to this guy, and he clarified that he meant “moonlighting”.
Tag: words
Sep 11
Slumgum
“Slumgum in beekeeping is the residue of the beeswax rendering process. When the beeswax from brood comb is rendered to produce clean wax, it leaves behind the pupal lining, wax moth cocoons, excrement from larvae, and other residual debris included in the original material.” from Wikipedia For extra fun, do a Google image search for “slum …
Nov 04
Zerk
When I was growing up I remember hearing the term ‘grease zert,’ and I just assumed it was a made-up word. While my dad was skilled at a lot of things (drawing, aviation, mechanics,welding), he was not always known to handle the English language in a manner consistent with the generally agreed upon principles of usage …
Jan 30
Twee
A British pejorative meaning overly quaint, dainty, cute or nice. The word comes from a childish pronunciation of ‘sweet.’ “Those Beatrix Potter animals are a little twee for my taste.” See more at wiktionary.
Mar 27
Literally literally does not mean literally
“Update: Graham’s spokesperson has clarified to Bloomberg that when Graham said “I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to,” that statement was “not to be taken literally.” Glad that’s been cleared up.” –from Vox.com’s article about Lindsey Graham. They don’t say it, but people who don’t understand what literally …
Feb 23
Boobam
“The name boobam was coined in Mill Valley, California in 1954 and was described as “bamboo spelled sideways”.” –from the Wikipedia article on the awesomely named instrument. Update: I was reviewing my blog posts and figured I ought to clarify the pronunciation of this instrument. It should be pronounced like too separate words, with the …
Feb 15
The MadMania Podcast: Episode 1
In this, our no-doubt awesome inaugural episode my daughter, Elsa, and I discuss words: the good, the bad, and the German. Also our favorite diseases, and why you should definitely go into heavy metal.
Jan 21
Supercalawhatever
“Supercalafragilisticexpialidocious, even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious” It takes a bold lyricist to admit when his song is obnoxious in the very lyrics of said song.
May 07
ultima Thule
“The term ultima Thule in medieval geographies denotes any distant place located beyond the ‘borders of the known world’.” Link to the Wikipedia article.
