Return Of The Word Collector (part seven)
More specimens — Atavistic frou frou
As readers of previous efforts will be aware, I love collecting new words and phrases, and when you know as little as me, there is plenty of new material.
Having scoured the unexplored corridors of the Medium mansion, and my local library, I have recently collected the following new specimens for your delectation, some from fellow writers on Medium, to whom my thanks.
idempotency — is the property of certain operations in mathematics and computer science whereby they can be applied multiple times without changing the result beyond the initial application. An example in everyday life would be once you have fully tightened a screw, if makes no difference how many times you perform the exercise.
frou frou — showy or frilly ornamentation; the rustling noise of a woman’s skirt
Zeitenwende — change in times (German)
atavistic — relating to or characterised by reversion to something ancient or ancestral.
tour de farce — a comical twist on tour de force (French)
truth default theory — I came across this in “Talking to Strangers” by Malcolm Gladwell — he is one of those authors who briefly makes you feel more intelligent, though it sadly quickly wears off in my case. The theory proposes that people default to the truth, ie. that honesty is the starting point for both senders and receivers of communication. This default can be a mistake which catches us out if we don’t expect others to lie.
meet-space — the opposite of cyberspace, as in to meet “in person”.
scrivener — a clerk, scribe, or notary; or a person who invested money at interest for clients and lent funds to those who wanted to raise money on security.
If you already knew some or all of these, do feel free to ask “didn’t he know that?”, which is best articulated in the tone of voice frequently used by Mrs. Pearce, as if dealing with a complete imbecile.
In case of interest, the result of previous expeditions can be read on the link below —
As always, thank you for reading.
To join a new Facebook group “Medium Matters” where writers can support each other and share articles.
Mastadon- you can find me here
