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
Definitive Jest is a vocabulary-building and SNOOT-approved word-of-the-day blog centered around David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest.
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
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