metonymic / autodidactic

This is a collection of words I've had to look up while reading.

[metonymicautodidactic]

anacyclosis

anacyclosis - theory of political evolution which states benign forms of govt are unstable.

The political doctrine of anacyclosis is a cyclical theory of political evolution. The theory of anacyclosis is based upon the Greek typology of constitutional forms of rule by the one, the few, and the many. Anacyclosis states that three basic forms of “benign” government (monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy) are inherently weak and unstable, tending to degenerate rapidly into the three basic…

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[metonymicautodidactic]

jeremiad

jeremiad - A long, mournful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes.

1: A long, mournful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes. 2: An utterance of grief or sorrow; a complaining tirade: used with a spice of ridicule or mockery, implying either that the grief itself is unnecessarily great, or that the utterance of it is tediously drawn out and attended with a certain satisfaction to the utterer. In 1978, Moorcock made the conflict explicit in a jeremiad against…

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[metonymicautodidactic]

Scalextric

Scalextric - Brand name of toy slot car racing sets.

A toy brand for a range of slot car racing sets which first appeared in the late 1950s. (more…)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

dog's dinner

dog's dinner - [British] A poor job; a mess. Also: dog's breakfast.

A poor job; a mess. Editor’s note: In one of those moments of delightful synchronicity, shortly after looking up this phrase, I happened to see my colleague Rachel describe something as “a dog’s breakfast”, which turns out to be synonymous. For some reason I am really charmed by these two phrases, especially since no one says “a dog’s lunch”. I’m adding these to the list of things to start saying…

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[metonymicautodidactic]

blini

blini - A small pancake, of Russian origin, served w/ sour cream & caviar or smoked salmon.

A small pancake, of Russian origin, made from buckwheat flour; traditionally served with melted butter, sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon. (more…)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

knock-back

knock-back - [slang] A refusal or rejection.

[SLANG] A refusal or rejection. Ugly people know better than to go up to beautiful ones and expect anything else but a knock-back. Iain M. Banks, Transition Definition from Collins Dictionary

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[metonymicautodidactic]

memsahib

memsahib - Respectful term of address historically used for white women in colonial India.

(India, historical, as a respectful term of address) A white European woman in colonial India. “The memsahibs have got you well trained, I see,” said Uncle Brian. I pretended to know what a memsahib is. David Mitchell, Black Swan Green Definition from Wiktionary

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[metonymicautodidactic]

twin-set

twin-set - A matching set of a cardigan and a short-sleeved jumper or pullover.

A matching set of a cardigan and a (usually) short-sleeved jumper or pullover. (more…)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

passata

passata - An uncooked tomato puree that has been strained of seeds and skins.

An uncooked tomato puree that has been strained of seeds and skins. (more…)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

inter alia

inter alia - Among other things.

Among other things. I am, as I have always been, attached, inter alia, to the Protection Department. Iain M. Banks, Transition Definition from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition (via Wordnik)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

kameez

kameez - A long tunic worn by many people from the Indian subcontinent.

A long tunic worn by many people from the Indian subcontinent. (more…)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

salwar

salwar - Loose trousers worn by men and women in South Asia.

Loose trousers worn by men and women in South Asia. (more…)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

ormolu

ormolu - Fine brass, used for imitation jewelry, chandeliers, and similar fine metal-work.

Fine brass, sometimes colored and treated with lacquer to give it brilliancy: used for imitation jewelry, chandeliers, and similar fine metal-work. (more…)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

coffle

coffle - A group of animals, prisoners, or slaves chained together in a line.

A group of animals, prisoners, or slaves chained together in a line. (more…)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

hotty

hotty - A hot water bottle.

A hot water bottle. I lay back, too. The rusty iron was warm as a hotty. David Mitchell, Black Swan Green Definition from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License (via Wordnik)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

flid

flid - A stupid or physically uncoordinated person.

A stupid or physically uncoordinated person. But no matter how shocked, scared, breathless, ashamed I was, no matter how much of a total flid I looked, no matter how much I hated myself for not being able to say a simple word in my own language, I couldn’t say “nightingale.” David Mitchell, Black Swan Green Definition from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License (via Wordnik)

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[metonymicautodidactic]

barney

barney - [Britain / Cockney rhyming slang] A noisy argument; a minor physical fight.

A noisy argument. A minor physical fight. [Britain, Australia, Cockney rhyming slang]  Etymology: Cockney Rhyming slang: “Barney Rubble” → “trouble”. From the character Barney Rubble on The Flintstones. Dad went to bed. He’s sleeping in the spare room at the moment, ‘cause of his back, though Mum told me it’s ‘cause he tosses and turns so much. It’s probably both. They had a right barney this…

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