Not because it makes you act like a dope. The word is derived from the Dutch word "doop," which means "thick dipping sauce." It originally referred to any thick, saucy liquid until the late 19th century, when it was used to refer to opium paste. So it's actually the other way around; stupid people are called dopes because they act like they're on dope.
Drawing tiles immediately after playing a word. This is done because players can only challenge a word before the player who laid it out draws tiles from the bag.
In Scrabble, a word that looks like a misspelling of another word. Useful for tricking opponents into challenging valid words. For example, sycosis looks like a misspelling of psychosis.
When Tetris fever first swept the nation, Nintendo referred to the blocks as "Tetrads." I personally like that better than "Tetriminoes," the term that's accepted today.
First used to mean an arch-enemy by Shakespeare in Henry VI, Act 4, Scene 7:
"Is Talbot slain, the Frenchmen's only scourge, Your kingdom's terror and black Nemesis? O, were mine eyeballs into bullets turn'd, That I in rage might shoot them at your faces!"
A customer who agrees to the first pencil price, like a fish that jumps into a boat and flops around before the fisherman even puts their hook in the water.
A car with a lot of mechanical problems. The name comes from the belief that such a car must have been made on a Friday, when manufacturers are rushing through their work so they can start the weekend.
In radio, used to describe the radio personalities' work schedule. Radio clocks are timed to the minute, including station breaks, ads, and who is working when.
Also used to describe marking up a script to add pauses and inflections. One slash for a pause, two for a long pause, and an underline for emphasis. It's called "woodshedding" because the slashes are thought to resemble axe marks.
A major radio station that's been given clearance by the FCC to be the only station with a particular frequency in a radius of up to 750 miles. Not to be confused with the media conglomerate of the same name.
"A semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith." -Biographia Literaria, 1817
Coleridge coined the phrase later epitomized by the Mystery Science Theater 3000 theme song.
"Ant tribes...that fold in their tiny flocks on the honeyed leaf, and the virgin sisters with the holy instincts of maternal love, detached and in selfless purity." -Moral and Religious Aphorisms, 1825
Coleridge coined it 200 years after its opposite, selfish, was coined.
"The original Man, the Individual first created, was bi-sexual." -Aids to Reflection, 1824
Coleridge was the first to use the word in print, but not in the same way it's used today. He used it to mean that humans are born with both masculine and feminine characteristics, and "learn" to act masculine or feminine. The word wasn't used to describe someone with attraction to either gender until the 1890s.
"But the will itself by confining and intensifying the attention may arbitrarily give vividness or distinctness to any object whatsoever." -Biographia Literaria, 1817
Elsewhere in this book, Coleridge explains he invented this word because "render intense" didn't fit the meter of the poem he was trying to write.
I just encountered this word in a crostic puzzle. It was the first time I'd ever seen it used as an adjective. Why didn't they just use "Eighth month" as the clue?
I just learned this word from Animal Crossing: New Leaf. If you chat with a villager with a Normal-type personality (i. e. Dora) outside on a rainy day, they may say "Weather like this calls for making kugel later."
Features in the shortest possible sentence that includes every letter of the alphabet: "Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz." Unless someone out there knows a shorter one.
The opposite of melodrama: Acting so low-key that it's impossible to tell what emotion the actor is supposed to be experiencing. Coined by The Distressed Watcher to describe the acting in the Twilight films.
Australian slang for a funny joke...which led to an Australian comedy festival being called the "Cracker Festival." Be careful wearing the promotional t-shirts.
A Secret Squirrel cartoon featured an evil, sentient quark as a villain. He was flattening the United States one structure at at time, destroying structures by pulling out the bottom atom. He planned to turn the country into a parking lot, then flatten Canada to make room for a giant amphitheater...where he would perform. The best part was the way he was defeated...Secret pointed out that quarks are defined as hypothetical particles, so he didn't really exist. Thus, he disappeared in a puff of logic.
"Howard Stern is eating ratatouille with Baba Booey. What are they eating?
A. A mixture of meats
B. A variety of veggies
C. A pastiche of pasta"
The correct answer, of course, is B. But the contestant answered A. He's so sure, too...I feel bad for him. It's a commercial right now, but they're going to show him the answer when it comes back.
EDIT: They showed it to him. I was right, it was painful to watch.
Spy lingo for a meeting between an intelligence officer and a spy, in a time and place of the spy's choosing. Blind dates are very dangerous, because the spy could be setting a trap.
In spy lingo, a talent spotter who hangs out in nightclubs, bars and other seedy places, looking for government employees who can be plied with booze, drugs, sex, or blackmail into becoming spies.
Comments by tbtabby
tbtabby commented on the word porcupette
A baby porcupine. Aren't they cute?
September 22, 2022
tbtabby commented on the word milkette
A milkette is the tiny plastic container with a single serving of milk or cream for your coffee that you get in restaurants.
November 12, 2020
tbtabby commented on the word isosceles
Isosceles, Isosceles,
Two angles have equal degrees.
Isosceles, Isosceles,
You look just like a Christmas tree.
November 7, 2020
tbtabby commented on the word pangram
Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.
August 27, 2020
tbtabby commented on the word dope
"Why do you think they call it dope?"
Not because it makes you act like a dope. The word is derived from the Dutch word "doop," which means "thick dipping sauce." It originally referred to any thick, saucy liquid until the late 19th century, when it was used to refer to opium paste. So it's actually the other way around; stupid people are called dopes because they act like they're on dope.
June 29, 2020
tbtabby commented on the word fishing
In Scrabble, playing only one or two tiles at a time to hold on to letters that can be used for a high-scoring word on the next turn.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word fast-bagging
Drawing tiles immediately after playing a word. This is done because players can only challenge a word before the player who laid it out draws tiles from the bag.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word granny
A one-sided Scrabble match, so called because even your granny couldn't lose. Also known as a blowout or a no-brainer.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word tracking
The Scrabble equivalent of card counting; studying the board to determine what letters are in the bag or an opponent's rack.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word power tiles
The ten most advantageous tiles in Scrabble: the two blanks, 4 Ss, J, Q, X, and Z.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word turnover
Playing as many tiles as possible in order to get the maximum number of tiles from the bag.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word stutterer
A word that ends with the same letter twice.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word rack balancing
Playing Scrabble in a way that the remaining tiles on the rack will be useful on the next turn.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word open scrabble
A variant of Scrabble in which the players' tiles are face-up.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word endgame
In Scrabble, when there are fewer than seven tiles in the bag.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word coffee-housing
Distracting your opponent with behavior such as chatting or drumming your fingers on the board. Against the rules in tournament play.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word typo
In Scrabble, a word that looks like a misspelling of another word. Useful for tricking opponents into challenging valid words. For example, sycosis looks like a misspelling of psychosis.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word brailing
The act of feeling the tiles when you reach into the tile bag in order to get a tile you want. Against the rules in tournament play.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word heavy tile
A tile worth a lot of points, such as Q or Z.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word q-game
A close game of Scrabble, decided by which player gets stuck with the Q.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word polecat pass
Discarding an unwanted Q when the game is nearly over.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word blocker
In Scrabble, a word that's difficult to extend, such as vug or fez.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word hook
A letter than can be added to a word on the board, changing it into a new word. If it's done with more than one letter, it's called an extension.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word palming
Concealing an unwanted tile in the palm of your hand so you can slip it back into the bag unnoticed. Illegal in tournament play for obvious reasons.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word closed board
A Scrabble board with little or no room for high-scoring plays.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word stem
In Scrabble, a five or six letter tile combination that's useful for forming a bingo.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word nongo
In Scrabble, a bingo which can't be played because there's no room on the board for it.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word bingo
There's two varieties of Scrabble bingos: Natural Bingo, made without the use of blank tiles, and Blank Bingo, which...is obvious.
November 27, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word tetrad
When Tetris fever first swept the nation, Nintendo referred to the blocks as "Tetrads." I personally like that better than "Tetriminoes," the term that's accepted today.
March 4, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word nemesis
First used to mean an arch-enemy by Shakespeare in Henry VI, Act 4, Scene 7:
"Is Talbot slain, the Frenchmen's only scourge, Your kingdom's terror and black Nemesis? O, were mine eyeballs into bullets turn'd, That I in rage might shoot them at your faces!"
February 2, 2019
tbtabby commented on the word lay down
A buyer who agrees to every extra proposed by the dealer, adding thousands to the price in the process.
September 9, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word mickey mouse
When a dealer has to finance even the down payment to sell a car.
September 9, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word candy store
A dealership with a large selection of cars.
September 9, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word gold balls
A customer with excellent credit who pays the hefty down payment in cash.
September 9, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word roach
A customer whose credit is so bad that they can't possibly qualify for a loan.
September 9, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word back door the trade
Not revealing that you have a trade-in vehicle until you've negotiated a low price on the car you want to buy.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word flopper
A customer who agrees to the first pencil price, like a fish that jumps into a boat and flops around before the fisherman even puts their hook in the water.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word first pencil
The first, and therefore highest, price that a dealer offers to a buyer.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word grinder
Car-dealer term for a customer who, no matter how good a deal they're getting, tries to get a better one. Also known as a chiseler.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word eyeballer
A flashy car, usually brightly-colored sports car.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word service lane walk
Trying to sell a new car to a customer who's brought a car in for repair.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word shout out
Announcing a pending sale over a car lot's PA to keep a buyer from backing out at the last minute.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word ham sandwich
A car deal that only brings in a modest profit.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word whopper with cheese
A car deal with a huge profit margin.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word roasting the app
Changing the information on a buyer's loan application to make it more likely that a third-party lender will approve a loan.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word paperboy
A customer who brings a print ad to the car lot, wanting to buy a car for the advertised price.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word friday car
A car with a lot of mechanical problems. The name comes from the belief that such a car must have been made on a Friday, when manufacturers are rushing through their work so they can start the weekend.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word unhorse
Car-dealer term for hiding a buyer's trade-in vehicle to keep them from leaving. Also known as "dehorse".
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word mop-and-glow
Paint sealer that's sold to car buyers as an add-on to increase the dealer's profit.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word mooch
A customer who insists on buying a car at the dealer's invoice price.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word choke and croak
Disability and life insurance policies that a dealer tries to include in a sale.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word broom
Car-dealer term for getting a non-buying customer off the lot so they don't waste the dealers' time. "Broom 'em!"
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word buried
A customer who owes more on their trade-in vehicle than it's worth.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word toad
Car-dealer term for a worthless trade-in vehicle that's only fit to be sold for scrap.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word bone thrower
A sunroof.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word handshaker
A car with a manual transmission.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word hit everything but the lottery
Description of a car with a lot of dents, dings and scrapes.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word whiskers
Car-dealer nickname for a car that's been on the lot for a very long time.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word be-back bus
A mythical vehicle that all the be-backs will return in.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word third baseman
Car dealer slang for a person who accompanies a potential buyer because they're unable to negotiate by themselves.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word monroney
The window sticker on a new car. Named after US senator Mike Monroney, who authored the 1958 legislation that requires them.
September 8, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word appendix
I have a book about how to perform an appendectomy, but someone tore out the last page.
April 9, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word granfalloon
A very disturbing boss.
March 16, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word moss
A video game that proves VR is viable.
March 13, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word twig
Slang for a radio antenna.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word clock
In radio, used to describe the radio personalities' work schedule. Radio clocks are timed to the minute, including station breaks, ads, and who is working when.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word stop set
A long commercial break, so called because it allows the DJ to stop working for a while.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word woodshedding
Also used to describe marking up a script to add pauses and inflections. One slash for a pause, two for a long pause, and an underline for emphasis. It's called "woodshedding" because the slashes are thought to resemble axe marks.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word across mike
Speaking sideways into a microphone to cut down on excessive popping and hissing.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word antenna farm
The area on the edge of town where all the TV and radio towers are built.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word clear-channel
A major radio station that's been given clearance by the FCC to be the only station with a particular frequency in a radius of up to 750 miles. Not to be confused with the media conglomerate of the same name.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word post
In radio, the point when a song's lyrics begin. A DJ whose banter ends right when the song's lyrics begin is said to have "hit the post."
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word ramp
Music with no lyrics that a DJ can talk over, either to introduce a song or advertise something.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word doughnut
A nationally-run radio commercial that has an empty spot in the middle where local affiliates can add their own specific commercials.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word bleeble
A brief bit of music used for a transition on the radio.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word howlround
A large amount of radio feedback.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word suspension of disbelief
"A semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith." -Biographia Literaria, 1817
Coleridge coined the phrase later epitomized by the Mystery Science Theater 3000 theme song.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word selfless
"Ant tribes...that fold in their tiny flocks on the honeyed leaf, and the virgin sisters with the holy instincts of maternal love, detached and in selfless purity." -Moral and Religious Aphorisms, 1825
Coleridge coined it 200 years after its opposite, selfish, was coined.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word soulmate
"In order not to be miserable, you must have a Soul-mate as well as a House or a Yoke-mate." -An 1822 letter
Being a Romantic poet, Coleridge needed a word to describe a profound and fated emotional connection.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word bisexual
"The original Man, the Individual first created, was bi-sexual." -Aids to Reflection, 1824
Coleridge was the first to use the word in print, but not in the same way it's used today. He used it to mean that humans are born with both masculine and feminine characteristics, and "learn" to act masculine or feminine. The word wasn't used to describe someone with attraction to either gender until the 1890s.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word pessimism
"'Tis almost as bad as Lovell's 'Farmhouse,' and that would be at least a thousand fathoms deep in the dead sea of pessimism." -A letter from 1794
Coleridge adapted this word from the French word pessimisme, which means "the worst."
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word narcissism
"Of course, I am glad to be able to correct my fears as far as public balls, concerts, and time-murder in narcissism." -an 1822 letter
Coleridge was the first to use the Greek myth to describe real-world egomania.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word intensify
"But the will itself by confining and intensifying the attention may arbitrarily give vividness or distinctness to any object whatsoever." -Biographia Literaria, 1817
Elsewhere in this book, Coleridge explains he invented this word because "render intense" didn't fit the meter of the poem he was trying to write.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word actualize
"To make our Feelings, with their vital warmth, actualize our Reason." -The Friend, 1809
Betcha thought this was born out of late-20th-century corporate jargon, didn't ya? Nope. Coleridge verbed actual more than a century prior.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word impact
"In any given perception there is something which has been communicated to it by an impact, or an impression." -Biographia Literaria, 1817
The word had been used to describe a physical collision since the 1600s, but Coleridge was the first to use it in a metaphorical sense.
March 5, 2018
tbtabby commented on the word august
I just encountered this word in a crostic puzzle. It was the first time I'd ever seen it used as an adjective. Why didn't they just use "Eighth month" as the clue?
August 11, 2017
tbtabby commented on the word tappen
Mario's Word of the Week!
May 9, 2017
tbtabby commented on the word pantysgawn
A Welsh cheese made from goat's milk.
January 21, 2017
tbtabby commented on the word kugel
I just learned this word from Animal Crossing: New Leaf. If you chat with a villager with a Normal-type personality (i. e. Dora) outside on a rainy day, they may say "Weather like this calls for making kugel later."
April 20, 2016
tbtabby commented on the word wizard
California! California!
September 22, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word miscomfrumpled
Wrinkled, rumpled or creased.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word crinets
Hair.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word dumfungled
Used up.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word snawky
Nauseating.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word funkify
To flee in terror.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word lunting
Walking down the street while smoking a pipe.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word pussyvan
An angry rage.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word skybosh
Practical joking, goofing off, or other nonsense.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word snoutfair
A man with a handsome face.
January 20, 2015
tbtabby commented on the word kill
Also means "tickle" in Swedish.
December 1, 2013
tbtabby commented on the word puissant
If a boy with gold eyes and a metal staff asks if you are this, say "no."
December 19, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word doyenne
Granny Weatherwax is this for witches.
December 4, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word jackdaw
Features in the shortest possible sentence that includes every letter of the alphabet: "Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz." Unless someone out there knows a shorter one.
November 9, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word dichotomy
There's too many false ones flying around.
September 27, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word chequer
Dew knot trussed yore spell chequer two fined awl miss takes.
August 11, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word fustigate
One of the achievements in Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage is called "Fustigate Raoh."
July 26, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word systolic
This word is certainly not in Granny Weatherwax's vocabulary.
March 21, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word conscious
I hate it when people use this word when they mean conscience.
March 8, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word conscience
I hate it when people use conscious when they mean this word.
March 8, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word chrysoprase
The most dangerous troll in Ankh-Morpork.
February 8, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word man
A miserable pile of secrets.
February 5, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word ombudsman
Learned this word watching World's Dumbest Criminals.
February 1, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word detritus
A badass troll.
January 28, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word Purana
This word was used in the 2003 Scrabble Championship tournament, which was featured on Cheap Seats. Jason mistook it for a misspelling of piranha.
January 24, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word waldo
The waldo looks nervous.
January 2, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word splatter
Like a bouncer, but more forceful.
August 30, 2011
tbtabby commented on the word bustard
The most inglorious of all the game birds.
August 15, 2011
tbtabby commented on the word destrucity
A truce between destiny and reality. Coined by the Ultimate Warrior to describe a philosophy that makes sense to him alone.
July 15, 2011
tbtabby commented on the word apocalypso
And now, in song!
May 31, 2011
tbtabby commented on the word titbit
The UK spelling of tidbit.
February 13, 2011
tbtabby commented on the word lepus
This word was made infamous my a hilariously bad horror film.
February 1, 2011
tbtabby commented on the word arsenic
Arsenic-based DNA discovered on Titan!
December 3, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word nullodrama
The opposite of melodrama: Acting so low-key that it's impossible to tell what emotion the actor is supposed to be experiencing. Coined by The Distressed Watcher to describe the acting in the Twilight films.
November 14, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word cepivorous
I'm a strictly cepivorous guy;
I eat nothing but onions. No lie:
Onion pies, onion cakes,
Onion ice cream and shakes.
Yes, I'm single…and think I know why.
October 18, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word barf
Means "snow" in Farsi.
September 6, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word baka
Means "cow" in Tagalog.
July 29, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word cavatelli
Looks like a peapod to me.
July 2, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Chicago Typewriter
A tommygun.
April 24, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word atheism
Notice, Shockofgod...the definition is not "madness."
April 7, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Cincinnati oysters
Pickled pigs' feet.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Kentucky breakfast
Steak and bourbon...and a dog to eat the steak.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Oklahoma rain
A sandstorm.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Alabama kleenex
Toilet paper.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Arkansas fire extinguisher
A chamber pot.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Arizona paint job
No paint at all.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Colorado Kool-Aid
Coors beer.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Tuscon bed
Sleeping on the ground without cover.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Missouri featherbed
A straw mattress.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Missouri hummingbird
A mule.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Texas turkey
An armadillo.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word full Cleveland
A '70s-style leisure outfit: Loud pants and shirt, white belt and loafers.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Mississippi marbles
Dice used for craps.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word California collar
A hangman's noose.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Arizona nightingale
A burro.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word Tennessee toothpick
A raccoon bone.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word cape cod turkey
Codfish.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word misourri featherbed
A straw mattress.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word west virginia coleslaw
Chewing tobacco.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word boston strawberries
.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word boston strawberries
Baked beans.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word albany beef
Sturgeon. Originated in the 19th century, when the fish were extremely plentiful in the Hudson River.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word arkansas wedding cake
Cornbread.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word california banknote
Cowhide.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word cincinatti oysters
Pickled pigs' feet.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word vermont charity
Sympathy...but little else.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word chicago violin
A tommy gun.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word michigan bankroll
A wad of small-denomination bills with a large bill on the outside.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word kansas sheep dip
Whiskey.
February 8, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word cracker
Australian slang for a funny joke...which led to an Australian comedy festival being called the "Cracker Festival." Be careful wearing the promotional t-shirts.
January 31, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word masticate
"...and Loopin was masticating to it!"
January 29, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word chiasmus
"Eat to live, don't live to eat." -Cicero
January 27, 2010
tbtabby commented on the word syncopated
Stressing a normally weak beat.
November 3, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word homes
An acronym used for remembering the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
October 7, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word birdo
An egg-spitting hermaphrodite in Super Mario Bros. 2.
September 9, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word quark
A Secret Squirrel cartoon featured an evil, sentient quark as a villain. He was flattening the United States one structure at at time, destroying structures by pulling out the bottom atom. He planned to turn the country into a parking lot, then flatten Canada to make room for a giant amphitheater...where he would perform. The best part was the way he was defeated...Secret pointed out that quarks are defined as hypothetical particles, so he didn't really exist. Thus, he disappeared in a puff of logic.
September 7, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word cyclopes
"Only the silky anteater?"
September 5, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word submerge
Antony and Cleopatra, Act 2, Scene 5:
"Half my Egypt were submerg'd and made / A cestern for scal'd snakes."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word hint
Othello, Act 1, Scene 3:
"I should but teach him how to tell my story, / And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word bedroom
Shakespeare invented this word to mean "room or space within a bed."
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2 Scene 2:
"Then by your side no bed-room me deny."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word leapfrog
The game was well-known in Shakespeare's day, but he was the first to call it by its current name.
Henry V, Act 5, Scene 2:
"If I could win a lady at leapfrog...I should quickly leap into a wife."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word amazement
King John, Act 5, Scene 1:
"Wild amazement hurries up and down / The little number of you doubtful friends."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word pander
Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 4:
"reason panders will."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word inaudible
Shakespeare added the "in-."
All's Well That Ends Well, Act 5, Scene 3:
"We are old, and on our quick'st decrees / Th' inaudible and noiseless foot of time / Steals ere we can effect them."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word domineering
Shakespeare adapted this word into English from the Dutch verb "domineren."
Love's Labor Lost, Act 3, Scene 1:
"A domineering pedant o'er the boy."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word puke
As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7:
"Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word undress
The Taming of the Shrew, Induction, Scene 2:
"undress you, and come now to bed."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word eyeball
The words eye and ball were already in the English language, but Shakespeare was the first to put them together.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 3, Scene 2:
"make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word drug
Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 2:
"I have drugg'd their possets."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word lonely
Coriolanus, Act 4, Scene 1:
"I go alone, / Like to a lonely dragon."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word dawn
Henry V, Act 4, Scene 1:
"next day after dawn, / Doth rise and help Hyperion to his horse."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word alligator
Romeo & Juliet, Act 5, Scene 1:
"in his needy shop a tortoise hung, / An alligator stuff'd, and other skins."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word matey
You can turn any love song into a sea chantey by substituting "matey" for "baby."
September 2, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word ratatouille
This was used in a question on 1 vs. 100:
"Howard Stern is eating ratatouille with Baba Booey. What are they eating?
A. A mixture of meats
B. A variety of veggies
C. A pastiche of pasta"
The correct answer, of course, is B. But the contestant answered A. He's so sure, too...I feel bad for him. It's a commercial right now, but they're going to show him the answer when it comes back.
EDIT: They showed it to him. I was right, it was painful to watch.
August 30, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word dead drop
The act of hiding a package in a public place, such as a park, for another agent to find.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word re-doubled agent
A double agent who's been caught and forced to feed misleading information to the enemy.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word turn
In spy lingo, to cause an agent to become a double agent.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word blind date
Spy lingo for a meeting between an intelligence officer and a spy, in a time and place of the spy's choosing. Blind dates are very dangerous, because the spy could be setting a trap.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word raven
Spy lingo for a male agent who uses the honey trap to entrap women into becoming spies. A spy gigolo, if you will.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word walk in
Someone who volunteers to be a spy by walking into a foreign embassy or similar post and volunteering their services.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word brush pass
Passing information to or from a spy as you brush past them on a street or in a crowd. Also known as a "contact pass."
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word honey trap
Using sex to trap a spy, or blackmail someone into becoming a spy.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word the firm
The CIA. Also known as "The Company."
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word nightcrawler
In spy lingo, a talent spotter who hangs out in nightclubs, bars and other seedy places, looking for government employees who can be plied with booze, drugs, sex, or blackmail into becoming spies.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word talent spotter
Someone on the lookout for foreign nationals who might be recruited as spies.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word angel
Spy lingo for a member of an enemy agency.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word m.i.c.e.
The four most common reasons people turn against their nations and spy for a foreign power:
Money
Ideology
Compromise (by incriminating information)
Ego
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word piano
Spy lingo for a spy radio. The spy using it is called a pianist.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word walk the cat
Retrace the steps of a "blown" agent or operation in order to determine what went wrong.
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word wet affairs
Russian term for spy operations that involve killing people. ("Wet" refers to blood.)
August 26, 2009
tbtabby commented on the word foots
Members of a surveillance team who ride as passengers in pursuit cars and follow suspects on foot when they leave their cars.
August 26, 2009
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