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Friday, January 08, 2021

In other words, flotsam and jetsam

  • bicky, noun. A biscuit.
  • flotsam, noun. The part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water. Compare jetsam.
  • futurism, noun. A belief that biblical prophecies, especially those contained in the book of Revelation, will be literally fulfilled at some point in the future.
  • futzing, noun. Ineffectual or trifling activity; messing about; tinkering. Chiefly with around.
  • homoeoteleuton, noun. An occurrence in writing of the same or similar endings near together (as in neighboring clauses or lines) whether happening by chance or done for rhythmical effect.
  • howzit, interjection. Used as a greeting or to enquire about a person’s well-being: “how’s it going?”
  • iotacism (or itacism), noun. In Greek, the pronunciation of eta (η) as iota (ι, long ē); a misspelling resulting from such pronunciation.
  • ipsissima verba, noun (plural). The precise words.
  • jetsam, noun. Goods cast overboard deliberately, as to lighten a vessel or improve its stability in an emergency, which sink where jettisoned or are washed ashore. Compare flotsam.
  • kerygma, noun. The proclamation of religious truths, especially as taught in the Gospels; The Apostolic proclamation of religious truths.
  • meeja, noun. The mass media; the members of the mass media, regarded as an identifiable social group.
  • nirl, verb (transitive). To shrivel, shrink; to pinch with the cold.
  • non sequitur, noun. A conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement; a statement containing an illogical conclusion. (Latin, it does not follow.)
  • paranoid, adjective. Characterized by the belief (especially when viewed as irrational) in the goodwill of others or the pervasiveness of serendipity. Compare paranoid.
  • preterism, noun. A belief that interprets biblical prophecies as events which have already happened in the first century A.D. (as opposed to remaining to be fulfilled in the future).
  • pronoid, adjective. Characterized by the delusion of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance. Compare pronoid.
  • teh tarik, noun. Sweet tea with milk, prepared by pouring the liquid back and forth repeatedly between two containers so as to produce a thick foam on top; a drink of this. (A borrowing from Malaysian.)
  • Throgmorton Street, noun. Allusively: the London Stock Exchange; London Stock Exchange members or traders collectively; the financial sector of the City of London in general.
  • Wall Street, noun. Allusively: the American money market or financial interests.
  • zeroth, adjective. Of an item in a series: coming before the item conventionally regarded as the first.

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