Zimmer's Words of the Week

NOAD Word of the Week - nam pla

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:00 -0400

nam pla, n. Thai term for fish sauce.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - semordnilap

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:00 -0400

semordnilap [sem-ORD-nih-lap] a word that spells a different word when written backwards ("semordnilap" is "palindromes" spelled backwards). "Drawer" is a semordnilap, because backwards it spells reward. If this makes you uneasy, you might have aibohphobia, ‘fear of palindromes.’

Am. Slang Word of the Week - momo

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:00 -0400

momo, n. [perh. redup. of "moron"; perh. fr. dial. It. "mammoccio" 'stupid rascal'] a stupid or useless person; blockhead.

NOAD Word of the Week - greentailing

Thu, 08 Mar 2008 10:00:00 -0400

greentailing, n. the sale of goods that are not harmful to the environment or were produced in conformity with environmental standards: organic gardening is part of our commitment to greentailing. ORIGIN: blend of "green" ('not ecologically harmful') and "retailing."

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - skeuomorph

Thu, 08 Mar 2008 10:00:00 -0400

skeuomorph [SKYOO-oh-morf] a decoration that takes its form from the nature of the material used or the method used to make it. The word is also used for an object that copies the design of a similar object made in another material-- a plastic Adirondack chair would be a skeuomorph. From Greek words meaning 'form' and 'vessel.'

Am. Slang Word of the Week - lobby louse

Thu, 08 Mar 2008 10:00:00 -0400

lobby louse, n. a person (esp. a nonguest) who habitually lounges about a hotel lobby.

NOAD Word of the Week - dictionary attack

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

dictionary attack, n. an attempted illegal entry to a computer system that uses a dictionary headword list to generate possible passwords.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - architricline

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

architricline [ar-chee-TRIK-lin] the master of a feast. In medieval legend, Architricline was thought to be the name of a rich lord. It comes from Greek words meaning 'chief' and 'dining couch.'

Am. Slang Word of the Week - double shuffle

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

double shuffle, n. duplicitous treatment; doublecross. -- constr. with "the."

NOAD Word of the Week - superfine sugar

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

superfine sugar, n. finely granulated white sugar that dissolves quickly and is used in cold drinks and baking.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - bouffage

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

bouffage [boo-FAHG] a filling meal. From an Old French word glossed in the OED with a quote from Cotgrave as 'any meat that (eaten greedily) fills the mouth, and makes the cheeks to swell; cheeke-puffing meat.'

Am. Slang Word of the Week - hobo coffee

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

hobo coffee, n. coffee grounds boiled in water without a filter.

NOAD Word of the Week - high-maintenance

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

high-maintenance, adj. needing a lot of work to keep in good condition. informal (of a person or relationship) demanding a lot of attention.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - medkniche

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

medkniche [MED-nitch] a bundle of hay, usually measured as being as much as the hayward could lift with his middle finger as high as his knee. It was one of the perks of being the hayward, whose job was to keep the cows out of the common fields.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - deke

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0400

deke n. 1. Hunting. a decoy. 2. Sports. a feint made to deceive a player and draw him out of position. Also as v.

NOAD Word of the Week - button man

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

button man, n. informal, a hired killer.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - sukebind

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

sukebind [SYOOK-bind] an imaginary plant used by Stella Gibbons in Cold Comfort Farm, associated with superstition and fertility, especially (as the OED puts it) 'intense rustic passions.'

Am. Slang Word of the Week - Boob McNutt

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

Boob McNutt, n. [protagonist of eponymous comic stript (1915-34) created by cartoonist Rube Goldberg] a foolish or crazy person. -- used derisively.

NOAD Word of the Week - one-trick pony

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

one-trick pony, n. informal, a person or thing with only one special feature, talent, or area of expertise.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - nullo

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

nullo [NULL-oh] someone who has undergone an elective amputation for the purposes of body modification, usually of a toe, but sometimes of a hand or limb.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - okey-doke

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

okey-doke, n. Esp. Black E., 1. a swindle; trick or deception. 2. foolishness; pretense.

NOAD Word of the Week - areligious

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

areligious, adj. not influenced by or practicing religion: "the sexual mores of today's secular and areligious culture."

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - megacryometeor

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

megacryometeor [meg-uh-KRY-oh-mee-tee-ur] a large chunk of ice that falls from the sky, often without a clear cause or origin.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - armpiece

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

armpiece, n. Esp. Journ. an attractive woman escorted to social functions chiefly for the sake of her appearance.

NOAD Word of the Week - spork

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

spork, n. a spoon-shaped eating utensil with short tines at the tip. ORIGIN: blend of "spoon" and "fork."

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - petrichor

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

petrichor [PET-rih-kor] the pleasant smell that sometimes accompanies rain, especially the first rain after a period of warm dry weather.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - ape hangers

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

ape hangers, n. pl. exceptionally sweeping V-shaped handlebars, as on a customized motorcycle. Hence, as attrib., "apehanger."

NOAD Word of the Week - genomics

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

genomics, plural n. [treated as sing.] the branch of molecular biology concerned with the structure, function, evolution, and mapping of genomes. ORIGIN: 1980s: from genome 'the complete set of genes present in an organism' + -ics.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - panyarring

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

panyarring [puh-NYAR-ing] the act of kidnapping someone into slavery. The verb is panyar. It comes from a Latin word meaning ‘pawn.’ It was mostly used in West Africa.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - headache rack

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0400

headache rack, n. Trucking. a rack positioned over or behind the cab of a truck to prevent injury from shifting cargo.

NOAD Word of the Week - insourcing

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

insourcing, n. the practice of using an organization's own personnel or other resources to accomplish a task: "offshore insourcing of expense reporting processing." · the practice whereby an organization provides its own personnel to accomplish specialized tasks for a client, at the client's place of business. DERIVATIVES: insource, v. ORIGIN: on the pattern of outsourcing.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - ainhum

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

ainhum [AYN-hum] a disease in which a fibrous constriction around the base of a finger or toe leads to its spontaneous amputation. Perhaps from a Yoruba word meaning ‘saw.’

Am. Slang Word of the Week - nimwad

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

nimwad, n. [prob. alter. "nimrod"] a fool.

NOAD Word of the Week - overbreed

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

overbreed, v. breed or cause to breed to excess: "the husband and wife were forcing the female dogs to overbreed, and litters grew up with several health problems."

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - maisterel

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

maisterel [MAYS-ter-ell] a rare and obsolete term for an imp or familiar. Perhaps from Middle French maistral, meaning ‘servant.’

Am. Slang Word of the Week - loogin

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

loogin, n. 1. a clumsy or stupid person; oaf; lug; (hence) esp. Und. a newcomer. Also "lugan." 2. a habitual fighter or brawler; ruffian; petty criminal; thug. Also "loogan."

NOAD Word of the Week - HIPAA

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

HIPAA, abbr. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a 1996 Federal law that restricts access to individuals' private medical information: [as adj.] HIPAA regulations.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - singultus

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

singultus [sing-GUL-tus] a rare word meaning ‘a sob.’ From a Latin word meaning ‘speech broken by sobs.’ Singultient is a rare word that means ‘sobbing.’

Am. Slang Word of the Week - lobscouser

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

lobscouser, n. Naut. a seaman, esp. if old or superannuated.

NOAD Word of the Week - crippleware

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

crippleware, n. (informal, Computing) software distributed with reduced functionality with a view to attracting payment for a fully functional version.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - frapaille

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

frapaille [fruh-PAIL] a disparaging term for camp-followers of an army. It’s also obsolete, but whether that’s because there are no longer so many camp-followers or because they are no longer held in such disrepute is not determined.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - cop-spotter

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:00:00 -0400

cop-spotter, n. a rearview mirror. Joc.

NOAD Word of the Week - Tardis

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

Tardis, n. 1. a time machine. 2. a building or container that is larger inside than it appears to be from outside. ORIGIN: the name (said to be an acronym from time and relative dimensions in space) of a time machine that had the exterior of a police telephone box in the British TV science-fiction series Doctor Who, first broadcast in 1963."

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - feminisma

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

feminisma [fem-in-EEZ-muh] a word used by the novelist Agnes Rossi, formed on the model of machismo, to describe the quality and display of feminine pride, especially based on childbearing and child-rearing.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - kookaboo

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

kookaboo, n. a crazy person. [poss. alter. "kookaburra" 'Australian bird whose call resembles human laughter.']

NOAD Word of the Week - wrapper application

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

wrapper application, n. a computer program that works only with another fully developed program, which it enhances in some way: "we have created a viewer that is a simple wrapper application for the underlying multimedia system."

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - chelidonize

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

chelidonize [che-LYE-dun-ize] to twitter like swallows, or to sing the "swallow song" of Rhodes, which was a kind of trick-or-treating activity where boys, after seeing the first swallows arrive, would go around in bands singing for food 'for the swallow.' In more recent times it has been performed on March 1st by boys carrying a wooden swallow on a pole.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - magoo

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

magoo n. [orig. unkn.; perh. an elab. of GOO] 1. Theat. a cream pie thrown in slapstick comedy. 2.a. an important person. [Popularized in the 1932 Broadway comedy by Hecht and Fowler, "The Great Magoo."] b. a useless or foolish person. 3. sex appeal; (also) stuff; thing; situation; the right stuff, etc. -- used in a vague way to indicate the subject of conversation. -- usu. constr. with "the."

NOAD Word of the Week - bunker buster

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

bunker buster (also bunker-buster), n. a bomb designed to penetrate deep into the ground or rock before exploding.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - kebbie

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

kebbie [KEB-bee] a staff with a hooked head, like a shepherd’s crook.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - bogue

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

bogue, adj. [from "bogus"] 1. a. counterfeit, fake. b. contemptible; no good; offensive. 2. Narc. suffering withdrawal symptoms.

NOAD Word of the Week - romcom

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

romcom n. informal (in movies or television) a romantic comedy. ORIGIN: blend.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - bookie

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

boukie [BOO-kee] a flower made of fabric or leather, worn as an accessory.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - hard-shell

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0400

hard-shell n. 1. a. (usu. cap.) a member of the Primitive Baptist Church. Now colloq. b. an obstinate, uncompromising, tough, or extremely conservative person; (specif., in 1850's) a conservative member of the New York State Democratic party. 2. Naut. a sailor who has been initiated in a Crossing-the-Line ceremony; shellback.

NOAD Word of the Week - SWOT analysis

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

SWOT analysis, n. a study undertaken by an organization to identify its internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as its external opportunities and threats. ORIGIN: acronym from strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - Mountweazel

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

Mountweazel [MOWNT-wee-zul] a fake word or name invented by reference-book editors to trap plagiarists. It comes from Lillian Virginia Mountweazel, whose (fake) entry in an edition of the New Columbia Encyclopedia was a triumph of the form. (“Mountweazel” died in an explosion while on assignment for Combustibles magazine.)

Am. Slang Word of the Week - lollipop factory

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

lollipop factory, n. an insane asylum.

NOAD Word of the Week - West Nile virus

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

West Nile virus, n. a flavivirus of African origin that can be spread to humans and other mammals via mosquitoes, causing encephalitis and flulike symptoms, with some fatalities.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - whigmaleery

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

whigmaleery [whig-muh-LEER-ee] a Scottish word for any whimsical thing or fanciful notion.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - egg in your beer

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

egg in your beer: a bonus; something for nothing; the good life. -- usu. in phr. What do you want -- egg in your beer? Stop complaining; are you never satisfied? -- usu. ironic. [Esp. common during WWII.]

NOAD Word of the Week - SIM

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

SIM (also SIM card), n. a smart card inside a cellular phone, carrying an identification number unique to the owner, storing personal data, and preventing operation if removed. ORIGIN: 1980s: acronym from subscriber identification module.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - souteneur

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

souteneur [sut-uh-NYER] an old word for 'pimp,' or a man who lives on the earnings of prostitutes. From a French word meaning 'protector.'

Am. Slang Word of the Week - geetus

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

geetus n. money. Also variants: gheetas, geetas, geedus. [Origin unknown.]

NOAD Word of the Week - structured settlement

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

structured settlement, n. a legal settlement paid out as an annuity rather than in a lump sum, usually with certain tax advantages for the recipient and a savings for the payer.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - verdugoship

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

verdugoship [ver-DOO-go-ship] an obsolete word meaning 'the personality of an executioner.' A verdugo is a hangman or executioner. The word comes from Italian verduco, meaning 'a narrow-bladed sword.'

Am. Slang Word of the Week - kiyoodle

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:00:00 -0400

kiyoodle n. [orig. unkn.; perh. infl. by coyote] 1. a small noisy dog. Also kyoodle. 2. a worthless person; an oaf.

NOAD Word of the Week - e-book

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

e-book, n. an electronic version of a printed book that can be read on a personal computer or hand-held device designed specifically for this purpose; a dedicated device for reading electronic versions of printed books.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - thurse

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

thurse (thurs) an obsolete word used to refer to giants in heathen mythology, or goblins and hobgoblins.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - mushfaker

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

mushfaker n. Und. and Hobo. an itinerant umbrella mender, tinker or pitchman; a repairer or deviser of small, cheap contrivances; (hence) (used among tramps, etc., as a vague term of opprobrium); a no-account.

NOAD Word of the Week - hoophead

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

hoophead, n. informal a basketball player or devoted fan.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - brabbling

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

brabbling [BRAB-ling] noisy arguing or hair-splitting. From obsolete "brabble," to argue noisily about insignificant things.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - kybo

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

kybo, n. a lavatory or toilet commode, esp. at a campground. Also kibo. [orig. unkn.; perhaps from "keep your bowels open."]

NOAD Word of the Week - Chicken Little

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

Chicken Little, n. an alarmist or doomsayer. "my beloved capital sounds more and more these days like a barnyard filled with Chicken Littles." ORIGIN: 1990s: from the name of a character in a children's story who repeatedly warns that the sky is falling.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - alexithymia

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

alexithymia [ay-leks-ih-THY-mee-uh] a disorder in which the sufferer is unable to recognize emotions or express them.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - liquid death

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

liquid death, n. cheap, powerful liquor. Joc. Also: liquid crime. 1862 "E. Kirke" Among Pines 228: "Mine host" and two assistants were dispensing "liquid death," at the rate of ten cents a glass.

NOAD Word of the Week - obtention

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

obtention, n. the action of obtaining something: "their protests serve no purpose and will only make their obtention of a diploma almost impossible." ORIGIN: early 17th cent.: French, or from late Latin, obtentio(n-), from obtinere, 'obtain, gain.'

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - mascaron

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

mascaron [MAS-kuh-run] an image of a (usually grotesque) face, human or animal, used as an architectural ornament.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - hoolihan

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:00:00 -0400

hoolihan, n. West. 1. (among cowboys) a backhand thrown loop for roping horses. 2. an exciting or extraordinary event. In phrase: "throw the hoolihan" [fr. sense of (1), above] (among cowboys) to celebrate riotously.

NOAD Word of the Week - cybershop

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

cybershop , v. (-shopped , -shopping) [intrans., often as noun cybershopping] purchase or shop for goods and services on a Web site: more than half of American workers cybershop on company time. n. a Web site that sells or provides information about retail goods or services: the retailer's cybershop sometimes has different prices than in its mail-order catalog. Also called cyberstore. DERIVATIVES: cybershopper n.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - croquembouche

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

croquembouche [KRO-kum-boosh] a pyramid of pastries, usually cream-filled, covered with spun caramel. When used as a wedding cake, the bride and groom traditionally smash the hard caramel coating with a hammer. From a French word that means crunches in the mouth.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - clothespin vote

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

clothespin vote, n. [sugg. by the cartoon-inspired idea that voters must use a clothespin to protect their noses from the supposed stench of such candidates] Pol. a vote or votes made unenthusaistically for a candidate who is regarded as the least objectionable. Joc.

NOAD Word of the Week - sleeper cell

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

sleeper cell, n. a secretive group with suspected links to a terrorist organization that is planning or believed capable of carrying out an attack.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - stilo novo

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

stilo novo [STEEL-lo NOH-vo] when used with a date, this means 'according to the Gregorian calendar.' It's also used figuratively to mean any innovation. From Latin words meaning 'new style.'

Am. Slang Word of the Week - okey-doke

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

okey-doke n. Esp. Black E. 1. a swindle; trick or deception. 2. foolishness; pretense.

NOAD Word of the Week - nostalgic

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

nostalgic adj. characterized by or exhibiting feelings of nostalgia. n. a nostalgic person. "to see classmates' e-mail addresses, nostalgics pay $36 a year." DERIVATIVES: nostalgically adv.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - igry

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

igry [IG ree] painfully embarrassed by someone else's poor behavior. It can also be used to describe someone else's poor behavior. This word was invented by John Chaneski, Peter Gordon, Kevin West, and Francis Heaney, in part because they were annoyed by the -gry puzzle. The -gry puzzle ("Apart from angry and hungry, what other common English word ends in -gry?") is a broken puzzle -- until igry, there was not another common word in English that ended in -gry. (And I suppose igry is not actually common yet.) The original puzzle was most likely something like "Think of words ending in -gry. Angry and hungry are two of them. What is the third word in the English language? You use it every day, and if you were listening carefully, I've just told you what it is." That puzzle is trying to get you to say language (i.e., the third word in the phrase "the English language") but someone broke it, and the broken version has been circulating on the Internet ever since. The Igry Men, avid puzzlers, decided to invent a new -gry word, so that when they were asked about the broken puzzle, they could say "Oh, it's igry, I thought everyone knew that word!" Perhaps someday everyone will.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - moldy fig

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0400

moldy fig n.1. Jazz. a person who admires older styles of jazz. - used derisively. Now hist. 2. a person having outdated or conservative ideas.

NOAD Word of the Week - molecular electronics

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:30:00 -0400

molecular electronics, plural n. [treated as singular] a branch of electronics in which individual molecules perform the same function as microelectronic devices such as diodes. DERIVATIVES: molecular electronic, adj. molecular electronic materials and inorganic particles.

Weird & Wonderful Word of the Week - wurp

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:30:00 -0400

wurp [wurp] an obsolete word meaning a stone s throw.

Am. Slang Word of the Week - from hell

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:30:00 -0400

from hell (used as an intensive); formidable, effective, or extraordinary (esp. in a negative way); bad or offensive; good or pleasing. 1965 in W. King Black Anthol. 305: Mac's copping me a number from hell for a nickel!