WoW: Misclick
MISCLICK - press a mouse button accidentally, such that a program function is activated or altered [Mis- wrongly, plus click] Oxford Dictionaries has just listed 'misclick' in their new 2024 intake.
WoW: Kniphofia
KNIPHOFIA - flamboyant plant native to Africa with bright red, upright flowers; red-hot poker; flamethrower [Named after German botanist (and GP), Johann Hieronymus Kniphof] The colour range of kniphofia flowers run from red to yellow to orange, plus possible bi-colouring.
WoW: Gogoplata
GOGOPLATA - choke hold used in judo or Brazilian ju-jitsu, using the shin bone to lever against your opponent's throat. [Debated origins, the word popularised by martial arts cinema, possibly linked to 'gogo' in Portuguese - the Adam's apple area] The gogoplata falls under the category of 'submission grappling'.
WoW: Anoesis
ANOESIS - the brain's reception of impressions, or sensations, without any intellectual understanding [From Greek "lack of intelligence", linked to anoetos - inconceivable] Techno music's film clips - full of abstract patterning - may invoke anoesis.
WoW: Dooligah
DOOLIGAH [or DOOLIGARL] - yowie-like creature of Aboriginal folklore, said to camp without a fire, and abduct children [Kattang language of Taree area] "Beware the [Dooligah] my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch."
WoW: Droste Effect
DROSTE EFFECT [DROSS-tuh] - the mind-numbing impact of a picture that appears within itself ad infinitum [Named after Gerardus Droste, Dutch founder of the cocoa company - in 1863 - whose packet featured a nurse eternally iterated] Observers can fall into a mesmeric trance, lost in the Droste effect.
WoW: Eshay
ESHAY - teen - or young adult - wearing prominent in-brands and presenting as aggro troublemaker [Australia slang, like a pig Latin encoding of sesh - a drug session] Writers on Heartbreak High have helped to popularised eshay, both here and offshore.
WoW: Torino Scale
TORINO SCALE - scoring system used to rate the power and likelihood of an asteroid striking Earth [Coined the Professor Richard Binzel - of MIT - during the UN's 1995 conference in Turin, or Torino to locals] Coded by colour, the Torino scale has yellow - meriting attention - and red: certain collision.
WoW: Hanami
HANAMI - Japanese custom of relishing the beauty of flowers [Literally flower-viewing] Tokyo's cherry blossom season, as much as a parlour's ikebana, promote the joy of hanami.
WoW: Fouette
FOUETTE - ballet step where the dancer stands on one foot, while lashing out with the other [Via French fouetter - to whip - from fouet, a whip] A pirouette is a picnic compared to the strength a fouette demands.
WoW: Mihrab
MIHRAB - a mosque's portal - or aligned prayer mat - denoting the 'qibla' , or direction of Mecca [Disputed origins, ranging from Ethiopic, to dedicate, or Hebrew, kerub - angel] Mosque alignment - as marked by the mihrab - shows a steadfast awareness of Mecca's location.
WoW: Illaqueate
ILLAQUEATE - to entrap, or entangle [From Latin illequeare, with prefix il- (in) + laqueare (to ensnare), from laqueus (noose)] An insurance policy's small print tends to illaqueate the unwary.
WoW: Chope
CHOPE [show-PAY] - to reserve a table or cafe nook by depositing a personal item upon the surface [Singapore slang via the 'chup' cry in Malay gameplay, requesting a halt or the retraction of a point, possibly from Hindi - cup: silence!] Incidental items, such as a book or even tissue can be used to chope a niche.
WoW: Sfumato
SFUMATO - painting technique that blurs the lines or colour shifts, replicating our own perception of the world [Via Italian, sfumare to shade off, deriving from Latin, fumare: to smoke] From Da Vinci's faces to Turner's clouds, artists have been relying on the subtlety of sfumato.
WoW: Mondo
MONDO - (in Zen Buddhism) a question directed to a student where an immediate response is needed, the spontaneity often illuminating for both master and learner. [From Japan mondō, equivalent to Mandarin, wèn inquire + dá reply] Mondo is the Zen equivalent to word association.
WoW: Digital Removalist
DIGITAL REMOVALIST - person hired to cull any content from a person’s social media posts that may harm their reputation [Neologism] Job applicants would be wise to seek the services of a digital removalist.
WoW: Verecund
VERECUND – modest; bashful; extremely shy [From Latin verēcundus diffident, from verērī to fear] The hospital interne was verecund to a point of introvert.
WoW: Taonga
TAONGA - cultural treasure, either tangible or intagible [From te reo Maori, translating as treasure] Taonga may apply to anything a people prize, be that ideas, resources, crafts or sacred objects.
WoW: Kwashiorkor
KWASHIORKOR [kwash-ee-OR-kah] - acute malnutrition of infants and young children, especially soon after weaning [From a native Ghana word] A life-or-death matter, kwashiorkor arises from a dietary deficiency of protein.
WoW: Schleifer
SCHLEIFER [SHLY-fur] - ten-pin bowling strike where every pin seems to fall down singly in a sequence [Sporting slang from German, literally 'grinder' or 'cutter'] Nerve-racking to watch, a schliefer encapsulates domino theory in action.
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