dict.yaml

# Words & Phrases
#
# This file contains a personal collection of words and phrases
# that I find especially interesting and fun.

sisyphean - (of a task) such that it can never be completed.
fait accompli
grotto
incandescent
luscious
a fortiori: an argument that is even stronger, and generalizes a previous one.
acquiesce: accept reluctantly but without protest.
acrid: having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell; angry and bitter.
akihi: the forgetfulness felt immediately after being given directions.
amalgam: a mixture of things.
apocryphal: authenticity doubtful.
arcane: understood by few; mysterious or secret.
assent: express approval or agreement, typically officially.
bamboozle: confound, perplex, fool, or cheat.
baroque: relating to or denoting a style characterized by ornate detail.
bastion: an institution, place, or person strongly defending or upholding particular principles, attitudes, or activities.
beguiling: charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way.
belabor: argue or elaborate (a subject) in excessive detail.
blustering: talk in a loud, aggressive, or indignant way with little effect.
bollard: a sturdy, short, vertical post; originally referring to a post on a ship.
brobdingnagian: gigantic.
bulwark: a defensive wall.
bumbershoot: an umbrella.
byzantine: excessively complicated, typically involving a great deal of administrative detail.
cafune: tenderly running your fingers through a lover’s hair.
cahoots: colluding or conspiring together secretly.
canoodling: kiss and cuddle amorously.
cantankerous: bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.
caustic: sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way.
celadon: a pale green colour, possibly tinted with gray.
chicanery: the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose.
concision: the cutting out of unnecessary words while conveying an idea.
conflate: constraingly combining a few ideas into one, that could have been viewed separately.
consternation: feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected.
contradistinction: distinction made by contrasting the different qualities of two things.
convalescence: time spent recovering from an illness or medical treatment; recuperation.
copresence: occurrence of two or more things together in the same place and time.
crib: to steal or borrow.
culaccino: a water ring; a coffee cup stain; a mark left on a surface by the bottom of a wet glass.
cursory: hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.
daliance: brief or casual involvement with something; a casual romantic or sexual relationship.
delimited: determine the limits or boundaries of.
delineation: the action of indicating the exact position of a border or boundary.
desiccated: remove the moisture from (something, especially food), typically in order to preserve it.
desiderata: something that is needed or wanted.
dint: an impression or hollow in a surface.
discombobulate: disconcert or confuse (someone).
dither: be indecisive.
e.g.: for example.
eat crow: be humiliated by having to admit one's defeats or mistakes.
ebullience: the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberance.
effervescent: bubbly, fizzy; vivacious and enthusiastic.
enrapture: give intense pleasure or joy to.
ephemeral: lasting for a very short time.
equanimity: mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.
eschew: deliberately avoid using; abstain from.
facsimile: an exact copy, especially of written or printed material.
fantoosh: downright over the top; overdressed, ultra fashionable, over-ornamented, too fancy.
fastidious: very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail.
flummoxed: bewildered or perplexed.
gaslight: manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.
ginormous: extremely large; enormous.
glittery generalization: an emotionally appealing phrase so closely associated with highly valued concepts and beliefs that it carries conviction without supporting information or reason.
gloaming: twilight; dusk.
globular: globe-shaped; spherical.
glomp: to embrace enthusiastically; to pounce on and hug, often from a running start.
glowering: have an angry or sullen look on one's face; scowl.
gossamer: a fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders, seen especially in autumn.
grok: understand (something) intuitively or by empathy.
gumption: shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness.
hapless: (especially of a person) unfortunate.
heuristic: proceeding to a solution by trial and error or by rules that are only loosely defined.
hoi polloi: the masses; the common people.
hygge: acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cosy, charming or special.
hysteric: a wildly emotional and exaggerated reaction.
i.e.: that is.
idiosyncrasy: a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual.
inculcate: instill by persistent instruction.
indelible: making marks that cannot be removed.
ineffable: difficult to put into words; defying expression or description.
innocuous: not harmful or offensive.
insolent: showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.
iridescent: showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles.
jayus: a joke that is so unfunny that it can't help but make you laugh.
kindred hacker: ""
kludge: a quick-and-dirty solution/workaround that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend, and hard to maintain.
knolling:
komorebi (木漏れ日): the sort of scattered, dappled light effect that happens when sunlight shines through trees.
l'esprit de l'escalier: a too-late retort thought of only after departure.
laconic: concise; using very few words.
lagom: just the right amount; see also "pan metron ariston".
lapidary: relating to stone and gems and the work involved in engraving, cutting, or polishing.
lecherous: having or showing excessive or offensive sexual desire.
lieu: instead.
limerence: the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings but not primarily for a sexual relationship.
lionize: give a lot of public attention and approval to someone.
malarkey: meaningless talk; nonsense.
mawkish: sentimental in a feeble or sickly way.
meh: expressing a lack of interest or enthusiasm.
metastasize: to spread or grow, like a disease.
misunderstood in a beautiful way:
modulate your opinion:
moping: to give oneself up to brooding; become listless or dejected.
mottled: marked with spots or smears of color.
mudita (मुदिता): to take joy in the joy of others; sympathetic or vicarious joy.
munge:
nunchi (눈치): subtle art and ability to listen and gauge others' moods.
occlude: stop, close up, or obstruct (an opening, orifice, or passage).
panoply: a complete or impressive collection of things.
paragon: a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.
parlay: turn an initial stake or winnings from a previous bet into (a greater amount) by gambling.
pelinti: to move hot food in your mouth.
perfunctorily: performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial.
persnickety: placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details; fussy; finnicky.
petrichor: the smell after it rains.
phalanx: a body of troops or police officers standing or moving in close formation.
pilfer: steal (typically things of relatively little value).
piquant: having a pleasantly sharp taste or appetizing flavor.
pochemuchka (почему): a person (likely a young one) who asks too many questions.
polyglot: knowing or using several languages.
poot: a fart, perhaps a relatively quiet one.
post-hoc: occurring or done after the event.
potpourri: a mixture of dried petals and spices placed in a bowl or small sack to perfume clothing or a room.
preclude: prevent from happening; make impossible.
promulgate: promote or make widely known an idea.
prosaic: commonplace; unromantic; lacking poetic beauty.
proselytize: "[attempt to] convert someone from one belief, or opinion to another."
pålegg: collective term for food products placed on top of a slice of bread.
quiddity: the inherent nature or essence of someone or something.
remit: the task or area of activity officially assigned to an individual or organization.
replete: filled or well-supplied with something.
requisition: an official order laying claim to the use of property or materials.
reticence: the quality of being reticent; reserve.
riven: split or tear apart violently.
schlimazel (שלימזל): a chronically unlucky person.
seigneur-terraces: people who linger at a coffee shop longer than they probably should.
sequester: isolate or hide away (someone or something).
sigil: an inscribed or painted symbol considered to have magical power.
slog: work hard over a period of time; hit forcefully and typically wildly.
solipsism: the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist.
specious: superficially plausible, but actually wrong.
sterling: (of a person or their work, efforts, or qualities) excellent or valuable.
subvert: undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution).
surveil: keep (a person or place) under surveillance.
swath: a broad sweep or expanse.
syzygy: an alignment of celestial bodies.
tacit: understood or implied without being stated.
taciturn: (of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
tawdry: showy but cheap and of poor quality.
terra incognita: unknown or unexplored territory.
thingamajig: used to refer to or address a person or thing whose name one has forgotten, does not know, or does not wish to mention.
tinge: color slightly.
titillate: stimulate or excite (someone), especially in a sexual way.
transmogrified: transform in a surprising or magical manner.
tsundoku (積ん読): acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in one's home without reading them.
ubiquitous: present, appearing, or found everywhere.
unabated: without any reduction in intensity or strength.
unflappable: having or showing calmness in a crisis.
unmoor: release the moorings of (a vessel).
usurp: "take the place of (someone in a position of power) illegally: supplant."
vacillate: alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.
viridescent: greenish or becoming green.
vitriolic: filled with bitter criticism or malice.
viz.: namely; in contradistinction to i.e. and e.g., viz. indicates a detailed description, and when preceding a list, it implies near completeness.
voorpret: joy or pleasure ahead and in anticipation of the actual fun event.
whittled:
writ small/large: reference to Plato's Rebuplic; describes the city-state as being like the individual, but larger and easier to examine, or inversely.