Going Monk Mode In Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu
The Word Collector — Part 33
This is the latest in a series about new words and phrases, specimens collected during expeditions into the deepest, darkest literary and media wilderness, and displayed for your entertainment, elucidation, and enlightenment. These are new to me, but of course, you may know some or all of them already, in which case you are welcome to marvel at my ignorance.
“Going monk mode” — this phrase turned up in a recent BBC article about people trying to drastically reduce their use of social media, something which probably many of us might benefit from!
Taxonomise — this word was used in a review of Michael Lewis’s new book “Going Infinite” about the case of Sam Bankman-Fried (a name which I assumed was made up when I first saw it, but apparently not, unlike his profits). Taxonomise means the classification and naming of organisms in an ordered system that is intended to indicate natural relationships, especially evolutionary relationships; the science, laws, or principles of classification; an ordered arrangement of groups or categories.
The review is fascinating in its own right, forming the “Long Read” in “The Guardian” newspaper, with the following extract:
“Lewis has all the receipts. He discovers Bankman-Fried’s inability to lead a regular life — one involving sleep and clean clothes — and his imposition of the same kind of existence upon his employees. (One employee went 30 days without leaving FTX’s Hong Kong office.) He learns how, after starting a crypto trading firm called Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried misplaced $4m worth of a token called Ripple, only to find it again. He knows precisely what sort of romantic squabbles Bankman-Fried had with his girlfriend, whom he’d installed as CEO of Alameda when she was still in her mid-20s; in fact, Lewis even saw the notes that Bankman-Fried wrote her, taxonomising their relationship.”
I was interested to read in the article, that Lewis is apparently paid $10 a word, but don’t let that discourage you from earning the odd cent on Medium!
Clientelism — this word cropped up in an article by George Monbiot about how money corrupts our societies. He describes it thus:
“It’s an exchange of favours, leading to the gross misuse of funds and the siphoning of public money into private pockets. But it tends to deploy a nod and a wink instead of a briefcase of bullion. The favours can be widely distributed: a government might buy the votes of a particular interest group with pre-election handouts. Or, in the case of elite clientelism, they can be targeted at a few key players. From the point of view of this lucky few, it works like this: you (the government) provide the contracts, we (or our concierges) will help you stay in power. Elite clientelism is so prevalent, so deeply soaked into the fabric of national life, that it often seems to be as much a matter of instinct as intention.”
“…metamorphosis is to capitalism what camouflage is to a chameleon….” — this lovely phrase is used by Yanis Varoufakis in “Technofeudalism” which I am currently reading.
antinomy — This word turned up in the same book, a contradiction between two beliefs or conclusions that are in themselves reasonable, or a paradox.
Scottish weather — Next some Scottish words relating to the weather in a Guardian article, from a nation known for horizontal rain, mist and midges:–
“Fludders is a massive downpour, sump a sudden deluge, and a baffin is the beating force of wind and rain. The result is to be drookit — drenched through to your skin.”
All in a name — Not exactly new words, but there are some great long place names in this article by Carol F:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales, and the longest place name in the world which is a place in New Zealand, called Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. I love both of these since they give Grammarly a complete meltdown!
I hope you enjoyed this collection, and do share any favourites of your own in the comments.
As always, thank you for reading.
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