et tu, Brute

Borrowed from Latin et tū, Brūte (literally “and you, Brutus”). Used figuratively from 1591 (sometimes jocularly) to express shock and sadness at the treachery of a good friend. Although apparently an Elizabethan invention, a “genuine antique reproduction”, it appears to have been well known in England before its use in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

bor

[Prince Edward:] Et tu Brute, wilt thou stab Cæsar too? A parlie sirra to George of Clarence.

1591, William Shakespeare (disputed), “The True Tragedie of Richard Duke of York, and the Death of Good King Henrie the Sixt”, in Alexander Dyce, Robert Dodsley, Thomas Amyot, editors, A Supplement to Dodsley's Old Plays, volume IV, Shakespeare Society, published 1853, page 176:

[Casca stabs Cæsar in the Neck. Cæsar catches hold of his Arm. He is then stabbed by several other Conspirators, and at last by Marcus Brutus.]
Cæsar: Et Tu Brute?—Then fall, Cæsar.
[Dies. The senators and people retire in confusion.]

1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 119, column 1:

And that is the reason why a young buck with an intelligent looking calf's head before him, is somehow one of the saddest sights you can see. The head looks a sort of reproachfully at him, with an “Et tu Brute!” expression.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

“Oh, Gilbert, not you,” implored Anne, in an et-tu Brute tone. “I thought you would understand. Can’t you see how awful it is?”

1915, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, Anne of the Island, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, →OCLC:

Barney Custer turned his incredulous eyes upon the lieutenant. “Et tu, Brute?” he cried in anguished accents, letting his head fall back into the girl’s lap. He found it very comfortable there indeed.

1926, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Mad King:

But according to the Oxford editor of Julius Caesar, ‘Et tu, Brute’ had probably already become a popular tag by the time of True Tragedy [see 1591 cite], readily understood by English speakers just as it is today.

[2002, Randall Martin, editor, Henry VI, Part Three, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, footnote, page 112:

"Et tu, Brute?" (3.1.76). This familiar but strange, strangely familiar, anachronistic foreign language at the heart of Julius Caesar is the only Latin in all of Shakespeare's so-called Roman plays.

[2006, Maria Wyke, Julius Caesar in Western Culture, Blackwell Publishing, →ISBN, page 223:

"You too, Brutus" or "even you, Brutus"; expressing a recognition of betrayal.

Julius Caesar (play)
Shakespeare's Ghost Writers
et tu, Brute?


Ptolemy

From Ancient Greek Πτολεμαῖος (Ptolemaîos).

A male given name from Ancient Greek of Greek origin, borne by historical persons in ancient Egypt.

Claudius Ptolemaeus (c. 90 – c. 168 AD), a Greek-speaking mathematician, geographer, astronomer, and astrologer who lived in the Hellenistic culture of Alexandria in Roman Egypt. His most important works were the Almagest and the Geography

Ptolemy I Soter ("Ptolemy the Savior", 367 BC—283 BC), a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great who was the ruler of Egypt (323 B.C.E—283 B.C.E) and founder of the Ptolemaic Empire. In 305 BC he took the role of King.

The Egyptian ruling dynasty of peoples who held the given name Ptolemy.


borogove

/ˈbɒɹə(ʊ)ɡəʊv/

The borogove let out a quiet chirp. Another, larger borogove squirmed in through the hole in the fabric.

2006, David Brown, Kara Willey, The Worlds of Naughtenny Moore, →ISBN:

Its knee bent the wrong way, though Albert thought it was certainly the right way for the borogove . Another borogove popped out of the forest and followed the first across the road, then a third and a fourth .

2013, Mel Gilden, The Jabberwock Came Whiffling: A Novel of Fantasy, →ISBN, page 22:

It smelled like a wet borogove.

2014, Daniel Coleman, Jabberwocky: A Novel, →ISBN:

With the Borogove's long legs, they hop and step over some incoming attacks.

2015, Donald Weis, Monster Lore 2, →ISBN, page 12:

An animal introduced in the nonsense poem Jabberwocky. According to Humpty Dumpty, a borogove is "a thin shabby-looking bird with its feathers sticking out all round, something like a live mop." According to Mischmasch, it is "an extinct kind of parrot. They had no wings, beaks turned up, and made their nests under sun-dials: lived on veal."


Hoovercrat

(informal) An ally of President Herbert Hoover during his campaign and/or presidency.


Chopin

en-proper noun

Chopin (countable and uncountable, plural Chopins)

Borrowed from French Chopin, from chopine (“measure of liquid”), from chope (“tankard”), from Alemannic German Schoppe, from Proto-Germanic *skuppōną, from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-. Related to English scoop.

Frédéric Chopin, a Polish-born classical composer.


Elisha

From Biblical Hebrew אֱלִישָׁע (Elisha').

(biblical) A prophet, a disciple and successor of Elijah.

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin, in quiet use since the 17th century.

A female given name from Hebrew in occasional use, apparently confused with Elizabeth or Alicia.


Michelangelo

From Italian Michelangelo, from Michele (“Michael”) + Angelo (“Angel”), referring to Michael the Archangel.

In the room the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo.

1915 June, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, in Prufrock and Other Observations, London: The Egoist […], published 1917, →OCLC, page 10:

Where did Picasso come from? / There's no Michelangelo coming from Pittsburgh

1990, Lou Reed, John Cale (lyrics and music), “Smalltown”, in Songs for Drella:

A 15th- and 16th-century Italian artist, full name Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475–1564).


Tobiah

From the Hebrew name טוֹבִיָּה (Toviyyah, “Yahweh is good”).

But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

An Ammonite mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah. (biblical character)


voodoo economics

Coined by George H. W. Bush during the 1980 Republican primaries.

Riot shields, voodoo economics / It's just business, cattle prods and the I.M.F / I trust I can rely on your vote

1997, “Electioneering”, in OK Computer, performed by Radiohead:

Supply-side economics
supply-side economics

(derogatory, slang) Supply-side economics, particularly in reference to policies based on the Laffer curve.


Picasso

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), Spanish painter, best known as a founder of the Cubist movement.


Nimrod

A British biplane fighter aircraft manufactured by Hawker Aircraft in the early 1930s.


Hitlerism

From Hitler + -ism, named after German politician Adolf Hitler (1889-1945).

The political philosophy and practices of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.


all that glitters is not gold

Calque of Latin nōn omne quod nitet aurum est (“not all that shines is gold”). Popularized by William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice, see quotations.

cal

All that gliſters is not gold,
 Often haue you heard that told, […]

c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii], signature [D4], recto:

Things that appear valuable or worthwhile might not actually be so; things that look nice might not be as good as they look.

لَيْسَ كُلُّ مَا يَلْمَعُ ذَهَبًا

things that appear valuable or worthwhile might not actually be so

wah sweet nanny goat a guh run 'im belly


Van Gogh

This sensation of an object becoming alive is a characteristic that, I believe, seizes all viewers of a van Gogh. The Bible goes beyond being a simple still-life object to become a living thing, an expression of strength, an existence that emanates from itself, beyond the painting surface to participate in our very lives.

2010, Antonio Saggio, A Secret van Gogh: His Motif and Motives, →ISBN, page 11:

Vincent van Gogh, Dutch draughtsman and painter.

فان غوخ

fān ḡōḵ, vān ḡōḵ


Nixon

From Nick + -son, an alteration of Nickson, originally a patronymic meaning "son of Nicholas".

census-designated place
census-designated place

A census-designated place in Washoe County, Nevada, United States, named in honor of George S. Nixon, Nevada senator.


Walpole

From Old English words for "wall" and "pool".

A village and civil parish (served by Cookley and Walpole Parish Council) in East Suffolk district, Suffolk, England (OS grid ref TM3674).


Bunyan

A locality in the Snowy Monaro Region of New South Wales, Australia; the name is from an Aboriginal language.


Heliogabalus

hē'lēəgăbʹələs

hē'lēōgăbʹələs

A Greek form of Elagabalus, with the first element (and the god) identified with Helios.

But yet I think nobody, could he be sure that the soul of Heliogabalus were in one of his hogs, would yet say that hog were a man or Heliogabalus.

1689, John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book II, ch xxvii:

I spent five days in conversing with many others of the ancient learned. I saw most of the first Roman emperors. I prevailed on the governor to call up Heliogabalus's cooks to dress us a dinner, but they could not show us much of their skill, for want of materials.

1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan):

How pleaſed therefore will the Reader be to find, that we have, in the following Work, adhered cloſely to one of the higheſt Principles of the beſt Cook which the preſent Age, or perhaps that of Heliogabalus, hath produced. This great Man, as is well known to all polite Lovers of eating, begins at firſt by ſetting plain Things before his hungry Gueſts, riſing afterwards by Degrees, as their Stomachs may be ſuppoſed to decreaſe, to the very Quinteſſence of Sauce and Spices.

1749, Henry Fielding, “The Introduction to the Work, or Bill of Fare to the Feaſt”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume I, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book I, page 5:

I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus,

1879, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, “I am the very pattern of a modern major-general”, in The Pirates of Penzance […], Philadelphia: J.M. Stoddart & Co., published 1880, →OCLC, page 16:

Synonym of Elagabalus (“Roman emperor, noted for decadence, eccentricity, femininity, and disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos”).


Livy

A diminutive of the female given name Olivia.


Mohammad

A male given name from Arabic: alternative spelling of Muhammad


Delilah

Borrowed from Hebrew דְּלִילָה (d'līla, “[she who] weakened”).

bor

And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

The mistress of Samson who betrayed him to the Philistines.

"Leila!" she said enigmatically. "Have you seen her?" / "I went to her flat last week with Dad—he likes her." / "Delilah is her real name, you know. All men like her. And Captain Fort is her lover."

1919 October, John Galsworthy, chapter I, in Saint’s Progress, London: William Heinemann, published December 1919, →OCLC, part III, 1 §, page 220:

A female given name from Hebrew of Biblical origin.


Delilah

About twenty-three years ago the town talked about Richepin having deserted hearth and home, wife and child, to devote himself to a Delilah in the person of a famous actress.

1908 March 11, “Notes from Paris”, in Truth, page 168:

A libertine; a harlot; a woman of loose morals.


ringwraith

From Ringwraith (fantasy character), in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings; from ring + wraith.

It is twisted out of shape and used for base purposes by the ringwraiths, the bent ones among the intellectuals, for purposes that are transient...

1976, Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, page 192:

...or shandy quaffers at tennis with Joan Hunter-Dunn, even though many of them are mere ringwraiths of the Thomson Empire.

1982, William Ready, Files on Parade: A Memoir, page 231:

This book, then, is a sort of tribute: an ode to the Himalaya of heavy rock, a paganish take on rock and roll, ringwraiths, and the iconic fetish of the gatefold LP."

2005, Erik Davis, Led Zeppelin IV, page 9:

A person who is loyal, as if bound or entranced, to a band, group or organization.


Monet

As a French surname, a pet form of names ending in -mon such as Simon, Aymon, etc.


Rembrandt

Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch painter and printmaker.


Attila the Hun

(historical) Attila, kingly ruler of the tribe of the Huns and vast Eurasian Hunnic Empire and feared enemy of the Roman Empire, from 434 until his death in 453.


Rebekah

From Hebrew רִבְקָה (Riḇqāh, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).

And Isaac was fortie yeeres old when hee tooke Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the ſiſter to Laban the Syrian.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 25:20:

(biblical) The sister of Laban; Isaac's wife; the mother of Jacob and Esau.


Iago

From Welsh, Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician Iago, from Latin Iācōbus (“James”), from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (ya‘ăqṓḇ, “Jacob”, literally “he will/shall heel”), from עָקֵב (‘āqḗḇ, “heel”) and the Biblical account of the patriarch Jacob's birth in Genesis 25:26. Doublet of Yago, Jago, James, Jacob, Jacques, Diego, Santiago, and San Diego.

doublet

The villain of William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello; any similar villain or deceitful underling.


Hitlerian

en-adj

Hitlerian (comparative more Hitlerian, superlative most Hitlerian)

more Hitlerian (comparative)
most Hitlerian (superlative)

Unable to contain his excitement, Foyʼs voice rose two octaves and took on a Hitlerian fervor.

2015, Paul Beatty, The Sellout, Oneworld Publications (2016), page 217:

War is war — but we need to understand how wrong it is to see the temporary triumph of fascist villainy as the destruction, once and for all, of the German people and the inauguration of an eternal kingdom of Hitlerian darkness.

2019, Vasily Grossman, translated by Robert Chandler and Yury Bit-Yunan, Stalingrad, page 220:

Hitlerian occupation authorities had been preparing action against Polish underground very carefully.

(Can we date this quote?), Ewelina Pawelic, “Nazi’s reprisals on civilians: Executions in Karolin and Kazanów on 18th March 1942”, in Regional Museum in Zwolen:

Of, relating to, or resembling Hitler (the German chancellor) or his actions.


Hitlerian

Since a German Communist state existed, a state peaceful and democratic by definition, it became more difficult to speak of crimes committed by Germans in general. Poles were confronted with a kind of "Marxization" of the German problem that had to be resolved in terms of classes: in the east were the good Germans because they were progressive; in the west, the bad Germsans, reactionaries, heirs of Nazism, even more-or-less camouflaged Hitlerians.

2004, Henry Rousso, Richard Joseph Golsan, Stalinism and Nazism: history and memory compared, page 247:


Sarai

From Hebrew שרי (Saráy), from the plural form of שר (“master, chief”).

And Abram tooke Sarai his wife, and Lot his brothers sonne, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the soules that they had gotten in Haran, and they went foorth to goe into the land of Canaan: and into the land of Canaan they came.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 12:5:

A female given name from Hebrew, most famously borne by Sarah, the wife of Abram and mother of Isaac in the Bible, prior to her name change.


Tabitha

From Aramaic טביתא (Ṭabītā’, “doe, roe, gazelle”), translated as Dorcas in the Bible.

uder

A female given name from Aramaic of biblical origin.


Enoch

From Late Latin Enoch, from Ancient Greek Ἑνώχ (Henṓkh), from Hebrew חֲנוֹךְ (Ḥănôḵ).

der

Hebrew חֲנוֹךְ (Ḥănôḵ)

A First Nation reserve in Alberta, Canada; the postal name of Stony Plain Indian Reserve No. 135.


Valentinus

From the Roman masculine name Latin Valentinus, from Latin valens (“strong, healthy”).

(historical) A gnostic theologian living in Egypt and Rome (c.100 - c.153).


Brenda

Possibly from Old Norse brandr (“sword”); by folk etymology seen as a feminine form of Brendan. Its use as a nickname for Queen Elizabeth II originated in Private Eye in reaction to a perceived attempt by the royals to appear less distant and upper class.

We have already mentioned Minna and Brenda, the daughters of Magnus Troil. Their mother had been dead for many years, and they were now two beautiful girls

1821, Walter Scott, chapter III, in The Pirate:

'Brandi's father owns a number of radio stations across the country.' He smiled. 'Beware of women whose first names are potable.'
'I'll keep it in mind.'
'Actually, her real name is Brenda. She was named after Brenda Marshall, who was an actress in the forties. Apparently, my father-in-law was a huge fan.'

1997, Joy Fielding, Missing Pieces, page 85:

There is a widespread belief that Brenda plays no part in politics. This is not entirely true. For instance, she has very strong feelings on Rhodesia.

1977, “Loyal News”, in Private Eye, numbers 393-418, page 23:

Windsor, I was always led to believe. But--as with license plates--they don't ever have to use it. Brenda just signs herself Elizabeth R (Regina).

1993 August 10, Jonathan Beasley Murray, “Re: Royal Family's last name?”, in soc.culture.british (Usenet):

That is something that can never be removed entirely from anyone, the cold aloofness that is seen in the royal family is something that has been bred into them, but it doesn't take away their humanity at all. You only had to see the pictures of Brenda visiting the homeless hostel to know that she was bottling back tears.

2002 February 13, Heretic, “Re: Old Gin Slugger is dead.”, in uk.current-events.n-ireland (Usenet):

The problem isn't just Brenda, it is that there will never be agreement on what to replace her with. viz. the House of Lords debacle, the Australian Republican referendum.

2002 November 6, Tom, “Re: "Be careful, Paul..."”, in uk.politics.misc (Usenet):


globalist

Coordinate term: continentalist

(historiography) One who believes that Adolf Hitler intended to extend the Third Reich beyond the continent of Europe.


Tito

Josip Broz Tito, a Yugoslav revolutionary and politician.


Lois

From Ancient Greek Λωΐς (Lōḯs), of obscure meaning. Unrelated to Louise or Louisa.

Modernity might also lie in a name like Lois - pronounced Loys in Trinidad - which came to the island in the 1940s through Lois Lane, the heroine of the American Superman comic strip.

1962, V.S.Naipaul, The Middle Passage, page 48:

A female given name from Ancient Greek of biblical origin.


Æ

head

Æ (upper case, lower case æ, plural Æs or Æ's)

(chiefly dated or linguistics) A ligature of vowels A and E, called ash.


muckraker

John Bunyan
The Pilgrim's Progress
Theodore Roosevelt
muckraker

From muck + raker. Believed to have been coined following a 1906 speech by United States President Theodore Roosevelt, in which he likened the investigative journalist to ‘the Man with the Muck-rake’, a character in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.

"Oh, in many ways. There are two classes of people who are not welcomed on the Canal Zone—magazine writers and applicants for positions who have political influence back of them. The former are regarded as muckrakers, the latter as spies."

"Lady," says he, "the goil's nutty! You got a bughouse patient on your bands! This here talk about the white-slave traffic, ma'am… it's all the work o' these magazine muckrakers!"

en:Progressive-Era justice-seeker in 1890s-1920s span

(US, historical) One of a group of American investigative reporters, novelists and critics of the Progressive Era (the 1890s to the 1920s).


Zebulun

Old Testament Hebrew זְבֻלוּן (zebulun), a son of Jacob.


Laban

From Middle English Laban, from Latin Laban, from Koine Greek Λάβαν (Lában), from Biblical Hebrew לָבָן (Lāḇān).

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Bilhah

A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Naphtali

From Biblical Hebrew נַפְתָּלִי (naftalí), a son of Jacob. Compare Arabic نافس (“to compete with”).


Beowulf

Learned borrowing from Old English Bēowulf, probably equivalent to bee + wolf, though the first element is uncertain.

lbor

Beowulf is as great a hero as Sigmund.

(poetic) An Anglo-Saxon personal name, usually with reference to the hero of the poem, or to the poem itself.


Zilpah

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: ²³ The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: ²⁴ The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: ²⁵ And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: ²⁶ And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padan-aram.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 35:22-26:

(biblical) Handmaid of Leah and mother of Gad and Asher.


Issachar

/ˈɪ.səˌkɑː(ɹ)/

From Biblical Hebrew יִשָּׂשׁכָר (“Issachar”), a son of Jacob.


Asher

Pottawatomie County
Pottawatomie County#English

A town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States.


Zoilus

Borrowed from Latin Zōilus, from Ancient Greek Ζωΐλος (Zōḯlos).

An Ancient Greek grammarian and critic (400–320 B.C.), known for his harsh criticisms of Homer’s poems.


Machiavelli

Probably from Italian mal- + chiavello, in which the second component is a diminutive of chiavo (“nail”). The name is attested in a Late Latin document in the form Malclavelli.

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), Italian statesman and writer, whose work The Prince (1532) advises that acquiring and exercising power may require unethical methods.


Machiavelli

Someone like Niccolò Machiavelli: a Machiavellian person


bigly

en-adj

bigly (comparative more bigly, superlative most bigly)

more bigly (comparative)
most bigly (superlative)

From Middle English bygly, biglie, byggly (“comfortable, stately, perfect”), borrowed from Old Norse byggiligr, byggviligr (“habitable”); equivalent to big (“to build, construct, live in, reside, dwell”) + -ly. Cognate with Icelandic byggilegur (“inhabitable, liveable”).

cog

"And steek it weel, thy biglie bower, / And by the rood thee sain; / And tell thy bedes in haly guise, / Till this ae night is gane!"

1806, Robert Jamieson, “Donul and Evir”, in Robert Jamieson, editor, Popular Ballads and Songs, from Tradition, Manuscripts, and Scarce Editions; with Translations of Similar Pieces from the Ancient Danish Language, and a Few Originals by the Editor, volume I, Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh; Cadell and Davies, and John Murray, London, →OCLC, page 235:

When I was in my bigly bower, / I wore but what I would; / This night I'm lighter 'mang Willie's horse feet, / I fear I'll die for cold.

1828, Peter Buchan, “Burd Helen”, in Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland, hitherto Unpublished. With Explanatory Notes, by Peter Buchan, Corresponding Member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume II, Edinburgh: Printed for W[illiam] & D[avid] Laing, and J. Stevenson [et al.], →OCLC, page 35:

(Scotland, now obsolete elsewhere) Habitable, liveable; hence delightful, pleasant, pleasing.


Sacagawea

/ˌsækəd͡ʒəˈwi.ə/

Borrowed from Hidatsa Cagáàgawia, from cagáàga (“bird”) + míà (“woman”).

(historical) The Native American girl who led explorers Lewis and Clark across the United States.


Dumas

A place in the United States:
A city in Desha County, Arkansas.

A place in the United States:
A town in Tippah County, Mississippi.

An unincorporated community in Clark County, Missouri.

A city, the county seat of Moore County, Texas.


Nelson

en-proper noun

Nelson (countable and uncountable, plural Nelsons)

From Middle English Neil + -son and Nell + -son.
* In the United States, also an Anglicisation of North Germanic (Scandinavian) surnames such as Nilsen, Nielsen, and Nilsson, equivalent to "son of Nicholas".

A town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire.


Regan

A female given name transferred from the surname or from the name of the evil daughter of King Lear. William Shakespeare may have got the name from the ultimately same Irish source.


Reagan

Audio (US)

Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Riagáin "descendant of Riagán", a personal name possibly derived from ríodhgach "impulsive, furious".

Of the administration of Ronald Reagan, U.S. President from 1981–1989.


Lennon

From Irish Ó Leannáin (“descendant of Lover (Leannán)”) and from Ó Lonáin (“descendant of Blackbird (Lonán)”).

der

descendant of Lover (<i class="Latn mention" lang="ga">Leannán</i>)

Shiawassee County
Shiawassee County#English

A village in Venice Township, Shiawassee County and Clayton Township, Genesee County, Michigan, United States.


Asa

en-proper noun

Asa (countable and uncountable, plural Asas)

Via Late Latin Asa from Koine Greek Ἀσά (Asá) from Biblical Hebrew אָסָא (ʾĀsāʾ), from Aramaic אָסְיָא (ʾāsyā, “physician, doctor, healer”), from Akkadian 𒀀𒍪 (A.ZU /asû/) from Sumerian 𒀀𒍪 (A.ZU /azu/, “physician, healer”); compare Classical Syriac ܐܵܣܝܵܐ (ʾāsyā, “healer, physician, medical doctor”) whence Arabic آسٍ (ʔāsin).

cog

And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Kings 15:9-11:

(biblical) The third king of Judah mentioned in the Books of Kings who succeeded his father Abijah; the father of King Jehoshaphat. (Matthew calls him "Asaph" in Matthew 1:7.)

A male given name from Hebrew first used by Puritans.


Clintonesque

en-adj

Clintonesque (comparative more Clintonesque, superlative most Clintonesque)

more Clintonesque (comparative)
most Clintonesque (superlative)

In a manner reminiscent of the style of politician and Bill's wife Hillary Clinton.


Amalec

Via Late Latin Amālēc from Koine Greek Ἀμᾱλήκ (Amālḗk) from Biblical Hebrew עֲמָלֵק (ʾĂmālēq).

(biblical) The grandson of Esau through his eldest son, in the Hebrew Bible.


Moab

From Ancient Greek Μωάβ (Mōáb), from Biblical Hebrew מוֹאָב (môʾāḇ). Attested to as Moabite 𐤌𐤀𐤁 (mʾb) and Ancient Egyptian mwjbw N35A-M17-D58-G43-N25

A city, the county seat of Grand County, Utah, United States.


Gandhi

en-proper noun

Gandhi (countable and uncountable, plural Gandhis)

From Gujarati ગાંધી (gā̃dhī, “grocer, merchant”), from Sanskrit गन्ध (gandha, “perfume”). Originally, a trader in perfume.

bor

(countable, South Asia) A surname from India used by Hindu, Jain, Parsi and Sikh people throughout India.


Gog

Gog and Magog, a figure (or two figures) mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Ezekiel 38 and 39, and variously identified by later writers with Satan or certain hostile nations. (See Revelation 20:8.)

By gogs bloud my maiſters, we will not put vp this ſo quietly, […]

1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:

(obsolete) Replacement for the word God when swearing, forming vulgar minced oaths originating in the 14th century: by Gog’s wounds, Gog’s bread...


Gog

(UK, slang) Synonym of North Walian: a person from North Wales.


Reaganism

en-noun

Reaganism (countable and uncountable, plural Reaganisms)

(uncountable) The specific conservative ideology associated with the Reagan administration, 1981-1989.

(countable) A statement or position commonly associated with Ronald Reagan.


snicker-snack

Coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, probably relating to snickersnee.

(nonce word) An onomatopoeia of unclear meaning, possibly referring to sharpness, or the sound of a blade cutting through something.


Obed

From Hebrew אובד or עוֹבֵד (Oved, “servant”).

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Hooverville

From Hoover + -ville, named after Herbert Hoover.

(historical) Any of many shantytowns established by the homeless in the United States in the Great Depression of the early twentieth century.


mad as a March hare

Possibly from the boisterous behaviour of hares in their breeding season.

[S]he was with childe in hir huſbande his abſence, or that hir louer vſed hir fondly in open preſence, as the preſumption was not onely vehement, but alſo the fact too too apparent. Hir vnfortunat huſband had not ſooner notice gyuen him vpon his returne of theſe ſorowfull newes, then his fingers began to nibble, hys teeth to grinne, hys eyes to trickle, his eares to dindle, his heade to dezell, in ſomuch as his heart being ſkeared wyth ialouſie, & his wits enſtalde through Phrenſie, he became as madde, as a marche hare.

1577, Richard Stanyhurst [i.e., Richard Stanihurst], “[The Historie of Irelande […].] A Treatise Contayning a Playne and Perfect Description of Irelande, […].”, in Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Hunne, →OCLC, folio 14, recto, column 1:


Clintonian

en-adj

Clintonian (comparative more Clintonian, superlative most Clintonian)

more Clintonian (comparative)
most Clintonian (superlative)

"Obama's Clintonian circle: the abundance of Clinton veterans recruited by Obama may not be the change voters had in mind." (Yahoo Home Page, November 19, 2008 2:58PM (PST) ).

(US politics) Of or relating to Bill Clinton (born 1946), US politician who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001.


Zoroaster

/ˌzɒɹoʊˈæstəɹ/

/ˈzɒɹoʊˌæstəɹ/

Learned borrowing from Latin Zōroastrēs, from Ancient Greek Ζωροάστρης (Zōroástrēs), from Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (zaraθuštra). Doublet of Zarathustra.

Pseudepigraphic name used by various Ancient Greek and Latin authors of late antiquity to lend weight to their opinions.


Mencius

From Latin Mencius, from Mandarin Chinese 孟子 (Mèngzǐ).

This laſt tome, notwithſtanding, is not ſo much the work of Confucius, as of Mencius his diſciple, whoſe life was leſs regular than that of his maſter, but his ſtile more eloquent and pleaſant.

1738, Lewis Le Comte, Memoirs and Remarks, London: John Hughs, page 191:

Some 2000 years ago Chinese philosopher Mencius famously wrote: "Who wins the hearts of people gains the whole world." Today, his words still ring true.

2016 June 17, Hao Gui, “Chinese media: Attack to defend”, in Deutsche Welle, archived from the original on 2016-06-17:

Chinese philosopher, follower of Confucius (?372 - 289 B.C.E., or 385 - 303/302 B.C.E.)

A collection of anecdotes and conversations of the philosopher by the same name.


law of the jungle

Rudyard Kipling
The Jungle Book
law of the jungle

Introduced by Rudyard Kipling in his 1894 book, The Jungle Book, in which he used the term in the literal sense of a legal code governing the behaviour of his anthropomorphised animals in an Indian jungle.
Note also the (possibly derived) colloquial sense of jungle (“place where people behave ruthlessly, unconstrained by law or morality”).

1938, Proceedings of the Sixth Conference of Teachers of International Law and Related Subjects, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, page 111,
In the next war there will be no international law or 'comity of nations' but merely the law of the jungle, and of primeval man—each for himself and the devil take the next man.

1983, The Law of the Sea, School of Law, Duke University, page 57,
To bring order to this law of the jungle at sea was a particular reason for the Law of the Sea Conference, especially insofar as the United States was concerned.

1988, The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in Southeast Asia: Problems of Implementation, Volume 1, Southeast Asian Programme on Ocean Law, Policy, and Management, page 2,
For small countries such as Singapore, they would have the most to lose if the law of the jungle were to prevail.

(figurative) A putative law dictating that one serves one's own interest to the extent that one can, in any situation where legal authority is absent or generally ignored; self-interested behaviour that emerges in the absence of law; lawlessness.


Clintonista

(sometimes derogatory) A devoted admirer of one or more of the U.S. public figures in the Clinton family: Hillary, Bill, or Chelsea.


rabbit hole

rabbit + hole. Extended senses reference Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, where Alice travels down a rabbit hole into a bizarre world.

These mushrooms will take you down the rabbit hole, man.

You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

1999, The Wachowskis, 0:29:05 from the start, in The Matrix, spoken by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne):

Tumbling down the rabbit hole, she encountered a whole new level of existence where the laws of physics were turned upside down, shaken inside out and taken to the cleaners.

2012, Linda Hoy, The Effect, John Hunt Publishing, →ISBN, page vii:

(usually with article) A way into such a world.


Gideon

Borrowed from Hebrew גִּדְעוֹן (gid'ón, “Gideon”) ("feller", "hewer", "mighty warrior").

A male given name from Hebrew, popularized by Puritans.

A city in Missouri, United States; named for lumber businessman Frank Gideon.

A census-designated place in Oklahoma, United States.


Gideon

(Christianity) A member of Gideons International, an evangelical Christian association, founded in 1899, that distributes free copies of the Bible.


Clintonize

en-verb

Clintonize (third-person singular simple present Clintonizes, present participle Clintonizing, simple past and past participle Clintonized)

Clintonizes (present singular third-person)
Clintonizing (participle present)
Clintonized (participle past)
Clintonized (past)


Zacharias

From Ancient Greek Ζαχαρίας (Zakharías), the New Testament form of the figure's name in the Old Testament, Hebrew זְכַרְיָה (Zəḵaryā, “Yahweh has remembered”). Compare Zachariah and Zechariah.


Putin

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-Putin.wav

Transliteration of Russian Пу́тин (Pútin).

transliteration

Пу́тин Путин#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian surname Пу́тин (Pútin).

Vladimir Putin; Russian president, 2012–current


JM

(UK politics, slang) Initialism of John Major, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997.


Middle Earth

From Middle English middelerthe, myddyl erthe; an alteration of earlier middel-erde, middelerd; in turn an alteration of earlier middenerd; from Old English middaneard (“Middle Earth”), variant of middanġeard (“Earth, the world”, literally “the middle yard, enclosure, or realm”) mis- or reinterpreting its meaning, from Proto-Germanic *midjagardaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (“middle”) and *gʰórdʰos (“enclosure”). Cognate with Norwegian & English Midgard (q.v.) and Danish, Norwegian, & Swedish Midgård.


Magellan

en-proper noun

Magellan (usually uncountable, plural Magellans)

/məˈd͡ʒɛlən/

Borrowed from New Latin Magellanus, Latinization of Portuguese Magalhães.

Ferdinand Magellan. (Portuguese explorer)


Reaganite

en-adj

Reaganite (comparative more Reaganite, superlative most Reaganite)

more Reaganite (comparative)
most Reaganite (superlative)

/ˈɹeɪɡənaɪt/

This is a show about light and dark, and as deftly as it mimics the glaring neon of Reaganite consumer culture, it tweaks the conspiracy theories blooming in the shadows.

2019 July 4, Sophie Gilbert, “The American Paranoia of Stranger Things 3”, in The Atlantic:

(US politics) Of or pertaining to Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), 40th president of the United States (1981–1989).


Reaganite

/ˈɹeɪɡənaɪt/

(US politics) A supporter of Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), 40th president of the United States (1981–1989), and/or policies that he endorsed.


Lemuel

From Hebrew לְמוּאֵל (l'mu'él), literally meaning “dedicated to God” or “devoted to God”.

(Mormonism) A character in the Book of Mormon, the younger brother of Laman and the elder brother of Nephi, Sam, Jacob, and Joseph.


Thales

A pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor.


Lenin

Transliteration of Russian Ле́нин (Lénin), probably due to the use of a passport of the friend, Nikolay Lenin, whose surname originated from the Siberian Lena river. It is commonly believed that the Lena derives its name from the original Even-Evenk name Elyu-Ene, which means "the Large River".

'He means the other Lennon,' Slowey's voice said. ' John Lennon from the Beatles.' And Farley saw him then, on the bend of the counter smoking a cigar. Slowey then turned to the barman, '... and he means the other Lenin, you know, the Russian revolutionary?'

2011, Christine Dwyer Hickey, The Cold Eye of Heaven, Atlantic Books, →ISBN, page 117:

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, a Russian revolutionary and politician.


LBJ

LBJ scores six meaningless points in last forty-five seconds while Warriors keep a seven- to eleven-point lead.

2020, Robert Scoop Jackson, The Game is Not a Game […] , Haymarket Books, →ISBN:

(sports, NBA) Initialism of LeBron James.


Perez

(biblical) The father of Hezron and the son of Judah; the grandson of Jacob.


ELF

Elvish Linguistic Fellowship
w:Elvish Linguistic Fellowship

Initialism of Elvish Linguistic Fellowship (an organization that studies the invented languages of J. R. R. Tolkien)


MJ

(slang) Initialism of Mary Jane; marijuana.


Elisheba

Borrowed from Hebrew אלישבע (“the Lord is her oath”). Doublet of Elizabeth.

bor+

(biblical) The wife of Aaron, mentioned in Exodus 6:23.


Schiller

German poet, philosopher, historian and playwright Friedrich Schiller.


Adah

From Hebrew עָדָה (adá, “Adah”, literally “ornament, dawn”).


Ahasuerus

From Hebrew אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ (Akhashverósh) from Old Persian 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 (x-š-y-a-r-š-a /xšayāršā/, “ruler among kings”). Cognates include Xerxes from Ancient Greek Ξέρξης (Xérxēs), from the same Old Persian name.

bor

אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ


Godwin's law

Named after American attorney and author Mike Godwin (1956–).

named-after

The power to be a being of pure thought, the unlimited, unconstrained world of imagination, and we build a world of animated gifs, stupid sight gags, lame van-art avatars, stupid “playful” environments, and brain-dead flame wars augmented by animated emoticons that allowed participants to express their hackneyed ad hominems, concern-trollery, and Godwin's law violations through the media of cartoon animals and oversized genitals.

2012, Cory Doctorow, Charles Stross, The Rapture of the Nerds, Tor Books, →ISBN, page 296:

His article urges people not to be “afraid” of being charged with confirming Godwin's law. But who would be afraid of that charge when you believe that the Nazi analogy is apt?

2018, Scott F. Aikin, Robert B. Talisse, Why We Argue, Routledge, →ISBN:

(Internet, usually humorous) The adage that any Usenet discussion will eventually mention the Nazis or Adolf Hitler.

(usually humorous) An adage that states that the first person in an argument (usually in an online comment thread or forum) to mention the Nazis or Adolf Hitler has lost.


just-so story

/ˌd͡ʒʌstˈsəʊ ˌstɔːɹi/

PIE word
 *swé
From just so (“(almost) exactly or precisely like something”, adjective) + story, referring to the series of short stories called Just So Stories (collected in book form in 1902) by the English writer Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) which described how various animals acquired their distinctive characteristics, such as how the leopard got its spots. According to Kipling, the stories were so titled because they were intended to put his daughter Josephine (“Effie”) to sleep, “and you were not allowed to alter those by one single little word. They had to be told just so; or Effie would wake up and put back the missing sentence.”

(literature) A story, especially one for children, featuring animals as characters.


Kezia

From Hebrew קְצִיעָה (“cassia tree”). Compare cassia.


Camus

From the French surname, from the adjective camus (“flat-nosed”). This also appears as Spanish and Catalan camús, cognate with the French word.


Mary Magdalene

From Mary + Magdalene; from Middle English Marie Magdaleyn, Marie Magdeleyne, Marye Maudelen, Marye Maudeleyne, Marie Mawdeleyn, Mary Maudelen, Mary Mawdelayn, from Old French Marie Madelaine and Latin Marīa Magdalēna.

The firſt day of the weeke, commeth Mary Magdalene earely when it was yet darke, vnto the Sepulchre, and ſeeth the ſtone taken away from the Sepulchre.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 20:1, column 2:

I tried to explain to the large and emotional congregation how Jesus would address the problem of illicit sex, contagion, and suffering. I quoted texts about his attitude toward Mary Magdalene (who was cured of seven sins), the Samaritan woman at the well (with five lovers), and the woman caught in adultery and sentenced to be stoned to death. I said that all these actions showed his love and forgiveness and that Matthew 25’s “unto the least of these” put the responsibility on all of us to reach out to the afflicted with forgiveness and love.

2014, Jimmy Carter, “Slavery and Prostitution”, in A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 139:


Nathanael

From Ancient Greek Ναθαναήλ (Nathanaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el, literally “God has given”).

der

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

An Apostle in the Gospel of John; usually identified with Bartholomew.

A male given name from Hebrew; more common in the form Nathaniel.


Roxana

From Ancient Greek Ῥωξᾱ́νη (Rhōxā́nē) of Old Persian or Bactrian origin. Akin to Persian روشن (rowšan).


Maimonides

Borrowed from Latin Maimōnidēs, from Ancient Greek Μαϊμωνίδης (Maïmōnídēs), a translation of Hebrew בֵּן מַיְמוֹן (ben maymon) or Arabic اِبْن مَيْمُون (ibn maymūn), both meaning “son of Maymon”.

בֵּן מַיְמוֹן

اِبْن مَيْمُون


Ananias

From Ancient Greek Ἀνανίας (Ananías), from Hebrew חֲנַנְיָה (khananyá).


Keats

From a Middle English byname meaning “kite” (bird), from kete, from Old English cȳta (“kite, bittern”), from Proto-Germanic *kūtijô, diminutive of *kūts (“bird of prey”), from Proto-Indo-European *gū- (“to cry, screech”).

John Keats (1795–1821), English poet and key figure of the Romantic movement.


Thaddaeus

en-proper noun

Thaddaeus (countable and uncountable, plural Thaddaeuses)

From Latin Thaddaeus, from Ancient Greek Θαδδαῖος (Thaddaîos).

Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the Publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek; usually spelled Thaddeus.


Nicodemus

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Νῑκόδημος (Nīkódēmos), from νῑ́κη (nī́kē, “victory”) + δῆμος (dêmos, “people”).

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek.


Theophilus

/θiːˈɒfɪləs/

Ancient Greek Θεόφιλος (Theóphilos), meaning "love of God" or "friend of God".

It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus.

Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles

(biblical) The addressee of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

'That's a good one, that is!' said Ern. 'Lovaduck, I'd like to see Uncle Theophilus when I tell him that!'

1948, Enid Blyton, The Mystery of the Hidden House:

"Call me Ted, will you, Rip? 'Theophilus' is unmanageable and 'Theo' is awkward. Everybody calls me Ted or Teddie, now."

1973, Thornton Wilder, Theophilus North, page 118:

A male given name from Ancient Greek; rare in English.


Prisca

Latin feminine form of the cognomen Priscus, from priscus (“old”).

Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Timothy 4:19:

An alternative name for Priscilla, an early Christian.


Dvořák

/dɪˈvɔːʒɑːk/

(music) Antonín Leopold Dvořák, Czech composer


Tycho

Tycho Brahe, a 16th-century Danish astronomer


mithril

Created by J. R. R. Tolkien in his constructed language Sindarin as mithril, from mith (“pale grey”) + a derivative of the Primitive Elvish root *ril- (‘brilliant light, glitter’).

In order to get the iron ore, mithril and leather strap, you must do the following.

1993, David Ladyman, Shay Addams, Quest for Clues: The Manual of Swords, page 124:

Open the double doors to the south and get the mithril plate boots and mithril chain leggings.

1995, Peter Olafson, Thunderscape: The Official Strategy Guide, page 128:

Once the elf brought in the mithril chainmail shirt, the mithril bracers and leg guards he handed the items to Lord Kale, he put them in the magical pouch on his side for later use, in his mind he knew he had to die for his friends in the near future.

2012, Matthew Mackenzie, The History of Valin Sol: the Decay Years: Book 1 Rise of Decay, page 113:

A gold dragon's fire could melt iron and steel in seconds, depending on its quality, but this heat only made mithril malleable. Ordin quickly placed a steel rod into the rough mithril sword blank to increase its mass.

2012, J. Michael Fluck, Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow, page 422:

(fantasy) A fictional silvery metal of great strength and value, primarily in fantasy and role-playing settings.


caucus race

From caucus (“special party meeting for vote allocation”) + race (“contest between people”).

Mr. Gingrich, who is now the minority whip, announced last week that he had rounded up more than 100 commitments from House Republicans for the caucus race to come after the election next year.

1993 October 16, “Solomon Drops Out of Race To Be G.O.P. House Leader”, in New York Times:

(US, idiomatic) The competitive process in which a political party selects their candidate, especially presidential; a primary election via caucus.

[…] she was backing southern moderate John Spratt in his strong but unsuccessful caucus race for Budget Committee chairman.

1993, M. Barone, G. Ujifusa, R. E. Cohen, “The Almanac of American Politics 1994”, in National Journal, page 176:

(US, idiomatic) A political competition; the game of campaigning and one-upmanship to get votes and be elected.


caucus race

From caucus (“regular party committee meeting of elected MPs”) + race (“contest between people”); a reference to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, chapter III "A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale", being a nonsensical satire thereof: all participants have to run in circles until an arbitrary end is called and everyone is declared a winner; Alice has to give prizes to them all, and being declared a winner too, the Dodo solemnly takes her thimble and awards it back to her.

With the dominant figure in U.S. politics forced to the sidelines for—perhaps—the rest of the year, the national political situation last week began to take on the unreal air of the Dodo's caucus race.

1955 October 17, "The Dodo's Dance", in Time magazine

The American economic system is beginning to resemble the caucus race in Alice in Wonderland. Is it not something of a contradiction to cut taxes to facilitate the resurgence of buying power that will increase the demand for appliances and, especially, vehicles —and at the same time enforce a reduction in demand for the petroleum fuels that must drive the cars and power the machines that will manufacture the appliances?

1975 February 17, John Rossouw, "To the Editors", in Time magazine

A more free and easy attitude prevailed in selecting research topics than today, when the funding squeeze keeps most academic scientists in a tight caucus race of grant getting and paper production that precludes forays into risky serendipitous pursuits.

1997, Christopher Scholz, chapter 1, in Fieldwork: A Geologist's Memoir of the Kalahari, Princeton University Press, →ISBN:

(originally British, idiomatic) A laborious but arbitrary and futile activity; an activity that amounts to running around in a circle, expending great energy but not accomplishing anything.


Obama

Translingual: Obamadon, Obamus, Etheostoma obama (spangled darter), Tosanoides obama, Caloplaca obamae (Obama lichen)

Corruption of by-name Luo Mobam (“born with a crooked back”), itself from Luo obam (“to lean or bend”).

(The Browns gave the Obamas an ornate penholder made from the timber of a Victorian antislave ship.)

2009 March 4, Helene Cooper, “Obama’s Star Turn at Summit Gets Mixed Results”, in The New York Times:

From his studies of these thinkers and activists, Mr. Obama took what he called the “Niebuhrian” lesson that we can have “a cleareyed view of the world and the realities of cruelty and sin and greed and violence, and yet, still maintain a sense of hope and possibility, as an act of will and leap of faith.”

2020 December 8, Michiko Kakutani, “Obama, the Best-Selling Author, on Reading, Writing and Radical Empathy”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

United States of America
United States of America

Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States of America.


Persis

Ancient Greek Περσίς (Persís, “a Persian woman”).

uder

A female given name from Ancient Greek, in occasional use since the 16th century.


Amundsen

A surname of Danish and Norwegian origin.


Putinism

Indeed Putinism elided the differences between consensus, centrism and conformity.

2004, Cameron Ross, Russian Politics Under Putin, Manchester University Press, page 60:

Putin may now calculate he can call off the dogs of war, having achieved his aims and able to pocket his gains very cheaply. The Georgia campaign becomes the triumphant climax of Putinism. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/16/georgia.russia1

2008 August 16, Ian Traynor, “Six days that broke one country - and reshaped the world order”, in The Guardian:

And so it was Surkov who in 2004 announced that Putinism, this strange new hybrid of Soviet-type authoritarianism and free-market morals, was based on the concept of ‘sovereign democracy’.

2014, Marc Bennetts, Kicking the Kremlin: Russia’s New Dissidents and the Battle to Topple Putin, Oneworld Publications:

Navalny’s boyish charm, quick wit and detailed accounts of the dodgy deals and luxurious homes of the elite have made his Internet-distributed videos oopular as devastating indictments of the open-mawed corruption of late Putinism.

2019, Mark Galeotti, We Need to Talk About Putin: Why the West gets him wrong, and how to get him right, London: Random House:

(politics) The political policies of Vladimir Putin; the Russian political system during Putin’s tenure in power.

putinizëm

the political policies of Vladimir Putin


Leander

From Ancient Greek Λέανδρος (Léandros), from λέων (léōn, “lion”) + ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”).

A male given name from Ancient Greek, also of a Spanish sixth century saint.


cold comfort

en-noun

cold comfort (countable and uncountable, plural cold comforts)

Popularized by William Shakespeare in The Taming of the Shrew, see quotations.

[…] or ſhall I complaine on thee to our miſtris, whoſe hand / (ſhe being now at hand) thou ſhalt ſoone feele, to thy / cold comfort, for being ſlow in thy hot office.

c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 221, column 1:

The table was smoking and hissing; and Romeo Clawbonny, who acted as the everyday house-servant, or footman, had several times intimated that it might be well to commence operations, as a cold breakfast was very cold comfort.

1863, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 6, in Miles Wallingford:

At least I should not die alone. Human eyes would watch me end. It was cold comfort I presume, but yet I derived some slight peace of mind from the contemplation of it.

1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter 9, in At the Earth's Core:

But statistics are cold comfort when the latest explosion has leveled a nearby building.

2010 April 8, Ben Lando, “U.S. Officials Downplay Rash of Baghdad Attacks”, in Time, archived from the original on 2013-07-18:

(idiomatic) Much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires.

不起作用的安慰

much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires


Aesop

I'll win them by politeness, and... and... show them that I've nothing to do with that Aesop, that buffoon, that Pierrot, and have merely been taken in over this affair, just as they have.

1912, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, translated by Constance Garnett, The Brothers Karamazov, published 1880, Book II, chapter 8:

An Ancient Greek author, famous for the fables ascribed to him.


Montezuma

From Classical Nahuatl Motēuczōma (literally “he frowns like a lord”).

der

Moctezuma II (1466–1520), the Aztec emperor at the time of the Spanish conquest.


Ringwraith

From ring + wraith, coined by J. R. R. Tolkien as a fantasy character in The Lord of the Rings.

A party of four at one of my stations included a pretty creditable Scarlett O'Hara in her famous green velvet `curtains' gown, a fairy princess complete with fancy airbrushed wings, a man dressed as either a Ringwraith or the Grim Reaper (I guessed from the absence of a sickle that he was probably a Ringwraith), and George Washington.

2006, J.C. Sillesen, No Return, page 40:

I had written a number of short stories in the Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents vein, and a couple of fantasy novels that explored the premise of modernized 'Ringwraiths' invading a 1986 Alabama high school."

2007, Mark Stephen Smith, The Art of Flash Animation: Creative Cartooning, page x:

Like the Ringwraiths,
I need your acacia unfurled,
Enabling my dream-stuns
Of fizzing mauve whirls.

2007. Jerry Dowlen, "Lio Lios", 2007, p27

(fantasy) Anyone who keeps a magical ring, and is enslaved thereby, and may also be rendered invisible and immortal thereby.


Archimedes

är′kə-mēʹdēz

/ˌɑːɹkɪˈmiːdiːz/

Learned borrowing from Latin Archimēdēs, from Ancient Greek Ἀρχιμήδης (Arkhimḗdēs).

An Ancient Greek mathematician, physicist and engineer (c. 287–212 BCE).


Obamanomics

Blend of Obama + economics, equivalent to Obama + -nomics. See Related terms below.

(US politics, economics, neologism) The economic policies of Barack Obama.


Clintonomics

Blend of Clinton + economics, equivalent to Clinton + -nomics.

But I am not yet persuaded that Clintonomics will make much of a dent in the persistent problems of unemployment in the U.S. economy.

1992 December 6, David M. Gordon, “Clinton May Fall Short on Easing Unemployment”, in Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 2013-06-30, page D2:

(US politics) The economic policies associated with the administration of William Jefferson Clinton, 1993–2001.


Bushonomics

Blend of Bush + economics, equivalent to Bush + -o- + -nomics.

According to the Democratic nominee, Bushonomics would "squander" the surplus.

2000 August 18, Richard S. Dunham, “Battlin' Al Comes Out Swinging”, in Business Week:

(US politics) The economic policies associated with the presidency of George W. Bush, 2001–2009.


Avogadro

/ˌavəˈɡɑːdɹəʊ/

/ˌɑvəˈɡɑdɹoʊ/

/ˌɑvoʊˈɡɑdɹoʊ/


Kiplingesque

en-adj

Kiplingesque (comparative more Kiplingesque, superlative most Kiplingesque)

more Kiplingesque (comparative)
most Kiplingesque (superlative)

The atmosphere is established in a truly Kiplingesque manner by the explanation of the first sketch — "A Retired Gentleman."

He's been sucked in by all that Kiplingesque double-talk that transformed India from a place where plain ordinary greedy Englishmen carved something out...

1975, Paul Scott, A Division of the Spoils:

Furthermore, Brecht cut some of the more farcical elements and the rowdy Kiplingesque songs...

1981, Michael Patterson, The Revolution in German Theatre, 1900-1933:

Suggestive of Rudyard Kipling or his writings.


Thatcherize

en-verb

Thatcherize (third-person singular simple present Thatcherizes, present participle Thatcherizing, simple past and past participle Thatcherized)

Thatcherizes (present singular third-person)
Thatcherizing (participle present)
Thatcherized (participle past)
Thatcherized (past)

From Thatcher + -ize, named after British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013).

named-after

(transitive) To modify (an image) by partial inversion, so that it triggers the Thatcher effect in observers.


Elmo

From an Italian contraction of Erasmo, cognate with Erasmus. Also a German short form of Elmar.
* By folk etymology seen as a short form of Elmer.

MING. About his name. Oscar. Asians always pick out the most curious and most discarded English names from books and TV. Like Cornelius. Elmo. Wellington.

1996 Chay Yew, A Language of Their Own, Two Plays, Grove/Atlantic Inc.

An unincorporated community in Wisconsin.

Twitter was far from perfect before Elmo happened to it but it’s a total shitshow now!

2022 December 12, marie_cast (@marie_cast@toad.social), Mastodon:

It is certainly conceivable that Elmo’s ragtag of leftover desperate engineers put out a feature without properly testing it. 😂

2023 February 8, Jim Stewartson (@jimstewartson@toad.social), Mastodon:

Incredible how low Twitter has sunk since Elmo fired the grownups.

2023 March 19, Alice (@alicek@mas.to), Mastodon:

(derogatory or humorous) A nickname for South African-born tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.


Turing

(programming language): Named after Alan Turing.

programming language
programming language


Shakespeareana

/ʃeɪkˌspɪəɹɪˈɑːnə/

/ʃeɪkˌspɪɹiˈænə/

/ʃeɪkˌspɪɹiˈɑnə/

Items related to William Shakespeare, especially collectibles.


Croesus

Audio (US)

From Latin Croesus, from Ancient Greek Κροῖσος (Kroîsos), from Lydian.

“[…] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

(specifically) A king of Lydia, noted for his great wealth.


Abednego

/əˈbɛd.nɪˌɡoʊ/

From Hebrew עֲבֵד נְגוֹא, itself derived from a reconstructed Aramaic name meaning likely "servant of Nabu" or "servant of Nergal".

bor

עֲבֵד נְגוֹא

Hebrew עֲבֵד נְגוֹא

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Daniel 3:23:

(biblical) Azariah, one of the captives in the Bible who came out of the fiery furnace unharmed.

Αβδεναγω

one of the captives who escaped the fiery furnace

Meshach

one of the captives who came out of the fiery furnace unharmed


Obamamania

Obamamania sweeps the nation as millions of voters find themselves deeply impressed by Obama's views, and the fact that he was on Oprah.

2007, Dave Barry, Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Far), G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 197:

(US politics, neologism) Fervent admiration of Barack Obama.


Vashti

Hebrew וַשְׁתִּי (vaštī)

A female given name from Persian of biblical origin.


first folio

The 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare's plays. The first such collection printed in folio format.


Euclid

From Ancient Greek Εὐκλείδης (Eukleídēs).

An unincorporated community in West Virginia.


Baconian

In this paper I propose to say something about the attempt of the Baconian theorists to "work" Ben Jonson over into a witness against William Shakespeare, not because it is necessary to reslay the slain Baconian, but to illustrate that here as elsewhere, and all along the line, there is "nothing in it."

1891, Shakespeariana: A Critical and Contemporary Review of Shakespearian Literature, page 195:

So looks the Shakespearean who is confronted by a rancid Baconian, or the astronomer who is assailed by a flat-earth fanatic.

1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

One who believes that Francis Bacon wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare.

Bacon-Shakespearean

believer in Bacon as the author of Shakespeare plays


Dickensianly

en-adv

Dickensianly (comparative more Dickensianly, superlative most Dickensianly)

more Dickensianly (comparative)
most Dickensianly (superlative)


hobbitlike

en-adj

hobbitlike (comparative more hobbitlike, superlative most hobbitlike)

more hobbitlike (comparative)
most hobbitlike (superlative)


Kepler

Kepler-

a prefix used for the Kepler space telescope astronomical catalogue


Copernicus

Nicolaus Copernicus, a mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe.


Bentham

From Old English *beonot (“bent grass”) + hām (“homestead, village”).

A civil parish with a town council in Craven district, North Yorkshire, England.


Carrollian

Carrollian (comparative more Carrollian, superlative most Carrollian)

more Carrollian (comparative)
most Carrollian (superlative)

Of or pertaining to Lewis Carroll (1832-1898, real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) or his writings, most notably a type of imaginative fantasy involving humorous plays on words and logic.


Tolkienesque

Tolkienesque (comparative more Tolkienesque, superlative most Tolkienesque)

more Tolkienesque (comparative)
most Tolkienesque (superlative)

Resembling or influenced by the works, ideas, or literary style of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973).


Tolkienian

Tolkienian (comparative more Tolkienian, superlative most Tolkienian)

more Tolkienian (comparative)
most Tolkienian (superlative)

Of or relating to John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) or his writings, of which the best known are the fantasy epics The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.


Thatcherist

(UK politics) A proponent of Thatcherism.


Thatcherization

From Thatcher + -ization, named after British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013).


Abdias

From Latin Abdias, from Ancient Greek Ὀβδίας (Obdías), from Hebrew עוֹבַדְיָה (ʿovadyah).

Unto whom I will give for leaders, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Oseas, Amos, and Micheas, Joel, Abdias, and Jonas, […]


Marlovian

Pertaining to the conspiracy theory that Christopher Marlowe was the main writer of works attributed to William Shakespeare.


Marlovian

Someone who believes that Christopher Marlowe was the main writer of works attributed to William Shakespeare.


Great Depression

For the first time since the Great Depression, median family income has fallen substantially over an entire decade. Income grew slowly through most of the last decade, except at the top of the distribution, before falling sharply when the financial crisis began.

2012 October 24, David Leonhardt, “Standard of Living Is in the Shadows as Election Issue”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(economics, business, finance, historical) A major economic collapse characterized by mass unemployment and limited business activity that lasted from 1929 to 1940 in the US and a similar period in many other countries.


Tamar

From Latin Tamarus, possibly from Proto-Celtic *tamaros (“river, waters”, literally “dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *tm̥Hrós, from *temH- (“dark”). See more at Thames.


Jack the Ripper

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Jack the Ripper.wav

September 1888, Jack + the + ripper, from the Dear Boss letter.

Keep this letter back till I
do a bit more work. then give
it out straight. My knife's so nice
and sharp I want to get to work
right away if I get a chance.
Good luck.
Yours truly
Jack the Ripper
Dont mind me giving the trade name

1888 September 25, Jack the Ripper, Dear Boss Letter, London, page 2:

Two communications of an extraordinary nature, both signed "Jack the Ripper," have been received by the Central News Agency, the one on Thursday last and the other yesterday morning. The first - the original of which has been seen by Major Smith, the Assistant Commissioner of the City Police - was a letter, bearing the E.C. postmark, in which reference was made to the atrocious murders previously committed in the East-end, which the writer confessed, in a brutally jocular vein, to have committed; stating that in the "next job" he did he would "clip the lady's ears off" and send them to the police, and also asking that the letter might be kept back until he had done "a bit more work." The second communication was a postcard, and as above stated, it was received yesterday morning. It bore the date, "London, E., October 1," and was as follows: - "I was not codding, dear old Boss, when I gave you the tip. You'll hear about Saucy Jacky's work to-morrow. Double event this time. Number One squealed a bit; couldn't finish straight off. Had not time to get ears for police. Thanks for keeping the last letter back till I got to work again." The postcard was sent to Scotland Yard. No doubt is entertained that the writer of both communications, whoever he may be, is the same person.

1888 October 2, The Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2004-08-10:

Nothing whatever has been discovered during the week to throw light upon the Whitechapel murders. The police entertain the belief, as we gather from the remarks of Mr. Crawford, the City Coroner, who is inquiring into the murder in Mitre Square, that they possess a fairly accurate description of the person of the murderer. He has, however, for the present, disappeared into space, unless it is he who writes certain letters signed "Jack the Ripper." The police think this is the case, and if so, he is an educated or partly educated man, of extreme audacity, intoxicated with the evil pride of crime, and resolute to commit more murders.

1888 October 13, “NEWS OF THE WEEK.”, in The Spectator, number 3,146, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1379, column 1:

Many of the dead were never identified simply because whole families died together and there was no one left to say who they were. One woman, named Elizabeth Stride, claimed to have been one of the survivors of the sinking, although there was no proof of this. She would later go down in history as the third victim of Jack the Ripper.

2018 September 14, Derek Coleman, “Old superstition comes true with tragic consequences”, in AP News, archived from the original on 2023-12-03:

Six weeks after Maxwell reported the sewage seepage this summer, an MDC inmate charged with robbing a bank said the toilet in his cell had been broken for three days.
"I do not care if the defendant is Jack the Ripper, we treat people under our care with respect and decency," U.S. District Judge William Kuntz said in a July 27 hearing about the toilet, which a prosecutor said was fixed ahead of the hearing. "This is an ongoing disgrace."

2021 November 18, Luc Cohen, quoting William Kuntz, “Ghislaine Maxwell sex crimes trial highlights conditions at Brooklyn jail”, in Noeleen Walder, Aurora Ellis, editors, Reuters, archived from the original on 2021-11-18, United States:

A supposed individual who was an unidentified 19th century serial killer in England, who has become part of folklore.


Zebul

Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

An officer of Abimelech. (biblical character)

(very rare) A male given name from Hebrew.


Fabs

At one time the Fabs told the press that: "Show business belongs to the Jews […]

1995, Henry W Sullivan, The Beatles with Lacan: rock 'n' roll as requiem for the modern age:

[…] the madness which surrounded the Fabs at the height of Beatlemania.

1998, Patrick Humphries, The complete guide to the music of the Beatles, Volume 2:

Still, Mick and the boys couldn't resist striving after whatever the Beatles attempted first, even when the Fabs flopped.

2002, Shawn Levy, Ready, steady, go!: the smashing rise and giddy fall of Swinging London:


Rahab

Wycherly reflected that any woman raised by a clergyman who named her daughter Rahab was probably making something in the nature of a personal statement.

1997, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Gravelight, →ISBN, page 173:


Bushist

A supporter of George W. Bush, or advocate of his policies.


eucatastrophe

From eu- + catastrophe, coined by English author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien in 1944 as part of a letter: see quotation.

coinage

But at the story of the little boy (which is a fully attested fact of course) with its apparent sad ending and then its sudden unhoped-for happy ending, I was deeply moved and had that peculiar emotion we all have – though not often. […] For it I coined the word ‘eucatastrophe’: the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears (which I argued it is the highest function of fairy-stories to produce).

[1944 November 7, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, “88. From a Letter to Christopher Tolkien[,] 28 October 1944 (FS 58)”, in Humphrey Carpenter with the assistance of Christopher Tolkien, editors, Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1981, →ISBN; The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin paperback edition, Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000, →ISBN, page 100:

Let us hymn the small but journal wonders
of Nature and of households, and then finish
on a serio-comic note with legends
of ultimate eucatastrophe,
regeneration beyond the waters.

1969 June 5, W. H. Auden, “Epistle to a Godson”, in The New York Review, issue:

The "problem" of T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot comes partly from our post-Christian sense of a world where Tolkien's eucatastrophes never happen, and partly from the way we write biography.

1988, Alzina Stone Dale, “Prologue: J. Alfred Prufrock among the Prophets”, in T. S. Eliot: The Philosopher Poet (The Wheaton Literary Series), Wheaton, Ill.: Harold Shaw, →ISBN; T. S. Eliot: The Philsopher-Poet, Authors Guild Backprint.com edition, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, 2004, →ISBN, page 5:

Literary unity demands that once a eucatastrophe happens it must be accepted as part of the story rather than as an arbitrary whim of the author.

2015, John J. Davenport, quoting Eleanor Helms, “The Virtues of Ambivalence: Wholeheartedness as Existential Telos and the Unwillable Completion of Narravives”, in John Lippitt, Patrick Stokes, editors, Narrative, Identity and the Kierkegaardian Self, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 159:

(narratology) A catastrophe (dramatic event leading to plot resolution) that results in the protagonist's well-being.

eucatastrophe

catastrophe that results in the protagonist's well-being


Manoah

(biblical) The father of the biblical strongman Samson.


Novatian

From Latin Novatius (plausibly via French Novatien).

A Roman priest, who became an antipope against St. Cornelius in 251 AD, and considered by the Catholic Church to be a schismatic heresiarch as founder of a Christian sect known as Novatianism


Novatian

en-adj

Novatian (comparative more Novatian, superlative most Novatian)

more Novatian (comparative)
most Novatian (superlative)

relating to the heresiarch Novatian (see above) and/or his schismatic sect, Novatianism


Jabberwock

Nonsense word coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky (q.v.), from the children's book Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1872). Carroll stated later, "The Anglo-Saxon word 'wocer' or 'wocor' signifies 'offspring' or 'fruit' [see oker]. Taking 'jabber' in its ordinary acceptation of 'excited and voluble discussion', this would give the meaning of 'the result of much excited and voluble discussion'..."

A fantastical dreaded monster with flaming eyes.


birther

From birth + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (“supporter”).

I confess I do have some sympathy for the "birthers," though. As an outsider, it's hard to distinguish between the zany arguments that get official approval by the conservative establishment --- things like Bill Ayers, Michelle Obama's infamous "whitey" tape, the claim that Obama is a closet Marxist --- and those arguments that are considered beyond the pale.

2008 December 8, Jay Bookman, “Shut up about the birth certificate”, in Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Senator Dick Durbin has suggested that the birthers and the health care protesters are one and the same; we don’t know how many of the protesters are birthers, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a substantial fraction.

2009 August 7, Paul Krugman, “The Town Hall Mob”, in New York Times:

Earlier this month, columnist and birther Frank Gaffney, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., the ranking Republican on the Intelligence Committee, and others held a news conference on Capitol Hill to release a report on Muslim religious law entitled "Shariah: The Threat to America."

2010 September 29, Mark Benjamin, “What Islamophobia really threatens”, in Salon:

(slang, derogatory, US politics) A believer in the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States (2009–2017), is not a natural-born US citizen, and was therefore ineligible for the presidency under the United States Constitution (Article II, Section 1).

«рожде́нец»

(slang, derogatory, US politics) A believer in the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States (2009-2017), was not born in that country, and therefore ineligible for presidency due to national law


Hammurabi

From Akkadian 𒄩𒄠𒈬𒊏𒁉 (Ḫammurapi), from the Amorite ʿAmmurāpi, a compound *ʿammu (“father”) + *āpi (“healer”).


Mahlon

From Biblical Hebrew מַחְלוֹן (makhlón).

Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

The first husband of Ruth, mentioned in the Book of Ruth in the Bible.

(rare) A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Tryphena

From Ancient Greek τρῠφή (truphḗ, “softness, daintiness”).

uder

(rare) A female given name from Ancient Greek of biblical origin.


Eleazar

Borrowed from Hebrew אֶלְעָזָר ('El'azár, “God has helped”). Doublet of Lazarus.


Phinehas

From Biblical Hebrew פִּינְחָס (Pīnəḥās), from Egyptian pꜣ-nḥsj (literally “the Nubian”), from pꜣ + nḥsj.

der

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek, Hebrew, or Egyptian of biblical origin.


all's well that ends well

Often believed to be from the title of William Shakespeare's play All's Well That Ends Well.
More likely attributed to John Heywood (c. 1497 – c. 1580), who wrote plays for the royal court from the early 1530s onwards, some sixty years before Shakespeare made his way in the Elizabethan theatre. Although his book of proverbs was the first to use this phrasing, it originates even further back.
In 1381, in J. R. Lumby’s Chronicon Henrici Knighton, the line ‘If the ende be wele, than is alle wele.’ seems to be a more likely origin.

সব ভাল তার শেষ ভাল যার

A happy ending makes up for everything that has gone before...

gach rud i gceart ach sinn a bheith slán

's fhearr deireadh math na droch thoiseach


Swiftian

en-adj

Swiftian (comparative more Swiftian, superlative most Swiftian)

more Swiftian (comparative)
most Swiftian (superlative)

Swiftian chorus

You could hear Martin and Shellback's touch in the bright, punchy sound of those songs, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and “22.” Yet the songs are unmistakably Swiftian; unlike other Martin songs, ...

2016, Tyler Conroy, Taylor Swift: This Is Our Song, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 156:

Katie is herself deeply invested in the kind of heteronormative propriety that other fans see in Taylor Swift's music, and she [...] suggests that she can incorporate Swift's image of sweet wholesomeness into her own experience and articulation of lesbian relationships; yet, Katie desires to appropriate a piece of heteronormative culture—“Swiftian” propriety and sentimentality—without considering the ways that this strict view on the expression of sexual desire is connected to the ways that she is marginalized within the community because of her sexual identity.

2016, Steven Seidman, Nancy L. Fischer, Chet Meeks, Introducing the New Sexuality Studies: 3rd Edition, Routledge, →ISBN:

The music itself is classic Taylor Swift, with a high degree of syncopation at the sixteenth-note level and a chorus melody [...] Despite the fact that the song is jointly credited to Swift and Sheeran, the verses, too, contain some typically Swiftian attributes, including unexpected lengthening and truncations of phrases.

2017, James E. Perone, The Words and Music of Taylor Swift, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 51:

Of or pertaining to Taylor Swift (1989–), American singer-songwriter, or her musical and lyrical style.


Parmenides

From Ancient Greek Παρμενίδης (Parmenídēs).

An Ancient Greek philosopher born in Elea, in southern Italy. Founder of the Eleatic school of philosophy.


jabberwocky

en-noun

jabberwocky (usually uncountable, plural jabberwockies)

From Jabberwocky, a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll.

"I like the way your mind works, Hosler," Stanley said. "You go after concrete proof of your contentions - none of this scientific jabborwocky."

1962, J. Hunter Holly, The Flying Eyes, page 47:

Invented or meaningless language; nonsense.


Anaximenes

From Ancient Greek Ἀναξιμένης (Anaximénēs).

(c. 585 BCE–c. 525 BCE) An ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus; the pupil of Anaximander. He taught that the basic element of which the world is composed is the air.


Anaximander

From Ancient Greek Ἀναξίμανδρος (Anaxímandros).

uder

Ἀναξίμανδρος

(c. 610 BCE–c. 546 BCE) A pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived in Miletus; pupil of Thales and teacher of Anaximenes.


Anaxagoras

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἀναξαγόρας (Anaxagóras).

An ancient Greek philosopher (c. 500 BCE – 428 BCE) from Clazomenae, who is famous for introducing the cosmological concept of nous (mind), as an ordering force.


Xenocrates

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ξενοκράτης (Xenokrátēs).

(c. 396–314 B.C.E.) An Ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, and the second leader (scholarch) of the Platonic Academy from 339 to 314 B.C.E..


Pindar

True,—we can glow at Homer's lay,
enraptured hang o'er Pindar's lyre,
Start at thy pencil's deathless ray,
Thy breathing marble's force admire,...

1827, Lydia Sigourney, Poems, Greece, page 145:

(ca. 522–443 BC) A great Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes


Simonides

From Ancient Greek Σιμωνίδης (Simōnídēs).

(c. 556 BCE – 468 BCE) Ancient Greek lyric poet from the island of Ceos.


Thucydides

From Ancient Greek Θουκυδίδης (Thoukudídēs), from θεός (theós, “ruler, god”) + κῦδος (kûdos, “glory”) + -ῐ́δης (-ídēs, patronymic suffix).

af

(c. 460 BCE – c. 395 BCE) A great ancient Greek historian and author of the History of the Peloponnesian War, which recounts the 5th century BCE war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BCE.


Ahhnold

Pronunciation spelling of Arnold, as pronounced in the Austrian accent of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"He thinks he is Ahhnold." Everyone laughed at Anton's imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

2003, Mary Pipher, The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community, page 182:

(informal, humorous) Arnold Schwarzenegger.


Britney Spears

After Britney Spears (born 1981), American pop singer and entertainer.

My nightmare is the kind of Britney Spears teen-bubblegum nightmare of what my teen girl will become.

2001, Bitch: feminist response to pop culture:

The little girl already senses the appeal and attraction of a Britney Spears, a cross between Barbie and her little sister, Skipper.

2002, Sharon Lamb, The Secret Lives of Girls: What Good Girls Really Do--Sex Play, Aggression ..., page 39:

I'm going for a Britney Spears look because my baby can pull that off.

2002, ELLEgirl, volume 1, number 3, page 154:

[…] now all of a sudden she thinks she's some kind of Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez.

2004, Ruby Ann Boxcar, Dear Ruby Ann: Down Home Advice About Lovin', Livin', and the Whole Shebang:

A person who resembles the image projected by Britney Spears, typified by a superficial, faux-innocent sexuality.


Eliel

From Hebrew אֱלִיאֵל ('ĕlī'ēl, “El is my lord”).


Zhukov

From Russian Жу́ков (Žúkov), from жук (žuk, “beetle”) + -ов (-ov, “genitive possessive ending”).

Жу́ков Жуков#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian surname Жу́ков (Žúkov).

Marshall Georgy Zhukov, a Soviet Russian career officer in the Red Army, was one of the most decorated generals in the history of the Soviet Union and Russia.

A town in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, named after Georgy Zhukov.


Gorbachev

Transliteration of Russian Горбачёв (Gorbačóv), usually written Горбаче́в (Gorbačév) (see note about Russian letter ё (jo)), from горба́ч (gorbáč, “hunchback”).

transliteration

Mikhail Gorbachev was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Горбачёв Горбачёв#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian surname Горбачёв (Gorbačóv).


Thatcheresque

en-adj

Thatcheresque (comparative more Thatcheresque, superlative most Thatcheresque)

more Thatcheresque (comparative)
most Thatcheresque (superlative)

Reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013), former British prime minister, or her policies.


Erastus

From Ancient Greek ἐραστός (erastós, “lovable”).

uder

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek of biblical derivation.


Peleg

en-proper noun

Peleg (countable and uncountable, plural Pelegs)


Tchaikovsky

Transliteration of Russian Чайко́вский (Čajkóvskij).

transliteration

Чайко́вский Чайковский#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian surname Чайко́вский (Čajkóvskij), usually applying to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.


Kongzi

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ).


Lao Zi

The Records of Henan Province notes that Taiqing Temple lies five kilometres east of Henan Province’s Luyi County (formerly known as Kuxian of the State of Chu), hometown of Lao Zi, the founder of the Taoist school of thought.

1995, Manchao Cheng, “Ancestral Emperor—Lord Lao Zi”, in The Origin of Chinese Deities, Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 130:


K'ung-tzu

Transliteration of Mandarin 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ) Wade–Giles romanization: Kʻung³-tzŭ³.

The earliest leader of a school of thought was Confucius (K’ung-tzu).

1968 [1964], Jacques Gernet, “The Progress of Ideas During the Formation of the Military States”, in Raymond Rudorff, transl., Ancient China: From the Beginnings to the Empire [La Chine Ancienne], Faber and Faber, →OCLC, page 115:

The earliest fundamental understanding of the nature of health and disease, expounded by the Nei Ching, would have been forgotten were it not for an element peculiar to Chinese culture: the worship of their ancestors, a practice which runs far deeper than the respect shown for Western patriarchs. It was formalized by the teaching of K’ung-tzu, whose Latinized name is Confucius.

1980, Stephen Fulder, “The Chinese Alternative”, in The Book of Ginseng: and Other Chinese Herbs for Vitality, Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press, published 1993, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 56:

So, K’ung-tzu says: 'To master oneself and return to propriety is humanity' (Bk 12.1).
We see, in this view, that humaneness was a quality which K’ung-tzu believed to be embodied in li, tradition and custom.

1991, A Southern African Guide to World Religions, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 109:


Laozi

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the standard Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 老子 (“the Old One, the Venerable One”).

der

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

(inexact, with 'the') Synonym of Tao Te Ching.


Chagatai

/ˈt͡ʃɑːɡətaɪ/

Transliteration of Russian Чагата́й (Čagatáj), from Uyghur چاغاتاي (chaghatay), from Chagatai جغتای (jağatāy), from Middle Mongol ᠴᠠᠭᠠᠲᠠᠶ (čaɣatay).

transliteration

A male given name of historical usage, most famously borne by the Mongol ruler Chagatai Khan (1183–1242), second son of Genghis Khan and first khan of the Chagatai Khanate, a medieval Mongol and later Turkicized khanate of Central Asia (divided after the 14th century).


Reaganesque

en-adj

Reaganesque (comparative more Reaganesque, superlative most Reaganesque)

more Reaganesque (comparative)
most Reaganesque (superlative)

The problem with those who denounce Reaganesque Big Tentism is twofold.

2010 February 25, Mark A. Isaacson, “Beck, Party of One”, in The Harvard Crimson:

Reminiscent of Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911–2004), 40th president of the United States (1981–1989) and 33rd governor of California (1967–1975), or his policies.


unShakespearean

unShakespearean (comparative more unShakespearean, superlative most unShakespearean)

more unShakespearean (comparative)
most unShakespearean (superlative)

Not Shakespearean; not thematically or stylistically like the works of Shakespeare.


Bathshua

(rare) A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Urias

(rather rare) A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Uriah

From Biblical Hebrew אוּרִיָּה ('ūriyyā, literally “God is my light”).

uder

but the thing that struck me most, was, that with the evidences of his native superiority still upon him, he should submit himself to that crawling impersonation of meanness, Uriah Heep.

1869, Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, Chapter XXXV:

(rather rare) A male given name from Hebrew of Biblical origin.


Bathsheba

From Hebrew בַּת שֶׁבַע (bat shéva', “daughter of an oath”), from בַּת (bát, “daughter”) + שֶׁבַע (shéva, “oath”).

af

3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 11:3:

(biblical) In the Old Testament, the wife of Uriah and later of David.

'I was kinda sweet on her my own self. Sheba Otis, her name was then.' I was surprised. 'She married a Queen? Which one?' 'Can't say.' He sighed. 'Her name's Bathsheba, but she never liked that much.' He turned to look at me. 'That's one of them Bible names.'

1996, Martha Grimes, “Hotel Paradise”, in Headline, →ISBN, page 172:

(uncommon) A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.

A village in Saint Joseph parish, Barbados.

A ghost town in Oklahoma, United States, a short-lived female colony.


Jelena

/d͡ʒəˈliːnə/

“Jelena” ended their almost two year relationship just a week ago when, as reports state, Justin wouldn't “be her boyfriend” any more.

2012 November 29, Brittany Lander, “Bieber BreakUp (Boo-Hoo)”, in Red & Black, volume 104, number 11, Washington & Jefferson College, page 17:

By fall 2011, “Jelena”—the cosmically cute combo of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez—was official.

2013, Nadia Higgins, Justin Bieber: Pop and R & B Idol, Lerner Publications Company, →ISBN, page 26:

On Jan. 4, Justin Bieber posted a picture — an usie — on Instagram of him and Selena Gomez, captioned “Love the way you look at me.” Only time and paparazzi will tell if Jelena will once again go strong.

2014 January 8, “Trending”, in The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan, page 3B:

(slang) The couple consisting of celebrities Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.


Scroogelike

en-adj

Scroogelike (comparative more Scroogelike, superlative most Scroogelike)

more Scroogelike (comparative)
most Scroogelike (superlative)

Like Ebenezer Scrooge; bad-tempered, selfish and miserly.


Kiplingian

Kiplingian (comparative more Kiplingian, superlative most Kiplingian)

more Kiplingian (comparative)
most Kiplingian (superlative)

(rare) Of or pertaining to Rudyard Kipling or his writings.


Ringer

Readers flocked online to articulate their angst, discovering 400 websites where "Ringers" congregated to converse in Quenya – one of Tolkien's fictional languages – and discuss such burning issues as whether elves have pointy ears.

2001 November 10, Kathy Marks, “The campaign for real Tolkien”, in The Independent:

One Ringer travels all over and takes pictures of her "Lord of the Rings" figurines.

2005 January 27, Jody Genessy, “Slamdance gets infusion of 'Lord of Rings' mania”, in Deseret News:

Trekkers, Whovians and Ringers were out in force over the weekend as sci-fi and fantasy fans descended on Cardiff for the city's Film and Comic Convention.

2014 March 3, Mark Smith, “Sci-fi fans trek to city for Comic Con”, in South Wales Echo:

(fandom slang) A fan of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien and/or the film trilogy based on it.


Tirzah

Borrowed from Hebrew תִּרְצָה (tirtsáh), meaning "pleasant" or "she is my delight".

And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.


Timonian

Timonian (comparative more Timonian, superlative most Timonian)

more Timonian (comparative)
most Timonian (superlative)

John Langhorne (poet)
Plutarch's Lives
Timon of Athens
Timon of Athens (person)
William Shakespeare

From Timon + -ian, from the 5th-century BC person Timon of Athens (as described by Plutarch, Lucian, Aristophanes), possibly by way of William Shakespeare's play Timon of Athens (c. 1607). Used by poet John Langhorne in his translation of Plutarch's Lives (1777).

[About Timon's account of Pyrrho's views.] The second Timonian passage is usually taken to come from his prose work, Python.

Aristocles is not citing Timon—and how near he keeps to any Timonian text we cannot judge.

Of a form of bitter misanthropy relating to Timonism, like Timon of Athens.


Peel

en-proper noun

Peel (countable and uncountable, plural Peels)

(uncountable) Robert Peel, British Prime Minister.


Marx

Karl Marx (1818–1883), a German political philosopher, economist, and sociologist.


VIR

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
w:en:Victoria I of the United Kingdom

(UK) the royal cypher of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, queen regnant.

Abbreviation of Victoria Imperatrix et Regina.


Hef

In a desperate attempt to impress Laura, Bart begins bathing and sashaying about in a smoking jacket while sucking thoughtfully on a bubble pipe as part of his new pint-sized Hef persona.

2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:

(informal) A nickname for Hugh Hefner, American businessman and playboy


Zelophehad

From Hebrew צְלָפְחָד (ts'lofchád, “Zelophehad”).

bor

(very rare outside the Bible) A male given name from Hebrew.


hobbity

en-adj

hobbity (comparative more hobbity, superlative most hobbity)

more hobbity (comparative)
most hobbity (superlative)

A patch of sidewalk scarlet with spat paan, two hobbity toe-haired toes flexing up-chappal in mid-wade.

2003, Tanuja Desai Hidier, Born Confused:

A hobbity man wearing green boots appeared on the television screen across the room.

2004, Marybeth Bond, A Woman's Europe: True Stories:


Obamunism

Both are interesting choices as poster children for corporate American promoters of Obamunism.

2010, Chris Horner, Power Grab: How Obama's Green Policies Will Steal Your Freedom and Bankrupt America, page 142:

More recently, Patrick Michaels, a longtime critic of climate science and policy scholar at the Cato Institute, criticized plans for a cap and trade system to control greenhouse gases as “Obamunism.”

2010, Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway, Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, page 253:

It's amusing to listen to the moonbats continue to blame Bush for everything wrong now in the second term of Obamunism.

2013, Jay Kennedy, "Bush admin. had nothing to do with 'fast & furious', look it up" (letter to the editor), The Laconia Daily Star (Laconia, NH), 14 May 2013, page 5

(neologism, derogatory) The economic or political policies of the Obama administration, viewed as socialism, communism, or government overreach.


ObamaCare

/oʊˈbɑ məˌkɛəɹ/

Blend of Obama (“Barack Obama”) + healthcare or Medicare and perhaps influenced by earlier HillaryCare.

blend

For some reason, Obama's senior economist, Austan Goolsbee, chooses not to believe this about Obamacare, possibly because he figures the private-but-regulated health-care plans in Obama's National Health Insurance Exchange would be more generous than Obama's public health-care plan.

2007 July 5, Timothy Noah, “Edwardscare: A Trojan Horse, in Slate Magazine”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):

This is a trick. This is a trick that's going on here. This idea that, that whether it's HillaryCare, or ObamaCare, or EdwardsCare, that idea that it's not socialized medicine is a trick. It's a massive growth in government control of medicine.

2007 September 26, Rudy Giuliani, address to the New Jersey Republican Party (about 12 minutes 30 seconds in)

Those who designed ObamaCare were willing to sacrifice marriage for the sake of seeming to be “progressive and equitable,” even though social science research reveals a clear link between single motherhood and poverty.

2010, Richard McKenzie Neal, We the People: A Christian Nation, page 161:

This book will tell you what is right and wrong with Obamacare and will offer solutions to improve healthcare in our country so that it remains of high quality and sustainable financially in the future for all Americans.

2011, Tony Maglione, Obamacare: A Doctor's Guide to Saving Healthcare:

Of course ObamaCare is socialism. It has been designed along explicitly socialist lines[…]

2011, Kevin Williamson, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism, page 237:

Tonight, for our main story, we’re going to look at Obamacare. Basically, the opposite of this photo which is more “Obama don’t give a fuck”!

2017 March 12, “American Health Care Act”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 4, episode 5, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:

(US, neologism, originally derogatory) Any of various healthcare plans seen as associated with Barack Obama before or during his tenure as U.S. President; especially, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590): a healthcare reform plan that was passed in 2010 and signed into law by him.


Shevchenko

/ʃeɪvˈtʃɛnkɔː/

/ʃeɪvˈtʃɛŋkəʊ/

Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (1814–1861), Ukrainian writer

A rural settlement in Horkoho rural rada, Mykolaivka rural hromada, Dnipro Raion, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the Ukraine

Шэўчэ́нка

rural settlement in Mykolaivka, Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine


Bibi

This time, though, I think Bibi drove one wedge too many into the heart of Israel’s body politic.

2023 June 6, Thomas L. Friedman, “From Tel Aviv to Riyadh”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:


Lahamu

(mythology) In Akkadian mythology, a protective and beneficent deity, the first-born daughter of Apsu and Tiamat.


Sargon

From Hebrew סַרְגוֹן (Sargón) (Isaiah 20:1), from Akkadian Šarrum-kīn.

An Akkadian emperor famous for his conquest of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th and 23rd centuries BCE.


Merope

(Greek mythology) The youngest of the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas and Pleione, and a consort of Hermes.


Obamacrat

(US politics) A Democratic supporter of Barack Obama.


BHO

Barack Hussein Obama
w:Barack Hussein Obama


GWB

On the real, just to show proof, hit the GWB and blow the whole roof off the toll booth, bitch ass nigga!

2003, “Get It on the Floor”, in Kasseem Dean, Earl Simmons (lyrics), Grand Champ, performed by DMX, Ruff Ryders Entertainment:

George Washington Bridge
w:George Washington Bridge

(US, New York, New England, New Jersey) Initialism of George Washington Bridge.


GWB

gravitational wave background
gravitational wave background#English

(uncountable, astronomy, cosmology, astrophysics) Abbreviation of gravitational wave background.


Brezhnev

Borrowed from Russian Бре́жнев (Bréžnev).

Бре́жнев Брежнев#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian surname Бре́жнев (Bréžnev); usually refers to the Russian revolutionary and Soviet Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b) Leonid Brezhnev.


Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi (born 1936), Italian politician and businessman.


Satchmo

Contraction of satchel mouth, referring to his large mouth and open singing style. Also called Satch.

(informal) Louis Armstrong, 1901-1971, an American jazz musician.


Kiplingism

en-noun

Kiplingism (countable and uncountable, plural Kiplingisms)

This character has his own way of viewing all that is wrong, challenging nostalgic rhetoric and the most anachronistic Kiplingism.

2007, Laura E. Ruberto, Kristi M. Wilson, Italian neorealism and global cinema:

An attitude or turn of phrase characteristic of Rudyard Kipling.