The Q23 Word of the Day

Tuesday’s (June 5, 2007)

eschatology

-dictionary.com:

-noun Theology

  1. any system of doctrines concerning last, or final, matters, as death, the judgment, the future state, etc.
  2. the branch of theology dealing with such matters.

[Origin: 1835-45; <Gk éschato(s) last + -LOGY]

-Related forms
eschatological, adjective
eschatologically, adverb
eschatologist, noun

-American Heritage Dictionary:

n.

  1. The branch of theology that is concerned with the end of the world or of humankind.
  2. A belief or a doctrine concerning the ultimate or final things, such as death, the destiny of humanity, the Second Coming, or the Last Judgment.

-Wikipedia.org:

Eschatology (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning “last” + -logy) is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. While in mysticism the phrase metaphorically refers to the end of ordinary reality and reunion with the Divine, in many traditional religions it is taught as an actual future even prophesied in sacred texts or folklore. More broadly, eschatology may encompass related concepts such as the Messiah or Messianic Age, the end time, and the end of days.

The Greek word αἰών (aeon), meaning ‘age’, may be translated as “end of the age (or historical period)” instead of “end of the world”. The time distinction also has theological significance; while the end of time n mystical traditions relates to escaping confinement in the “given” reality, some religions believe and fear it to be the literal destruction of the planet (or of all living things) - with the human race surviving in some new form, ending the current “age” of existence.

Zoroastrianism eschatology is the oldest eschatology in recorded history. By 500 BC, Zoroastrians had fully developed a concept of the end of the world through a divine devouring in fire.

-Online Etymology Dictionary:
1844, from Gk. eskhatos “last, furthest, remote” (from ex “out of”) + -logia “a speaking” (in a certain manner). In theology, the study of the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, hell.

-Wordcount Ranking: 68879

Quote from This Day:

A Partial Q23 History:

-Amanpour

I’d like to riff on this with a quick anecdote. The other day I heard a new expansion for the abbreviation BS: bovine scatology. So you remove the foul language, but leave in all the fruity goodness (as it were).

“Bovine Scatology.” I like that! I’m going to have to use that one now in place of my former Smothers-Brothers-inspired “El Toro Crappo!”

I especially like shift6’s little riff because of one of the “Bonus Quotes from the Past” that I didn’t include (basically because I didn’t understand it):

-Amanpour

Thursday’s (June 7, 2007)

epistemology

-dictionary.com:

-noun

a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge.

-Related forms

epistemological, adjective
epistemologically, adverb
epistemologist, noun

-American Heritage Dictionary:

n. The branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge, its presuppositions and foundations, and its extent and validity.

-American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition:

The branch of philosophy concerned with the origin and nature of knowledge. Epistemology asks the question “How do we know what we know?”

-Wikipedia.org:

Epistemology or theory of knowledge is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature and scope of knowledge and belief.

The term “epistemology” is based on the Greek words “επιστήμη or episteme” (knowledge or science) and “λόγος or logos” (account/explanation). It was introduced into English by the Scottish philosopher James Frederick Ferrier (1808-1864).

Much of the debate in this field has focused on analyzing the nature of knowledge and how it relates to similar notions such as truth, belief, and justification. It also deals with the means of production of knowledge, as well as skepticism about different knowledge claims. In other words, epistemology primarily addresses the following questions: “What is knowledge?”, “How is knowledge acquired?”, and “What do people know?”

The first question epistemology must address is the question of what knowledge is. The question is several millenia old, and among the most prominent in epistemology.

-Online Etymology Dictionary:

“theory of knowledge,” 1856, coined by Scot. philosopher James F. Ferrier (1808-64) from Gk. episteme “knowledge,” from Ionic Gk. epistasthai “know how to do, understand,” lit. “overstand,” from epi- “over, near” + histasthai “to stand.” The scientific (as opposed to philosophical) study of the roots and paths of knowledge is epistemics (1969).

-Wordcount Ranking: 21986

Quote from This Day:

A Partial Q23 History:

Hey! A Voltaic Sighting!

Finally, A Brief Matrix Bookending:

-Amanpour

Friday’s (June 8, 2007)

finagle

-dictionary.com:

-verb (used with object)

  1. to trick, swindle, or cheat (a person) (often fol. by out of. He finagled the backers out of a fortune.
  2. to get or achieve (something) by guile, trickery, or manipulation: to finagle an assignment to the Membership Committee.
  3. Gordon’s favorite word.

-verb (used without object)

  1. to practice deception or fraud; scheme.

Also, fenagle.

-American Heritage Dictionary:

v. tr.

  1. To obtain or achieve by indirect, usually deceitful methods.
  2. To cheat, swindle.

v. intr.
To use crafty, deceitful methods.

-Wikipedia.org:

Finagle’s Law of Dynamic Negatives (also known as Finagle’s Corollary to Murphy’s Law) is usually rendered:

Anything can go wrong, will–at the worst possible moment.

One variant (known as O’Toole’s Corollary of Finagle’s Law) favored among hackers is a takeoff on the second law of thermodynamics (also known as entropy):

The perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum.

The term “Finagle’s Law” was first used by John W. Campbell, Jr., the influential editor of Astounding Science Fiction (later Analog). He used it frequently in his editorials for many years in the 1940s to 1960s but it never came into general usage the way Murphy’s Law has.

Eventually the term “Finagle’s law” was popularized by science fiction author Larry Niven in several stories depicting a frontier culture of asteroid miners; this “Belter” culture professed a religion and/or running joke involving the worship of the dread god Finagle and his mad prophet Murphy.[1]

Hanlon’s Razor (or Hanlon’s Law) is a corollary of Finagle’s law. Hanlon’s Razor says “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”

-Online Etymology Dictionary:

1926, Amer.Eng., possibly a variant of Eng. dial. fuinaigue “to cheat or renege” (at cards), of unknown origin.

-No Wordcount Ranking

Quote from This Day:

A Q23 Past in Two Parts:

Part I…The Cameron Files:

[pn: I think “finagle the glavin” is my new favorite euphemism for masturbation.]

[pn: I love these Gordon posts. I understand not a word of them, as I am Game Simple. “That would put me up to about 34% crit in zerk stance…” Awesome. It’s like listening to Gordon and Supertanker talk about WoW at Shoot Club.]

Part II…A Classic, Fucking Classic, Dungsroman Moment:

[pn: Okay. On its own, that quote is no great shakes. But if you’ve got a couple ten minutes or so, do yourself a favor and scoot over to KONY’s Threesome anyone? thread and find Bill’s post on the subject. It’s #66. Better yet, work your way up to it. Just a classic, classic post. And one of the reasons I love doing this.]

-Amanpour

I like how every single one of Gordon’s posts (as nearly as I can tell) is about World of Warcraft.

Sunday’s (June 10, 2007)

scrum

-dictionary.com:

-noun

  1. a Rugby play in which, typically, three members of each team line up opposite one another with a group of two and a group of three players behind them, making an eight-person, three-two-three formation on each side; the ball is then rolled between the opposing front lines, the players of which stand with arms around a teammate’s waist, meeting the opponent shoulder to shoulder, and attempt to kick the ball backward to a teammate.
  2. British. a place or situation of confusion and racket; hubbub.

-verb (used without object)

  1. to engage in a scrum.

-American Heritage Dictionary:

  1. Sports
    a. a play in rugby in which the two sets of forwards mass together around the ball and, with their heads down, struggle to gain possession of the ball.
    b. The mass or formation of players during such a play.
  2. Chiefly British. A disordered or confused situation involving a number of people.

-Wikipedia.org:

In the sports of rugby union and rugby league, a scrummage or scrum is a way of restarting the game, either after an accidental infringement or when the ball has gone out of play (in rugby league only). Scrums occur more often, and are of greater importance, in union than in league.

>Media scrum

A media scrum is when a large group of reporters surround a public figure and bombard them with questions. They play a central role in Canadian politics, but also occur in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United States, the term is most often used to refer to the interviewing of athletes after sporting events.

In Canada, scrums are a fixture of the hallway outside the House of Commons. Members of the parliamentary press gallery surround important politicians as they exit the chamber. The disorganization and pressure of a scrum makes them notorious for generating remarks that are not well thought out, especially when compared to the more staid press conference or speech.

[pn: Canadians? Who knew. (Oh, as it turns out…Troy knew, as will be apparent below.)]

>Wikipedia.org (Other):

A slang term in American English for the perineum, the area between the scrotum or vagina and the anus.

-Slangsite.com:

Very good. Sporting.
Example: “You got me a present? How scrum of you.”

-Urban Dictionary:

a group of penguins.

-Online Etymology Dictionary:

1888, abbreviation of scrummage, a variant form of scrimmage (q.v.).

Wordcount Ranking: 14571

Quote from This Day:

A Brief History from Q23:

[pn: Read the following in Will Ferrell’s GWB voice.]

[pn: Is a “massive pub-fight / scrum” better or worse than a “total bar-fight / scrum”?]

Bonus…A Mini-Clinic by Troy:

-Amanpour

You missed this definition.

Wednesday’s (June 13, 2007)

sputum

-noun, plural -ta

matter, as saliva mixed with mucus or pus, expectorated from the lungs and respiratory passages.

[Origin: 1685–95; < L spūtum, n. use of neut. of spūtus, ptp. of spuere to spit, equiv. to spū- var. s. + -tus ptp. suffix]

-American Heritage Dictionary:

Matter coughed up and usually ejected from the mouth, including saliva, foreign material, and substances such as mucus or phelgm, from the respiratory tract.

-Wordnet:

expectorated matter; saliva mixed with discharges from the respiratory passages; in ancient and medieval physiology it was believed to cause slugglishness.

-Wikipedia.org:

Sputum is matter that is coughed up from the respiratory tract, such as mucus or phelgm, mixed with saliva and then expectorated from the mouth [pn: I believe this is also how mojitos are made.]. It can also contain pus, blood, fibrin, bacterial products or other foreign matter.

A sputum sample is the name given to the mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways. It is usually used for microbiological investigations of respiratory infections.

The best sputum samples contain very little saliva, as this contaminates the sample with oral bacteria.

When a sputum specimen is plated out, it is best to get the portion of the sample that most looks like pus onto the swab. If there is any blood in the sputum, this should also be on the swab.

Wordcount Ranking: 35148

Quote from This Day:

A Little Q23 History:

And, What the Heck…One from The Outside:

-Amanpour

Monday’s (June 18, 2007)

Manichaean

-dictionary.com:

-noun

  1. Also Manichee. an adherent of the dualistic religious system of Manes, a combination of Gnostic Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and various other elements, with a basic doctrine of a conflict between light and dark, matter being regarded as dark and evil.

  2. of or related to the Manicheans or their doctrines.

Also, Manichean.

-Related forms
Manicheanism, Manicheism, noun

-American Heritage Dictionary:

n. A believer in Manichaeism.

adj. Of or related to Manichaeism; dualistic.

-Wikipedia.org:

[b]Manichaeism (in Modern Persian آیین مانی Āyin e Māni; Chinese: 摩尼教) was one of the major dualistic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia.

The most striking principle of Manichaean theology is its dualism. Mani postulated two natures that existed from the beginning: light and darkness. The realm of light lived in peace, while the realm of darkness lived in constant conflict with itself. The universe is the temporary result of an attack of the realm of darkness on the realm of light, and was created by the Living Spirit, an emanation of the light realm, out of the mixture of light and darkness.

A key belief in Manichaeaism is that there is no omnipotent good power. This claim addresses a theoretical part of the problem of evil by denying the infinite perfection of God and postulating the two equal and opposite powers mentioned previously. The human person is seen as a battleground for these powers: the good part is the soul (which is composed of light) and the bad part is the body (composed of dark earth). The soul defines the person and is incorruptible, but it is under the domination of a foreign power, which addressed the practical part of The Problem of Evil. Humans are said to be able to be saved from this power (matter) if they come to know who they are and identify themselves with their soul.

-Wordcount Ranking:

>71815 (Manichaean)
>78063 (Manichean)

Quote from This Day:

A Brief Q23 History (Both Spellings):

[pn: This Lizard_King quote is from a different thread than the Unicorn McGriddle Quote from This Day. The latter appearing almost exactly one year after the former (a day short of a year after, to be precise). Little things like this, I love.]

[pn: I love that the word manichean appears in the same post as the word Hollywod.]

And in Response from the Same Thread:

-Amanpour

Amin Maalouf’s The Gardens of Light, a novelisation of Mani’s life, is highly recommended.

Tuesday’s (June 19, 2007)

faff

-Allwords.com:

[i]verb, intr.

faffed, faffing[/i]

  1. colloq
    to act in a fussy, uncertain way, not achieving much, to dither. Form: faff about (also)

-UsingEnglish.com:

Phrasal Verb: faff about

Behave indecisively.

He told her to stop faffing about and make up her mind..

-SlangSite.com:

To put something off for an extensive amount of time until it has been forgotten, hence it is no longer important.

-A Dictionary of Slang (peevish.co.uk):

Verb. To fuss. E.g. “If you stop faffing and let me finish doing this job, then we can go out to the cinema sooner, rather than later.”

Noun. A fuss, bother. E.g. “It’s such a faff having to go through the process of interviews when you are the only candidate worthy of the job.”

faffer

Noun. A person who fusses or dithers.

[pn: Also what they called Sam Gamgee’s father when he got his first low-level job in the adult film industry.]

-MSN Encarta:

faff about

Synonyms: waver, hesitate, vacillate, shilly-shally, mess about, faff around

No Wordcount Ranking:

Quote from This Day:

Q23 History Starring Faffable Rob:

-Amanpour

Conspicuously similar to fapping

torrid

-dictionary.com

adjective

  1. subject to parching or burning heat, esp. of the sun, as a geographical area: the torrid sands of the Sahara

  2. oppressively hot, parching, or burning, as climate, weather, or air.

  3. ardent; passionate: a torrid love story

ORIGIN: 1580-90; < L torridus dried up, parched, equiv. to torr(ēre) to parch, burn (see TORRENT, THIRST) + idus

Related Forms:
torridity, torridness, noun
torridly, adverb

Synonyms:

  1. tropical. 2. scorching, fiery

Antonyms

  1. arctic. 2. frigid. 3. cool.

-Wordnet.princeton.edu

adjective

[ul]
[li]ardent, fervent, fervid, fiery, impassioned, perfervid, torrid (characterized by intense emotion) “ardent love”; “an ardent lover”; “a fervent desire to change society”; “a fervent admirer”; “fiery oratory”; “an impassioned appeal”; “a torrid love affair”
[/li][li]torrid (emotionally charged and vigorously energetic) “a torrid dance”; “torrid jazz bands”; “hot trumpets and torrid rhythms”
[/li][li]torrid (extremely hot) “the torrid noonday sun”; “sultry sands of the dessert”
[/li][/ul]

-Urban Dictionary

  1. Description of HELL

Overwhelmingly hot and/or humid

  1. An awesome clothing store made by the same people that made Hot Topic. It has all types of clothing, in sizes Large-4XL. A very nice alternative for women with a little extra bagage [sic].

[pn: Seriously, why does the Urban Dictionary get to use the word ‘dictionary’? (sub pn: actually I went ahead and looked up the word ‘dictionary’ in the dictionary…illuminating.)]

-Google Dictionary

  1. Torrid weather is extremely hot and dry.
    [indent]-the torrid heat of a Spanish summer.[/indent]

  2. A torrid relationship or incident involves very strong emotions connected with love and sex. Synonym: passionate
    [indent]-She began a torrid love affair with a theatrical designer.[/indent]
    [indent]-…torrid bedroom scenes.[/indent]

  3. If someone or something has a torrid time, they experience a lot of difficulties.
    [indent]-Seles, the victim of a death threat earlier this week, has had a torrid time during the Championships.[/indent]
    [indent]-The minister suffered yet another torrid day of criticism.[/indent]

-1828

  1. Parched; dried with heat; as a torrid plain or desert.

  2. Violently hot; burning or parching; as a torrid heat.

Torrid zone, in geography, that space or broad belt of the earth included between the tropics, over which the sun is vertical at some period every year, and where the heat is always great.

-Online Etymology Dictionary:

1586, in torrid zone “region of Earth between the tropics,” from L. torrida zona, from fem. of torridus “dried with heat, scorching hot,” from torrere “to parch,” from PIE base *ters “to dry” (see terrain). Sense of “very hot” is first attested in 1611.

-Wordcount Ranking: 40907

Quote from This Day:

-xtien

This thread is the shit, and I have somehow not contrived to come across it in years of lurking (and latterly posting). The finagle entry had me giggling away like a right loser. More!

Yay!

two years? I can’t believe it’s been that long. Nice surprise for the morning.

I’m about “this” close to posting the definition of munging, but I do not wish to get banned. :P Also, felch.

Oh happy day!

Welcome back Xtien Murawski’s Word of the Day.

Troy