ontin n.— «But he also likes to come up with new words to describe cultural patterns, acknowledging that at breakfast he invented a new word—ontin, meaning the ostensible usage of something—which he has already used a few times to much...
opera cape n.— «He is genitally intact, a cavalier rather than a roundhead. His johnson wears an opera cape, as they say in US gay circles.» —“Cutting comments: the foreskin debate” by Simon Mills Times (London...
pants role n.— «In opera parlance, the term is “pants role,” meaning male characters performed by female singers. Mozart wrote one for “The Marriage of Figaro,” Strauss for “Der Rosenkavalier.” As Berkeley singer Leslie Hassberg notes...
opera hot n.— «He’s also peppered the 2006-’07 season with big names such as Anna Netrebko and Juan Diego Flórez (whom geeks refer to as “opera hot,” or extremely attractive in comparison to the archetypical Wagnerian fat lady with...
coup de glotte n.— «Actually, Mr. Johnson explained, the trick at the heart of ventriloquism isn’t “throwing” the voice but “treating” it. Thanks to a throat-muscle manipulation that opera singers call a coup de glotte, the amplitude of...
park and bark v. phr.— «They understand that they just can’t stand there and expect people to be turned on by their great voice. They really have to act the role.…I think there’s a lot more expected than the “park and...