Trekkie

From Trek + -ie.
From Star Trek, as in groupie. (1970).

Not all Trekkies go around speaking Klingon and making endless references to the original Star Trek series.

1992 StarTrek VI is a fast-moving, vigorous book that will not disappoint the legions of Trekkies who avidly follow the adventure of their heroes. — Review of Star Trek - The Undiscovered Country in Amiga User International, author unknown, December 1992, HHL Publishing (UK), page 90.

2002 I have a major confession to make which will probably incur the wrath of all Trekkies out there. — Trek & Treat, article in The Daily Mirror (UK), Jessica Mellor, Saturday, August 10, 2002, page 44.

(fandom slang) A (usually major) fan of the TV science fiction series Star Trek.


OBE

(US politics, historical) Initialism of Office of Business Economics, now BEA.


DOS

Department of State
w:United States Department of State

(US politics) Initialism of Department of State.


eagle

From Middle English egle, from Anglo-Norman egle, from Old French aigle, from Latin aquila. Displaced native Middle English ern, earn, arn, from Old English earn (“eagle”). More at erne.

(US, numismatics, historical) A gold coin with a face value of ten dollars, formerly used in the United States.


EU

(Star Wars) Abbreviation of expanded universe.


NATO

→ Arabic: ناتو (nātō)

desc

→ Bengali: ন্যাটো (nêṭō), নেটো (neṭō)

→ Bengali: ন্যাটো (nêṭō), নেটো (neṭō)

→ Finnish: Nato, NATO, nato

→ German: NATO, Nato

→ Hebrew: נאט״ו (nat"o)

→ Hindi: नैटो (naiṭo)

→ Japanese: NATO (NATO)

→ Korean: 나토 (nato)

→ Polish: NATO

→ Portuguese: NATO

desctree

→ Russian: НА́ТО (NÁTO)
→ Armenian: ՆԱՏՕ (NATŌ)
→ Kyrgyz: НАТО (NATO)

→ Swedish: Nato, NATO

→ Telugu: నాటో (nāṭō)

en:North Atlantic Treaty Organization
en:nato (disambiguation)

From North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

On the other hand, one still would have to note that relations between NATO in London and OSR in Paris were still not as closely integrated as might be desired, and that the power of decision, especially on industrial and financial matters, still was not centered in one place in the NATO.

1951 October 5, Activities in Europe Concerned with Material Support of NATO and MDAP, Office of the Secretary of Defense, page 23:

Yes, France is geographically situated in a key position so far as Western Europe is concerned. They are really the bridge between Germany, Spain and Italy. And it was necessary to have a NATO organization that was unified and France was a necessary member of that organization.

1964, Harry S. Truman, 0:18 from the start, in MP2002-479 Former President Truman Recalls Negotiating With DeGaulle and France after WWII, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162:

What concerned me most about De Gaulle's decision was that it threatened the unity of NATO, which had been so carefully developed over two decades. NATO was essential to the security of Europe and the United States. I was convinced that the stronger and more unified we were, the more incentive the Soviets and their Warsaw Pact allies would have to work with us in solving outstanding problems and differences.

1971, Lyndon Johnson, “Strengthening the Atlantic Community”, in The Vantage Point, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 305–306:

President Putin's KGB roots have sadly informed a style of governance that is neither reformist nor particularly democratic. The common thread throughout his domestic and foreign policies is his effort to trade on fear -- the fears of Russians that their country is under attack from hostile external forces (Chechens, NATO or free marketeers); and the fears of Westerners that if not for a strong, pragmatic leader, Russia will again become unruly, unstable and potentially aggressive.

2001 January 4, Garry Kasparov, “The Russian President Trades on Fear”, in The Wall Street Journal, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-01-09, International:

In the week since I’d seen him in the Oval Office, Bush had done well in Europe.[...]He’d made a strong statement on the expansion of NATO. “I believe in membership,” the president had said, “for all of Europe’s democracies that seek it and are ready to share the responsibilities that NATO brings.”[…]The president had even gone out of his way to reassure Putin that he had nothing to fear from the enlargement of NATO, which would not include Russia.

2007, Joe Biden, Promises to Keep, New York: Random House, published 2008, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 297:

Acronym of North Atlantic Treaty Organization.


purple

en-adj

purple (comparative purpler or more purple, superlative purplest or most purple)

purpler (comparative)
more purple (comparative)
purplest (superlative)
most purple (superlative)

nonpurple

antonym(s) of “having purple as its colour”

From Middle English purple, purpel, from Old English purpul (“purple”, adjective), taken from Old English purpure (“purple colour”, noun), from Latin purpura (“purple dye, shellfish”), from Ancient Greek πορφύρα (porphúra, “purple-fish”), perhaps of Semitic origin. Doublet of purpura and purpure.
The sense of "imperial power" is from the wearing of the color purple by emperors and kings.

der

purple state

purple city

In the end, Nevada remained the quintessential purple state. On the maps that television used to illustrate political trends, Republican states were red and Democratic blue. Nevada blended the colors. It had a bright blue core in the heart of Las Vegas, surrounded by a purple suburban belt. Most of the rest of the state was bright red, especially in the rural counties.

2010, Hal K. Rothman, The Making of Modern Nevada, University of Nevada Press, →ISBN, page 162:

As Mr. Friedlander conceived it, Reason was neither strictly right-wing libertarian nor strictly left — in modern parlance, neither red nor blue but a purple amalgam of the two.

2011 May 7, Margalit Fox, “Lanny Friedlander, Founder of Reason Magazine, Dies at 63”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Political colorists can be promiscuous in calling states purple, but my state is true to that hue. I speak of North Carolina, and I have receipts: While our junior senator, Ted Budd, is a Republican who won election to a first term in 2022 by about three percentage points, our governor, Roy Cooper, is a Democrat who won election to a second term in 2020 by more than four.

2023 May 4, Frank Bruni, “Republicans Are Running Wild in My State”, in The New York Times:

(US politics) Not predominantly red or blue, but having a mixture of Democrat and Republican support.


teddy bear

From Morris Michtom, the owner of a candy store in Brooklyn N.Y., who made the first “Teddy Bear” in the year 1902 in honor of then American President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt when he had heard that he had refused to shoot a bear cub on one of his hunting trips.

1988, Michael Weikath, "Rise and Fall", Helloween, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II.
The king of Los Angeles / Bought himself a teddy bear / And the queen became shameless / She did it with a chair

The origin of Paddington (the bear, not the station) dates to 1956 when author Michael Bond (1926-2017) spotted a lonesome teddy bear on the shelf of a store near the station. It was Christmas Eve, so he bought the solitary bear for his wife.

2021 September 22, Stephen Roberts, “The writings on the wall...”, in RAIL, number 940, page 74:

I'd like to mt you if you're a bearded ‘Teddy Bear,’ husky build, under 34 & share a career orientation.

1980 August 9, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, page 14:

...the sexy "teddy bear" frontman of the '80s rap group Heavy D and the Boyz.

1999, “Big Men are Sexy Too - Apr 1999”, in Ebony, volume 54, number 6, page 73:

This is not to say that women don't admire the Brad Pitts and George Clooneys of the world, but they're just as likely to be attracted to a big, teddy bear kind of man as the guy gracing the cover of GQ.

2008, Jean A. Campbell, Taking Sexy Back: The Cure for the Sexual Blahs, page 124:

Some insisted that, because men have generally hairier bodies than women, a super-hairy chest is super-male and therefore very appealing. They added that it not only looks sexy but also feels sexy, like a teddy bear.

2009, Desmond Morris, The Naked Man: A Study of the Male Body, page 161:

“So I'm sort of a big teddy bear, am I?” “A sexy teddy bear.” he kissed her neck.

2010, Abigail Reynolds, Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice: A Modern Love Story with a Jane..., page 276:

A lovable, endearing, large, strong, hairy, or sweet man, particularly one who is gentle in spite of a burly or gruff appearance.


blue

en-adj

blue (comparative bluer or more blue, superlative bluest or most blue)

bluer (comparative)
more blue (comparative)
bluest (superlative)
most blue (superlative)

conservative

antonym(s) of “pertaining to the US Democratic Party”

red

antonym(s) of “dominated by higher-frequency electromagnetic radiation”

antiblue

antonym(s) of “having blue as its colour charge”

Tok Pisin: blu

→ Fiji Hindi: bulu

→ Shona: bhuluu

→ Somali: buluug

→ Swahili: bluu, buluu

→ Tooro: bururu

From Middle English blewe, from Anglo-Norman blew (“blue”), from Middle French bleu, from Old French blöe, bleve, blef (“blue”), from Frankish *blāu (“blue”) (perhaps through a Late Latin blāvus, blāvius (“blue”) attested from Isidore of Seville), from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue, dark blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlēw- (“yellow, blond, grey”). Cognate with dialectal English blow (“blue”), Scots blue, blew (“blue”), North Frisian bla, blö (“blue”), Saterland Frisian blau (“blue”), Dutch blauw (“blue”), German blau (“blue”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish blå (“blue”), Icelandic blár (“blue”), Latin flāvus (“yellow”), Middle Irish blá (“yellow”). Doublet of blow.
Possibly related also to English blee (“colour”), from Old English blēo (“colour”); but direct derivatives of Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue, dark blue”) in Old English include: Old English blāw and blēo (“blue”), Old English blǣwen (“bluish, light-blue”), blǣhǣwen (“blue-coloured, bluish, violet or purple colour”, literally “blue-hued”). There seems to be a parallel connection in Germanic between words for blue and colour, dually exemplified by Proto-West Germanic *blīu (“colour, blee”) and *blāu (“blue”); and Proto-Germanic *hiwją (“colour, hue”) and *hēwijaz (“blue, purple”).
The sense "obscene, pornographic" is apparently from the colour; various theories exist as to how it arose, including that it is from the colour of the envelopes used to contain missives of the censors and managers to vaudevillian performers on objectionable material from their acts that needed to be excised.

belau

blue-coloured — see also dark blue, light blue

I live in a blue constituency.  Congress turned blue in the mid-term elections.

(politics) Supportive of, run by (a member of), pertaining to, or dominated by a political party represented by the colour blue.

(US politics) Supportive of, run by (a member of), pertaining to, or dominated by the Democratic Party.


DC

Ellipsis of DC Comics.: Initialism of Detective Comics.


red

en-adj

red (comparative redder or more red, superlative reddest or most red)

redder (comparative)
more red (comparative)
reddest (superlative)
most red (superlative)

nonred

antonym(s) of “having red as its colour”

antired

antonym(s) of “having red as its colour charge”

From Middle English red, from Old English rēad, from Proto-West Germanic *raud, from Proto-Germanic *raudaz from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rowdʰós, from the root *h₁rewdʰ-.
Cognates
See also West Frisian read, Low German root, rod, Dutch rood, German rot, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål rød, Norwegian Nynorsk raud; also Welsh rhudd, Latin ruber, rufus, Tocharian A rtär, Tocharian B ratre, Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós), Albanian pruth (“redhead”), Russian ру́дый (rúdyj) ("red", "redhaired"). Czech rudý, Lithuanian raúdas, Finnish rauta, Estonian raud, Serbo-Croatian riđ ("reddish", "red"), Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬌𐬛𐬌𐬙𐬀 (raoidita), Sanskrit रुधिर (rudhirá, “red, bloody”).

a red state

a red Congress

(politics, often capitalized) Supportive of, related to, or dominated by a political party or movement represented by the color red:

(US politics) The U.S. Republican Party.


CS

Confederate States
Confederate States#English

(historical) Initialism of Confederate States.


liberal

The adjective is from Old French liberal, from Latin līberālis (“befitting a freeman”), from līber (“free”); it is attested since the 14th century. The noun is first attested in the 1800s.

vasemmistolainen

someone left-wing — see also progressive, left-winger

And I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
As long as they don't move next door.
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal.

1966, Phil Ochs (lyrics and music), “Love Me, I'm a Liberal”:

(US politics) Someone with progressive or left-wing views; one with a left-wing ideology.


force

en-noun

force (countable and uncountable, plural forces)

From Middle English force, fors, forse, from Old French force, from Late Latin fortia, a noun derived from the neuter plural of Latin fortis (“strong”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise, high, hill”).

der

non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

The Europeans tried, my goodness how they tried. But on the day the US proved too strong and too inspired. They were, dammit, just better. And when Leonard's putt dropped they clearly had the force with them as well.

1999 September 28, Mike Selvey, “Crenshaw vindicated by a chain reaction”, in The Guardian:

The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.

2005, George Lucas, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, spoken by Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), published 2005:

(humorous or science fiction, with the, often capitalized) A metaphysical and ubiquitous power from the fictional Star Wars universe created by George Lucas. See usage note.

voima

science fiction: binding, metaphysical, and ubiquitous power


filibuster

→ Chinese: 費力把事拖／费力把事拖 (fèilìbǎshìtuō)

→ Dutch: filibuster

→ Indonesian: filibuster

Borrowed from Spanish filibustero (“pirate”), from French flibustier, ultimately from Dutch vrijbuiter (“freebooter”), from vrij (“free”) + buit (“booty”) + -er (“agent”). The alteration in the first syllable in French is due to the word's being somewhat conflated with vlieboot (“light, flat-bottomed cargo vessel with two or three masts”) when it was borrowed into French or another language from Dutch. The word is cognate and analogous to English freebooter.

Claude Rains
James Stewart
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
United States Senate

No longer do filibustering Senators take the floor and speak until they are physically unable to filibuster any longer. Now, a filibuster typically begins when a Senator or group of Senators signals their intent to filibuster – which can be done by a private conversation with the majority leader or by quietly placing a bill or nomination on hold. Given the modern Senate's scarce floor time, this threat is usually enough to table the disputed issue until the dissenting Senators cave or until there are definitely enough votes to invoke cloture.

2010 April 22, Mimi Murray Digby Marziani, Diana Lee, “Statement for the Record, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, NY”, in Examining the Filibuster: Hearings before the Committee on Rules and Administration, United States Senate, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, Second Session, April 22, 2010, May 19, 2010, June 23, 2010, July 28, 2010, and September 22 and 29, 2010 (S. Hrg. 111-706), Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →ISBN, page 112:

Then, last month, before the survey was finished and for reasons still unclear, the Democrats abruptly tried to attach a repeal of the law to the defence appropriations bill, a stratagem the Republicans defeated in a filibuster.

2010 October 14, “An own goal on gay rights”, in The Economist, archived from the original on 2016-04-23:

(US politics) A tactic (such as giving long, often irrelevant speeches) employed to delay the proceedings of, or the making of a decision by, a legislative body, particularly the United States Senate.

filibusterisme

long speech given in order to delay proceedings or the making of a decision

(US politics) A member of a legislative body causing such an obstruction; a filibusterer.

filibuster

member of a legislative body causing such obstruction

obstruáló (optionally with a noun like ember/személy/képviselő etc.)


CSS

en-noun

CSS (countable and uncountable, plural CSSs or CSSes)

(historical, nautical, military) Initialism of Confederate States Ship (the designation for a commissioned warship operated by the Confederate States Navy).


Klingon

[Alt: Photograph of two people in Klingon costume]
c. 1960s, from the Star Trek franchise, purportedly by Gene Roddenberry, named for Lieutenant Wilbur Clingan of the Los Angeles Police Department. In-universe, the name was a transcription of Klingon tlhIngan.

SPOCK: Captain, we've reached the designated position for scanning the coded directive tape.
KIRK: Good. We've both guessed right. Negotiations with the Klingon Empire are on the verge of breaking down. Starfleet Command anticipates a surprise attack. We are to proceed to Organia and take whatever steps are necessary to prevent the Klingons from using it as a base.

1967 March 23, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Errand of Mercy (Star Trek: The Original Series), Paramount Domestic Television, →OCLC:

(countable) Member of an alien warrior race in the Star Trek universe with distinctive forehead ridges and a culture based on strict observance of honour, loyalty, and combat.

克林貢

member of an alien warrior race in the Star Trek universe


Klingon

An artificial language created by Marc Okrand for the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.


ADA

Americans for Democratic Action
w:Americans for Democratic Action

(US politics) Initialism of Americans for Democratic Action.

Americans with Disabilities Act
w:Americans with Disabilities Act

(US politics) Initialism of Americans with Disabilities Act.


PG

Prince George's County
Prince George's County#English


Vulcan

From Latin Vulcānus, probably from Etruscan although very unclear, but unknown meaning and further origin (see more in Latin entry). Doublet of bolcane and volcano.

A ghost town in Gunnison County, Colorado.

An unincorporated community in Norway Township, Dickinson County, Michigan.

Dickinson County
Dickinson County#English

An unincorporated community in Iron County, Missouri.

An inactive volcano in New Mexico, United States.


veep

From a colloquial or humorous pronunciation of the abbreviation VP.

She’s running for veep.

So the veep becomes the peep [president] and picks a new veep who must be confirmed by a majority vote of both houses of Congress.

2020 October 12, CGP Grey, 1:01 from the start, in Being President: Most Deadly Job in America, archived from the original on 2024-07-26:

(US politics, informal) The Vice President of the United States; the office of Vice President of the United States, especially during an election cycle where several are in the running for the nomination.


czar

See tsar. The spelling czar, the older spelling in English, comes from Sigismund von Herberstein's Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii ("Notes on Muscovite Affairs") of 1549. The alternative tsar began to replace it in the 19th century.

drug czar

cyberczar

The federal mental health czar is calling for more money to expand services to help people suffering amid the social isolation imposed by the coronavirus pandemic […]

2020 May 8, Jayne O'Donnell, “'Deaths of despair': Coronavirus pandemic could push suicide, drug deaths as high as 150k, study says”, in USA Today, archived from the original on 2020-05-09:

(informal, US politics, Philippine politics) An appointed official tasked to regulate or oversee a specific area.


Second World

Those countries aligned with the East during the Cold War, particularly in contrast to those aligned with the West (First World).


First World

(historical, politics) Those countries aligned with the West during the Cold War, particularly in contrast to those aligned with the East (Second World).

第一世界

first-world problems

(informal) Wealthy, developed nations, contrasted with the Third World.


Khmer Rouge

/ˈkmɛəɹ ˈɹuːʒ/

/kəˈmɛəɹ ˈɹuːʒ/

From French Khmer rouge (“red Khmer”), from Khmer (“Khmer”) + rouge (“red”).

(historical) A Cambodian communist guerrilla force active from the 1970s to the 1990s under the leadership of Pol Pot.


Third World

Our district has many immigrants from Third World countries

developing countries
developing countries

(sometimes derogatory) developing countries, especially that of Africa, Asia and Latin America


jayhawker

(historical) An abolitionist raider in the Kansas–Missouri border skirmishes during the American Civil War.


World War I

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-World War I.wav

(history) The war from 1914 to 1918 between the Entente Powers of the British Empire, Russian Empire, France, Italy, the United States and other allied nations, against the Central Powers represented by the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

第１次世界大戦

だいいちじせかいたいせん


antebellum

From the Latin ante bellum (literally “before the war”).

bor

Slavery was an accepted part of antebellum plantation life.

There was no single characteristic house style during the antebellum period, but the elegant plantation homes built in the American South, with their central entrances, balconies, columns, and formal ballrooms, came closest to representing a discrete architectural style for the period.

2004, James M. Volo, Dorothy Denneen Volo, The Antebellum Period, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 115:

(US) Of the period prior to the American Civil War, especially in reference to the culture of the southern states.


Yankee

First attested in 1683, as a name applied disparagingly by Dutch settlers in Nieuw Amsterdam (New York) to English colonists in neighboring Connecticut. It may be from Dutch Janke (“Little John”), the old diminutive form of the common personal name Jan, or it may be from Jan Kees, the familiar form of "Johan Cornelius", or a variant of Jan Kaas, literally "John Cheese", the generic nickname the Flemings used for Dutchmen. It originally seems to have been applied insultingly to the Dutch, especially freebooters, before they turned around and applied it to the English. In English it was a term of contempt (1750s) before it came to be used as a general term for "a native of New England" (1765). The shortened form Yank was first recorded in reference to "an American" in 1778. James Fenimore Cooper suggested that it was a corruption of "English" via the intermediate form "Yengeese."

...in a short time, a kind of infectious mirth and pride in their bargains took possession of the place, and every one bought something, holding out their purchases to view, and praising them in the words and phraseology of the young yankees, who, finding their own importance, were not slow to avail themselves of it,...

1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XXXIX, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 194:

(chiefly Commonwealth, sometimes derogatory) A native or inhabitant of the United States.

[…]so that I couldn't help telling her, sir, that in our country, leastways in Virginia (they say the Yankees are very pert), young people don't speak of their elders so.

1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, chapter XXXIV, in The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC:

“So, he is the father of Emmie Slattery’s baby,” thought Scarlett. “Oh, well. What else can you expect from a Yankee man and a white-trash girl?”

1936 June 30, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, 1944, →OCLC, part I, page 71:

(chiefly Southern US) A native or inhabitant of the Northern United States.

я́нкі

native or inhabitant of the Northern USA

(chiefly southern Louisiana) An Anglo, as opposed to someone with French ancestry; a native or inhabitant of the rest of the United States.


cowabunga

/ˌkæɔəˈbaŋɡə/

/ˌkaʊəˈbʌŋɡə/

/ˌkaʊəˈbʌŋɡə/

Unknown, but was popularized (as Kowa-Bunga) by Chief Thunderthud on the American children's show Howdy Doody in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and became associated with American surfing culture. By the early 1980s, it was used as the catch-phrase of Cookie Monster on the American television show Sesame Street, and gained popularity with a broader audience after its use in the American cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. (For further treatment, see here.)

Cowabunga, dude!

Kowa-Bunga! Then Me Fix You Good! You Be Sorry.

Shouting the surfer's cry ‘Cowabunga!’ they climb a 12-ft. wall of water and ‘take the drop’ off its shoulder.

Both words turn up in the same sentence—as in ‘Cowabunga, it's humongous!’—when the children crowd around some toy.

1991 December 9, The New Yorker, page 115:

(slang, originally US, usually humorous) Expressing amazement, enthusiasm, or joy.

Cookie Monster
Howdy Doody
surfing culture


North Yemen

(historical) A country in the Middle East until 1990.


South Yemen

People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen

(historical) A former country in the Middle East from 1967 until 1990; full name People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.


astroturfing

From AstroTurf (“a synthetic substitute for grass”), a play on grass roots, as in “fake grass roots”. Attributed to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen in an unidentified 1985 public statement: "[A] fellow from Texas can tell the difference between grassroots and Astroturf."

(originally US politics, now social media, marketing) The disguising of an orchestrated campaign as a "grass-roots" event, i.e., a spontaneous upwelling of public opinion.

Tarnung einer Kampagne als Volksbewegung


stella

Borrowed from Latin stēlla (“a star”). Doublet of estoile, étoile, star, and aster.

doublet

(US, numismatics) Alternative letter-case form of Stella.


bizarro

en-noun

bizarro (countable and uncountable, plural bizarros)

Variant of bizarre, equivalent to bizarre + -o; see that entry for more information. In the sense of “logical inverse”, derived via the comic book character Bizarro, an inverted version of Superman from a planet where “good” means “bad” and so on, and popularized by "The Bizarro Jerry", a 1996 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld.

Often described as "the Citizen Kane of dismemberment movies," this cult-movie masterpiece set the standards for the "bizarros-who-turn-their-home-into-a-human-slaughterhouse" horror genre.

1997, Harold Schechter, The Manly Movie Guide, Boulevard, →ISBN:

Showgirl breasts and round hips that swayed to a sultry beat when she walked and drew heartbreakers and bizarros from the four corners of the earth.

2008, Cindy Gerard, Whisper No Lies, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 1:

BOOM!, he can't walk, can't talk, he's in a ward at a state institution with thirty retarded bizarros, many of them bizzare^([sic]) […]

2009, Martin Drapkin, Now and at the Hour, Dog Ear Publishing, →ISBN, page 1:


World War III

One time ago a crazy dream came to me / I dreamt I was walking into World War Three

1963, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Talkin' World War III Blues”, in The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan:

And I also wanted to be sure to keep Chiang Kai-shek, who had some notion of starting a World War Number Three, from going into China and doing just that.

1964, Harry S. Truman, 2:16 from the start, in MP2002-410 Several Cuts of Former President Truman Talking about Wars and Korea, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162:

The WOPR [War Operations Planning Response] has already fought World War III as a game time and time again.

1983, Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes, WarGames, spoken by Paul Richter:

A hypothetical world war following World War II.

اَلْحَرْبُ اَلْعَالَمِيَّةُ اَلثَّالِثَة


embiggen

en-verb

embiggen (third-person singular simple present embiggens, present participle embiggening, simple past and past participle embiggened)

embiggens (present singular third-person)
embiggening (participle present)
embiggened (participle past)
embiggened (past)

David X. Cohen
Lisa the Iconoclast
Notes and Queries
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Simpsons

From em- + biggen or big + em- -en, possibly analogous to belittle. The morphology parallels that of enlarge (en- + large) or embolden (em- + bold + -en).
The verb's first recorded use is in an 1884 edition of the British journal Notes and Queries: A Medium of Intercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, Etc. by C. A. Ward (see quotation below).
The word’s current popularity follows its deployment as an intentionally ungainly form by television writer David X. Cohen for The Simpsons episode “Lisa the Iconoclast” in 1996.

Are there not, however, barbarous verbs in all languages? ἀλλ’ ἐμεγάλυνεν αυτοὺς ὁ λαός, but the people magnified them, to make great or embiggen, if we may invent an English parallel as ugly. After all, use is nearly everything.

1884, C.A. Ward, “New Verbs”, in Notes and Queries: A Medium of Intercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, Etc, volume 10, page 135:

A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.

1996, “Lisa the Iconoclast”, in The Simpsons, season 7, episode 3F13, spoken by Jebediah Springfield (Harry Shearer):

As I joyfully embiggen myself into the vague silhouette of Chewbacca, I have time to reflect on just what it is about big hair that I find so elementally appealing.

2012 4 Feb, Caitlin Moran, “Hair: a big issue”, in The Times:

Train stations: how busy is yours? Victoria Station in 1927. Click image to embiggen.

2013 May 19, “Every train station in Britain listed and mapped: find out how busy each one is”, in The Guardian, picture caption:

You can hide enemies, stack them up high, embiggen them with a Super Mushroom, hide coins in pipes, and so much more!

2019, 1:24 from the start, in Super Mario Maker 2 Direct 5.15.2019 (Nintendo Direct), Nintendo:

(nonstandard, now humorous, transitive) To enlarge; to make bigger.


World War II

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-World War II.wav

As students all over the United States knuckle down to learning, the rumble of war drums once more proclaims Mars high man in Europe. Discarding morbid curiosity, every student should consider it vitally necessary to get a general picture of the causes, movements, and possible effects of World War II. The average U. S. citizen's knowledge of World War II will probably decide his role in it.

1939 November 10, “Following The War”, in The Chart, volume I, number 1, Joplin, Missouri: Joplin Junior College, page 4, column 1:

Nothing since the beginning of World War II, a year ago last September, has boosted British morale or given them greater courage to fight on as has this brilliant Libyan campaign.

1941 March, Frederick M. Barrows, “The War in Africa”, in Command and General Staff School Military Review, volume XXI, number 80, →OCLC, page 23, column 1:

If Demandt's essay served as a strident example of the German desire for normalcy, a more subtle example was provided by a brief allohistorical depiction of a Nazi victory in World War II written by German historian Michael Salewski in 1999.

2005 May 23, Gavriel D. Rosenfeld, The World Hitler Never Made: Alternate History and the Memory of Nazism, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 182:

The tiny island of Tinian was the launch point for American planes carrying atomic bombs to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Now a new runway is being carved from the jungle, just south of World War II ruins inked with mildew.

2023 March 25, Damien Cave, “An Anxious Asia Arms for a War It Hopes to Prevent”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-25:

(history) The war from 1939 to 1945 of the Allied forces, including the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, France, and China, against the Axis Powers, including Germany, Italy, and Japan.

מִלְחֶמֶת הָעוֹלָם הַשְּׁנִיָּה \ מלחמת העולם השנייה

Great Patriotic War

primarily in a Soviet or Russian context


Trekker

(fandom slang) A fan of the TV science fiction series Star Trek.


tribble

Probably invented for alliteration with trouble; the creatures first appeared in an episode called "The Trouble with Tribbles".

Scales have proliferated like tribbles in quadra-triticale: just intonations, equal temperaments, scales based on overtones, scales generated from a single interval or pair of intervals, scales without octaves, scales arising from arcane mathematical formulas, scales that reflect cosmological or religious structures, scales that "come from the heart."

1998, William A. Sethares, Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale, page 49:

The Hyper-Producing Playwrights of Edmondton: Or Why Alberta’s Capital Breeds New Plays Like Tribbles.

2008, Robin C. Whittaker, editor, Hot Thespian Action!, page 569:

They were like tribbles, multiplying by the dozens, cackling, giggling their maniacal joy at the game.

2010, Dakota Cassidy, chapter 19, in Accidentally Demonic:

They breed like tribbles, but at least they’re not terrestrial.

2015, Zanzibar 7. Schwarzenegger, Veneri Verbum, page 19:

A fictional alien creature in Star Trek, a fast-breeding, cooing ball of fur.


picayune

en-adj

picayune (comparative more picayune, superlative most picayune)

more picayune (comparative)
most picayune (superlative)

The noun is borrowed from southern French picaillon, pécaillon, picayon (“type of small foreign coin; (informal, especially in the plural) cash, money”), and from its etymon Occitan picalhon, picaioun (“cheaply made Savoyan-Piedmontese coin that was rapidly demonetized; (by extension) cash, money”), probably from Occitan piquar (“to ring (bells); to knock, strike”) (referring to the clinking of coins in a pocket), originally imitative.
The adjective is derived from the noun.

ref

From the collection of the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

der

Childishly spiteful; tending to go on about unimportant things; small-minded.


yoink

Coined by writer George Meyer for the TV show The Simpsons; perhaps from yank, or imitative of the sound effect (a quick upward slide on a violin) that accompanies something being snatched in classic comedies.

Marge: But you look better, you don't sweat when you eat any more, and look – [holds up a wad of cash] You've saved more than a hundred dollars. I found it in your pants.
Homer: [snatches money] Yoink!

1993, “Duffless”, episode of the Simpsons [television]

Yoink! He snatched Granny Glee's frilly pink hat with his little feet.

2012, John Sazaklis, Candy Store Caper, →ISBN, page 24:

The way I've always done this stunt is to grab my partner and jump us over together. It's absolute hell on my knees. I lean toward Brando and raise my eyebrows. “Yoink.” “Definite yoink,” he replies, equally inspired.

2014, G. T. Almasi, Hammer of Angels: A Novel of Shadowstorm, →ISBN:

YOINK! Coach Pittman snatched the puck out of midair.

2015, Marty McKnight, Jim Nasium Is a Hockey Hazard, →ISBN, page 42:

2021 (November 13) "Olivia & Yunan" (Amphibia s3e7b) Yunan grabbing a crossbow
Ooh, ominous. After you, milady. Yoink!

(colloquial) Onomatopoeic, accompanying or describing a yank, swipe, or snatch.


So, given the ever growing list of J6ers that are real estate agents...has anyone looked into whether they attended whatever grift it was that 45 had going about training folks to be real estate agents?
(Tonight's random thought)

2022 September 5, Chirparrooo, Twitter, archived from the original on 2022-09-06:

(US politics, slang) Donald Trump, as the forty-fifth president of the United States.


Cold War

/ˌkəʊld ˈwɔː/

Coined by American journalist Herbert Bayard Swope in 1947, in a speech he wrote for Bernard Baruch (1870–1965), an American financier and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson.

coinage

Well Russia at the present time is at a crossroads. It is often said that the Cold War is over and that the West has won it- that's only half true. Because what has happened is that the communists have been defeated, but the ideas of freedom now are on trial. If they don't work, there will be a reversion to, not communism which has failed, but what I call a new despotism which would pose a mortal danger to the rest of the world because it would be infected with the virus of Russian imperialism which of course has been a characteristic of Russian foreign policy for centuries.

1992 March 30, Richard Nixon, 13:46 from the start, in Richard Nixon on ‘Inside Washington’, Richard Nixon Foundation, via Seoul Broadcasting System, archived from the original on 2017-10-09:

The situation in Berlin had its uses for Moscow, of course, as for others–the city had become the primary listening post and spy center of the Cold War; some 70 different agencies were operating there by 1961, and it was in Berlin that Soviet espionage scored some of their greatest successes.

2005, Tony Judt, “The Politics of Stability”, in Postwar: A history of Europe since 1945, London: Vintage Books, published 2010, →ISBN:

The dynamic tests at Wildenrath use continuous test tracks built on the site of a former Royal Air Force station that was vacated after the end of the Cold War.

2023 November 29, Philip Haigh, “New Piccadilly Line trains put to the test”, in RAIL, number 997, page 26:

(historical) The period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, especially the United States, between 1945 and 1991.

Bernard Baruch
International Herald Tribune
Woodrow Wilson

Koue Oorlog

period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, 1945–1991


pork

en-noun

pork (countable and uncountable, plural porks)

→ Japanese: ポーク (pōku)

From Middle English pork, porc, via Anglo-Norman, from Old French porc (“swine, hog, pig; pork”), from Latin porcus (“domestic hog, pig”).
Cognate with Old English fearh (“piglet”). Doublet of farrow. Compare also other West Germanic words for pigs: Ferkel, Ferke, and varken.
Used in English since the 14th century, and as a term of abuse since the 17th century.
US politics sense is related to pork barrel.
The verb is from the black American form of poke.

der

(US politics, slang, derogatory) Funding proposed or requested by a member of Congress for special interests or their constituency as opposed to the good of the country as a whole.


Dubya

Representing a southern United States pronunciation of W, the middle initial of George W. Bush.

(often derogatory) A nickname for and abbreviation of George W. Bush.


d'oh

Audio (US)

Imitative. Popularised by the cartoon character Homer Simpson in the TV show The Simpsons. Voice actor Dan Castellaneta has said that he modelled his version on the drawn-out "do-o-o-o" sound made by Jimmy Finlayson in the films of Laurel and Hardy.
The OED has references from the BBC as far back as 1945.

—I just paid for our food. —You didn't have to. It's free. —D'oh!

Expresses frustration or anger, especially at one’s own stupidity.

British Broadcasting Corporation
Homer Simpson
Jimmy Finlayson
Laurel and Hardy
Oxford English Dictionary
The Simpsons


Daffy Duck

The first appearance of the character was in the short Porky's Duck Hunt in 1937; from daffy + duck.

A fictional anthropomorphic black duck in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons by Warner Bros.


waldo

From the Robert A. Heinlein story Waldo, published in Astounding in 1940, derived from the name of the eponymous protagonist, Waldo F. Jones, who invented remote manipulators to overcome his own myasthenia gravis.

Waldo flexed and extended his fingers gently; the two pairs of waldoes in the screen followed in exact, simultaneous parallelism.


Disneyfication

From the US corporation Disney + -fication. Compare earlier Disneyfied and later Disneyfy.

He may even be having his first doubts about the neon chrome artyfake Disneyfication of America.

1959, Lawrence Lipton, The Holy Barbarians, Messner, pages 143–44:

Cultural diversity mirrors the biological and geographical diversity of our planet. ’Disneyfication’, like economic globalization, tends to ride roughshod over local variety. So baseball hats, blue jeans and running shoes become the uniform of teenagers in both Budapest and Bangalore while Western TV shows promote the illusion of limitless wealth.

1998 December 5, “A Reader's Guide To Disneyfication”, in New Internationalist:

The Disneyfication of Tibet
How tourism has become a tool of occupation.

2014 January/February, Pearl Sydenstricker, “The Disneyfication of Tibet”, in Washington Monthly, archived from the original on 2014-01-01, heading:

Given that Onward itself is a family-friendly project, the film thrives on these self-aware digs at Disneyfication; any good D&D mission should have a sense of real danger, so it’s worth pointing out how that’s missing from so much mainstream entertainment.

2020 February 21, David Sims, “Pixar Needs to Make More Movies Like ‘Onward’”, in The Atlantic:

The act or process whereby something is Disneyfied.


Donald Duck

desc

دُونَالْد دَاك

→ Arabic: دُونَالْد دَاك (dūnāld dāk)

→ Arabic: دُونَالْد دَاك (dūnāld dāk)

→ Armenian: Դոնալդ Դաք (Donald Dakʻ)

→ Azerbaijani: Donald Dak

→ Bulgarian: Доналд Дък (Donald Dǎk)

→ Dutch: Donald Duck

→ French: Donald Duck

→ Georgian: დონალდ დაკი (donald daḳi)

→ German: Donald Duck

Ντόναλντ Ντακ

→ Greek: Ντόναλντ Ντακ (Ntónalnt Ntak)

→ Gujarati: ડોનાલ્ડ ડક (ḍonālḍ ḍak)

דוֹנָלְד דָאק

→ Hebrew: דוֹנָלְד דָאק (Dónald Dak)

→ Hindi: डोनाल्ड डक (ḍonālḍ ḍak)

→ Hindi: डोनाल्ड डक (ḍonālḍ ḍak)

→ Japanese: ドナルドダック (donarudo dakku)

ಡೊನಾಲ್ಡ್ ಡಕ್

→ Kannada: ಡೊನಾಲ್ಡ್ ಡಕ್ (ḍonālḍ ḍak)

→ Kannada: ಡೊನಾಲ್ಡ್ ಡಕ್ (ḍonālḍ ḍak)

→ Korean: 도널드 덕 (doneoldeu deok)

→ Latvian: Donalds Daks

ഡൊണാൾഡ് ഡക്ക്

→ Malayalam: ഡൊണാൾഡ് ഡക്ക് (ḍoṇāḷḍŭ ḍakkŭ)

→ Marathi: डोनाल्ड डक (ḍonālḍa ḍak)

→ Norwegian Bokmål: Donald Duck

→ Portuguese: Pato Donald (calque)

→ Romanian: Donald Duck

→ Russian: Дональд Дак (Donalʹd Dak)

→ Spanish: Pato Donald (calque)

โดนัลด์ ดั๊ก

→ Thai: โดนัลด์ ดั๊ก (doo-nalt dák)

→ Ukrainian: Дональд Дак (Donalʹd Dak)

Single-handed [sic] he swung the staid Western Union from its ordinary singing-telegram policy to the point where local patrons can request that their greeting be sung in Donald Duck voice.

1941 March 6, “Screwy Hall Of Fame Presents A Quack”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

And then the most Donald Duck-like screaming and jabbering you ever heard.

1945, Ernie Pyle, edited by David Nichols, Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches, Touchstone Books, published 1987, page 399:

DSP can also eliminate ghost images from TV screens and banish those irritating Donald Duck squeaks and quacks from speeded-up playback of tape-recorded voice messages.

1992 April, Gene Bylinsky, “A U.S. Comeback in Electronics”, in Fortune, volume 125, number 8, page 77:

Perched securely in the rafters and using a walkie-talkie to communicate with colleagues on the airdock's floor, Lachenmeier was amused to find his voice had risen into the Donald Duck register due to the bubble of escaping helium spreading along the ceiling.

1992 May, Sturat F. Brown, “Earthwinds Waits on the Weather”, in Popular Science, volume 240, number 5, page 80:

One of the Disney cartoon characters, an anthropomorphic white-feathered duck who usually wears a sailor suit and is known for his voice especially in tantrums.

ഡൊണാൾഡ് ഡക്ക്

ḍoṇāḷḍŭ ḍakkŭ


Tory

From Irish tóraí (“pursuer”), from tóir (“pursuit”). The first recorded use in English is from a 1646 letter by James Butler ("Earl of Ormond") to a Colonel O' Brien, describing bandits and thieves on main roadways.

(US, historical) A Union sympathizer in the Confederate States during the American Civil War.


mammy

That's what you for—to help white folks keep niggers down. That's why he sent you to me. They be calling you mammy in a few years. You be running the whole house when the old man dies.

(US, historical, often pejorative) In the southern United States, a black nanny employed to look after white children; or in the antebellum South, a female slave who was close to the household and looked after the children.


tracker

追踪器

computer program that monitors something

While she and Mr. Fetterman were often in different places, she would turn up at events early so she could shoot and post photos of the crowds, the lines, the people. At most events there was a tracker: a guy from the Oz team who monitored the goings-on.

2022 December 17, Judith Newman, “John Fetterman’s TikTok Whisperer”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

agent noun of track; one who, or that which, tracks or pursues, as a man or dog that follows game.

(US politics) A person employed to follow and monitor a political rival.


GOP

Initialism of Grand Old Party, a nickname for the Republican Party.

On their behalf, Reagan insisted (over the objections of the Ford forces) that the GOP platform declare that henceforth “the goal of Republican foreign policy is the achievement of liberty under law and a just and lasting peace in the world.”

2005, Jesse Helms, “Ronald Reagan, 1976”, in Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir, New York: Random House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 103:

(US politics) The Republican Party, one of the two major political parties in the United States.


TDS

Trump derangement syndrome
Trump derangement syndrome#English

(US politics, uncountable) Initialism of Trump derangement syndrome.


Star Wars

[ˈstɑɹ ˈwɔɹz]

[ˈstɑ˞ ˈwɔɹz]

From the original name of the science fantasy motion picture Star Wars (1977).

Strategic Defense Initiative
Strategic Defense Initiative

(informal, military) The United States Strategic Defense Initiative.


From the date September 11 written in numbers according the format used in the United States, which puts the month before the day.

The date of the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon in the USA (September 11th, 2001).

9·11事件

the attack on World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001

What is unbearable, in fact, is the feeling, 13 years after 9/11, that America has been chasing its tail; that, in some whack-a-mole horror show, the quashing of a jihadi enclave here only spurs the sprouting of another there; that the ideology of Al Qaeda is still reverberating through a blocked Arab world whose Sunni-Shia balance (insofar as that went) was upended by the American invasion of Iraq.

2014 November 17, Roger Cohen, “The horror! The horror! The trauma of ISIS [print version: International New York Times, 18 November 2014, p. 9]”, in The New York Times:


This was my 9/11.

This is 11 year olds' 9/11

9/11 for unfunny people

This is 9/11 for band kids

(humorous) A negative event that a person or a group of people have experienced whose impact is not actually comparable to that of 9/11's.


Wookiee

What's this guy tryinna [sic] disappear behind you, a Wookie? [sic]

1985, Stephen King, Peter Straub, The Talisman, page 341:

I backed it out to the dirt road, and the door to the double-wide opened and a big guy, more Wookiee than human being, filled the doorway.

2009, Janet Evanovich, Plum Spooky, page 98:

Kevin whined, his Wookiee face showing hurt somewhere beneath the dark glasses.

2009, Jaqueline Girdner, Murder, My Deer, page 115:

A member of a fictional race of tall, hairy bipeds in the universe of the Star Wars motion pictures.


purple state

Compound of purple + state, modeled on blue state and red state. From purple being a blend of blue and red colors, where the color representing the Democratic Party of the United States is blue and that representing the Republican Party of the United States is red.

“I have loved this purple state that I’ve grown up in,” said Mallerie Stromswold, a former Republican lawmaker who left the Legislature earlier this year after she clashed with party leaders over a series of proposed transgender bills and closed-door meetings, she said, devolved into yelling and name-calling.

2023 April 27, Jim Robbins, Mike Baker, Jacey Fortin, quoting Mallerie Stromswold, “A Transgender Lawmaker Is Exiled as Montana G.O.P. Flexes New Power”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:


red state

From the color red representing the Republican Party of the United States, and being a state (“subnational division, province”) that votes Republican.

(US politics) A state of the United States voting Republican in a given election, tending to vote Republican in general, or having a typically conservative mindset.


blue state

Compound of blue + state. From the color blue representing the Democratic Party of the United States, and being a state (“subnational division, province”) that votes Democratic.

(idiomatic, US politics) A state of the United States voting Democratic in a given election, or tending to vote Democratic in general.


swing state

(US politics) A state which may vote Democratic or Republican, in a given election or generally.

وِلَايَة مُتَأَرْجِحَة

a state which may vote Democratic or Republican


Mickey Mouse

→ Albanian: Miushi Miki (calque)

مِيكِي مَاوْس

→ Arabic: مِيكِي مَاوْس (mīkī māws)

→ Arabic: مِيكِي مَاوْس (mīkī māws)

→ Azerbaijani: Mikki Maus

→ Bulgarian: Мики Маус (Miki Maus)

→ Czech: Mickey Mouse

→ Danish: Mickey Mouse

→ Dutch: Mickey Mouse

→ French: Mickey Mouse

→ Georgian: მიკი მაუსი (miḳi mausi)

→ German: Micky Maus (calque)

→ Greek: Μίκυ Μάους (Míky Máous), μικιμάους (mikimáous)

→ Hebrew: מיקי מאוס (miki maus)

→ Hindi: मिकी माउस (mikī māus)

→ Japanese: ミッキーマウス (Mikkī Mausu)

→ Korean: 미키 마우스 (Miki Mauseu)

→ Macedonian: Мики Маус (Miki Maus)

→ Portuguese: Mickey Mouse

→ Romanian: Mickey Mouse, Miki Maus

Ми́кки Ма́ус

→ Russian: Ми́кки Ма́ус (Míkki Máus)

→ Samoan: Miki Mausi

→ Spanish: Mickey Mouse

มิกกี้ เมาส์

→ Thai: มิกกี้ เมาส์

→ Thai: มิกกี้ เมาส์

From Mickey, a diminutive of the given name Michael, + mouse, referring to the species of the character. The name Mickey Mouse was coined by American animator Walt Disney in 1928 after his wife, Lillian Disney, persuaded him to change the character's original name Mortimer Mouse to Mickey, deeming the former too formal for the playful character. "Mickey" was suggested by Lillian, who preferred its more approachable and lively sound.
The adjective sense developed during the Second World War, after a large quantity of low-quality counterfeit Mickey Mouse watches flooded the UK.

The most famous Disney cartoon character, an anthropomorphic mouse with a falsetto voice and a cheerful disposition.


IRA

In the September follow-up, those significant gains looked much more contingent. More than 80 percent of the potential emissions reductions from the I.R.A. would be lost, the report concluded, if the country continued to expand the electricity grid at only its recent pace of about 1 percent per year.

2022 October 5, David Wallace-Wells, “Progressives Should Rally Around a Clean Energy Construction Boom”, in The New York Times:

Inflation Reduction Act
w:Inflation Reduction Act

(US politics) Initialism of Inflation Reduction Act.


Wonder Woman

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo
DC Comics
William Moulton Marston
fi:Ihmenainen

From wonder + woman. The character, created by William Moulton Marston (1893–1947) and Harry George Peter (1880–1958), first appeared in DC Comics’ All Star Comics #8 dated December 1941.

It was just Wonder Woman whose secret identity threatened to overwhelm and swallow up the heroic reality. I think I was afraid that one day I'd innocently open that month's comic and find Diana Prince waking up to announce that Wonder Woman was only a dream after all.

2004, Lillian S[ara] Robinson, “The Book of Lilith”, in Wonder Women: Feminisms and Superheroes, New York, N.Y., London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 12:

Wonder Woman is a recognizable figure: gold tiara, invisible jet, fights bad guys, looks like Lynda Carter. She's a role model for many, and the most famous female superhero in a genre dominated by males. She's also been a feminist icon since Gloria Steinem put her on the first cover of Ms. magazine in 1972. […] Wonder Woman was created during the Golden Age of comics, before the temporary workplace gains of World War II, at a time when women were told that their only place was in the home. An Amazon princess and the most powerful warrior of her race, Wonder Woman ignored these expectations. Her comics didn't just suggest equality of the sexes; they flat-out demonstrated that every woman had innate power and that Wonder Woman was superior to her male counterparts.

2014, Tim Hanley, “Introduction”, in Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World's Most Famous Heroine, Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Review Press, →ISBN, pages x–xi:


Xena

Possibly a variant of Xenia, from Latin Xenia, from Ancient Greek ξενία (xenía, “hospitable”), the assumed name of a fifth-century saint venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church, from ξένος (xénos, “foreign, strange”).

der

A female given name from Ancient Greek of modern usage.


not in Kansas anymore

From the film The Wizard of Oz (1939), in which Dorothy states, “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.”

As soon as I walked into that party I thought, "I'm not in Kansas anymore."

John Crosbie? A Tory government? You could be forgiven if your first reaction was the feeling that you weren't in Kansas anymore.

1986 April, Gerald Hannon, “Leaving Kansas”, in The Body Politic, number 125, Pink Triangle Press, page 8:

The police action is rough and raw, like Hill Street Blues. But when a courtroom jury, asked for its verdict, breaks into song, we know we're not in Kansas anymore.

1990 October 1, “Critics' Voices”, in Time, archived from the original on 2013-03-05:

C++ meets all three of these classic criteria of object-orientedness, but once you really start to take advantage of them in your programs, you'll find you're definitely not in Kansas anymore.

1991 July, Ray Duncan, “Power Programming”, in PC Magazine, page 444:

(idiomatic, colloquial, US) No longer in quiet and comfortable surroundings.


hammer and sickle

en-noun

hammer and sickle (plural hammers and sickles)

The symbol was developed by Yevgeny Kamzolkin in 1917, based on antetypes like hammer and pick (symbol of mining). The hammer represents workers, while the sickle represents farmers.

He remembers the [train] journeys fondly—the vast expanses of the Soviet empire rolling by, the glasses of tea served in metal cup holders embossed with the hammer and sickle.

December 7 2022, Simon Shuster, “2022 Person of the Year: Volodymyr Zelensky”, in Time:

A depiction of a sickle crossed with a hammer, used as a symbol of communism and the Soviet Union.


meh

en-adj

meh (comparative more meh, superlative most meh)

more meh (comparative)
most meh (superlative)

Popularized by the American television show The Simpsons; first used on the show in the episode titled "Sideshow Bob Roberts" (1994).
Possibly ultimately from Yiddish מע (me, “so-so”). First attested in 1928.

They redeemed themselves with this show. The first song or two was meh, but they were on fire after that.

2003, steve-o, “Jam On The River Mini-Review”, in rec.music.phish (Usenet):

The voice is excellent as always, but the overall effect was meh until the end, where he became a little bit awesome.

2006, Suzanne D., “Recaps: Finals Week 8 Performances, 5/2/2006”, in alt.tv.american-idol (Usenet):

Nothing that was supposed to be big and exciting came off as such and the rest was meh at best.

2006, FunkyM, “Turned on RAW for the first time in forever last night…”, in rec.sport.pro.wrestling (Usenet):

Mediocre; lackluster; unexceptional; uninspiring.

nic moc

mediocre; lackluster; unexceptional; uninspiring

Both shows left me feeling, meh.

2003, Dana, “10/18/03 Shows”, in alt.tv.trading-spaces (Usenet):

I’m a huge Clay fan, love Ruben’s voice, and have become quite a fan of Kelly’s, as well. Fantasia just leaves me feeling meh.

2004, jennifer, “The FANtasia thing: I don’t get it…”, in alt.gossip.celebrities (Usenet):

I liked it but I wasn’t feeling it for some reason that day, again, I was feeling meh toward video games in general.

2006, ettie...@hotmail.com, “Steve’s impressions on random Genesis games”, in rec.games.video.sega (Usenet):


meh

“What do you want for dinner?” — “Meh. I’m not really hungry.”

“That film was awesome!” — “Meh. I’ve seen better.”

Marge: [weaving on a loom] “Hi Bart, I’m weaving on a loom!”
Bart: “Meh”.

1995 March 19, “Lisa's Wedding”, in The Simpsons:

Scientists say that while the public may think of the moon as a problem solved and a bit retro – the place astronauts visited a half-dozen times way back before Watergate and then abandoned with a giant "meh" from mankind – in fact, lunar studies is a vibrant enterprise that is yielding a wealth of surprises.

2014 September 7, Natalie Angier, “The Moon comes around again [print version: Revisiting a moon that still has secrets to reveal: Supermoon revives interest in its violent origins and hidden face, International New York Times, 10 September 2014, p. 8]”, in The New York Times:

(slang) Expressing indifference or lack of enthusiasm.

hm

slang: expressing indifference or lack of enthusiasm


meh

(informal) A judgement marked by indifference; lack of impression.


meh

Really meh? ― Really? I don’t think so.

This one your one meh? ― Is this really yours?

"Huh? At this hour? Really meh?" He couldn't believe his own ears.

2020, Yasser Khan, Property Agent Secrets: The Underground Playbook For Growing Your Property Agent Business in 2021 & Beyond, →ISBN, page 123:

“Nice meh?” I would think sourly.

2013 October 7, Tee Hun Ching, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 12:

You got send [e-mail] meh? I never receive leh.

2010 August 22, Fiona Chan, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 13:

Final question particle expressing skepticism.


Hollywood

en-proper noun

Hollywood (countable and uncountable, plural Hollywoods)

(Hollywood, L.A., CA, USA): Coined by real estate developer H. J. Whitley, from holly + wood.

Bollywood

for more similarly formed names, see Category:en:Film industries

Other places in the United States:
A town in Jackson County, Alabama.

Jefferson County
Jefferson County#English

A neighborhood and historic district in Homewood, Jefferson County, Alabama.

Other places in the United States:
A city in Broward County, Florida.

Habersham County
Habersham County#English

An unincorporated community in Habersham County, Georgia.

St. Mary's County
St. Mary's County#English

An unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, named for a large holly tree.

An unincorporated community and township in Carver County, Minnesota.

An unincorporated community in Tunica County, Mississippi.

An unincorporated community in Dunklin County, Missouri.

A neighborhood of Ruidoso, Lincoln County, New Mexico.

A neighborhood in north-east Portland, Oregon.

A neighborhood of Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

Montgomery County
Montgomery County#English

An unincorporated community in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Charleston County
Charleston County#English

A town in Charleston County, South Carolina.

A neighborhood in north Memphis, Tennessee.

Appomattox County
Appomattox County#English

An unincorporated community in Appomattox County, Virginia.

Pittsylvania County
Pittsylvania County#English

An unincorporated community in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.

An unincorporated community in Monroe County, West Virginia.

Former name of MacArthur, West Virginia.


Casey

en-proper noun

Casey (countable and uncountable, plural Caseys)

Anglicisation of an Irish surname Ó Cathasaigh (“descendant of (a person named) Watchful”).

Planned Parenthood v. Casey
w:en:Planned Parenthood v. Casey

(US, law, US politics, informal, uncountable) Ellipsis of Planned Parenthood v. Casey. A 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that reaffirmed the right to having an abortion; and reaffirmed the existence of a right to privacy under due process following the 14th Amendment.


deplorable

/dɪˈplɔːɹəbl̩/

PIE word
 *de
The adjective is borrowed from French déplorable (“lamentable, regrettable”), or from its etymon Late Latin dēplōrābilis + English -able (suffix meaning ‘relevant to, suitable to’). Dēplōrābilis is derived from Latin dēplōrō (“to bemoan, complain about; to bewail, lament, deplore”) + -ābilis (suffix meaning ‘able or worthy to be’); while dēplōrō is from dē- (intensifying prefix) + plōrō (“to cry out; to complain; to lament, deplore”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₃(w)- (“to flow; to swim”)). By surface analysis, deplore + -able.
The noun is derived from the adjective. Sense 2 refers to a campaign speech by the American politician and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (born 1947) during the 2016 United States presidential election calling half of the supporters of her Republican opponent Donald Trump (born 1946) a “basket of deplorables”.

der

He [Donald Trump] did not say who “the guys” were—but [John Maguire] Dowd knew he meant the Trump base, the crowds at his rallies, the Fox News watchers, the deplorables.

2018, Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 355:

Trump's fate, [Steve] Bannon declared, rested with the deplorables, who had to be brought to the kind of fearful emotional pitch that would get them to the polls.

2019 June 4, Michael Wolff, “McCain, Woodward, Anonymous”, in Siege: Trump Under Fire, New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN:

The self-image of the deplorables is that of the honest, hardworkin' people of the Christian American heartland and South who have been screwed by Washington, D.C., and the coastal elites since the dawn of time.

2020, Rick Wilson, Running against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump—And Democrats from Themselves, New York, N.Y.: Crown Forum, Crown Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 265:

(specifically, US politics, derogatory, neologism) A supporter of Donald Trump.


KKK

(US politics) Initialism of Ku Klux Klan.


Iron Curtain

/ˌaɪən ˈkɜːtn̩/

A specialized use of iron curtain (“(figurative) impenetrable barrier”), probably partly a calque of German eiserner Vorhang which was used in speeches in the 1940s that were translated into English. The English term appeared in telegrams from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874–1965) to the President of the United States Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) in 1945, before being popularized in a speech given by Churchill at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, on 5 March 1946: see the quotations.

We liked the plain people of Russia wherever we met them. […] We were behind the "iron curtain" at last!

1920, Mrs. Philip Snowden [i.e., Ethel Snowden], “Making Our Plans”, in Through Bolshevik Russia, London; New York, N.Y.: Cassell and Company, →OCLC, pages 31 and 32:

In the east the iron curtain behind which, unseen by the eyes of the world, the work of destruction goes on, is moving steadily forward.

1945 May 3, Court Schwerin von Krosigk [i.e., Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk], “New foreign minister broadcasts”, in [anonymous], transl., The Manchester Guardian, number 30,757, Manchester: […] John Russell Scott for the Manchester Guardian & Evening News, […], →OCLC, page 5, column 6:

An iron curtain is drawn down upon their [Russia's] front. We do not know what is going on behind.

1945 May 12, Winston Churchill, “No. 6: Leahy Papers: Telegram: Prime Minister Churchill to President [Harry S.] Truman”, in Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers: The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference) 1945 […] (86th Congress, 1st Session, House Document; no. 161, vol I; Department of State Publication; 7015), volume I, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, published 1960, →OCLC, paragraph 3, page 9:

From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.

1946 March 5, Winston Churchill, “The Sinews of Peace”, in Westminster College Bulletin: World Spotlight Turns on Westminster, series 46, number 1, Fulton, Mo.: Westminster College, published April 1946, →OCLC, column 1:

Indeed, rail traffic of all kinds is developing through the Iron Curtain – for instance, last year a total of 6,445 wagons controlled by Interfrigo, the international company for refrigerated transport, passed between East and West; […]

1960 March, “Talking of Trains: London–Paris in Four Hours”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 134:

Justice is giving ground to the forces of evil. These developments have confused the camp of freedom and abetted the growth of Communism. Even so, the fierce struggle for freedom of the people shut behind the Iron Curtain and the support for their emancipation provided by peace-loving people outside the Iron Curtain have never ceased despite the buffeting from waves of appeasement.

1973 July 17 (date delivered), Chiang Kai-shek, “President Chiang Kai-shek’s Message to the Mass Rally Supporting Captive Nations Week”, in L. Y. Chen, editor, Free China Weekly, volume XIV, number 28, Taipei, Taiwan: Chung Hwa Information Service, published 22 July 1973, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1, columns 1–2:

Now, we are not in a new Cold War. We don't see the descending of a new Iron Curtain, but we have moved back very, very sharply in the wrong direction. We must work with the many Russian democrats still functioning in and out of government, in and out of Parliament, in and out of the business community, to make the dream of a Russian democracy become a reality.

2007 May 17, Tom Lantos, Chairman, Russia: Rebuilding the Iron Curtain: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, First Session […] (Serial No. 110-65), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →ISBN, page 3:

[…] Christopher Hill, one of the Western critics whose works were cited and appreciated behind the Iron Curtain throughout the decades of state socialism.

2022, Miklós Péti, “Samson: An Unlikely Hero of Socialism”, in Timothy Mathews, editor, Paradise from behind the Iron Curtain: Reading, Translating and Staging Milton in Communist Hungary (Literature and Translation), London: UCL Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 68:

(historical) Chiefly preceded by the: the dividing line between Western Europe and the Soviet controlled regions, especially during the Cold War (1947–1991).


axis of evil

2002 State of the Union Address
George W. Bush
axis of evil

Coined by American political commentator David Frum in 2002 and first used publicly by President George W. Bush in the 2002 State of the Union Address. Possibly from a historical analogy to the German-Italian-Japanese axis. Extended to astrophysics by Portuguese scientist João Magueijo in 2005.

coin

I discussed Iraq with Gerhard during his visit to the White House on January 31, 2002. In my State of the Union address two days earlier, I had outlined the threats posed by Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. “States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world,” I said. The media seized on the phrase “axis of evil.” They took the line to mean that the three countries had formed an alliance. That missed the point. The axis I referred to was the link between the governments that pursued WMD and the terrorists who could use those weapons. There was a larger point in the speech that no one could miss: I was serious about dealing with Iraq.

2010, George W. Bush, Decision Points, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 233:

Communist China is on a mission for dominance. At the helm of the New Axis of Evil, China has indicated they will invade independent countries and destroy democratic leadership to achieve that end. My recent visit to Taiwan made it abundantly clear that the leaders in Taiwan want the United States and our allies to stand with them as they fight to keep their independence.

2022 September 9, Marsha Blackburn, “We must stand with Taiwan”, in Tullahoma News, Tullahoma, Tennessee, archived from the original on 2022-09-11:

weapons of mass destruction
weapon of mass destruction

A group of states accused by George W. Bush of sponsoring terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction, originally defined as Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.

مِحْوَر اَلشَّرّ

states supposedly sponsoring terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction


Darth Vader

"Darth" is a blend of dark + death (the derivation from Dark Lord of the Sith is a later development).
"Vader" is traditionally explained as being from Dutch vader (“father”). However, the idea of Vader's fatherhood was only developed for The Empire Strikes Back (after the character was introduced), making this improbable. It is more likely a shortening of invader or from the surname Vader.

What's all this? Looks like Darth Vader's bathroom.

1982, “Knight of the Phoenix”, in Knight Rider, episode 1 (television production), spoken by Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff):

Darth Vader, a villain of the science-fantasy film series Star Wars.


bushwhacker

The bushwhackers remained at General Cooper′s camp several days, then crossed the Red River into Texas.

1962, Albert E. Castel, William Clarke Quantrill: His Life and Times, page 155:

1967 April, Donald Keith, The Time Machine Hunts a Treasure, Boys' Life, page 51,
She stared at us. “Hardly. You must be from far off, not to know about Quantrill′s raids. Last March the bushwhackers rode into Aubrey, shot every man in town, stole everything, burned down houses. […] ”

Many bushwhackers were young men born to families of southern heritage who were generally wealthier and more likely to own slaves than the typical Missouri farmer.[…]His eldest daughter, Elisa, was an effective bushwhacker spy and informant.

2007, Jeremy Neely, The Border Between Them: Violence and Reconciliation on the Kansas-Missouri Line, page 109:

(US, historical) A guerrilla (of either side) during the American Civil War.


Johnny Reb

From the sense of Johnny as a placeholder name for any man and reb, US slang for a Confederate citizen or soldier.

Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America

(historical, colloquial) Synonym of Confederate: a citizen of the Confederate States of America, particularly a Confederate soldier.


Johnny Reb

When Lincoln heard the news about the fall,
All the folks thought he'd throw a great vict'ry ball,
But he asked the band to play the song "Dixie"
For you, Johnny Reb, and all that you believe.

Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America#English

(figurative) Synonym of Confederate States of America.


pull a Homer

en-verb

pull a Homer (third-person singular simple present pulls a Homer, present participle pulling a Homer, simple past and past participle pulled a Homer)

pulls a Homer (present singular third-person)
pulling a Homer (participle present)
pulled a Homer (participle past)
pulled a Homer (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pull a Homer.wav

From pull (“to copy or emulate the actions associated with”). Coined in the Simpsons episode "Homer Defined", after the regular character Homer who stops a nuclear meltdown via eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

(fandom slang, humorous) To succeed despite idiocy.


Pixar

Conceived as a faux-Spanish word meaning “to make pictures”. See pix (“pictures”) and Spanish -ar (verb-forming suffix).

Pixar Animation Studios, a computer-generated imagery (CGI) company known for its animated films.


Darth

From the Star Wars universe, where it is used as a title for Sith Lords. (There are Darth Vader, Darth Tyranus, Darth Maul etc.) Blend of dark + death (the derivation from Dark Lord of the Sith is a later development).

Consider the threat of an evil hacker, Darth, who can not only eavesdrop on your network connection but also alter the messages that are sent.

2000, David G. Messerschmitt, Understanding Networked Applications: A First Course (textbook), Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, page 400

[…] glaring malevolently across his desk at me in the manner that had earned him the nickname “Darth” among his elite cadre of audio penetration officers.

2000, Antonio J. Mendez, Malcolm McConnell, The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA, HarperCollins, published 2000, →ISBN, page 186:

The evil Darth Leonard steals the formula and a young couple must get it back (real life Ward Leonard is a legendary recluse who has hiked the Appalachian Trail something like 20-30 times).

2005, John Illig, Pacific Dream: A Pacific Crest Trail Through-Hike, Elderberry Press, →ISBN, page 74:

I’m sure Darth Hoodie has some other illegal way of messing with inexperienced quarterbacks on the road.

2015 November 27, Jimmy Kempski quoted in "Patriots-Broncos prediction roundup" in Boston Globe

(humorous) Used as a title or name for an evil person.


POTUS

Phillips Code abbreviation, 1895. In more common usage since the 1990s.

It makes sense that ex-POTUSes don't tend to make it onto juries.

2017 October 28, Gabrielle Bruney, “Some Lucky Accused Criminal Could Have Obama on Their Jury”, in Esquire, Hearst Magazine Media, Inc., retrieved 2020-02-23:

(US politics) Acronym of President of the United States.


watcher

From Middle English wacchere, wachere, wacher, equivalent to watch + -er.

(US politics) A political representative aligned with a candidate sent to observe elections to report on irregularities. A scrutineer.


have a cow

have a cow (third-person singular simple present has a cow, present participle having a cow, simple past and past participle had a cow)

has a cow (present singular third-person)
having a cow (participle present)
had a cow (participle past)
had a cow (past)

Unknown. Popularized by the TV show The Simpsons where it was one of the catchphrases of Bart Simpson.

My mom had a cow when I came in late.

Dad says I'm too young to go steady and seems to think I'm going to drag a girl up the aisle instead of to a school dance. He won't let me watch rock 'n' roll shows, and he'd "have a cow" if he knew I watched 77 Sunset Strip.

1959 April 1, The Des Moines Register, page 9:

"Of all the fates on heaven and earth, why did this one befall me?" "Don't have a cow, dad."

1990, “The Call of the Simpsons” (0:12:10 from the start), in The Simpsons, season 1, episode 7, spoken by Homer Simpson and Bart Simpson (Dan Castellaneta and Nancy Cartwright):

“Pregnant. Holy shit.” “Alyson!” “Oh, Mummy, don't have a cow.”

2007, Julia Spencer-Fleming, In the Bleak Midwinter: A Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery, St. Martin's Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 69:

“Dammit, Kayla, you're pregnant. Don't pick up a suitcase,” her husband demanded. “It's just a little one.” “Put it down now.” “Don't have a cow, Patrick. I'm pregnant, not incapacitated.”

2014, Susan Mallery, THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER, Harlequin, →ISBN, page 115:


flip

flip (third-person singular simple present flips, present participle flipping, simple past and past participle flipped)

flips (present singular third-person)
flipping (participle present)
flipped (participle past)
flipped (past)

Alteration of earlier fillip, from Middle English filippen (“to make a signal or sound with thumb and right forefinger, snap the fingers”), an attenuated variation of flappen (“to flap, clap, slap, strike”). Cognate with Dutch flappen (“to flap”), German flappen (“to flap”).

inh

Wisconsin had been Democratic for decades, but the Republicans flipped it in 2016.

(transitive, US politics) To win a state (or county) won by another party in the preceding elections.


walker

→ Irish: válcaeir

→ Persian: واکر (vâker)

From Middle English walkere (“one who walks, traveller”), equivalent to walk + -er.

I would ask for the pleasure of your company, Mr. Knightley, but I am a very slow walker, and my pace would be tedious to you; and, besides, you have another long walk before you, to Donwell Abbey.

1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter VIII, in Emma: […], volume I, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, page 118:

We hired a walker for the dogs during the day.

2005, Carlo De Vito, 10 Secrets My Dog Taught Me: Life Lessons from a Man's Best Friend, page 88:

The agent noun of to walk: a person who walks or a thing which walks, especially a pedestrian or a participant in a walking race.

(often in the plural) A shoe designed for comfortable walking.

(cricket) A batsman or batswoman who directly walks off the field when out without waiting for the umpire's decision.

A single mother of three, Rachel is what Facebook users call as ^([sic]) “walker,” or an online sex worker. Using a dummy account, she posts her sexy photos and informs page visitors that she’s available for sex in exchange for money.

2019 June 22, Charisse Ursal, “Social media lures young people to engage in sex for money”, in Philippine Daily Inquirer:

(Philippines) A prostitute, streetwalker.


Lawrence

en-proper noun

Lawrence (countable and uncountable, plural Lawrences)

(US, law, sexuality, US politics, informal, uncountable) Ellipsis of Lawrence v. Texas. A 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex sexual relations; and reaffirmed the existence of a right to privacy under due process following the 14th Amendment.


nook

From Middle English noke, nok (“nook, corner, angle”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old English hnoc, hnocc (“hook, angle”), from Proto-Germanic *hnukkaz, *hnukkô (“a bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *knewg- (“to turn, press”), from Proto-Indo-European *ken- (“to pinch, press, bend”).
If so, then also related to Scots nok (“small hook”), Norwegian dialectal nok, nokke (“hook, angle, bent object”), Danish nok (“hook”), Swedish nock (“ridge”), Faroese nokki (“crook”), Icelandic hnokki (“hook”), Dutch nok (“ridge”) or Dutch hoek (“corner”), Low German Nocke (“tip”), Old Norse hnúka (“to bend, crouch”), Old English ġehnycned (“drawn, pinched, wrinkled”). Also cognate with Scots neuk, nuk (“corner, angle of a square, angular object”).

cog

You must note, that two Fardells of Land make a Nooke of Land, and two Nookes make halfe a Yard of Land.

a. 1634, W. Noye, The Complete Lawyer, section 57:

Nook, an old legal term for 12+¹⁄₂ acres of land; still in use at Alston.

1903, English Dialectical Dictionary, volume IV, page 295:

They poured their wine by the aume or the fust, and cut their cloth by the goad—not to be confused with the gawd, which was a measure of steel. Their nook was not cosy; it covered 20 acres.

(historical) An English unit of land area, originally ¹⁄₄ of a yardland but later 12+¹⁄₂ or 20 acres.

virgate

unit of area; An English unit of land area, originally ¹⁄₄ of a yardland but later 12+¹⁄₂ or 20 acres.

acre

various fractions & for further subdivisions


recall

en-verb

recall (third-person singular simple present recalls, present participle recalling, simple past and past participle recalled)

recalls (present singular third-person)
recalling (participle present)
recalled (participle past)
recalled (past)

From re- + call, probably modelled on Latin revocāre, French rappeler, English withcall.

That stop-start-stop has created a groundswell of anger toward Mr. Newsom, a Democrat in the third year of his first term, that is increasingly fueling a movement to recall him from office in one of the bluest of blue states.

2021 February 19, Nellie Bowles, “Hurt by Lockdowns, California’s Small Businesses Push to Recall Governor”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(transitive, US politics) To remove an elected official through a petition and direct vote.


recall

en-noun

recall (countable and uncountable, plural recalls)

recall petition

representative recall

The action or fact of calling someone or something back.

(chiefly US politics) The right or procedure by which a public official may be removed from office before the end of their term of office, by a vote of the people to be taken on the filing of a petition signed by a required number or percentage of qualified voters.

(US politics) The right or procedure by which the decision of a court may be directly reversed or annulled by popular vote, as was advocated, in 1912, in the platform of the Progressive Party for certain cases involving the police power of the state.


ICBM

Just sing out a Te Deum / When you see that ICBM / And the party will be come-as-you-are

1959, “We Will All Go Together When We Go”, in Tom Lehrer (music), An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer, performed by Tom Lehrer:

Iraq could test a North Korean-type ICBM that could deliver a several-hundred-kilogram payload to the United States in the last half of the next decade [the decade beginning with calendar year 2000] depending on the level of foreign assistance.

2002, Alexander T. Lennon, Contemporary Nuclear Debates: Missile Defense, Arms Control, and Arms Races in the Twenty-first Century, MIT Press, →ISBN:

(weaponry) Initialism of intercontinental ballistic missile.

МКБР

abbreviation of intercontinental ballistic missile


bork

en-verb

bork (third-person singular simple present borks, present participle borking, simple past and past participle borked)

borks (present singular third-person)
borking (participle present)
borked (participle past)
borked (past)

A reference to the unsuccessful 1987 United States Supreme Court nomination of Robert Bork (1927–2012); first appeared in print that same year.

In light of the current furor over trying to appoint a new Supreme Court justice, I would like to submit a new verb in the English language. Three forms would be "to bork," "borking," and "borked." This would describe the act of partisan political character assassination.

[1987 December 10, Kenneth H. Taylor, “[Voice of the People:] New verb”, in The San Bernardino County Sun, page 11, columns 3–4:

George [H. W.] Bush will almost certainly have an opportunity to nominate one or more justices. It would be a pity for all of us if they are subjected to the treatment accorded Robert Bork. Honest disagreement is one thing; "borking" is something else.

1988 November 30, William McCarthy, “Democrats ‘borked’”, in Chicago Tribune, archived from the original on 2017-10-19, page 20:

I feel strongly that he [Senator John Tower] is being borked. … The charges that have been leveled at him have all proved groundless, baseless.

1989 February 9, CBS This Morning, spoken by Malcolm Wallop:

In other words, I am intentionally borking the headline writer, for no other reason than to make my point with greater force.

1995, Lani Guinier, The Tyranny of the Majority: Fundamental Fairness in Representative Democracy, New York, N.Y.: Free Press, →ISBN, page xix:

After an eight-year hiatus, these groups are back on the scene, ready to implement an apparent vicious strategy of Borking any judicial nominee who happens to disagree with their view of how the world should be.

2002 February 7, Orrin G[rant] Hatch, “Statement of the Honorable Orrin Hatch, United States Senator, Utah [The Nomination of Charles W. Pickering to be United States Circuit Court Judge for the Fifth Circuit]”, in United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, archived from the original on 2008-09-21:

[Stephen L.] Carter believes that liberals seem to think that only conservatives "bork" and likewise conservatives seem to believe that only liberals "bork," but the unhappy truth is that everybody "borks".

2004, Joseph Michael Green, “Media Activity”, in Your Past and the Press!: Controversial Presidential Appointments: A Study Focusing on the Impact of Interest Groups and Media Activity on the Appointment Process, Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, →ISBN, page 131:

Forcing their adversaries to bork nominees may, they may think, lead voters in the middle to think less well of liberals, enhancing the distaste for Washington politics that has helped conservatives gain political power.

2005, Mark [Victor] Tushnet, “A Supreme Court United?”, in A Court Divided: The Rehnquist Court and the Future of Constitutional Law, New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 340:

Above all it discusses the best tactics to defeat a borking. Having been in the [Ronald] Reagan White House when Robert Bork was borked, I knew something about the subject, which was a huge help when the same borking guns were turned on my friend Judge [D. Brooks] Smith years later.

2006 October 30, Jeffrey Lord, “Borking Rush”, in American Spectator, archived from the original on 2017-10-17:

(transitive, intransitive, US politics, often derogatory) To defeat a person's appointment or election, judicial nomination, etc., through a concerted attack on the person's character, background, and philosophy.


JFK

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
w:John F. Kennedy

(US politics) Initialism of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th US president.

I flew into JFK, then took a cab to my hotel in Manhattan

Fortunately, most of these were former French colonies, and through a combination of quiet diplomacy and well-placed French nationals in the various air-traffic-control centers, the 300-mile-long stream of American aircraft flew the width of Africa as uneventfully as a red-eye flight from LAX to JFK.

1994, Tom Clancy, Armored Cav: A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment, New York: Berkley Books, →ISBN, page 281:

Buildings, facilities, ships, bridges, highways, and other public works informally known as the JFK or JFK, especially

John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.


Bushism

From Bush + -ism, named after American presidents George W. Bush (1946–) and George H. W. Bush (1924–2018).

named-after

A turn of phrase employed by President George W. Bush that is unintentionally comical due to grammatical errors, malapropisms, etc.


Bushian

en-adj

Bushian (comparative more Bushian, superlative most Bushian)

more Bushian (comparative)
most Bushian (superlative)

2004 October 23, Geoffrey K. Pullum, “Bushian tautologies? I don't think so”, in Language Log:

Of or pertaining to a person named Bush, in particular and usually President of the United States, George W. Bush:


bully pulpit

From bully (“(US, slang) very good”) + pulpit (“raised desk, lectern, or platform for an orator or public speaker”), said to have been coined by the United States President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) who used the term to refer to his office, by which he meant a terrific platform from which one can advocate an agenda: see the 1909 quotation.

compound

He [Theodore Roosevelt] was sitting at his desk reading to us his forthcoming Message. He had just finished a paragraph of a distinctly ethical character, when he suddenly stopped, swung round in his swivel chair, and said: "I suppose my critics will call that preaching, but I have got such a bully pulpit!"

1909 February 27, Lyman Abbott, “A Review of President Roosevelt’s Administration: Its Influence on Patriotism and Public Service”, in Lyman Abbott, editor, The Outlook, volume XCI, New York, N.Y.: The Outlook Company, →OCLC, page 430, column 1:

“The only option is to continue raising the issue, making it a political fight and using the bully pulpit to get more attention,” the [White House] source said.

2024, unnamed source, quoted in: James Oliphant, Joseph Ax, and Bad Brooks, Republicans scramble to contain backlash from IVF court ruling, Reuters, published in: The Christian Science Monitor, February 26 2024

At a leadership level, Ms. Hurst wishes that lawmakers would use their bully pulpit to convene constituents for more of the sorts of conversations that took place in Portugal.

2024 July 10, Stephen Humphries, Alfredo Sosa, “Stick, meet Carrot. How Portland police and activists teamed up to fight addiction.”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

(US, chiefly politics) An advantageous position from which to express one's views, especially a political office.


Jedi

Coined by American filmmaker George Lucas as early as 1973 (in the manuscript Journal of the Whills) and first used in his 1977 film Star Wars. Said to have been adapted from Japanese 時代劇 (jidaigeki, “‘period drama’ motion pictures about samurai”), or perhaps inspired by the words Jed (King) and Jeddak (Emperor) in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which Lucas had considered adapting to film. Another potential influence on the word "Jedi" is Hebrew ידיד (yadíd, “beloved; male friend”). In his book The Secret History of Star Wars, Michael Kaminski suggests that Lucas may have been influenced by this term when creating the name for his knights. Kaminski notes that Lucas has cited Jewish mysticism as an inspiration for his work, and that he may have been drawn to the idea of his heroes being beloved protectors.

der

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Jedi.

(Star Wars) One of a fictional order of beings from the Star Wars universe who are gifted with heightened awareness of the Force.


Stonewall

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

From stone + wall. The drink is so named because its effect is likened to running into a stone wall. The riots take their name from the Stonewall Inn where they began (in the 1840s, the property was called Bonnie's Stone Wall, later renamed to Bonnie's Stonewall Inn, then the Stonewall Inn Restaurant, and then the Stonewall Inn). The Confederate general acquired his nickname after a battle in which, while other troops were in motion, fellow general Barnard E. Bee observed "there stands Jackson like a stone wall" (either resolutely, or unhelpfully). The chess setup is so named because it is a solid formation which is hard to overrun by force, like a stone wall.

Stonewall means fighting back.

(historical) A series of riots in 1969 New York City, beginning with the patrons of the gay bar "The Stonewall Inn" resisting police arrest, which marked the beginning of the militant gay rights movement.

A nickname of Confederate general Thomas Jonathan Jackson.

the Stonewall attack, a Stonewall setup, a Stonewall formation

(chess) A formation in chess (a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game) in which white plays pawns to d4 and several other positions, requiring black to react energetically (see Stonewall Attack).

Any of several places:
An unincorporated community in Texas.

An unincorporated community in West Virginia.


Assembly

Nevada Assembly

New York State Assembly

(US politics) The lower legislative body of each of a number of states of the United States.


Constitution

The Constitution is anchored in English liberal thought and the Magna Carta.

The US Constitution was written in 1787.

As the search continued, I developed five criteria for the selection process. The next Chief Justice must have a top-flight legal mind; he must be young enough to serve at least ten years; he should, if possible, have experience both as a practicing lawyer and as an appeals court judge; he must generally share my view that the Court should interpret the Constitution rather than amend it by judicial fiat; and he must have a special quality of leadership that would enable him to resolve differences among his colleagues so that, as often as possible, the Court would speak decisively on major cases with one voice or at least with a strong voice for the majority opinion.

1978, Richard Nixon, RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon, Grosset & Dunlap, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 419:

The Constitution is very clear. My job was oversee the session of Congress where objections could be heard. And I made sure that objections would be recognized, so we would hear whatever evidence and other debate there was. But the Constitution says you open and count the votes, no more no less. The Constitution affords no authority to the Vice President or anyone else to reject votes or return votes to the states.

2023 July 5, Mike Pence, 7:52 from the start, in Watch All In With Chris Hayes Highlights: July 6, MSNBC, archived from the original on 2023-07-07:

(law) The supreme law of some countries, such as Australia, Ireland, and the United States.


Borg

* As a Danish and Norwegian surname, from various places derived from Old Norse borg (“stronghold”).
* As a north/Low German surname, this is the Low German form of the surname Burg.
* As a Jewish surname, from Yiddish בורג (burg, “credit”), from Middle High German borgen (“to lend, borrow”), from Old High German borgēn.
* As a Maltese surname, from the noun borġ (“tower, stronghold”), distantly related to the first two senses above.


Democrat

At one point in the debate, the moderator asked a tough question that had the candidates stumped.
Moderator: "This question is for both of the candidates. Those ever-important independent voters who haven’t decided who to vote for would like to know what the real differences between you two are."
Gore: "I think the real difference between Governor Bush and I is that he is in fact a Republican, and I am currently a Democrat."
Moderator: "That doesn’t really answer the question, I am talking about issues."
Bush: "No, he is right. I am a Republican, and he is a Democrat."

2000 October 3, Tim Paluch, “Gore vs. Bush: That's Debatable”, in Iowa State Daily:

(US politics) A member or supporter of the Democratic Party in the United States.

民主黨人

supporter of the Democratic Party of the US


Joker

...grinning like the Joker, Batman's nemesis, a character described in the story as being a favorite of Douglas's.

2007, Joe Layden, The Last Great Fight, page 217:

He started to laugh that maniacal laugh that sounded like the Joker on speed.

2008, Deborah Eden, The Destroyer, page 82:

I would've liked to have learned more, but the lady working the booth was a monstrous titan with dyed black hair, about ten rings on each hand, and a mouth like the Joker (Jack Nicholson version), and she spooked me.

2011, Steve Hely, How I Became a Famous Novelist, page 185:

Wide and taut, fixed and immobile. Like the Joker from Batman, he thought. Or one of his victims.

2014, Tania Carver, The Doll's House, page 22:

He looks like the Joker, the Latino one, what was his name? Cesar Romero.

2015, Manuel Luis Martinez, Drift: A Novel, page 16:

A fictional villain of DC Comics, noted for his insanity and cunning, who either wears clown makeup or is disfigured to appear as such, and who is archenemy of Batman.


Krypton

(fiction, DC Comics fictional milieu) A fictional planet, the native world of Superman, named after the element krypton.


Hulk

Jack Kirby
Marvel Comics Universe
Stan Lee

The name of a character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for the Marvel Comics Universe, it has since entered the everyday English lexicon. The name itself is most likely derived from the word hulk (“large person or thing”), which predates the character. See the Wikipedia link at the bottom.

Fry: How can you say Lars is more mature than me?
Leela: Well, for one thing, his checkbook doesn't have the Hulk on it.

2007 November 27, Ken Keeler and David X. Cohen, “Bender’s Big Score”, Futurama, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

A fictional Marvel Comics character who gains superhuman strength when he becomes angry.


Hulk

A person resembling, especially physically, the Hulk in the Marvel Comics Universe.


Muppet

Diane Sawyer
Elmo
Jim Henson
Kevin Clash
Muppet

Coined by Jim Henson as an alteration of puppet. Henson had claimed the word was a blend of marionette + puppet, but later recanted.

One of a group of established puppet characters acting as a sort of repertory company on The Muppet Show, and/or appearing on Sesame Street.


North

English surname, from the adjective north. This is also translated from other surnames of the same meaning, such as Irish Mac an Ultaigh (“son of the Ulsterman”), Ulster being the northern part of Ireland.

The North lost most battles early in the war.

The northern part of a region (alternative letter-case form of north), especially:

(US) The Union during the American Civil War.


Batman

The province is named after its capital city, and the city is named after a nearby river, Batman River. See Ottoman Turkish باطمان for more information.

The capital city of Batman Province, Turkey.


Batman

From bat + man; originally the Bat-Man. By surface analysis, Bat- + man.

You’re afraid of being ashes. You’re afraid of being forgotten. And you will be forgotten, Joker. Because of me. I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!

2015, Batman: Arkham Knight, spoken by Batman (Kevin Conroy), Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, via Rocksteady Studios:

“But next time—” Night vanished before the guard could finish—just kind of disappeared like Batman—which Viv found almost as annoying as the fact that he'd dragged her down a well. He didn't think he had to explain himself?

2015, Sarah Cross, Tear You Apart, Carolrhoda Lab, →ISBN, page 68:

I watched through squinted eyes as the driver-side door opened and a man stepped out wielding a Maglite, his other hand placed on his Batman-like utility belt. What all did they keep in those things? Surely the pistol, a few clips, handcuffs, ...

2019, Sean Johnson, Strange Like Me, page 212:

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Batman.

A fictional hero and the main protagonist of DC Comics, noted for his intellect and stealth, who uses a bat-themed costume and equipment (including a belt with an array of utilities) and is assisted by his sidekick Robin.


Batman

Holy guacamole, Batman!

Holy nostalgic flashback, Batman! Aly and AJ Michalka, the actor-musician sister duo known for dominating Radio Disney in the late aughts (they’ve also released some very good music since then), just sent us straight back to our tweens by wearing none other than iconic mall brand Limited Too.

2024 July 1, Elizabeth Logan, “Aly & AJ in the New Limited Too Collection Has Me Checking What Year It Is”, in Glamour:

An intensifier for interjections created with the adjective holy, in imitation of dialogue between Batman and his sidekick Robin.


Batman

en-verb

Batman (third-person singular simple present Batmans, present participle Batmanning, simple past and past participle Batmanned)

Batmans (present singular third-person)
Batmanning (participle present)
Batmanned (participle past)
Batmanned (past)

He laughed, Batmanned back up to his last piece of gear and hammered a 5/8-inch angle piton into the crack with an ascending ring like any nail met with a hammer.

2014, Ken Wylie, Buried, →ISBN, page 140:

(slang, mountaineering) Alternative form of batman (etymology 3)


Reconstruction

Reconstruction (canonical)
the Reconstruction (canonical)

A proper-noun variant of reconstruction.

Fables of the Reconstruction

A period of the history of the United States from 1865 to 1877, during which the nation tried to resolve the status of the ex-Confederate states, the ex-Confederate leaders, and the Freedmen (ex-slaves) after the American Civil War.


Rebel

(US) A Confederate soldier; of the American Civil War.


Pony

Ellipsis of My Little Pony, a cartoon media-franchise based on anthropomorphic equines.