flakes of nuisance » Lingo http://mcneillfamily.com paying attention to distractions since 1958 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:49:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 John Hodgman explains what’s wrong with “Meh” – Boing Boinghttp://mcneillfamily.com/2010/08/09/john-hodgman-explains-whats-wrong-with-meh-boing-boing/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2010/08/09/john-hodgman-explains-whats-wrong-with-meh-boing-boing/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:04:45 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=5539

Waxy’s got a reprint from John Hodgman’s Twitter feed yesterday, a 140-char-at-a-time masterful rip into the most odious of Internet jargon: “Meh.”

hodgman: Did I ever tell you people how much I hate the word “meh“? Nothing announces “I have missed the point” more than that word. hodgman: It is the essence of blinkered Internet malcontentism. And a rejection of joy. Also: 12 hive mehs in the replies SO FAR

hodgman: By definition, it may mean disinterest (although simple silence would be a more damning and sincere response, in that case)

hodgman: But in use, it almost universally [

continue reading John Hodgman explains what’s wrong with “Meh” – Boing Boing

]]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2010/08/09/john-hodgman-explains-whats-wrong-with-meh-boing-boing/feed/ 0 remorse – Wiktionaryhttp://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/18/remorse-wiktionary/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/18/remorse-wiktionary/#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:45:41 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1632

“This is the bloodiest shame, The wildest savagery, the vilest stroke, That ever wall-eyed wrath or staring rage Presented to the tears of soft remorse.”

(CLICK HERE FOR MORE -> remorse – Wiktionary: .)

]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/18/remorse-wiktionary/feed/ 0 George Bernard Shawhttp://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/12/george-bernard-shaw/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/12/george-bernard-shaw/#comments Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:52:12 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1629

“The English have no respect for their language, and will not teach their children to speak it.”

(Via Quotes of the Day George Bernard Shaw: .)

]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/12/george-bernard-shaw/feed/ 0 mischief – Wiktionaryhttp://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/10/mischief-wiktionary/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/10/mischief-wiktionary/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:29:09 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1595 Noun

mischief (plural mischiefs)

Harm or evil caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.

One who causes mischief. In a milder sense, one who causes petty annoyances. mischief-maker.

Vexatious or annoying conduct.

Synonyms (evil): agitation, annoyance, corruption, damage, demolition, destruction, detriment, disablement, disruption, evil, harm, hurt, ill, impairment,incapacitation, injury, nuisance, pique, ravage, sabotage, scathe, trouble, undoing, unmaking, vexation, weakening, wrong (mischief-maker): bad boy, booger, buffoon, bugger, cutup, devil, elf, enfant terrible, fun-maker, hell-raiser, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, imp,joker, jokester, knave, life of the party, little devil, little monkey, little rascal, minx, mischief-maker, pixie, practical joker, prankster, puck,rapscallion, [

continue reading mischief – Wiktionary

]]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/10/mischief-wiktionary/feed/ 0 that lad could banjax a cast-iron cannonballhttp://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/09/that-lad-could-banjax-a-cast-iron-cannonball/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/09/that-lad-could-banjax-a-cast-iron-cannonball/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:17:39 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1577 new words: “hleping” — when you’re trying so hard to help but end up making everything infinitely worse. Will never catch on.

When routine bites hard, And ambitions are low, And resentment rides high, But emotions won’t grow, And we’re changing our ways, Taking different roads.

Then love, love will tear us apart again. Love, love will tear us apart again.

]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/10/09/that-lad-could-banjax-a-cast-iron-cannonball/feed/ 0 ven·dri·fi·ca·tionhttp://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/30/ven%c2%b7dri%c2%b7fi%c2%b7ca%c2%b7tion/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/30/ven%c2%b7dri%c2%b7fi%c2%b7ca%c2%b7tion/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:40:26 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1429 ven·dri·fi·ca·tion noun: The process by which an influx of fancy food trucks selling gourmet treats threatens to displace established, traditional street vendors.

via ven·dri·fi·ca·tion | The Food Section – Food News, Recipes, and More.

Go for it Lynn

]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/30/ven%c2%b7dri%c2%b7fi%c2%b7ca%c2%b7tion/feed/ 0 On Language – Phantonymshttp://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/27/on-language-phantonyms/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/27/on-language-phantonyms/#comments Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:48:59 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1344 For the prospective college class of 2015, the next three weeks loom large. High-school juniors across the country, facing their first Preliminary SAT exams, are engrossed in improving their vocabulary. Here’s a thought that might help: A word that means the opposite of another is an antonym; a word that looks as if it means one thing but means quite another could be called a phantonym, and warrants wariness.

via On Language – Phantonym – NYTimes.com.

]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/27/on-language-phantonyms/feed/ 0 Funhttp://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/23/fun/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/23/fun/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:08:28 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1327 Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscripti catapultas habebunt

via Fun Latin.

]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/23/fun/feed/ 0 why can you not?http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/18/why-can-you-not/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/18/why-can-you-not/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:48:14 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1153 CANNOT/CAN NOT? CANNOT preferred except when NOT part of other sentence construction. CAN’T: common in speech + informal writing.

]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/18/why-can-you-not/feed/ 0 SNOB?http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/17/snob/ http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/17/snob/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:16:10 +0000 admin http://mcneillfamily.com/?p=1100 snob (plural: snobs)

(disapproving) (informal) A person who seeks to be a member of the upper classes and looks down on other classes such as lower classes. [ LINK]

You really are a little snob, aren’t you? …

I don’t think this short definition goes nearly far enough. Further discussion is HERE

]]> http://mcneillfamily.com/2009/09/17/snob/feed/ 0