Citation Queue
These are recently added citations for catchwords that have not yet been researched or incorporated into a full dictionary entry. There is also a date-sorted archive which includes all citations, whether used in a full entry or not, as well as the full entries themselves.
climigration n. “Climigration” refers to the forced and permanent migration of communities because of severe climate change effects on essential infrastructure. This differs from migration caused by catastrophic environmental events such as hurricanes and earthquakes. The concept of “climigration” implies that there is no possibility of these communities returning home, said Alaskan human rights lawyer Robin Bronen, who coined the term. (Apr. 27, 2009) [full citation…]
cash-back car n. For more than a decade, Kempton has researched, lobbied, and agitated for these “cash-back cars.” His and other in-depth studies describe a future where electric-car owners plug in at malls, hardware stores, or home garages and earn $1,000 to $2,500 annually for the power they pump back into the system. (Apr. 27, 2009) [full citation…]
V2G n. While a handful of such vehicle-to-grid (V2G) research projects have emerged from California to Texas to Colorado, Dr. Kempton’s project has driven the farthest. [...] His and other in-depth studies describe a future where electric-car owners plug in at malls, hardware stores, or home garages and earn $1,000 to $2,500 annually for the power they pump back into the system. (Apr. 27, 2009) [full citation…]
grot spot n. The cul-de-sac has been branded as one of five dilapidated grot spots in the city up for a vote by members of the public as the first to be tackled by offenders enrolled on the community payback scheme. (Apr. 27, 2009) [full citation…]
ragdoll physics n. There are a lot of details in games that slightly improve the overall-feel, but that doesn’t change the gameplay. Things like being able to look at your feet in FPS games adds to the impression players get but isn’t a tie-breaker when all comes down to it. A bit further up the ladder lurks details such as ragdoll physics, better lighting effects and to some extent other types of graphical improvements. We all like to watch the one we just killed fall down some stairs and end up in a fun position which we then screenshoot (new word), but it still isn’t up there. (Apr. 23, 2009) [full citation…]
patchwriting n. Ms. Blum also embraces various postmodern theories of plagiarism. Internet-savvy, intertextual ingénues don’t steal words; they engage in “patchwriting” and “pastiche,” constructing essays the way they create eclectic music playlists for their iPods. This practice, she argues, can be viewed as a form of homage or reverence as much as theft. (Apr. 23, 2009) [full citation…]
cat funds n.pl. A ticking countdown to hurricane season will color Washington this week, when state officials overseeing these so-called “cat funds” will meet with lawmakers drafting the legislation. The timing is critical for several of these states, whose public funds are running on empty. (Apr. 22, 2009) [full citation…]
yellow flash n. A Purdue University agronomist said that many farmers over the last several years have observed a mid-season yellowing of their soybeans, commonly called “yellow flash,” which is caused by a manganese deficiency. (Apr. 22, 2009) [full citation…]
gardania passport n. Kumar had used an oft repeated local term “gardania passport,” literally meaning taking somebody by the scruff of the neck and then throwing out. (Apr. 22, 2009) [full citation…]
synthetic short n. At a time when traders would normally have shorted the stock as part of the trade, they’re instead bypassing the rising cost of doing so by assembling what are called “synthetic shorts.” In case you’re not familiar with that term, synthetic shorts are a specialized type of options trade that involves buying puts and selling calls at the same strike prices to achieve the same risk/reward profile as an outright short in Citi stock. The advantage of a synthetic short is that you don’t have to go through the hassle of actually shorting the stock, or trying to borrow it in a hard-to-borrow market. (Apr. 22, 2009) [full citation…]