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SPHENISCIPHILE [sfen-ISS-ee-file] - lover or ardent defender of penguins [Derived from the penguin's zoological order, Sphenisciformes + phile (lover)] Curiously, a sphenisciphile is also deemed to be an admirer of nuns.
IF-BY-WHISKY SPEECH - political address where the speaker's position is contingent upon the listener's opinion; a relativist fallcy [Based on a 1952 speech by Noah 'Soggy' Sweat Jr, a Mississippi lawyer who demonised and canonised liquor, dependent on the audience's views] "If by whiskey," orated Soggy in this recreated video, "you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge..."
MENEHUNE [menn-uh-HEWN] - a mythical dwarf race who lives in the hinterland valleys of Hawaii [From Hawaiian] Stonemasons of the highest quality, the menehune are shy, secretive and adore bananas.
VOLDEMORTING - choosing alternative words or code-names to denote a certain celeb or site, in order to subvert their status or avoid data-mining. [After JK Rowling's evil wizard, 'he who shall not be named'] Birdsite (Twitter) and the Human Cheezel (Trump) are both examples of Voldemorting.
APOTROPAIC [app-oh-TROH-pay-ick] - perceived as having the power to ward off evil influences or bad luck. [From Greek apotropaios ‘averting evil’, from apotrepein ‘turn away or from’ + -ic.] Jennifer Egan in Manhattan Beach describes wedding rings (on conference weekends) as apotropaic.
RÜCKENFIGUR [ROO-ken-fig-uh] - compositional device in painting, graphic art and film where a person is seen from behind in the foreground of the image, contemplating the view before them. [German - back-figure] The rückenfigur can highlight the beyond as well as deepen the depicted viewer's own mystery.
ANEMOTROPISM [aah-NEE-moh-trop-iz-uhm] - change in the growth or shape of an organism due to the wind's influence. [From Greek anemo - wind, plus tropism, a variant of tropos, or turn.] Anemotropism is in ample evidence along the ridges of gust-prone peaks.
TUSSENVOEGSEL [tuhs-en-FERG-zel] - the intermediary name in Dutch that lies between a person's first name and surname, such as the von in Vincent Van Gogh, or the van in Martin van Buren. [From Dutch, literally, between-grout.] Often the tussenvoegsel enters sharp focus in English when debate surrounds capitalisation.
XEROSTOMIA [zeer-oh-STO-mee-ah] - excessive dryness of the mouth [From Greek - xero (dry) + new Latin - stomia (of the mouth)] Poor salivary function, due to ageing, disease or hangovers, will result in xerostomia.
PARABLEPSIS [par-ah-BLEP-sis] - sample of a ill-copied piece of transcript, where the scribe has misread the original text, skipping a word or line. [From Greek - paraleipsis, to look askance at, literally beside-sight.] While recording this definition from a lexical source, I took pains to avoid a parablepsis.
JENNY HANIVER [jair-NEE HAN-uh-vuh] - any mummified stingray or skate that's been manipulated to mimic a demon or dragon. [Possibly a corruption of 'jeune d'Anvers' - or 'youth of Antwerp' - by Cockney sailors during the 1500s.] The macabre Jenny Haniver is part of the broader scrimshaw tradition.
BARATHRUM [BAH-ah-THRUM] - abyss; hell; glutton - one with a bottomless stomach. [From Latin barathrum, from Greek barathron; akin to Greek bibroskein to devour] Any winner of a hotdog-scoffing marathon is a card-carrying barathrum.
AGELAST [adj-AR-luhst] - one who doesn't laugh; serious or overearnest soul. [From Greek agélastos - “not laughing, grave, gloomy"] Going by the arid prose of Hegel, the German philosopher was liable to be an agelast.
ENANTIODROMIA [ee-NANT-ee-oh-DROMA-ee-uh] - the tendency for things to become their opposites; the concept that an abundance of any force can cause an opposite reaction. [From Greek, literally ‘running in opposite ways’.] Carl Jung coined enantiodromia, identifying how one mental state is as likely to suggest or manifest the other.
ZAIBATSU [tsai-BAT-soo] - any large Japanese business conglomerate [Japanese zai ‘wealth’ + batsu ‘clique’] The traditional zaibatsu existed prior to WW2, with colossal wealth owned by familial monopolies.
CULF [rhymes with 'gulf'] - loose feathers that fill a cushion of mattress. [Cornish dialect, etymology unknown.] Slapstick movies depends on custard pies, banana skins and culf-packed pillows.
AUSTRINGER [oss-TRIN-jah] - keeper of hawks; a falconer who uses hawks and other raptors for hunting; also ASTRINGER [From late Middle English, ostringer, derivative of Middle French ostour, hawk.] It will be hard to resist TREASURING when devising a clue for AUSTRINGER.
WHOOP-DE-DO - [woop-dee-DOOH] a hump of earth, usually one in a series forming an obstacle on a BMX track; similar obstacle in an off-road car race. [Onomatopoeia of a kind, based on rider's reaction.] No life is spared a few chicanes and hazards, and the occasional whoop-de-do.
MUMBLETY-PEG - [also MUMBL(E)Y-PEG] - early US game in which players take turns to toss a knife or pointed stick from a series of positions, continuing until it fails to stick in the ground. [From the phrase 'mumble the peg' as the losing player was once required to pull a peg from the earth with their teeth.] To see the cowboy caper of mumblety-peg clarified, go here.
SPRINGERLE [SHPRING-uh-lah] - anise-flavoured Christmas biscuit of Germany, boasting an embossed design made with a special rolling pin. [From German dialect, Springerle, literally ‘little jumping horses’.] This December, add a tray of springerle/s to your Yuletide buffet.
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