Acme

Acme
Acme Corporation
Looney Tunes
Warner Bros.
trademark
yellow pages

From acme (“highest, best”). As a threading, from the original 1894 manufacturer, the Acme Screw Machine Company of Hartford, Connecticut. In its use as a generic company for comedic effect or to avoid trademark issues, most popularized by the Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes cartoons but already very commonly used by 20th century American companies as a way to lead the professional listings in yellow page phone books.

Henry knew better than to alienate one of the Acme secretaries.

1968 July, Stan Dryer, “The Fully Automated Love Life of Henry Keanridge”, in Playboy Magazine, page 152:

[ Netanyahu ] showed everybody how close Iran was to getting nuclear weapons by having this spherical cartoon bomb with a wick coming up like Acme style. I was watching this thing thinking, are we worried about Ahmadinejad or are we worried about Inspector Clouseau?

2012 September 29, Adam Felber, “Wait, Wait... Don’t Tell Me!”, in National Public Radio:

(fiction) A generic or monopoly company.

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Hamilton Township, Jackson County, Indiana.

Dickinson County
Dickinson County#English

An unincorporated community in Dickinson County, Kansas.

Concordia Parish
Concordia Parish#English

An unincorporated community in Concordia Parish, Louisiana.

Grand Traverse County
Grand Traverse County#English

A township and unincorporated community therein, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

An unincorporated community in Columbus County, North Carolina.

Hettinger County
Hettinger County#English

A township in Hettinger County, North Dakota.

Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County#English

An unincorporated community in Westmoreland County and Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

census-designated place
census-designated place

A census-designated place in Washington.

An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.


proto-science fiction

(science fiction) Any of various early literature that contained elements that would develop into science fiction


electromancer

(science fiction) Someone who practices the divination of electricity.


Niven ring

Named after American science fiction writer Larry Niven, who wrote the famous science-fiction novel Ringworld that popularized the idea.

named-after

(science fiction) A solid ring type Dyson ring around a star, capable of containing an interior surface that could be terraformed into a habitat with an inner ring of occultation panels to provide a day-night cycle.


final girl

Coined by film theorist Carol J. Clover in her 1992 book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.

(film) A female character in a horror or thriller film who is the last person alive to confront the killer/monster, and often the sole survivor.

Carol J. Clover
Men, Women, and Chainsaws
final girl


Doylist

en-adj

Doylist (comparative more Doylist, superlative most Doylist)

more Doylist (comparative)
most Doylist (superlative)

From Doyle + -ist, with reference to Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
Adjective formed by analogy to Doyle as the real author of the text, as opposed to Dr. John Watson as the fictional author within the text. Started in Sherlock Holmes fandom before spreading to other fandoms. Possibly originating in the "Baker Street Irregulars" fan club and entering the science fiction fandom usage (fanspeak) via the Lois McMaster Bujold mailing list.

I would accept that many of them behave like humans born on earth would, but that must be an artefact of poor translation or our poor understanding of their motives and objectives [Watsonian] or lack of vision on the writers part [Doylist - to borrow some terms from the Bujold mailing list - think 'as written by' Dr Watson or by Arthur Conan Doyle].

2000 October 6, Martin Bonham, “Banks was Re: Multi-culturalism in space?”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet), message-ID <970804830.406747@hermes>:

Roddenberry's official explaination^([sic]) was "They always looked like that. We just didn't have the budjet^([sic]) in the 1960's to show them properly."¶ This is one case where I prefer the Doylist explaination^([sic]).

2001 September 30, Rob Wynne, “Re: OK, Enterprise...”, in rec.music.filk (Usenet), message-ID <74Jt7.875$oL3.24397@eagle.america.net>:

While fans recognize and do engage in Doylist readings, they tend to find Watsonian readings more engaging. Fan fiction writers in particular engage with the text intradiegetically.

2012, Laurie Cubbison, “Russell T Davies, 'Nine Hysterical Women,' and the Death of Ianto Jones”, in New Media Literacies and Participatory Popular Culture Across Borders, →ISBN:

(fandom slang, narratology) From a real-world perspective; of or relating to an explanation outside the text; external to the narrative.


Doylist

T. Raymond
One can imagine the devout Doylist wringing his hands over every fresh appearance of Sir Arthur in the character of an exponent of spiritualism.

An enthusiast of the works of Arthur Conan Doyle.


Flanderization

en-noun

Flanderization (countable and uncountable, plural Flanderizations)

term-label

(American spelling, Oxford British English, fandom slang)

/ˌflændəɹəˈzeɪʃn̩/

Ned Flanders
TV Tropes
The Simpsons
WonderCon

From Flanders + -ization (suffix forming nouns denoting the act, process, or result of doing or making something), from the American animated television series The Simpsons (first broadcast in 1989) where the character Ned Flanders underwent a progressive shift from a good-natured Christian to a religious fundamentalist. The character did however eventually return to its initial form. The word was coined on the popular culture wiki TV Tropes around 2006.

suffix

Many fans say that season 5 was the beginning of its downfall as Flanderization occurred. JD went from being a little emotionally needy to a whiny man-child and Elliot became every negative stereotype about women instead of her usual neurotic but lovable self.

2009 June 7, tmc1982 [username], “Seasonal Rot – Television Tropes & Idioms”, in rec.arts.tv (Usenet):

Irene's whole gimmick is that she's the one woman in the world who can outwit Holmes. Although in the actual story, her victory is extremely limited, flanderization takes hold in adaptations.

2012 December 21, David Johnson, “Re: Elementary – Episode 8 – The Long Fuse”, in rec.arts.tv (Usenet):

Prime realises Swoop must be under some sort of external control as he's at heart a loyal Autobot (over the years Flanderisation will make the Dinobots more and more maverick) and does the one thing that he knows will so enrage his mind controlled colleague that Swoop will fight off the influence. He gives him a direct order.

2015, Stuart Webb, “The Icarus Theory”, in Transformation: A Personal Journey through the British Transformers Comic, volumes 1 (1984–1987), [S.l.]: Solar Pool, →ISBN, page 129, column 1:

A sympathetic wrestling savant, Eugene became, through a process of rapid Flanderisation (the process in fiction of a character being consumed by their identifiable trait, named after The Simpsons’ Ned Flanders), in Cornette’s words, “a fucking retard”.

2017, Michael Sidgwick, “A Box of Fluffy Ducks”, in Development Hell: The NXT Story, U.K.: WhatCulture.com, →ISBN, page 101:

A common form of this ["character derailment"] is flanderization, in which a character's very singular, minor, yet notable attributes exaggerate as a serial continues. […] I would attribute flanderization to Rick and/or Jerry, if anyone of the main cast.

2020, Edward K. Eckhart-Zinn, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Rick and Morty”, in The Sequel Superior, Pittsburgh, Pa.: RoseDog Books, →ISBN, page 233:

(uncountable) The progressive exaggeration of a single trait or set of traits of a fictional character until it overtakes all other characterization

Flanderisation

progressive exaggeration of a single trait or set of traits of a fictional character until it overtakes all other characterization; an instance of this


RSE

Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire
w:Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

(fandom slang) Initialism of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald.


virch

en-noun

virch (countable and uncountable, plural virches)

(He won't use virch goggles; their simulated environments cut him off too thoroughly from me, and that scares him.)

1995, Michael Bishop, “Cri de Coeur”, in Gardner Dozois, editor, The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twelfth Annual Collection, page 428:

"Yeah. Why vid, anyway? Why not virch?"

2002, Candas Jane Dorsey, A Paradigm of Earth, page 108:

Knowing Noah will be content in his virch for as long as he is left undisturbed, she begins mapping new ideas […]

2015, James Bradley, Clade, unnumbered page:

(informal, science fiction) virtual reality


xenozoology

(science fiction) The branch of xenology dealing with extraterrestrial animals.

Xenozoologie

xenology dealing with extraterrestrial cultures


xenopaleontology

Text excerpts from: An Introduction to Xenopaleontology: The Study of Ancient Extraterrestrial Life. Interplanetary Council Public Document #3664. 18, Mulburn, Peters, et. al., 2 May 2389.

1981 June, Joel Hagen, “Xenopaleontology”, in Heavy Metal, volume 5, number 3, page 42:

J. Q. R. Forster, professor of xenopaleontology and xenoarchaeology at King's College, London, was engrossed in a leather-bound volume from a shelf of 19th-century classics when Blake and the commander entered the library.

1990, Paul Preuss, The Medusa Encounter, Avon Books, →ISBN, page 122:

I would vehemently hope that in some far-future day a real, honest-to-goodness human geology/xenopaleontology crew is sent to Mars and that it sets down in that same area and seriously examines some of these things up close and^([sic]) great detail.

2004 March 9, Herb Schaltegger, “Re: "Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars -- F*SSIL" -- Oberg”, in alt.alien.visitors (Usenet):

When it had left the system, the tool-users were in the middle of a spirited attempt to wipe themselves out, which led the frigate to one hypothesis that the biological material the freighter was carrying had been some sort of xenopalaeontology expedition to preserve the species; […]

2014, Gavin Deas, Empires: Extraction, Hachette UK, →ISBN, page 26:

(rare, science fiction) The study of past extraterrestrial life forms.


merfriend

“I told you that you are the best merfriend ever. Let's go sit with her and make her feel at home.”

2012, Debbie Dadey, Trouble at Trident Academy, Aladdin, →ISBN, page 76:

Helen asked Eleni, “Would you like to join me and my merfriends on an adventure?”

2014, Despina Karfis, The Magical Pool, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 7:

“I love singing, and I'm pretty good says my, umm, merfriend, if that's even a word.”

2015, Jillian Verbicky, The Tail of an Angel, Xlibris, →ISBN:


merkid

Here's hoping they get married and spend their days swimming in the sun, merkids in tow.

2009, "Q&A with Aimee Friedman", in Aimee Friedman, Ocean of Secrets, Scholastic Children's Books (2012), unnumbered page

Humpback whales were huge. All they had to do to swallow a mermaid was open their gigantic mouths wide. She was the smallest merkid in their class.

2012, Debbie Dadey, Whale of a Tale, Aladdin, →ISBN, pages 16–17:

Every merkid in the entire gymnasium seemed to be holding their breaths.

2015, Janet Gurtler, Cora's Decision, Stone Arch Books, →ISBN, page 30:


mersister

In the 2008 Broadway version of The Little Mermaid, the song, by Alan Menken (music) and Howard Ashman (lyric), was also performed by the mermaids (or mersisters).

2009, Thomas S. Hischak, Mark A. Robinson, The Disney Song Encyclopedia, The Scarecrow Press, →ISBN, page 40:

Remember, these are the people who kidnapped us and were going to cut out mine^([sic]) and my mersisters' vocal cords!

2012, Robert E. Thornsberry, The Accidental Mermaid, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 206:

Now that the mersisters were gone, that seemed more important than ever.

2013, Catherine Hapka, Mermaids in the Backyard, Random House, →ISBN, page 75:

(fantasy) The female sibling of a merperson.


merfamily

"The land fairies say the pollution in the cove has been making all the sea creatures sick. I imagine that includes the merfamily. […]

2008, Donna Varnes, The Cove, Xulon Press, →ISBN, page 271:

Internally, the floor had been built up with flat rocks, therefore, even at high tide, it never contained more than two feet of water, and in the evening the entrance was always damned up by large boulders so that any incoming water did not disturb the sleeping merfamily.

2012, Annie McLeod, Man or Beast, Glass Jar Publishing (2012), page 54

To visit the undersea realm of Artur, the High Prince, and the rest of the royal merfamily, she has to fin it to the Cayman Islands.

2012, MaryJanice Davidson, Swimming Without a Net, Jove (2007), back cover blurb


merwitch

[…] You see, we have been hunting the merwitch's slimy giant eel for many years now and always fall short of destroying it. […]

2013, Jessica Eppley, The Book of Siavon: Vol. 2: The Tail of Murias, Booktango:

"Sharks are unique, temperamental, always have been. Now they're under the control of Calandra, a particularly nasty merwitch whose goal is to rule the oceans."

2013, Missy Fleming, Into the Deep, Fire and Ice, →ISBN, page 59:

The merwitch slowly opened her eyes.

2014, Mary Man-Kong, Magical Mermaid Adventure, Random House Children's Books, →ISBN:


Othello

The title character in Shakespeare's tragedy Othello.

Cumberland County
Cumberland County#English

An unincorporated community in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States.

A city in Adams County, Washington, United States.


Lear

The name of a legendary early king of Britain, the central character in Shakespeare's King Lear.

Լիր

First-generation Lears are beasts to fly.


claircognizant

en-adj

claircognizant (comparative more claircognizant, superlative most claircognizant)

more claircognizant (comparative)
most claircognizant (superlative)

Exhibiting or relating to claircognizance.


Dyson swarm

Named after American theoretical physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson

named-after

(science fiction) A system of movable, independent satellites that as a whole compose a Dyson sphere.


Kardashev scale

Named after Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev (1932–2019).

Let us think of an ethical scale for civilizations in the same spirit as the Kardashev scale. I'll modestly call it the Hall scale.

2012, John R. Shook, Liz Stillwaggon Swan, Transformers and Philosophy: More than Meets the Mind, Open Court, →ISBN, page 10:

Earth's civilization during the late twentieth century when the Kardashev scale was first proposed, utilizing roughly 15 terawatts globally, would have been defined as approximately K0.71.

2014, Ian Douglas, Dark Matter (Star Carrier, Book 5), HarperCollins UK, →ISBN:

A scale that measures the technological level of a civilization by the extent of its energy consumption.


star lifting

(science fiction) A hypothetical process wherein a portion of a star's mass is removed, generally to serve as an energy source.


Penrose process

Named after English mathematician Roger Penrose.

A hypothetical process whereby the ergosphere of a black hole can be used as an energy source due to its angular momentum.


Tipler time machine

en-noun

Tipler time machine (plural Tipler time machines)


von Neumann probe

von Neumann probe (plural von Neumann probes)

(science fiction) A von Neumann machine, or machine capable of self-replication, that is sent on interstellar voyages to investigate or terraform.


sleeper ship

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-sleeper ship.wav

(science fiction) A spaceship, all or some of whose passengers are in suspended animation.


Dyson tree

genetically engineered
genetically engineered

(science fiction) A hypothetical genetically engineered plant that could grow in a comet.


bioship

(science fiction) A spaceship that is partially or wholly composed of biological material.


Klaroline

The flirtatious energy was fun, and we made a very conscious effort to evoke some of the "Klaroline" energy from previous seasons.

2014, Crissy Calhoun, Heather Vee, Love You to Death - Season 5: The Unofficial Companion to The Vampire Diaries, ECW Press, →ISBN:

We caught up with Candice Accola to get some information about just how bad Markos is, and what she thinks about Steroline, Klaroline, and more: […]

2014, Samantha Highfill, "'The Vampire Diaries': Candice Accola on Steroline's 'raw' moment, Markos' arrival, and her road trip with Enzo", Entertainment Weekly, 17 January 2015

Morgan also addresses the passionate fans of one massively shipped couple (hint: Klaroline) whose supporters may be the most vocal and opinionated in the Vampire Diaries universe.

2015 April 2, Amanda Michelle Steiner, “The Originals' Joseph Morgan on Klaus's 'Crazy and Irrational' Return and Why He's 'Proud' of the Show's Passionate Fandom”, in People:

(fandom slang) The romantic pairing of the characters Niklaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes from the American television series The Vampire Diaries.


Duchovbot

The duchovbots had nothing to do with it. Season 8 stunk big time. Not even David could make it any better.

2001 July 29, Marlene Steinberg, “Re: Short XF Season Survey!”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

The Duchovbots seem to be waaay to^([sic]) eager to forget that the *only* reason we ever got Doggett was cuz DD wanted out.

2002 May 21, spookycc [username], “Re: The Truth From The Gut”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

If it had taken a ratings dive, Fox would never have renewed the show for Season 9 because all FOX cares about is making money. I realize the Duchovbot spinmeisters compared the show from Season to Season but that's not how the game is played.

2004 March 24, Laura Capozzola, “Re: Question Season 8 + 9, Possible spoilers”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

(X-Files fandom slang, derogatory) A fan of The X-Files who stopped watching or enjoyed the series less after actor David Duchovny's departure.


friendshipper

From friendship + -er, or a blend of friendship + shipper.

This is an MSR, all friendshippers beware.

1997 May 23, TempusX [username], “NEW: After The Louvre - 1/1 (MSR/NC-17)”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet):

Some of us are friendshippers, some of us are relationshippers of one variety or another -- some of us want to see a Mulder/Scully relationship occur during the course of the series, while some of us prefer to maintain the slow seduction until the series' end -- but we are all captivated by the intense and uncommon TRUST displayed between the characters.

1998 July 2, JLangly, “Shippers have SAVED The X-Files!!!”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

Ok do any other shippers out there just feel like becoming a friendshipper. Mulder has turned into the Ass Hole^([sic]) of the year, and I wouldn't want Scully to take him if he cam^([sic]) knocking on her door with a dozen red roses, and Diana's head in a box.

1999 February 15, SoulM E MS [username], “Shipper?”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

(X-Files fandom slang) A person who would prefer Fox Mulder and Dana Scully's relationship to remain platonic.


Muldertorture

Just another note: some people are apparently concerned that Muldertorture stories are plotless, but I think a lot of our stories are plotless, and I don't have much of a problem with that, although I do enjoy plotted stories with morals more.

1998 March 14, Suli, “Re: Muldertorture (was Re: DD/GA fanfic?)”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet):

I love Muldertorture as much as anyone, but that was without a doubt the most disgusting XF episode I have ever seen.

2000 April 16, Circe, “Brand X Blathering”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

She writes a lot of series, so that should keep me busy. And they're all lovely and angsty, with lots of Muldertorture.

2001 April 14, Angela, “Re: If you had to choose one author...”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

(X-Files fandom slang) Physical and psychological harm inflicted on the character Fox Mulder.


Mulderangst

Well, what can I say, I've discovered that I like Mulderangst and can't get enough of it.

1996 October 24, Esther Walker, “The Brotherhood 1/14”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet):

"3" is only bearable if you are an X-Phile, because you can derive some satisfaction from the Mulderangst over missing-and-presumed-dead Scully, and the fact that Mulder is getting some.

1998 October 4, wherever [username], “Re: Worst Episode”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

Perhaps the best piece of straight Mulderangst I've ever read and set to the harsh strains of one of my favorite poets -- T.S. Eliot. Not for the faint of heart, but an excellent journey into the dark caverns of Mulder's motivations and obsessions.

2000 August 23, swikstr [username], “Re: Classic Fics--which ones?”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet):

(X-Files fandom slang) Emotional distress experienced by the character Fox Mulder.


Scullyangst

We don't have enough Scullyangst with dead family members and terminal brain cancer?

1997 March 24, autumnt, “REVIEW: Autumn's "Max" Review - SPOILERS”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

With Melissa and even Queequeg, there was deep Scullyangst.

1997 March 27, Gil Trevizo, “Re: And another thing about walking into bullets ... <usual spoilers>”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

Any scene involving Scullyangst gets me teary.

1998 May 27, SandyW7592, “Re: which epsiode made you cry?( you can play too, guys.)”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

(X-Files fandom slang) Emotional distress experienced by the character Dana Scully.


fanficdom

I'm just a poor student trying to contribute to fanficdom.

1999 March 3, Sining [username], “[Ranma][AMG][Fanfic] Oh my...Ranma? #4”, in rec.arts.anime.creative (Usenet):

It applies particularly in fanficdom. I used to run an XF archive, and I once recieved^([sic]) three requests in as many weeks for author's names to be removed because their bosses had been wandering a little too close to their corner of cyberspace or because a reader had contacted them in RL.

1999 May 22, The Emu [username], “Re: Use of pseudonyms”, in alt.startrek.creative (Usenet):

I feel canon & commerce do not acknowledge gratitude deep & often enough to fanficdom!

2009 May 15, Alan Heah, “Re: NEW AOS; Dear Jim (Spock Prime), PG, 1/1 (Short Piece)”, in alt.startrek.creative (Usenet):

The domain of fan fiction and/or fanficcers.


Spuffy

In contrast, the Spuffy 'shipper may be an older, more highly-educated career professional, but she must use the Internet to access the fanfiction she desires to read, because it is not available anywhere else.

2013, Mary Kirby-Diaz, “Ficcers and 'Shippers: A Love Story”, in Jennifer K. Stuller, editor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Intellect Books, →ISBN, page 44:

Spuffy—as Spike/Buffy are often called—changed all that.

2013, Michelle Sagara West, “For The Love Of Riley”, in Glenn Yeffeth, editor, Seven Seasons of Buffy: Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Discuss Their Favorite Television Show, BenBella Books, →ISBN, page 71:

Relations between these viewers – who had come to self-identify as 'Spike-Buffy relationship fans' or 'Spuffy shippers' for short – and the writers of the show reached their nadir at the end of season six, when the writers decided to show the Spuffy shippers just how wrong they were by writing a scene in which Spike attempts to rape Buffy: […]

2014, Joseph Crawford, The Twilight of the Gothic?: Vampire Fiction and the Rise of the Paranormal Romance, University of Wales Press, →ISBN, pages 129–130:

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Spike and Buffy Summers from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


Bangel

My only hope at this point is that SMG refuses to appear on Angel in the future, thus saving us from the inevitable Bangel ending for that series.

2003 May 14, Chris Zabel, “Re: How Does Joss Whedon Feel...”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet):

She never seemed to have any trouble writing Bangel or Spuffy scenes.

2004 November 1, EBailey140 [username], “Re: What is it about Riley...”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet):

And we get Andrew's definitive judgement on the Bangel versus Spuffy controversy, […]

2009 March 13, Stephen Tempest, “Review of BtVS 8.23 'Predators and Prey”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet):

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Buffy Summers and Angel from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


Steroline

(fandom slang) The romantic pairing of the characters Stefan Salvatore and Caroline Forbes from the American television series The Vampire Diaries.


mindlock

(fantasy, science fiction) A magic spell or technology that restricts a person's ability to think freely.


X-Filesy

en-adj

X-Filesy (comparative more X-Filesy, superlative most X-Filesy)

more X-Filesy (comparative)
most X-Filesy (superlative)

That doesn't leave room for much X-Files'''y speculation about the nature of the universe — yet that doesn't stop Carter from trying to inject some intellectual spookiness.

1996, Television Guide, volume 44, unnumbered page:

Spooky posters on the walls of dragon sightings, werewolves in Hungary, and a black and white print of a dead sea monster in Canada. Back in the world of Wayne Phelps but nice and X-Filesy, if it came down to it.

2012, Graham Johnson, Hack: Sex, Drugs, and Scandal from Inside the Tabloid Jungle, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN:

Maybe Williams really was in the FBI — some secret X-Filesy part of it.

2012, Becca Mills, Nolander, Recompense Press (2012), unnumbered page

(informal) Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the paranormal investigation science fiction television series The X-Files.


undercity

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-undercity.wav


serpopard

(Egyptian mythology, Mesopotamian mythology) A mythical animal resembling a serpent-necked leopard, known from Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian depictions.


horse and hattock

From the Scottish folk tradition that this is the cry that fairies make when they leave a place.

...but one of their number being, it seems, a little more bold and confident than his companion, said Horse and hattock with my top!' and immediately they all saw the top lifted up from the ground, but could not see which way it was carried, by reason of a cloud of dust which was raised at the same time.

1835, Fraser's magazine for town and country - Volume 11, page 219:

Archroy had noticed that his old Morris Minor, which his wife described as 'an eyesore', was no longer upon its blocks in the garage but seemed to have cried horse and hattock and been carried away by the fairies.

1992, Robert Rankin, The Antipope, →ISBN, page 18:

The Miscellanies of John Aubrey (1626-97) noted two cases involving the phrase "Horse and Hattock" and fairy levitation.

2001, Lizanne Henderson, Edward J. Cowan, Scottish Fairy Belief: A History, →ISBN, page 37:

A call that invokes the fairies to transport someone or something.


hyperchess

(science fiction) A multidimensional form of the game of chess.


Yodaesque

Yodaesque (comparative more Yodaesque, superlative most Yodaesque)

more Yodaesque (comparative)
most Yodaesque (superlative)

Reminiscent of Yoda, the wise mentor from the Star Wars film franchise, who dispenses mystical advice in ungrammatical speak.


adlet

Adlets are wont to hunt on all fours, and so were born stories of giant black dogs that accost travelers.

2006, Aaron Rosenberg, Various, Chosen RPG, Impressions, →ISBN:

An adlet is part-human and part-canine, […]. They can be cannibals, eating other dogs. When they first hunt prey they go for the victim's throat and drink the fresh blood.

2012, Lisa Regan, Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies, Amber Books Ltd, →ISBN, page 71:

... that one of their ancestors has been married to a dog and that they have canine blood in their veins. This does not mean, of course, that they can transform themselves into an Adlet or that they enjoy any special protection from its attentions.

2016, Dr. Bob Curran, Andy Paciorek, The Carnival Of Dark Dreams, →ISBN, page 56:

"We could mate with humans, but then we'd have to expose our existence, and there's no guarantee that the baby will be an adlet." She cleared her throat. "Of course, I'd love a human baby just as much as an adlet, but we need more halflings […]"
[…]
The dogs mated with other dogs and stayed in their canine form, but the halflings mated with both humans and dogs and so the adlets continued to spread across the land, always evolving. Some adlet families are more human than dog, ...

2019, Laura Greenwood, Skye MacKinnon, Under the Ice, Peryton Press:

(cryptozoology, mythology) A cryptid in Inuit mythology and folklore in Canada and Greenland, a tall, dog-legged humanoid (sometimes identified with inland Native Americans).


doppel

A clipping of doppelganger; however, the words are not synonyms.

(science fiction) An identical copy of a person (such as a clone, virtual reality representation, etc.).


ficathon

General fan fiction challenges and “ficathons” are regularly sponsored by many sites, including those named above.

2008, Daniel Smith-Rowsey, “Still More Gilmore: How Online Fan Communities Remediate Gilmore Girls”, in Ritch Calvin, editor, Gilmore Girls and the Politics of Identity: Essays on Family and Feminism in the Television Series, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 197:

Much fanfiction is written to commission – people will ask for a particular sort of story, or for erotic fiction featuring a particular partnership, often as an online birthday present – or in exchange for ficathon challenges where likely contributors post cues for a story they would like to see and scan the challenges for something they would enjoy writing.

2010, Roz Kaveney, “Gen, Slash, OT3s, and Crossover – The Varieties of Fan Fiction”, in Stacey Abbott, editor, The Cult TV Book, I. B. Tauris & Co., →ISBN, page 244:

Yet as early as March 2007, when the show was still in its second season, a Livejournal community, spn_gaiman, was created to promote a Supernatural/Neil Gaiman crossover “ficathon” as well as to archive fiction that had already been written by fans earlier in 2006.

2011, Laura Felschow, “Plagiarism or Props?: Homage to Neil Gaiman in Eric Kripke's Supernatural”, in Stacey Abbott, David Lavery, editors, TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of, Supernatural , ECW Press, →ISBN, pages 235–236:

(fandom slang) A challenge in which participants are asked to write fan fiction, generally of a specific type or to fill individual requests.


ACG

The idea behind “bullet screens” originated in Japan, where they were first popularized by a Japanese ACG (animation, comics, games) video portal called Nicodou, which later became the inspiration for similar Chinese ACG video sites such as Bilibili.

2014 August 20, Amy Qin, “Theaters in China Screen Movies, and Viewers' Text Messages”, in New York Times Sinosphere Blog:

The four girls are dressed up as different types of manga characters and spend more time exploring the ACG world than the human world.

2019, Hui Faye Xiao, Youth Economy, Crisis, and Reinvention in Twenty-First-Century China, Routledge, →ISBN:

(Greater China) Initialism of anime, comics and games: a Chinese subculture that revolves around anime, manga, and Japanese video games.


earth-drake

From Middle English *erthedrake, from Old English eorþdraca, equivalent to earth + drake (“dragon”).

(Anglo-Saxon mythology, fantasy) Alternative form of earthdrake


smutfic

en-noun

smutfic (countable and uncountable, plural smutfics)

So, don't fret. There is always subtext to be found if you believe there is.And, if you get tired of just imagining it, read some smutfic. I bet you'll find some tasty pairings there.

1998 January 15, BabylonC [username], “Re: [OT] B:tVS & subtext”, in alt.tv.xena-subtext (Usenet):

Oh, thanks. Now I have to go take a cold shower. Or at least write some Xander smutfic.

1999 August 23, Shadowy Moon [username], “Re: If there's one thing you'd change about the Buffy show,what would it be?”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet):

Yes, when it is NC-17 smutfic involving Mulder and Scully... and practically every other member of the cast.

2002 February 5, Aubrey, “Re: there aren't enough posts poll”, in alt.music.placebo (Usenet):

(uncountable, fandom slang) Such fan fiction collectively.


Philedom

I have too many friends in Philedom. It's going to be very interesting to see how we survive the 8th season and still keep our Internet communities in tact.^([sic])

2000 October 5, Bast Black, “The X-File season 8 promo from the gut.”, in alt.fan.david-duchovny (Usenet):

He only said that the changes made in those seasons divided Philedom in an unprecendented^([sic]) fashion, and that the ratings dropped drastically.

2002 June 17, Anna, “Re: XF Worst Survivor Round 6”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

It could have been the only episode that *all* factions of Philedom might dislike.

2002 October 20, W. Blaine Dowler, “Re: OOPS! Make that 9 seasons!”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

(fandom slang) The fandom of the science fiction television series The X-Files.


antimutant

en-adj

antimutant (comparative more antimutant, superlative most antimutant)

more antimutant (comparative)
most antimutant (superlative)


battlemage

(fantasy) A wizard specializing in close magical combat.

(fantasy roleplaying games) Someone proficient in fighting with both melee weapons and offensive magic.


Vaderesque

Vaderesque (comparative more Vaderesque, superlative most Vaderesque)

more Vaderesque (comparative)
most Vaderesque (superlative)

In the case of the Cybermen the Vaderesque trappings, and the incongruous displays of emotion, were rapidly stripped away.

2011, Piers D. Britton, TARDISbound: Navigating the Universes of Doctor Who, page 77:

Adopting a Vaderesque voice, he intoned, “Luke, I am your federal agent. Somehow it doesn't have the same kick. […]

Reminiscent of Darth Vader, the sinister deep-voiced villain of the Star Wars original trilogy.


Chiang Mai

/t͡ʃi.ɑːŋ ˈmaɪ/

Borrowed from Thai เชียงใหม่ (Chiiang Mai), from เชียง (chiiang, “walled city”) + ใหม่ (mài, “new”). In reference to the kingdoms, from their capital.

The capital city of Chiang Mai province, Thailand.

(historical) Synonym of Lanna, a former kingdom.

(historical) Synonym of Rattanatingsa, a former kingdom.

(geography, historical) Synonym of Chimay, an imaginary lake or marsh long thought to exist near Chiang Mai.


jokefic

(Stealth, don't get any ideas, before you launch into another epic because I said the word 'SRB2'. This is a jokefic.)

1999 April 18, Johnny 'Sonikku' Wallbank, “[AFSH] I don't even feel like it! Bwahahaha! Part 2”, in alt.fan.sonic-hedgehog (Usenet):

this was just written as what was *supposed* to be a two chapter April Fool's jokefic and a chance to throw some ideas out i couldn't use elsewhere.

2000 May 8, Gregg Sharp, “[Ranma/Xover] [FanFic] The Bet: Reluctant Bet seg 24 "The First Emperor Of China?"”, in rec.arts.anime.creative (Usenet):

I've been writing Daria fanfics and jokefics (A few are still in the works)ever since I stumbled upon the scene in 1997, […]

2001 June 21, The Outsider [username], “The future of Daria (For us)”, in alt.tv.daria (Usenet):

(fandom slang) A fanfic intended to be humorous or absurd.


sadfic

Just keep in mind that I don't do darkfics or sadfics.

1997 February 6, Andrew Huang, “[Ranma] [fanfic] Life and Manhood”, in rec.arts.anime.creative (Usenet):

For I had faith that this author would apply craft and finesse to the fic, even if it were yet another "sadfic" with yet another Akane added to the corpses that litter the archive.

1997 August 3, Talswapr [username], “[Ranma] [Review] Taleswapper's Quarterly Post”, in rec.arts.anime.creative (Usenet):

This is probably my first attempt at writing something even close to a darkfic. If anything, it seems to come across as a sadfic. Even if the character does try to take her life, I won't try to classify it as a suicide fic.

2000 March 31, Rakna, “[Eva] [FanFic] The One I Love Is... - Darkness of a Broken Heart”, in rec.arts.anime.creative (Usenet):

(fandom slang) A fanfic which intentionally deals with a tragic situation or theme.


goodfic

Yes, it was intentionally written as 'badfic', as opposed to 'goodfic'.

1998 August 25, manhattantowers [username], “The Truth About 'Nite Challengee 1/?' [sic]”, in alt.drwho.creative (Usenet):

It's good badfic, which is definitely preferable to bad goodfic.

2000 July 12, Jean Helms, “Re: A Story (1//1) BADFIC by shannono”, in alt.tv.x-files.creative (Usenet):

Yeah... *looks at count* ...thirded! It's not like people are going to complain about more goodfic. :)

2008 July 8, Katrine Myra, “Re: Plotbunny drive by - Dancing Spock?”, in alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated (Usenet):

(fandom slang) Well-written fan fiction.


flashfic

en-noun

flashfic (countable and uncountable, plural flashfics)

I will throw down the gauntlet to other flash authors (or anyone else)... Write a piece of flashfic that's a palindrome (reading by paragraphs, that is). I'll see if I can whip out another one as well...

2002 November 14, Scipio [username], “{ASSD} Something I wrote, along those lines. Was (Re: {ASSM} Lipogram of S-E-X...)”, in alt.sex.stories.d (Usenet):

Anti-illusionist metalepsis is acceptable under certain circumstances, however, as we can see in the NCIS and Due South flashfic self-insertion challenges (malnpudl 2007; china_shop 2008).

2011, Tisha Turk, “Metalepsis in Fan Videos and Fan Fiction”, in Karin Kukkonen, Sonja Klimek, editors, Metalepsis in Popular Culture, De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 98:

I'm not even sure if it qualifies as a FlasFic^([sic]) but like most good flashfic it relies for its success on the readers^([sic]) existing background knowledge to place it within a larger framework.

2011 March 16, Kirok of L'Stok [username], “Re: NEW TNG: Carpe Diem, P/C and others (1/1), G-rated”, in alt.startrek.creative (Usenet):

(uncountable, fandom slang) Flash fiction.

(Though, not to nit pick^([sic]) but it isn't a drabble; they're 100 words, excluding title; this is a short fic, flashfic, ficlet...whatever<g>)

2003 November 16, Jane Davitt, “Re: Drabble: Forever After”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer.creative (Usenet):

This feels like a flashfic, one of those teensy-weensy short stories that leaves you gasping in just five or six sentences.

2006, L. D. Beghol, Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs: A Field Guide, Continuum (2006), page 103

According to a fanfiction tale's length, we can find the drabble (text up to 110 words), the flashfic (between 111 and 500 words) and the one piece, or one shot (more than 500 words).

2011, Max Giovagnoli, Transmedia Storytelling: Imagery, Shapes and Techniques, ETC Press, published 2011, →ISBN, page 84:

(countable, fandom slang) An individual work of flash fiction, especially a fanfic.


crapfic

crapfic (countable and uncountable, plural crapfics)

(fandom slang) Poorly or badly written fanfiction.


Pit of Voles

pit + of + voles, from the site's reputation in fandom as being filled with amateurish and poorly-written stories.

[…] I have comparatively little spare time compared to what I'd like, and what fanfiction reading I've been doing has tended to be in the less ugly depths of the Pit of VOles.^([sic])

2009 January 4, The Wanderer [username], “Re: AFSM Purpose? (was Re: Tokyo Trip Photos)”, in alt.fan.sailor-moon (Usenet):

This was my utter last choice as a posting avenue, because it's such an incredible pain in the butt to post here, compared to anywhere else, whether it's LJ, my website, a messageboard or even the Pit of Voles.

2009 March 3, KKGlinka [username], “Re: Not Quite Off-Topic: ASC and the ASC Awards”, in alt.startrek.creative (Usenet):

And in the ultimate case of inception-ism, the Pit of Voles is already up to 24 submissions of _Fangirl_ fanfic. Haven't checked Archive of Our Own yet... :-P

2014 January 21, Chrysti Cat, “Re: FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet):

(fandom slang, derogatory) The online fan fiction archive FanFiction.net.


Joe Citizen

(idiomatic) A hypothetical average or generic citizen; the man on the street.


holoviewer

(science fiction) A device that can project a holographic image to an observer.


Voldemortian

en-adj

Voldemortian (comparative more Voldemortian, superlative most Voldemortian)

more Voldemortian (comparative)
most Voldemortian (superlative)

A twenty-seven year-old screenwriter stepped up to the table. Josh reached into the carry on and pulled out a bottle containing an anti-psychotic medication.
"Sorry, I have to confiscate this." He tossed it into the trash bin.
Seven hours later, over the Pacific Ocean, the screenwriter would notice that his fellow passengers had begun to morph in a strangely Voldemortian way.
"Snakes on the plane!" he would scream, "Snakes on the plane!"

2007, Steven F. Lott, “Blunt Weapon”, in It Came from Airport Security, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 40:

There is one man whose reputation – amazingly – has been burnished by the disaster of the past few weeks; one man who is still sought after by society hostesses; one man whose every silken Voldemortian utterance is still taken down, with reverence, by the political journalists.

2010 May 3, Boris Johnson, “General Election 2010: Gordon Brown is a goner - bring on Peter Mandelson”, in The Telegraph:

As a vegetable product, it was favored as a healthier option than animal fats (a view that went downhill when transfats became viewed with Voldemortian horror, then flipped again when Crisco got a nearly transfat-free new formula.)

2011 April 2, Rebekah Denn, “Crisco is still a good thing, sometimes”, in The Seattle Times:

Having similar traits to the fictional evil wizard Voldemort from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.


Voldemortish

Voldemortish (comparative more Voldemortish, superlative most Voldemortish)

more Voldemortish (comparative)
most Voldemortish (superlative)

The last reel is buoyed by the deliciously hammy tones of David Bowie, who voices the Voldemortish villain.

2007 January 18, Al Hoff, “Arthur and the Invisibles”, in Pittsburgh City Paper:

The villain, Red Skull, is a scary character, not to mention seriously ugly in a noseless, Voldemortish way.

2011 July 31, Jane Horwitz, “Family Filmgoer”, in The Boston Globe:

There was little that could be done to make Diablo appear less frightening. He had a haircut, and now wore Justin Bieber-like bangs covering his horns. He wore a button-down shirt and dark slacks. But no amount of concealer was going to hide the tattoos covering his entire face, or reconstruct the Voldemortish nostrils.

2013, Allison Leotta, chapter 49, in Speak of the Devil, New York: Pocket Books, published 2015, →ISBN, page 351:


Lostie

I would guess that the answers to many of the questions will be found among the Others so that's where the story needs to focus. None of the Lostie beach scenes this season have advanced the current story line or taken us in a new direction […] I'd rather see the show move forward with the Others than putter around with the Losties.

2006 November 9, alooo, “Re: Way too much Kate/Jack/Sawyer this season.”, in alt.tv.lost (Usenet), message-ID <oCz4h.2987$IR4.1989@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net>:

(fandom slang) Any of the fictional characters in the television drama Lost who become stranded on a mysterious island.

Once it started, me and millions of future Losties saw the most expensive episode in TV history, as well as one of the most intense and mysterious.

2010, Robert Dougherty, Lost: It Only Ends Once: An Unofficial Last Look, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 2:

Even though I was an enthusiastic Lostie from the start, I was grateful for the Guide, if only because it reassured me that I wasn't the only one having trouble keeping track.

2011, Richard Davies, “Lost in Lost's Times”, in Sharon Kaye, editor, Ultimate Lost and Philosophy: Think Together, Die Alone, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 9:

I'm a Lostie through and through. For those of you who may not know what that is, you probably never paid much attention to the award-winning television show Lost.

2014, Darren Schalk, Dear God, We Need to Talk: Wresting with God on Questions of Life & Faith, Passio, →ISBN, page 148:

(fandom slang) A fan of the television drama Lost.


autocook

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-autocook.wav

Jack picked up two lunch kits from the counter and tossed them into the autocook.

2014, Collin R. Skocik, Voyage into the Unknown 6: The Mind Machine, page 231:

With a flick of a needle-like finger he activated the autocook and selected "random" from the menu. He wanted to be surprised, and with over one thousand meals stored in its internal memory there was always a good chance […]

2018, Neil Davies, A World Of Assassins, page 119:

(science fiction) A machine that prepares and dispenses meals.


Junior Woodchucks' Guidebook

the Junior Woodchucks' Guidebook (canonical)

Appears in Disney comics featuring Huey, Dewey, and Louie, as a parody of Scouting handbooks.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Junior Woodchucks' Guidebook.

A fictional guidebook with detailed information about all subjects in existence.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie
Junior Woodchucks


Potterdom

What are we potty Potter fans going to do now that the story has come to an end? Do we throw up our hands and relent that ten years of Potterdom were great, but it's over now, and we should just get on with our lives?

2010, E. A. Pyne, chapter 25, in The Ultimate Guide to the Harry Potter Fandom, What the Flux Comics Publishing, →ISBN, page 283:

A first edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is one of the most coveted collectibles in Potterdom.

2010, William Silvester, Harry Potter Collector's Handbook, Krause Publications, →ISBN, page 62:

Is Harry Potter a Christ-Figure? In fact this question had been asked by sharp-minded readers since the early days of Potterdom.

2011, Derek Murphy, Jesus Potter Harry Christ: The Fascinating Parallels Between Two of the World's Most Popular Literary Characters, Holy Blasphemy, →ISBN:

The fandom or sphere of the Harry Potter series and the movies based on it.


permayouth

With people living longer and treatments improving, anti-ageing medicine is now a lucrative business. But as the quest for 'permayouth' spreads beyond Hollywood, doctors warn that it could become an unhealthy obsession

2002 April 7, Anthony Browne, “The obsession with eternal youth”, in The Guardian:

I knew there was a downside to having the injections; the permanently surprised eyebrows, the scarily impassive face, but I thought that was the result of too many top-ups; Hollywood's addiction to permayouth.

2009 June 25, Sally Brampton, “Elixir of youth? No, Botox left me looking like a Neanderthal”, in Daily Mail:

2013 September 29, Eileen Bradbury, “Permayouth: exploring the never-ending human quest for eternal youth”, in Journal of Aesthetic Nursing, volume 1, number 3:

The state of having a perpetually youthful appearance.


noble savage

First appeared in John Dryden's heroic play The Conquest of Granada (1672), where it was used by the son of a Christian prince, believing himself a Spanish Muslim, in reference to himself.

It seemed hardly possible that by such comparatively small mouthfuls he could keep up the vitality diffused through so broad, baronial, and superb a person. But, doubtless, this noble savage fed strong and drank deep of the abounding element of air; and through his dilated nostrils snuffed in the sublime life of the worlds.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 34, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 167:

The Isángú, or Ingwánba, the craving felt after a short abstinence from animal food, does not spare the white traveller more than it does his dark guides; and, though the moral courage of the former may resist the "gastronomic practice" of breaking fast upon a fat young slave, one does not expect so much from the untutored appetite of the noble savage.

1876, Richard F[rancis] Burton, Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo. […], part I (The Gaboon River and Gorilla Land), London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, and Searle, […], →OCLC:

It is written that the noble savage must never express surprise in the presence of the white.

1911, J[ames] M[atthew] Barrie, “The Children are Carried Off”, in Peter and Wendy, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, pages 179–180:

This is like one of those Red-skin stories where the noble savages carry off a girl and the honest backwoodsman with his incomparable knowledge follows the track and reads the signs of her fate in a footprint here, a broken twig there, a trinket dropped by the way.

1914, Joseph Conrad, Chance, London: Methuen, →OCLC, page 283:

(literature) A stock character embodying the concept of an idealized indigene or outsider who has not been corrupted by civilization and therefore symbolizes humanity's innate goodness.


Afropunk

Coordinate term: Afrofuturism

There’s a lot going on in this novel, but Thompson expertly juggles all his disparate elements – alien encounter, cyberpunk-biopunk-Afropunk thriller, zombie-shocker, an off-kilter love story and an atmospheric portrait of a futuristic Nigeria.

2018 October 4, Adam Roberts, “Rosewater by Tade Thompson review – a stellar SF debut”, in The Guardian:

(science fiction) Afrocentric science fiction.


Altairian

Altairian (comparative more Altairian, superlative most Altairian)

more Altairian (comparative)
most Altairian (superlative)

The book is a guide book, a travel book. […] It is of course that invaluable companion for all those who want to see the marvels of the known Universe for less than thirty Altairian dollars a day—The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

1980 October, Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, London: Pan Books, →ISBN:

(science fiction) Of or relating to the star Altair.


Altairian

(science fiction) A native or inhabitant of Altair.


shotacon

en-noun

shotacon (usually uncountable, plural shotacons)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-shotacon.wav

From Japanese ショタコン (shotakon). By surface analysis, shota + -con (“abnormal sexual attraction”).

surf

The term shota-con is a variant of the term loli-con for "Lolita complex" comics, a genre of porn comics for men featuring young girls. Shota is a common Japanese boy's name, thus shota-con indicates porn comics featuring young boys.

2004 Deborah Shamoon, "Porn Studies", page 101

Lolicon or Lolicom is a contraction of "Lolita Complex," an unhealthy interest in underage girls exemplified by the Lolita Anime. Its rarer male variant is Shotacon.
Shotacon is a contraction of “Shotaro Complex,” or an unhealthy obsession with little boys. It is said to derive from the boyish good looks of Shotaro Kaneda, the protagonist of GIGANTOR

2006 Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 page 31

(uncountable, anime) A sexual complex where an adult is attracted to young, typically prepubescent boys, or the fictional depictions thereof.

(countable, anime) An individual with such a fixation.

(uncountable, anime) Erotic or suggestive art, manga, anime, or other media featuring underage boys.


shoujo ai

Two connected etymologies. Either interpreted as a loan translation of Japanese 少女愛 (shōjo ai), or a specialized neologism created in analogy to shounen ai (少年愛; shōnen ai) using Japanese vocabulary.

(neologism, anime, manga) Anime and manga that explore emotional, but largely platonic, homoerotic relationships between women.

(slang) A genre of manga, anime, or hentai featuring lesbian sex and romance; yuri.


shounen ai

(slang, anime, manga) A narrative or visual work featuring a romance or sexual relationship between two or more males.


school life

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-school life.wav

(anime, manga) A genre which has the majority of the storyline taking place in a school.


weird fiction

Weird fiction is, after all, notoriously typified by the presence of entities so radically different from normality that they are, to borrow a characteristic phrase from H. P. Lovecraft, “impossible to describe” (Lovecraft 2014: 404).

2020, Julius Greve, Florian Zappe, editors, The American Weird: Concept and Medium, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, pages 30–31:

A macabre subgenre of speculative fiction originating in the late 19th and early 20th century, pre-dating the horror and fantasy genres.


horror show

This is a horror show, unequivocally. But John J. Caswell Jr.’s “Wet Brain,” at Playwrights Horizons, is also a very funny, pitch-black comedy about addiction and obligation, love and abandonment, and patterns of poisonous behavior lodged so deep they seem encoded.

2023 June 7, Laura Collins-Hughes, “‘Wet Brain’ Review: A Vodka-Spiked Horror Show”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

A horror movie or television show or other performance which depicts gruesome, horrible, or disgusting events, especially in a vividly visual manner.


Lostaway

Die-hard "Lostaways" and other collectors will get the chance to purchase props and costumes from the series during a weekend auction at the Santa Monica Airport's Barker Hangar.

2010 August 19, “A big find for `Lost' fans: Items from hit show will be auctioned off”, in Daily News, Los Angeles:

The character of Rose Henderson spurns us diehard Lostaways to confront the same issue week after week as we throw ourselves onto the living room couch and join our friends on the island: […]

2011, Daniel B. Gallagher, “Aquinas and Rose on Faith and Reason”, in William Irwin, David Kyle Johnson, editors, Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture: From Socrates to South Park, Hume to House, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:

In its use of mathematics, Lost also highlights this unfortunate circumstance, and in the process further separates the viewers into the binary mode of casual viewer versus diehard “Lostaways.”

2012, Kristine Larsen, “'You Never Said Anything about Math': Math Phobia and Math Fanaticism in the World of Lost”, in Jessica K. Sklar, Elizabeth S. Sklar, editors, Mathematics in Popular Culture: Essays on Appearances in Film, Fiction, Games, Television and Other Media, McFarland, →ISBN, page 34:

(fandom slang) A fan of the television series Lost.


Finchel

Mercedes is dating someone new, and Finchel is going strong.

2011, Abby Bien, Grace Palmeri, & Neha Ramani, "How I met your gossipy new girl and her modern family at glee club", The Scarlette (West Lafayette High School), Volume 69, Number 2, 5 October 2011, page 4

Five bucks says it's going to be a totally adorable "Finchel" moment at the prom!

2012 April 10, “Selena Gomez getting the Glee treatment!”, in Post Noon, page 25:

After a long break from Glee this summer, waiting to see if Finchel got back together or if Puck decides to go to Los Angeles, I am more than ready to get back into my favorite show on Thursday nights.

2012, Natasha Walker, "Excitement for Glee's upcoming season", The Stampede (C. M. Russell High School, Great Falls, Montana), Volume 48, Issue 1, 13 September 2012, page 13

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry from the television series Glee.


Klaine

With the recent death of Glee's Cory Monteith, there wasn't much creators could do to make viewers feel better. Yet they found it: a reunion of gay couple "Klaine."

2013, "Tragedy Brings People Together After All, Doesn't It?", Watermark, 29 August 2013 - 11 September 2013, page 29

However Ryan Murphy gives fans a few rewards in Series 5 for sticking with the show (happy news for Klaine supporters), […]

2013, Heather Boyles, "The final curtain draws near", Seren (Bangor University), Issue 235, October 2013, page 25

Klaine fans and writers have lived in a culture where homosexuality has been mainstreamed, if not always accepted.

2014, Nicholas Alexander Hayes, “Glee Literally Means Glee: The Queer Art of Community's Parody”, in Michelle Parke, editor, Queer in the Choir Room: Essays on Gender and Sexuality in Glee, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 267:

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson from the television series Glee.


Brittana

Never mind Finn and Rachel – I'm on Team Brittana now.

2009, Dorothy Snarker of AfterEllen.com, quoted in Amy Rickman, Gleeful!: A Totally Unofficial Guide to the Hit TV Series GLEE, Villard (2010), page 136

[…] there'd been such a fuss over the original Brittana kiss, & with Kurt kissing Blaine, […]

2012, Bruce Wagner, Dead Stars, Penguin, →ISBN:

However, the taste of happiness many viewers felt at Brittana's queer relationship quickly turned bitter when the label of homosexual continued to be thrust upon Santana by many of the show's straight characters as well as her own girlfriend.

2014, Taylor Cole Miller, “Forced out of the 'flannel closet': The Coming-Out-Gay Imperative”, in Michelle Parke, editor, Queer in the Choir Room: Essays on Gender and Sexuality in Glee, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 34:

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez from the television series Glee.


Khaleesi

Coined by American writer and television producer George R. R. Martin. From the title of a character in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels; popularised by the later television adaptation Game of Thrones. Borrowed from Dothraki khaleesi (“queen”), feminine of khal (“king”).

bor+

Born just 16 minutes after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby was born, 26-year-old Julie Walsh, of Little Walsingham, gave birth to Khaleesi Grace Walsh, who weighed 7lb and 2oz.

2013 July 24, Andrew Papworth, “King’s Lynn mums-to-be kept up to date with Royal birth”, in Eastern Daily Press, archived from the original on 2024-07-29:

Clark was seen off by his wife, Vanessa, and their 20-month-old daughter, Khaleesi.

2014, Gary Cooper, "Sustainers will hit ground running in Kuwait, thanks to ADVON", The Gold Standard (Fort Knox, Kentucky), Volume 3, Number 11, 17 April 2014, page A12

The minivan erupted in flames with Lang and her 6-month-old daughter, Khaleesi Lang, inside.

2014 September 2, Cole Waterman, “Trial dates set for Midland mom accused of causing drunken crash with baby in vehicle”, in The Bay City Times, archived from the original on 2024-07-29:

But among the anger on social media, was speculation about how parents of the hundreds of Khaleesis and Danys were feeling now. The Daily Beast quoted one parent of a Khaleesi as saying she was “in shock”, while The Cut spoke to another who said “I don’t think she did anything wrong”.

2019 May 14, Kate Lyons, “Latest Game of Thrones episode sends curveball to children named Khaleesi”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 2024-07-29:

A female given name originating as a coinage, of modern usage.

en:A Song of Ice and Fire
en:Game of Thrones


Shamy

And if Shamy ever does go their separate ways, Sheldon fans can be sure to see plenty of Zazzles lurking about.

2011 February 10, Angela Song, “TV for Two”, in The Harvard Independent, volume 42, number 14, Harvard University, page 9:

In “The Herb Garden Germination” (4-20) “Shamy” (Sheldon and Amy's given nickname) pretend to have had sex to test their theory on meme propagation.

2012, George Beahm, Unraveling the Mysteries of The Big Bang Theory: An Unabashedly Unauthorized TV Show Companion, Smart Pop (2014), page 86

Shamy has become one of TV's most loved couples, and this season is crucial to the development of this relationship.

2012 September 6, Sayantan Deb, “A Look at Fall T.V.”, in The Harvard Independent, volume 44, number 1, Harvard University, page 9:

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler from the television series The Big Bang Theory.


Daenerys

Coined by American writer and television producer George R. R. Martin. From the name of a character in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels; popularised by the later television adaptation Game of Thrones. Borrowed from High Valyrian Daenerys.

The New Yorker related how a couple at one of Martin's book signing asked the writer to pose for a photograph with their daughter Daenerys, named after the dragon maiden Daenerys Targaryen.

2013 March 22, Tom de Castella, “Game of Thrones: Why does it inspire such devotion among fans?”, in BBC News:

Daenerys Crosbie was being taken to her Montessori school by her mum Carole-Anne when her pram was hit by the truck in Waterford.

2014, Wayne O'Connor, "Mum 'inconsolable' as toddler (2) dies after truck strikes pram", The Herald (Ireland), 19 November 2014

She [Gina Glocksen] married bandmate Joe Ruzicka in 2008, and she now has a 1-year-old daughter, Daenerys.

2015 June 25, Elissa Chudwin, “'Idol' alum Glocksen rocks Tinley Park”, in The Tinley Junction, volume 8, number 13, page 20:

A female given name originating as a coinage, of modern usage


Caskett

But while it's great that Caskett finally happened, things didn't turn out so happily for one of "Castle's" other fan-favorite pairings.

2012, Jean Bentley, "'Castle' showrunner reveals what's in store for 'Caskett'", Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2012, Section 4, page 8

Is there a future for, er, Caskett? Or is this just a November sweeps romance?

2012 November 19, David Hiltbrand, “Same old 'Castle,' with a flirty twist”, in The Bulletin, page C2:

[…] and despite his claim to only watch the show for the police procedural, I know he's a secret Caskett 'shipper.

2013, Rene Webb, A White Hot Christmas, →ISBN:

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Richard Castle and Kate Beckett from the television series Castle.


computerette

One tiny cassette holds 8000 2000-mile routes, any of which can be exposed at will. It is not hard to imagine the ACD — and its associated computerette — becoming a splended "optional extra" in the vacationer's family car.

1968, Popular Mechanics, volume 129, number 3, page 115:

Highly robotic for her time, Baby Luna came with her moon landing module, crashball, computerette, star maps, space suit, dragon robe and other clothes.

2011, Fred Holmes, Heroes of the Transition, page 8:

My bijou computerette had no truck with floppy disks, so an Internet café would not suffice.

2012, Miranda Innes, Getting to Manana, page 175:

What I should really do, of course, is use a Personal Digital Assistant; one of those tiny hand-held computerette thingies […]

(rare, chiefly science fiction) A small computer.


Muggle quidditch

quidditch

though may also be an alternative spelling of the fictional sport

An intercollegiate sport based on Quidditch, with the rules adapted for playing on the ground.


pseudoincest

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pseudoincest.wav

(Moore explains, for instance, that in 2015, pseudoincest porn was a popular genre.)

2016, Shira Tarrant, The Pornography Industry: What Everyone Needs to Know, page 37:

The very week my sock puppet author frenemy Lexi Wood released her stepdaddy/stepdaughter novella Dance for Daddy, Salome, Amazon started banning “pseudoincest” erotica.

2017, Giselle Renard, How to Fail Miserably at Writing, unnumbered page:

Pornography or erotica focused on sexual situations between nonconsanguineous relatives.


Roko's basilisk

Proposed as a transhumanist thought experiment in 2010 by user Roko on the LessWrong Internet discussion forum.
According to LessWrong, discussion of Roko's basilisk was banned from the forum for several years as part of a general policy against spreading potential information hazards. This in fact drew further attention to the topic, and other websites began sharing information about it.

2020, Griffin Kao, Jessica Hong, Michael Perusse, Weizhen Sheng, Turning Silicon into Gold, Springer (Apress), page 177,
Roko's Basilisk closely resembles traditional religious belief systems, merely replacing the role of God with a super-AI instead.

2021, Richard Heimann, Doing AI, BenBella Books (Matt Holt Books), page 137,
Roko's Basilisk is a thought experiment about the potential risks involved in developing so-called true artificial intelligence. The premise is that an all-powerful artificial super-intelligence could retroactively punish those who did not help bring about its existence. Roko's Basilisk resembles a futurist version of Pascal's Wager in that it suggests people should weigh the possible infinite gain and infinite punishment for accepting or rejecting the creation of artificial super-intelligence.

Roko's Basilisk has been described as the most terrifying thought experiment of all time, or as Slate’s David Auerbach subtitled his 2014 article: "Why Are Techno-futurists So Freaked Out by Roko's Basilisk?"

2023, James B. Miles, AI and the End of Humanity, Troubador Publishing (Matador), page 168:

artificial intelligence
artificial intelligence

A hypothetical, otherwise benevolent artificial intelligence of the future that would have an incentive to torture anyone who, having imagined (or even heard about) said AI, had not helped bring about its existence; the thought experiment which posits its existence.


TARDIS blue

From the color of the TARDIS, a time machine and spacecraft shaped like a police box, from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.

He wore a black button-down shirt and gray slacks. […] On his feet, he wore his lucky shoes. The TARDIS blue was the only real color on him.

2014, Michele Zurlo, Kiss Me by Moonlight, Omnific Publishing, →ISBN:

The dark blue color of a traditional police box.


TARDIS blue

She wears a tacky T.A.R.D.I.S blue cardigan, buttoned to the max, over khaki slacks.

2014, Emma Gray, Groupies, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 39:

She took a long drag and put the cigarette out in the blue ashtray on the living room table. Alex had given it to her two months after they first met. It was an odd, almost circular shape, but it was TARDIS blue and he thought Die might like it.

2015, Lucia Moroşanu, When Impossible Events Occur, →ISBN:


MTG

Magic: The Gathering
w:Magic: The Gathering

(fantasy) Initialism of Magic: The Gathering.


meganekko

Borrowed from Japanese 眼鏡っ娘 (meganekko), from 眼鏡 (megane, “glasses”) + 娘 (ko, “girl”).

Oh... Then I've have to find somebody who's be willing to get me a less-than-full-body shot of her, like the ones I have of five other meganekko who wear pince-nez: […]

2004 November 29, Rob Kelk, “Re: Anime genres? (was Re: Anime that every fan should watch?)”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

Anyway, so far, really, my favourite character is Yuki. Bonus points when we find out in the second episode she's a meganekko.

2006 May 2, The Eternal Lost Lurker [username], “Just started Haruhi...”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

Airheaded and delectably gauche, Miyuki stands out as a classic incarnation of the meganekko— namely, as noted, the moe type whose charm derives largely from the wearing of glasses—while also appearing to have a soothing effect on those around her by virtue of her sheer presence.

2012, Dani Cavallaro, Kyoto Animation: A Critical Study and Filmography, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 126:

(anime, manga) A female fictional character whose charm or attractiveness derives largely from wearing glasses.


dojikko

From Japanese ドジっ娘 (dojikko), from ドジ (doji, “clumsy”) + 娘 (ko, “girl”).

She's been known to make everyone's favorite dojikko look downright sultry...

2008 August 9, afedakendragon [username], “Re: Aria question”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

Ichigo, 13, is just an ordinary dojikko while her younger sister Natsume wins at a piano competition.

2009 October 20, Manbow Papa [username], “My ratings to 2009 Autumn TV anime shows”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

The difference is, while the klutz's mishaps are interpreted as funny, the dojikko's mishaps are interpreted as cute.

2014, Kaiya Kokoro, Starting Out: Complete Anime Lifestyle Guide, SunCloud Design (2014), unnumbered page

(Japanese media) A female fictional character who is extremely clumsy, especially in a charming or cute way.


MCU

It [Ant-Man] will, of course, be firmly planted in the MCU but a different corner than we've seen before.

2013, Kevin Feige, quoted in Laura Ciarolla, "Marvel announces third 'Avengers' film", The Daily Athenaueum (West Virginia University), Volume 125, Issue 86, 30 January 2013, page 3

[…] Hydra is a sprawling global organization with highly advanced technology that has opposed S.H.I.E.L.D, the Avengers, and nearly every major superhero group in the MCU.1

2015, Dan Casey, 100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, Triumph Books, published 2015, →ISBN, page 128:

It is interesting to note that, while Coulson is used to suture the various MCU films together and latterly to tie the Agents of SHIELD television show into the MCU, this has not occurred at other points in the franchise.

2015, Colin Harvey, Fantastic Transmedia: Narrative, Play and Memory Across Science Fiction and Fantasy Storyworlds, Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, pages 84–85:

Being Letterboxd-pilled is essentially shorthand for saying that you’re into movies more than your typical MCU buff, kind of like what MUBI is to Amazon Prime.

2024 February 29, Jack King, “Why everyone you know is suddenly a Letterboxd head”, in GQ:

Marvel Cinematic Universe
w:Marvel Cinematic Universe

Initialism of Marvel Cinematic Universe (“a shared universe and franchise of films and other media based on Marvel Comics, introduced in 2008”).

M-She-U

Marvel Cinematic Universe seen as too focused on feminism over well-written storylines

DCU

DC Universe; fictional universe for DC Comics comic books

DCEU

DC Extended Universe; shared universe for the DC Comics-based Warner Bros. theatrical films extended from 2013's Man of Steel

DCAU

DC Animated Universe; shared universe for the 1990s and early 2000s DC Comics-based Warner Bros. animated television films and series


smush name

When my friend Danielle (there's THAT name again) was pregnant with her oldest daughter we came across a book (of which I forget the title) which actually advocated smush names. One of the more...ahem...interesting names I remember is Shetom. It was a smush of Sheila and Thomas.

2010, Danielle Reed, Emily, Jacob and Boniqua: What NOT to Name Your Child, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 17:

She looked up at them, half-expecting paparazzi to leap from the very walls to take photos, to give the couple a smush name that would undoubtedly be the key in making the new media darlings.

2014, Grace McDermott, Mirrorfall, Wibbly Press (2014), unnumbered page

They yell, “Sup, Shage,” when we walk past; we're a smush name now.

2015, Ann Aguirre, The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things, Feiwei and Friends, →ISBN, page 243:

Brangelina and Snamione are smush names.

(informal) A portmanteau name created by blending two different names, especially one used to collectively describe a celebrity couple or fandom ship.


Sheriarty

The Empty Hearse club member goth girl who came up with the romantic Sheriarty solution to Sherlock’s fake suicide is played by Scottish actress Sharon Rooney, star of the British dramedy “My Mad Fat Diary.”

2014 January 19, Lori Rackl, “Answers to your ‘Sherlock’ questions — because you know you’ve got ‘em”, in Chicago Sun-Times:

The Sheriarty and Jimlock fans believe the two men are struggling in a love-hate relationship, while WH is a gay “couple” beloved by most fans.

2014 January 25, Qu Zhi, “Sherlock China’s new sex god”, in Shanghai Daily:

Having exhausted what meager supply of Sheriarty fic there was, I ended up reading a Mormor (Moriarty/Moran) story – and ended up loving it.

2015, Kee Lundqvist, "Stories of Significance: The Process and Practices of Sense-Making in the Sherlock Fan Community", thesis submitted to Uppsala University, page 77

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty from the television series Sherlock.


Sherlolly

To exemplify, 16magnolias' Lessons in Love is described as containing 'sweet, slow Sherlolly' […]

2016, Maria Lindgren Leavenworth, “Paratextual Navigation as a Research Method: Fan Fiction Archives and Reader Instructions”, in Gabriele Griffin, editor, Research Methods for Reading Digital Data in the Digital Humanities, page 62:

Where there are undoubtedly some within the Sherlolly fandom who are attracted to the pairing because of the sexuality and charisma of Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal, there is a large and vocal section of fans who are inspired and encouraged by the characterization of Molly herself.

2018, Jennifer Phillips, “A Woman in a Man's (Fictional) World: Considering the Importance of Dr. Molly Hooper in the BBC's Modern Adaptation of Sherlock”, in Ashley Lynn Carlson, editor, Women in STEM on Television: Critical Essays, page 180:

The Sherlolly writing challenge specifies that authors must bring Sherlock and Molly together in a relationship by the happy ending.

2018, Jennifer Wojton, Lynnette Porter, Sherlock and Digital Fandom: The Meeting of Creativity, Community and Advocacy, page 151:

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper from the television series Sherlock.


throneworld

From throne + world; compare throneroom.

The descent to Coruscant's surface was uneventful, but Dr. Gast, seeing the former Imperial throneworld for the first time in years, was thrilled by every moment, […]

1999, Aaron Allston, Solo Command, →ISBN, page 336:

This is the homeworld, the Mistress Planet, the land that the traitor-god chose; this is Braxi, the planet that the Braxaná claimed, the throneworld of Zatar.

2001, C. S. Friedman, In Conquest Born, →ISBN:

Following orders from Starfleet, the Enterprise is en route to Pai, throneworld of the insular and enigmatic Dragon Empire.

2012, Kij Johnson, Dragon's Honor, →ISBN:

Han and Leia Solo, along with Han's friends Shug and Salla, made a daring rescue attempt, infiltrating the Emperor's throneworld and spiriting away Luke and Artoo.

2014, Tom Veitch, Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy, →ISBN:

Lo and behold, the Skrull throneworld was summarily destroyed by the planet-eating Galactus, and Veranke assumed the throne by right of succession.

2015, Dan Casey, 100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, →ISBN:

(science fiction) The planet which serves as the seat of an interplanetary empire's government.


werejaguar

The rain god appears as a werejaguar, part human, part snarling beast.

A pottery figure of a Mexican god who was thought to assume the shapes of many animals. Here he is shown as a werejaguar.

1973, Nancy Garden, Werewolves, Lippincott (1973), page 115 (image caption)

Before your eyes, the shaman has transformed himself into a werejaguar!

2008, Buried Treasures: Young Explorers' Guide, QA International, →ISBN, page 33:

(fiction, mythology) A shapeshifter who can assume the form of a jaguar.


werecrocodile

Werecrocodile legends are quire common wherever crocodiles are found.

2000, Rosalyn Greene, The Magic of Shapeshifting, Red Wheel/Weiser, →ISBN, page 77:

As though responding to some unseen signal, one of the submerged werecrocodiles reared up in a spray of water and transformed into its human shape

2005, Kameron Franklin, Maiden of Pain: The Priests, Wizards of the Coast, →ISBN:

The werecrocodile laughed at him, the feral grin of a predator displaying nightmarish fangs.

2012, Ilona Andrews, “Retribution Clause”, in P. N. Elrod, editor, Hex Appeal, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 32:

(fiction) A shapeshifter who can assume the form of a crocodile.


dirty realism

Coined by Bill Buford of Granta magazine in 1983.

It was Maryann Burk Carver who won the bread in those early years while Ray drank, fished, went to school and began writing the stories that a generation of critics and teachers would miscategorize as “minimalism” or “dirty realism.”

2009 November 20, Stephen King, “Raymond Carver’s Life and Stories”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

A North American literary movement that depicts seamy or mundane aspects of ordinary life in spare, unadorned language.


lightning bird

A mythological creature in South African tribal folklore: a large, vampiric, black and white bird that can summon thunder and lightning and is said to consume blood and to seduce women in the form of a man.


werebeaver

(fiction) A shapeshifter who can change between beaver and human form.


werepanther

(fiction) A shapeshifter who can change between panther and human form.

panthère-garou

shapeshifter who can assume the shape of a panther


werepuma

(fiction) A shapeshifter who can change between puma and human form.


zompire

He'd wanted to clear each casino out from the zompire infestations, but knew he'd never be able to do it alone.

2012, Alexia Purdy, Disarming, Lyrical Lit. Publishing (2012), unnumbered page

“Who knows? I've never actually dealt with zombies before. If I get bit ... it might turn me into a zompire!” he said, only half jokingly.

2013, Lorraine Kennedy, Skinwalkers: Song of Wolves: Volume 1, unnumbered page:

Behind her, ten other zompires snarled at me, baring their own thorny fangs.

2015, James Leck, After Dark, Kids Can Press, →ISBN, page 198:


Freedonia

Popularized by the 1933 Marx Brothers film Duck Soup.

Hail, hail Freedonia, mightiest of mighty nations! Hail, hail Freedonia, land of the brave and free!

That little terraformed planetoid, outside the mines and the drift, had been the base of supplies for Freedonia.

1949 February, Jack Williamson, “Seetee Shock”, in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, page 37:

Suppose Thorndike and Williams, citizens of the country of Freedonia, become embroiled in a dispute as to whether Freedonia ought to attack the country of Sylvania.

2004, Steven M. Cahn, A New Introduction to Philosophy, Wipf and Stock Publishers, →ISBN, page 96:

You are an advertising executive in Freedonia. Since before you were born, it has been illegal to advertise cigarettes on Freedonia television, one of the many limits on cigarette ads.

2022 [2011], Chris Roberts, Jay Black, Doing Ethics in Media: Theories and Practical Applications, Routledge, →ISBN:

Used as a placeholder country name in textbook problems, classroom examples, etc.

Duck Soup (1933 film)
Duck_Soup_(1933_film)
Freedonia
Groucho Marx
Marx Brothers


Hessdalen light

en-noun

Hessdalen light (plural Hessdalen lights)

An unexplained light sometimes seen in the Hessdalen valley in Norway.


Marvelverse

From Marvel + -verse. From Marvel Comics, from marvel.

In the Marvelverse, mutants are potential victims of hate crimes and of state-sponsored pogroms, and of the sort of bureaucratic prying that is often a prelude to the latter.

2008, Roz Kaveney, Superheroes!: Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films, I. B. Tauris Co. Ltd, →ISBN, page 7:

Marvelverse characters Araña Corazon and Elektra Natchios were raised by single fathers after the deaths of their mothers.

2010, Jennifer K. Stuller, Ink-stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology, I. B. Tauris & Co. Ltd, →ISBN:

Licensed crossovers often appear between characters in the Marvelverse or the Buffyverse.

2015, “Glossary”, in Valerie Estelle Frankel, editor, The Comics of Joss Whedon: Critical Essays, McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 224:

(fandom slang) The fictional universe depicted in the Marvel comics, films, and television series.


dragonkin

Dragonkin have the innate ability to detect magic at will, as a free action. They have an overpowering desire to acquire magic items, and target characters who possess these items in preference to others. If possible, a dragonkin will grab a magic item from its opponent and flee with it, taking the item back to its cave.

2000, “Appendix 4: New Monsters”, in Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor (Forgotten Realms), Wizards of the Coast, →ISBN, page 84, column 1:

Half and quarter blood dragonkin have very obvious physical differences, as well as many abilities and attributes of their dragon ancestors. Eighth blood dragonkin will have some physical traits of the dragon as well as some attributes.

2015, Heather Gunn, Aspect Core Rulebook, FC 2015 SC (page 30):

(fantasy) A person who is partly descended from dragon(s).

In October 2003, a dragonkin by the calling Starblade created a thread on otherkin in a Livejournal community for debates. The thread began with Starblade giving his personal views of being a “dragon spiritually” and so thus would fit under the term otherkin which then spawned a large debate over otherkin.

2014, House of Chimeras, “History of the Draconic Community - 2001 - present”, in The Chimeras Library, published 2015:


psyker

(science fiction) a person who uses psychic powers.


unholy water

Coined as an opposite to holy water, which is supposed to be effective against demons etc.

(fantasy) magical water with the property of harming or cursing that which is good


lowling

By “you” he meant people of her class, lowlings who believed in witches and the goodness of the King, who thought the trials were honest and fair and other stupid things.

2003, Jude Deveraux, Velvet Song, page 197:

They were all garbed in the usual one-piece gown to the calf, but where most lowlings wore drab, usually so filthy what color it began was not even discernable, these folk were in greens and various shades of brown, even a couple in gold.

2012, Jean Rattay, The Kirkfield Heiress, page 18:

(fantasy, rare) A low-ranking person; a commoner.


Ozian

en-adj

Ozian (comparative more Ozian, superlative most Ozian)

more Ozian (comparative)
most Ozian (superlative)

Of or relating to the fictional Land of Oz, introduced in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum.


Ozite

An inhabitant of the fictional Land of Oz, introduced in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum.


Pecksniff

Seth Pecksniff, a sanctimonious surveyor and architect “who has never designed or built anything”, appears in Charles Dickens' novel Martin Chuzzlewit (1844).


Hand Solo

Punning alteration of the name of Star Wars character Han Solo.

Indulge in a bit of Hand Solo

2001 March 13, Zekhen [username], “Re: Hand Shandys”, in alt.atheism (Usenet):

I'd a Hand Solo this afternoon and another one, like, fifteen minutes ago and now I'm totally wankrupt.

2005, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress, Penguin, →ISBN:

I had a mate who said he couldn't "finish the job" when he went Hand Solo, and he was on Rispiridol.

2007 September 18, The Kez That Is Called Kez [username], “Re: tanya!”, in alt.support.depression (Usenet):

(slang) An act of masturbation involving the manual stimulation of one's own genitals.


witchlet

What's wrong my little witchlet, aren't you having a fun Mother's Day?

2014 September 13, Ted Jessup, “Mom's the Word”, in Family Guy:


Suethor

Flames can also address characters being "out of character" or "out of canon" (both labeled "OOC"), whether or not the fanfic is a Mary Sue (composed by a "Suethor"), […]

2005, Molly Wright, "Imitation, Not Limitation: Fan Fiction In The Classroom", thesis submitted to Columbus State University, page 27

Lastly, a survey was distributed both in 2005 and 2009 to solicit Mary Sue readers' and writers' opinions, and their answers have contributed towards an understanding of why Suethors choose to knowingly write Mary Sues, and how they have reacted when confronted with accusations that their characters are Mary Sues.

2009, J. M. Frey, "Water Logged Mona Lisa: Who Is Mary Sue, and Why Do We Need Her", thesis submitted to Ryerson University/York University, page 32

Another one labels the writer a “Suethor,” a term used by^([sic]) writers who portray Mary Sues in their texts and tells her in very harsh terms to delete her story and dream instead of writing.

2015, Sanna Lehtonen, “Writing Oneself into Someone Else's Story – Experiments with Identity and Speculative Life Writing in Twilight Fan Fiction”, in Fafnir, volume 2, number 2, pages 12–13:

(fandom slang, usually derogatory) An author who creates Mary Sues, writes fiction featuring Mary Sues, or both.


Spillow

Well, I'm beginning a campaign for Spike and Willow in 02. Wanna join for Spillow?

2002 October 10, Stephen Weick, “Re: The Bright side of Deep Down.”, in alt.tv.angel (Usenet):

Spillow is best. Spillow the drinkin' & gal-chasin' pair. They won't put Willow with a man romantically, I promise you that.

2002 October 10, Rose, “Re: Spike and Willow (spoilers for Same Time)”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet):

You're all forgetting Spillow

2005 July 16, Yelps [username], “Re: What Happens When Buffy Is Done Baking?”, in alt.tv.angel (Usenet):

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Spike and Willow Rosenberg from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


Spander

And lord knows, if you want there's plenty of Spuffy and Spander to last a lifetime.

2004 April 29, Kathryn Burlingham, “Re: You want fries with that?”, in soc.motss (Usenet):

Yeah, the Spander shippers really got off on that one.

2006 September 10, Don Sample, “Re: AOQ Review 7-2: "Beneath You"”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer (Usenet):

Spander 'shippers prefer long NC-17 rated stories, regardless of genre.

2013, Mary Kirby-Diaz, “Ficcers and 'Shippers: A Love Story”, in Jennifer K. Stuller, editor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Intellect Books, →ISBN, page 46:

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Spike and Xander Harris from the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


neckbiter

From neck + biter, likely after the pattern of ankle-biter.

With Welcome to the Rileys in the can awaiting release, Stewart is already back into the world of neckbiters and werewolves.

2009 April 4, Amy Longsdorf, “Kristen Stewart: Still indie at heart”, in Toronto Star:


take out an onion

en-verb

take out an onion (third-person singular simple present takes out an onion, present participle taking out an onion, simple past took out an onion, past participle taken out an onion)

takes out an onion (present singular third-person)
taking out an onion (participle present)
took out an onion (past)
taken out an onion (participle past)

The vapours from sliced onions cause tears, allowing someone to pretend to cry. Coined by Private Eye and used as a mock stage description, originally to describe Harold MacMillan.

He’s almost taking out an onion now as he remembers his father and his own early struggles.

2010 August 6, Jonathan Wheatley, “Brazil’s TV debate: ports, rates and Lula’s shadow”, in The Financial Times:

"I don't want the next generation to misunderstand history" Mr Chea told a packed court, no doubt taking out an onion as he did so. "I don't want them to believe the Khmer Rouge were bad people, war criminals."

2011 December 11, DJ Taylor, “Clichés - We're all in them together”, in The Independent:

I sympathise, of course, (takes out onion) with Ken’s own experience of how hard it is to find employment, in a particularly tough job market for embittered old lefties.

2012 January 21, Andrew Gilligan, “Ken Livingstone: new health concerns as multiple personality disorder detected”, in The Daily Telegraph:

(idiomatic) Suggests that the performer of the action is not sincere in their grief.


trueborn

en-adj

trueborn (comparative more trueborn, superlative most trueborn)

more trueborn (comparative)
most trueborn (superlative)

Young Ian's shoulders and thighs were dark with wet, and the rain dripped from the brim of his slouch hat, but he sat straight in the saddle, ignoring the weather with the stoic nonchalance of a trueborn Scot.

1994, Diana Gabaldon, Voyager, Anchor Canada, published 2002, →ISBN:

She might have overlooked a dozen bastards for Ned's sake, so long as they were out of sight. Jon was never out of sight, and as he grew, he looked more like Ned than any of the trueborn sons she bore him.

1996, George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones, Bantam Books, →ISBN:

Draconian in terms of its scope and aims, it replaced the guarantee of all rights, liberties, and immunities of all trueborn Englishmen that had been granted to the colonists in the first two colonial charters and established something very akin to martial law in the colony.

2007, Kieran Doherty, Sea Venture: Shipwreck, Survival, and the Salvation of Jamestown, St. Martin's, →ISBN, page 151:


biomechanoid

I always thought that that original ship, which I call the Croissant, was a battleship, holding these biomechanoid creatures that were all about destruction.

2015 September 23, Ben Child, “Ridley Scott plans three more Prometheus films before Alien”, in The Guardian:

(science fiction) A robot in the form of an animal.


Dungeon Mastering

Performing as a dungeon master, or running a tabletop role-playing game, especially Dungeons & Dragons.


mellow yellow

en-noun

mellow yellow (countable and uncountable, plural mellow yellows)

Coordinate term: hippo

(South Africa, countable, slang, historical) A yellow police car used in South Africa.


Winnie-the-Pooh

Alternative form of Winnie the Pooh (the original A. A. Milne form contains hyphens).


Poirotian

en-adj

Poirotian (comparative more Poirotian, superlative most Poirotian)

more Poirotian (comparative)
most Poirotian (superlative)

It is present, too, in The Confidential Clerk, with its multiple puzzles of parental identity and its twisting series of Poirotian revelations in the final scene […]

2005, David E. Chinitz, T. S. Eliot and the Cultural Divide, page 146:

For an outsider, you gain local knowledge slowly, have to sort of come at it indirectly, like a Poirotian detective, accumulating the facts and history of the people who have lived and live in your town.

2011, Steve Boggs, Letters to Dinah, page 74:

As you can see, each of the above programs is designed for a different user. What kind are you? A Poirotian detective with excellent computer skills and a healthy pocketbook?

1993, G. G. Vandagriff, Voices in Your Blood, page 157:

Of or relating to the fictional detective Hercule Poirot in the works of Agatha Christie.


Mako Mori test

Named after the character Mako Mori from the 2013 film Pacific Rim by a Tumblr user known as "Chaila", who thought that the older Bechdel test was sometimes insufficient for measuring the representation of women in films.

But what stood out most to me was how the film [Gravity] proves we need The Mako Mori Test.

2013, Ryan Syrek, "She Needed Her Space", The Reader, Volume 20, Number 35, 10 October 2013 - 16 October 2013, page 22

It [Run Lola Run] does pass the Mako Mori test though, because Lola is motivated by her boyfriend's safety, her actions do not always impact his story arc.

2015, Lani Gerbi, "The Bechdel Sword in the Stone", On Dit (Adelaide University), Volume 83, Issue 7, 15 July 2015, page 19

Below is just one take, and uses the established Bechdel and Mako Mori tests to assess whether a work is feminist/representative.

2015 August 17, Charlotte Hann, “Feminist Fandom”, in Salient, volume 78, number 19, Victoria University of Wellington, page 30:

(literature, critical theory) A feminist test for evaluating works of fiction by whether they have (i) at least one female character (ii) who has her own narrative arc (iii) which does not exist to support the narrative arc of a male character.


(fandom slang) Initialism of Generation Five (“the fifth generation of the My Little Pony toy franchise, known as A New Generation”).


Posadism

A form of Trotskyism based on the politics of J. Posadas


Sinbad

Borrowed from Arabic سِنْدِبَاد (sindibād), from Middle Persian (compare Persian سندباد (sendbâd)), possibly borrowed from Sanskrit सिद्धपथ (siddhapatha, “path of the Blessed”).
According to folk etymology, from سند (send) + باد (bâd), whence also the Arabic هِنْدِبَاد (hindibād).

der

(fiction) A fictional sailor, the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin, who encountered monsters and magic while travelling the seas east of Africa and south of Asia.


Back to the Future Day

It's Back to the Future Day - the date Marty and Doc crashed the future in the second of the three time-hopping sci-fi adventure films.

2015 October 20, Leo Kelion, “Back to the Future II: What did it get right and wrong?”, in BBC:

For anyone who is still confused, Back to the Future Day marks the fact that today is the date specified for the "future" setting in the 1989 Back to the Future II film.

2015 October 21, Adam Withnall, “Department for Work and Pensions fails to appeal to public with 'Back to the Future Day' tweet”, in The Independent:

Back to the Future Day is over. The exact time Marty and Doc Brown travel forward to from 1985 - has been and gone. This time round.

2015 October 21, Barney Henderson, Rupert Hawksley, Helena Horton, “Back to the Future Day live: Is October 21, 2015 turning out like the film predicted?”, in The Atlantic:

Following Back to the Future Day on October 21, the countdown to Halloween has well and truly begun.

2016 October 15, “Last Minute 'Back To The Future' Halloween Costumes That You Can Throw Together Tonight”, in Bustle:

We're one year on from "Back to the Future Day," which marked the date Marty McFly visited the future in the 1989 classic "Back to the Future: Part II." The film predicted flat screens and drones, and today it seems one more of its many forecasts for the future is on the verge of coming true.

2016 October 25, Eric Mack, “'Back to the Future' predicted this World Series, sort of”, in C/NET:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael J. Fox was the first person to get a pair of the power-lace shoes last year, "coinciding with Back to the Future Day on Oct. 21, 2015, the exact future date in Back to the Future: Part II that Marty travels to from 1985."

2017 February 27, Kaitlin Kimont, “Where To Get Seth Rogen's 'Back To The Future' Nike Sneakers From the 2017 Oscars,”, in Romper:

The date October 21, 2015, regarded as commemorative of the movie Back to the Future Part II, in which the main characters use a time machine to travel to this date from the year 1985.


starry eyes

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-starry eyes.wav

(chiefly anime and manga) Eyes with exaggerated starry highlights, with an expression of wonder or delight.


bronydom

Over the past two years the rising tide of adult male fans of the "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" cartoon has swept upon the shores of the internet. Forums, Facebook, YouTube and pop culture conventions alike have been caught up by bronydom.

2013, Sean Gleason, "Bronies: Who Are They?!", The Pinion (McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii), Volume 92, Number 4, February 2013, page 4

Like many other subcultures considered perverse by much of the general public, bronydom has its roots in the infamous website 4chan.org.

2013 September 9, Thomas Raethel, “The Mysterious World of Bronies”, in Critic, number 22, University of Otago, page 33:

Though there are some female bronies (some call themselves “pegasisters”), bronydom — at its core — is simply about just being kind and having fun.

2014, Leah Sottile, "Imaginary Friends", Inlander, Volume 21, Number 43, 14 August 2014 - 20 August 2014, page 26

(fandom slang) The community or culture of bronies.


anypony

From any + pony, by analogy with anybody.

As I said, I'm writing a fanfic. I need to know if anypony in particular ~doesn't~ want to be in it.

1998 October 1, Jennifer McMichael, “I'm writing a fanfic....”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

As stated before, if anypony would like one, the cost is $15 plus shipping.

1999 August 17, luv...@geocities.com [username], “My MLP T-shirt”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

Heyas, I finally got around to drawing a pic of my unicorn self, if anypony wants to see it and let me know if it could use some changes before I get to the coloring of it.

1999 October 29, Pouncer [username], “Pouncer Drawing, not colored yet”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):


everypony

From every + pony, by analogy with everybody.

Hi everypony! I'm back from Germany and my luck held out! You'd never believe what I found!

1998 July 13, Buckbuddy [username], “Back from Germany”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

why don't a^([sic]) draw a picture of everypony on the newsgroup, in their pony selves!

1998 September 6, Glory, “say cheese!”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

Thanks so very much EVERYPONY! I really appreciate this! I was so stumped!!

1999 September 14, Michelle, “Re: Wanna help name a custom?”, in alt.toys.my-little-pony (Usenet):

(My Little Pony fandom slang) Everybody.


clopper

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-clopper.wav

Considering that a significant percentage of bronies are closeted, and taking into account the stigma attached to such practices, it is fair to assume that the real "clopper" population is likely far larger.

One clopper recently gained quite a bit of notoriety on the Internet by revealing just how far his obsession with the show had gone.

2013, Katrina Gardner, "Big Boys, Little Ponies", The Express (Las Positas College), Volume 24, Number 19, 5 April 2013, page 4

Alexander Carlsson, 25, was jailed in Sanford, Florida, in August on federal child pornography charges, but also told agents that he is a "clopper," which identifies him, he said, as one who masturbates while gazing at figurines and pictures depicting Hasbro's My Little Pony toys.

2015 September 18, Chuck Shepard, “News Of The Weird”, in Santa Monica Daily Press, volume 14, number 266, page 13:

(My Little Pony fandom slang) One who engages in clopping.


From MLP (abbreviation of My Little Pony).

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
w:My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Abbreviation of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.


bronyism

Tens of thousands of adults around the globe have been drawn into the land of Equetria—into bronyism.

2013, Drew McLachlan, "Nothing phony behind bronies", The Navigator (Vancouver Island University), Volume 44, Issue 12, 6 March 2013 - 19 March 2013, page 9

My introduction to Bronyism brought me out of, as mentioned prior, a very dark place.

2013, Will Martin, "Proud To Be A Brony: How My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Changed My Life", Summer/Fall 2013, page 10

The Bronies like to challenge their skeptics to just watch one episode – you never know when your Bronyism might come out.

2013 August 15, Audra Stamp, “Pony Tales: An unexpected fandom”, in North Texas Daily, University of North Texas:

(fandom slang) The community, culture, or philosophy of bronies.


Bufton Tufton

Coined by Private Eye, based on the former Conservative MP Tufton Beamish.

A new generation is battling through, but there are still too many Sir Bufton Tuftons at the core of the Party organisation.

1998, Crossbow: A Quarterly Journal of Politics:

Many people see it is as the sole preserve of the Bufton Tuftons who sit in their gentleman's clubs complaining about the ills of the modern world while chomping away on a pheasant, mallard duck or partridge.

An old school friend of mine, certainly not a Bufton Tufton, who was visiting London from his home in Italy, was mystified to see commuters standing on the railway station in just T-shirts or cardigans in the middle of a harsh winter.

2008, Peter Whittle, Look at Me: Celebrating the Self in Modern Britain:

He just replaced the Bufton Tuftons with a bunch of people whose only qualification is a hatred of meat and a chip on the shoulder.

2010, Jeremy Clarkson, How Hard Can It Be?: The World According to Clarkson, Penguin UK, →ISBN: