Entry: homoeroticism (n.)
In context: "A grunting, crunching ballet of repressed homoeroticism, football, Ms. Steepley, on my view."
Definition: Pertaining to or characterized by a tendency for erotic emotions to be centred on a person of the same sex; of or pertaining to a homo-erotic person. Freq. a synonym of homosexual.
Other: Interestingly, for a phenomenon that's existed for the humanity, this term was only coined in 1916.
SNOOT score: 1
Page: 1047
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Monday, 4 February 2013
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Entry: inculcate (v.)
In context: "'We inculcate that as a priority here,' deLint said, gesturing vaguely at the space around them, head bent to his charts."
Definition: trans. To endeavour to force (a thing) into or impress (it) on the mind of another by emphatic admonition, or by persistent repetition; to urge on the mind, esp. as a principle, an opinion, or a matter of belief; to teach forcibly. Const. upon, on; †formerly in, into, unto, to.
Other: I love this word.
Etymology: < Latin inculcāt-, participial stem of inculcāre to stamp in with the heel, tread in, cram in, press in, impress upon (the mind), < in- (in- prefix2) + calcāre to tread, < calc- , calx heel.
SNOOT score: 3
Page: 657
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
In context: "'We inculcate that as a priority here,' deLint said, gesturing vaguely at the space around them, head bent to his charts."
Definition: trans. To endeavour to force (a thing) into or impress (it) on the mind of another by emphatic admonition, or by persistent repetition; to urge on the mind, esp. as a principle, an opinion, or a matter of belief; to teach forcibly. Const. upon, on; †formerly in, into, unto, to.
Other: I love this word.
Etymology: < Latin inculcāt-, participial stem of inculcāre to stamp in with the heel, tread in, cram in, press in, impress upon (the mind), < in- (in- prefix2) + calcāre to tread, < calc- , calx heel.
SNOOT score: 3
Page: 657
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Entry: blarneyed (v.)
In context: "M. M. Pemulis and J. G. Struck, wet-haired after their P.M. runs, had blarneyed their way past the library-attendant at the B.U. School of Pharmacy..."
Definition: a. trans. To assail with blarney, to overcome or beguile with flattery.
Other: blarney (n.): Smoothly flattering or cajoling talk. (colloq.) Also, nonsense.
Very fascinating: Etymology: < Blarney, name of a village near Cork. In the castle there is an inscribed stone in a position difficult of access. The popular saying is that any one who kisses this ‘Blarney stone’ will ever after have ‘a cajoling tongue and the art of flattery or of telling lies with unblushing effrontery’ (Lewis Topog. Dict. Ireland).(Show Less)
SNOOT score: 1
Page: 655
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
In context: "M. M. Pemulis and J. G. Struck, wet-haired after their P.M. runs, had blarneyed their way past the library-attendant at the B.U. School of Pharmacy..."
Definition: a. trans. To assail with blarney, to overcome or beguile with flattery.
Other: blarney (n.): Smoothly flattering or cajoling talk. (colloq.) Also, nonsense.
Very fascinating: Etymology: < Blarney, name of a village near Cork. In the castle there is an inscribed stone in a position difficult of access. The popular saying is that any one who kisses this ‘Blarney stone’ will ever after have ‘a cajoling tongue and the art of flattery or of telling lies with unblushing effrontery’ (Lewis Topog. Dict. Ireland).(Show Less)
SNOOT score: 1
Page: 655
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Friday, 1 February 2013
Entry: mentation (n.)
In context: "And Stice's half-volley landed in the ad court squishy and slow and sat up for Hal, who was waiting for it. Hal's stick was back for the forehand, waiting, and there was a moment of total mentation as the ball hung there."
Definition: Mental activity, esp. seen as a physiological process; an instance or product of this.
Other:
SNOOT score: 2
Page: 653
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
In context: "And Stice's half-volley landed in the ad court squishy and slow and sat up for Hal, who was waiting for it. Hal's stick was back for the forehand, waiting, and there was a moment of total mentation as the ball hung there."
Definition: Mental activity, esp. seen as a physiological process; an instance or product of this.
Other:
SNOOT score: 2
Page: 653
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Entry: frieze (n.)
In context: "The Darkness's service motion was in the McEnroe-Esconja tradition, legs splayed, feet parallel, a figure off an Egyptian frieze, side so severely to the net he's almost facing away."
Definition: I had to dig for this one, but I think this is the best of the definitions: A band of painted or sculptured decoration.
Other:
SNOOT score: 1
Page: 652
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
In context: "The Darkness's service motion was in the McEnroe-Esconja tradition, legs splayed, feet parallel, a figure off an Egyptian frieze, side so severely to the net he's almost facing away."
Definition: I had to dig for this one, but I think this is the best of the definitions: A band of painted or sculptured decoration.
Other:
SNOOT score: 1
Page: 652
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Entry: pericardium-piercer (adj.)
In context: "Helen Steeply of Moment, possessed of a certain thuggish allure but hardly the pericardium-piercer that Orin had made her sound like..."
Definition: A Wallace-ish way of saying heart-piercer.
pericardium (n.): The membranous sac, consisting of an outer fibrous and an inner serous layer, which encloses the mammalian heart and the beginning of the major blood vessels. Also: the cavity or sinus enclosing or constituting the heart or corresponding organ in certain invertebrates.
Other:
SNOOT score: 2
Page: 652
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
In context: "Helen Steeply of Moment, possessed of a certain thuggish allure but hardly the pericardium-piercer that Orin had made her sound like..."
Definition: A Wallace-ish way of saying heart-piercer.
pericardium (n.): The membranous sac, consisting of an outer fibrous and an inner serous layer, which encloses the mammalian heart and the beginning of the major blood vessels. Also: the cavity or sinus enclosing or constituting the heart or corresponding organ in certain invertebrates.
Other:
SNOOT score: 2
Page: 652
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Entry: galumphers (n.)
In context: "Apparently some higher-up had sent Mary Esther Thode out on her little yellow Vespa with the order for their match; she'd pulled up alongside Stice and Wayne just as they cleared the Hammond golf course, Hal a good half km. behind them with galumphers kornspan and Kahn."
Definition: from galumph (v.): Orig., to march on exultingly with irregular bounding movements. Now usu., to gallop heavily; to bound or move clumsily or noisily.
Other: Etymology: Invented by ‘L. Carroll’ (perhaps with some reminiscence of gallop , triumphant ). The sense in current use may vary according to different notions of what the sound expresses.
1871 ‘L. Carroll’ Through Looking-glass i. 22 He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.
SNOOT score: 1
Page: 651
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
In context: "Apparently some higher-up had sent Mary Esther Thode out on her little yellow Vespa with the order for their match; she'd pulled up alongside Stice and Wayne just as they cleared the Hammond golf course, Hal a good half km. behind them with galumphers kornspan and Kahn."
Definition: from galumph (v.): Orig., to march on exultingly with irregular bounding movements. Now usu., to gallop heavily; to bound or move clumsily or noisily.
Other: Etymology: Invented by ‘L. Carroll’ (perhaps with some reminiscence of gallop , triumphant ). The sense in current use may vary according to different notions of what the sound expresses.
1871 ‘L. Carroll’ Through Looking-glass i. 22 He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.
SNOOT score: 1
Page: 651
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
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