wordbirds

A lexicon for the 21st century.
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DEMONSTAYTION  (N.) dem-mun-‘stay-shun  A political protest that gathers strength when its participants remain on a given site over a prolonged period of time–whether or not they make specific demands. Usage:  During the “Arab Spring” in 2011, anti-Mubarak protestors in Cairo thronged Tahrir Square for weeks, refusing to leave the square. Their demonstaytion resulted in Mubarak’s ouster. Half a year later, in another hemisphere, Occupy Wall Street protestors staged similar demonstaytions in New York and other American cities, but made no explicit demands. Text © Liesl Schillinger 10/31/2011 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 10/31/2011

DEMONSTAYTION  (N.) dem-mun-‘stay-shun  A political protest that gathers strength when its participants remain on a given site over a prolonged period of time–whether or not they make specific demands. Usage:  During the “Arab Spring” in 2011, anti-Mubarak protestors in Cairo thronged Tahrir Square for weeks, refusing to leave the square. Their demonstaytion resulted in Mubarak’s ouster. Half a year later, in another hemisphere, Occupy Wall Street protestors staged similar demonstaytions in New York and other American cities, but made no explicit demands.

Text © Liesl Schillinger 10/31/2011 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 10/31/2011

FERTILITOTS (N. pl.) fur-‘til-lih-tots Babies—often twins and triplets—conceived in fertility labs through the advances of medical science. Usage: Blithe and Jared married at 36, got IVF after they had trouble producing a baby, and at 42, at last became the proud parents of fertilots—twins, a daughter and a son. Their Park Slope neighbors, Andy and Cara, did the same thing…and had triplets. Text © Liesl Schillinger 5/25/2009 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 10/24/2011

FERTILITOTS (N. pl.) fur-‘til-lih-tots Babies—often twins and triplets—conceived in fertility labs through the advances of medical science. Usage: Blithe and Jared married at 36, got IVF after they had trouble producing a baby, and at 42, at last became the proud parents of fertilots—twins, a daughter and a son. Their Park Slope neighbors, Andy and Cara, did the same thing…and had triplets.

Text © Liesl Schillinger 5/25/2009 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 10/24/2011

FACEBOOK-HAPPY (Phrase) ‘fayss-book-‘hap-pee  Describing one who attempts to convey exaggerated joie de vivre through artificially upbeat Facebook posts. Like “Broadway hot,” it’s an adverbial phrase that qualifies (by diminishing) the adjective in question. Usage: Ben was despondent when his ex posted ecstatic photos of herself on Facebook, looking jubilant, with a new guy beside her. But his friend Kate reassured him, “She’s probably just Facebook-happy. Everyone puts upbeat stuff on their Facebook wall, even if they’re miserable. I bet the guy in the photo is the waiter at her table at Chili’s.” Ben smiled.  —§ An egret’s plume to Anita for the concept. Text ©Liesl Schillinger, Sept. 20, 2010 Image © Elizabeth Zechel, Oct. 17, 2011

FACEBOOK-HAPPY (Phrase) ‘fayss-book-‘hap-pee  Describing one who attempts to convey exaggerated joie de vivre through artificially upbeat Facebook posts. Like “Broadway hot,” it’s an adverbial phrase that qualifies (by diminishing) the adjective in question. Usage: Ben was despondent when his ex posted ecstatic photos of herself on Facebook, looking jubilant, with a new guy beside her. But his friend Kate reassured him, “She’s probably just Facebook-happy. Everyone puts upbeat stuff on their Facebook wall, even if they’re miserable. I bet the guy in the photo is the waiter at her table at Chili’s.” Ben smiled. 

—§ An egret’s plume to Anita for the concept.

Text ©Liesl Schillinger, Sept. 20, 2010 Image © Elizabeth Zechel, Oct. 17, 2011
KITTONITE (N.) ‘kit-tun-nyt  The sapping, debilitating, life-destroying force that kittens and cats can exert on a relationship when one of the partners dislikes, resents and shuns all creatures of the feline persuasion. Usage: Rob and Neil went out for a few months, but only a couple of weeks after Neil adopted an adorable Burmese kitten, Rob vanished, never to reappear.  Neil hadn’t anticipated that furry young Titus would be kittonite to the relationship, but he rationalized that Rob was kind of a jerk, anyway. Text © Liesl Schillinger 12/12/2009 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 10/10/2011

KITTONITE (N.) ‘kit-tun-nyt  The sapping, debilitating, life-destroying force that kittens and cats can exert on a relationship when one of the partners dislikes, resents and shuns all creatures of the feline persuasion. Usage: Rob and Neil went out for a few months, but only a couple of weeks after Neil adopted an adorable Burmese kitten, Rob vanished, never to reappear.  Neil hadn’t anticipated that furry young Titus would be kittonite to the relationship, but he rationalized that Rob was kind of a jerk, anyway.

Text © Liesl Schillinger 12/12/2009 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 10/10/2011

HUMOMMIATED Adj. hyu-‘mom-me-ay-tud  Describing the intense feeling of embarrassment a child suffers when his mother does something like sing, dance, kiss him in public, or lick a kleenex to clean his face. Also, humommiation (n.) Usage: Jacob was humommiated when his mother performed a folk dance, in costume, for his class. How could he ever show his face in the 3rd grade again? §-An egret’s plume to Honor for the inspiration. Text © Liesl Schillinger 2/12/2010 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 11/28/2011

HUMOMMIATED Adj. hyu-‘mom-me-ay-tud  Describing the intense feeling of embarrassment a child suffers when his mother does something like sing, dance, kiss him in public, or lick a kleenex to clean his face. Also, humommiation (n.) Usage: Jacob was humommiated when his mother performed a folk dance, in costume, for his class. How could he ever show his face in the 3rd grade again?

§-An egret’s plume to Honor for the inspiration.

Text © Liesl Schillinger 2/12/2010 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 11/28/2011

CONSERVASCHISM (N.) kun-‘sur-va-‘skiz-um  Dramatic divide among American conservatives, emerging in the wake of the 2008 Obama election and the 2010 mid-term elections, in which “Tea Party Republicans” with far-right views (pro-gun, pro-death penalty, anti-entitlement, anti-tax, anti-gay, anti-Choice)—gained political influence, reducing the polling power of moderate Republicans. Usage: Because of the conservaschism, the moderate Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had to court extremist “anti-big-government” Tea Party voters by pretending to oppose health care reforms that resembled those he himself instituted as Massachusetts governor. —§An egret’s plume to Christine Bell for the word. Text © Liesl Schillinger 9/26/2011 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 9/26/2011

CONSERVASCHISM (N.) kun-‘sur-va-‘skiz-um  Dramatic divide among American conservatives, emerging in the wake of the 2008 Obama election and the 2010 mid-term elections, in which “Tea Party Republicans” with far-right views (pro-gun, pro-death penalty, anti-entitlement, anti-tax, anti-gay, anti-Choice)—gained political influence, reducing the polling power of moderate Republicans. Usage: Because of the conservaschism, the moderate Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had to court extremist “anti-big-government” Tea Party voters by pretending to oppose health care reforms that resembled those he himself instituted as Massachusetts governor.

—§An egret’s plume to Christine Bell for the word.

Text © Liesl Schillinger 9/26/2011 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 9/26/2011

WORDPECKER (N.) ‘wurd-pek-ker  Someone who types so loudly, emphatically, speedily and resoundingly that nobody sitting nearby can hold a thought. Usage: Christine went to the library to research a paper, but the relentless rat-a-tat-tapping from the wordpeckers typing at laptops around her destroyed her focus, so she went back to her dorm. –§ An egret’s plume to Blakely for the word. Text © Liesl Schillinger 5/16/2009 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 9/19/2011

WORDPECKER (N.) ‘wurd-pek-ker  Someone who types so loudly, emphatically, speedily and resoundingly that nobody sitting nearby can hold a thought. Usage: Christine went to the library to research a paper, but the relentless rat-a-tat-tapping from the wordpeckers typing at laptops around her destroyed her focus, so she went back to her dorm.

–§ An egret’s plume to Blakely for the word.

Text © Liesl Schillinger 5/16/2009 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 9/19/2011

SUROTRASH (N.) ‘sur-ro-trash    Flashy, flirtatious, ultra-social people from regions south (“sur,” in Spanish) of the United States—the Latin American variant of the Continental species known teasingly as “Eurotrash.” Also may be used as (Adj.). Usage: By day, Conor was an uptight investment banker, but at the weekend he liked to let loose at Surotrash dance clubs where Spanish pop played, women dressed provocatively, men wore cologne and unbuttoned shirts, and everyone danced close.  (Plush-Crested Jay) Text © Liesl Schillinger 9/12/2011 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 9/12/2011

SUROTRASH (N.) ‘sur-ro-trash    Flashy, flirtatious, ultra-social people from regions south (“sur,” in Spanish) of the United States—the Latin American variant of the Continental species known teasingly as “Eurotrash.” Also may be used as (Adj.). Usage: By day, Conor was an uptight investment banker, but at the weekend he liked to let loose at Surotrash dance clubs where Spanish pop played, women dressed provocatively, men wore cologne and unbuttoned shirts, and everyone danced close.  (Plush-Crested Jay)

Text © Liesl Schillinger 9/12/2011 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 9/12/2011

PLACEBEAU (N.) pla-‘see-‘boh  A man who repeatedly asks someone out—seemingly with romantic intentions—but never makes a pass. Usage: Natasha was over the moon when Luke asked her out. He was handsome, kind, funny and smart, and seemed like a ‘catch.’ But when he didn’t make a move after a dozen ‘dates’, she asked mutual friends for advice, who told her Luke was a well-known placebeau, who continually led women on, consciously or unconsciously. They’d hoped she was the exception, they added. Text © Liesl Schillinger 7/31/2009 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 9/5/2011

PLACEBEAU (N.) pla-‘see-‘boh  A man who repeatedly asks someone out—seemingly with romantic intentions—but never makes a pass. Usage: Natasha was over the moon when Luke asked her out. He was handsome, kind, funny and smart, and seemed like a ‘catch.’ But when he didn’t make a move after a dozen ‘dates’, she asked mutual friends for advice, who told her Luke was a well-known placebeau, who continually led women on, consciously or unconsciously. They’d hoped she was the exception, they added.

Text © Liesl Schillinger 7/31/2009 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 9/5/2011

TYRANNITOT  (N.) ty-‘ran-nit-tot   Child who is permitted (or encouraged) to dominate adult social gathering(s) and satisfy its will in all particulars. Usage: The food at the Kasimirs’ dinner party was delectable, but the guests had a wretched time, as the Kasimirs’ little children roved freely throughout, flinging crudités, climbing on the dining table and walking barefoot amid the plates. Only when the tyrannitots toddled off to watch a video at 11 could any guest complete a sentence. Text © Liesl Schillinger 1/2/2011 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 8/31/2011

TYRANNITOT  (N.) ty-‘ran-nit-tot   Child who is permitted (or encouraged) to dominate adult social gathering(s) and satisfy its will in all particulars. Usage: The food at the Kasimirs’ dinner party was delectable, but the guests had a wretched time, as the Kasimirs’ little children roved freely throughout, flinging crudités, climbing on the dining table and walking barefoot amid the plates. Only when the tyrannitots toddled off to watch a video at 11 could any guest complete a sentence.

Text © Liesl Schillinger 1/2/2011 Image ©Elizabeth Zechel, 8/31/2011