| This week: Do real cowboys get mani-pedis and work their pelvic floor muscles because we live in a culture saturated by images of men who use beards to make themselves to appealing to, well, somebody? (If you happen to be a cowboy or a man with a beard and you find this question offensive, please accept my non-apology in advance.) |
| Words Spied |
| Cowboyistan n. Nickname for the industry that drills for and extracts oil and natural gas in the United States. [The New York Times]
fauxlection n. A sham or rigged election (faux + election). [Twitter] mani-pedi curious adj. Curious about or open to exploring the spa treatment that consists of both a manicure and a pedicure. (Also: mani/pedi curious; cf. bi-curious) [Shop sandwich board (below)] In case you’re wondering, the compound mani-pedi dates to 1972.
Mani-pedi curious. Photo by Paul McFedries. narcoaesthetics n. Conceptions of female beauty based on the perception of women as decorative objects, particularly within a culture saturated by images of women who have used plastic surgery to make themselves appealing to drug lords. [The Guardian] pfilates n. Pilates exercises that concentrate on the pelvic floor muscles (pf [from “pelvic floor”] + pilates). [The Globe and Mail] |
| Word of the Week |
onomatapology n. An apology that sounds sincere but falls short of being an actual apology (onomatopoeia + apology).
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| Cruft* of the Week |
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Grimbo n. The economic limbo in which Greece is said to be while it negotiates with its creditors (Greece + limbo). [CNBC] * “Poorly built, possibly over-complex; generally unpleasant” —The Jargon File. |
| Quick Links |
| 10 Americanisms that were originally English
11 Facts Yü Should Know About the Umlaut How selected consonants sound around Europe, in 9 maps Singular “they”: the arguments |
| Close Quote |
| Never forget, though, that language is the people’s. Your witless superstition will, by-and-large, be ignored by the speakers of the language, and the alleged impropriety will almost certainly win out in the end. Don’t mistake yourself for a brave defender of our language against the barbarians at the gates when, in truth, you’re nothing but a millennialist shouting about the end-times of the English language. Meanwhile, the world spins on, and the language flourishes, hale and hearty. —Gabe Doyle, “Singular ‘they’ and the many reasons why it’s correct“ |
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