rapacious -- 1. given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed. 2. inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate: a rapacious disposition. 3. (of animals) subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious.
peripetia -- a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work); "a peripeteia swiftly turns a routine sequence of events into a story worth telling" [syn:peripeteia]
malison -- curse, malediction
network effect -- causes a good or service to have a value to a potential customer dependent on the number of customers already owning that good or using that service. Ergo, it means that the total value of a good or service that possesses a network effect is roughly proportional to the square of the number of customers already owning that good or using that service.deus ex machina -- a person or event that appears suddenly to solve a problem; Kissinger has been described as a "political deus ex machina" used by members of the political Left to explain foreign conflict and violence that took place in the '70s.
piezoelectric effect -- voltage produced between surfaces of a solid dielectric (nonconducting substance) when a mechanical stress is applied to it. A small current may be produced as well.
retronym -- A word or phrase created because an existing term that was once used alone needs to be distinguished from a term referring to a new development, as acoustic guitar in contrast to electric guitar or analog watch in contrast to digital watch.
kitsch -- Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts: “When money tries to buy beauty it tends to purchase a kind of courteous kitsch”
wallah -- a person who is associated with a particular occupation or activity; e.g., "a favorite haunt of Republican wallahs."
acute -- Of great importance or consequence; crucial; Keenly perceptive or discerning; Reacting readily to stimuli or impressions; sensitive
bollard -- 1) a post of metal or wood on a wharf around which to fasten lines 2) a post or pair of posts on the deck of a ship for securing lines:
iatrogenic -- a condition caused by a physician's treatment. Used in a column by Jonah Goldberg describing problems caused by reforms enacted by what the late Senator Moynihan called "iatrogenic government".
cadre -- a group of trained personnel; a group of revolutionaries; a framework.
gallimaufry -- A jumble; a hodgepodge
boffin -- A scientist, especially one engaged in research.
diaphanous -- transparent; airy
misfeasance -- improper execution of an act that is itself lawful and proper.
nihilism -- extreme skepticism and rejection of beliefs.
cipher -- zero; nonentity
canard -- a deliberately misleading story.
impugn -- to challenge as false
"frotte-manche" or "lèche-cul" -- French for Brown Nosing.
cully -- cheat; deceive
imbroglio -- confused entanglement
renminbi -- The Legal Tender of The People's Republic of China. The People's Bank of China (or PBOC) was established on 1 December 1948, by combining of three banks, including Beihai Bank, North China Bank and Northwest China Peosant Bank. ... It first issued notes (known as Renminbi, meaning People's Money)
sylph -- a slender graceful woman or girl
relume -- to light or light up again: rekindle
salubrious -- beneficial, healthful.
calque -- loan translation: a compound/derivative/phrase that is introduced into a language from translation of the constituents of a term
saltation -- 1) the action or process of leaping or jumping; dance 2) the origin of a new species or a higher taxon in essentially a single evolutionary step that in some especially former theories is held to be due to a major mutation or to unknown causes; mutation.
taxon (pl. taxa), in biology, a term used to denote any group or rank in the classification of organisms, e.g., class, order, family.
illuminati -- people claiming to be unusually enlightened with regard to a subject; Illuminati -- a rationalistic German society founded in the 18th century.
ennui -- Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom: “The servants relieved their ennui with gambling and gossip about their masters”
polysemous -- having multiple meanings
limacine -- of, relating to, or resembling a slug
jamais vu -- the denial of something actually seen
lambent -- flickering; softly radiant; marked by brilliance of expression
existential -- Of, relating to, or dealing with existence; Based on experience; empirical.
esoteric -- Intended for or understood by only a particular group; Of or relating to that which is known by a restricted number of people
euhemerism -- interpretation of myths as traditional accounts of historical persons and events
omerta -- a code of silence, A rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization.
portmanteau -- a word formed by the blending of two other words, such as "smoke" and "fog" becoming "smog." Lewis Carroll coined the word; his poem, "Jabberwocky," is filled with portmanteau words, such as "slithy," a combination of "slimy" and "lithe."
polemic: an argument about a controversial subject.
temerarious: marked by temerity: rashly or recklessly daring. Bruce Willis has perfected the temerarious characxter, such as John McClane in the Die Hard series.
halcyon -- (adj) Calm and peaceful; tranquil. Prosperous; golden: halcyon years.
legerdemain -- sleight of hand
pasquinade -- A satire or lampoon, especially one that ridicules a specific person, traditionally written and posted in a public place.
batophobia -- fear of being close to tall buildings
tête de lard -- (dickhead)
kitsch -- Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts: “When money tries to buy beauty it tends to purchase a kind of courteous kitsch”
piezoelectric effect -- voltage produced between surfaces of a solid dielectric (nonconducting substance) when a mechanical stress is applied to it. A small current may be produced as well.
enate -- someone related on the mother's side
pedagogy -- the art or science of teaching; the word comes from the ancient Greek paidagogos, the slave who took children to and from school.
laconic --using few words, terse; Clint Eastwood is known for his portrayal of laconic anti-heroes.
beguine -- a ballroom dance, similar to a rumba; Cole Porter popularized the dance and its music in his song, "Begin the Beguine."
fugleman -- the lead soldier in a company
panentheism -- the belief that God is found in everything in the universe and is a transcendent force beyond the universe; Thoreau was a panentheist.
dragoon -- a soldier trained to fight mounted or on foot
mellifluous -- smooth and sweet; Flowing with sweetness or honey
obverse -- the side of a coin or medal that shows the main design; the obverse of the Olympic gold medal traditionally showed a generic design by a Florentine artist with text identifying the host city.
iconoclast: -- one who attacks traditional or popular ideas
irredentist: -- one who advocates return of what is now foreign land to the former occupants; the Papal States were irredenta territories, reclaimed by the Italians.
apocryphal: -- of questionable authenticity; since there are no official records of Hale's speech on the gallows, his final words were apocryphal.
Fibonacci Series -- is a sequence of numbers where the each number is the sum of the prior two numbers in the series (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8...). While the series itself may not seem that exciting, the quotient of sequential numbers is always 1.618 or the inverse 0.618 which is more commonly referred to as the "Golden Mean".
Golden Mean -- is found throughout nature and human endeavors. In nature the number of female bees in a hive divided by male bees is always close to 1.618 and the Golden Mean can also be found in the spirals of a nautilus shell. The Golden Mean is also prevalent in modern and ancient architecture. Perhaps the most famous example is the Parthenon in Greece whose proportions adhere to the Golden Mean.
baroque -- relating to or characteristic of a style of composition that flourished in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries
panspermia -- The theory that microorganisms or biochemical compounds from outer space are responsible for originating life on Earth and possibly in other parts of the universe where suitable atmospheric conditions exist.
eukaryote: an organism whose cells contain a nucleus; the ciliated protists observed by van Leeuwenhoek were examples of eukaryotic organisms.
schadenfreude -- Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.
pejorative -- a disparaging or belittling word or expression
ad hoc -- Latin for "to this," used primarily to refer to committees set up for a specific reason; the UN General Assembly relies on many ad hoc committees.
solipsism -- The belief that all reality is just one's own imagining of reality, and that one's self is the only thing that exists
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