weeper n.—Gloss: Related to the meaning of weeper ‘a hole or pipe in a wall to allow water to run off.’ «Six inches of rain between Friday night and Sunday afternoon proved too much for track crews. Crews fought a day-long...
neepery n.— Note: Related to the entry for neep-neep in the Jargon File. «Oops. “Neepery” is techno-slang. It refers to the use of excessive jargon. (The jargon itself is “neep” or sometimes referred to as...
“I literally exploded with rage!” Using the word literally in this way grates on many a stickler’s ear. Moreover, if it’s okay to use the word “literally” figuratively, then what do you say when you actually do...
cliff effect n.— Note: Related to digital cliff. «Over-the-air digital television is an all-or-nothing proposition, Lewin said, meaning a television will either show a picture as clear as cable, or no picture at all. It’s commonly called...
depressionary adj.—Gloss: Related to a depression or a recession that looks like it could become a depression. «The destruction of consumer spending forces all economic actors to lower down their prices. So it clearly has a...
For a closer look at the language of the twitterati, check out Erin McKean’s recent piece in the Boston Globe. Glossaries of Twitter-related terms can be found at Twittonary, and Twictionary. We didn’t say all the coinages were clever...