Monday, March 28, 2016

Trephiner

Trephiner

A near-extinct term for a surgeon who performed trephination as practiced in the Middle Ages, in which holes were bored in the skull and other body sites to allow “evil humours” a place of egress.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

VAXen

VAXen
 
Plural form of VAX (a computer system of the 1970s). Humorous modern use of -en from Middle English.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

quinzhee

A quinzhee or quinzee /ˈkwɪnz/ is a shelter made by hollowing out a pile of settled snow. This is in contrast to an igloo, which is made from blocks of hard snow. The word is of Athabaskan origin, and entered the English language by 1984.

Friday, March 25, 2016

sump

A sump (American English and some parts of Canada: oil pan) is a low space that collects any often-undesirable liquids such as water or chemicals. A sump can also be an infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers.[1] Sump can also refer to an area in a cave where an underground flow of water exits the cave into the earth.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Soteriology

Soteriology (/səˌtɪəriˈɒləi/; Greek: σωτηρία sōtēria "salvation" from σωτήρ sōtēr "savior, preserver" and λόγος logos "study" or "word"[1]) is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religions.
In the academic field of religious studies, soteriology is understood by scholars as representing a key theme in a number of different religions and is often studied in a comparative context; that is, comparing various ideas about what salvation is and how it is obtained.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

plenipotentiary

The word plenipotentiary (from the Latin, plenus + potens, full + power) has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent a government as a prerogative (e.g., ambassador). As an adjective, plenipotentiary refers to something—an edict, assignment, etc.—that confers "full powers."

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Sunday, March 20, 2016

throw shapes

throw shapes
  1. (Ireland, idiomatic, slang) To act tough or put up a front. For example, to threaten a person by making "karate chops" at them, without actually doing harm or knowing karate.
  2. (Ireland, idiomatic, slang) To dance.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Monday, March 14, 2016

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Thursday, March 3, 2016

send to Coventry

send to Coventry
  1. (transitive, idiomatic) To ostracize, or systematically ignore someone.
    The group decided to send the unpopular members to Coventry.
     
     Some believe that the phrase dates from the English Civil War, when a military prison was located in that city. Others say it dates from the 18th century, when Coventry was the nearest town to London that lay outside the jurisdiction of the Bow Street Runners and so London criminals would flee to Coventry to escape arrest.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

know shit from Shinola

know shit from Shinola
(US) To have the most basic level of intelligence or common sense. A colloquialism which dates back to the early 1940s in the United States, sometimes ended with "that's why your shoes don't shine". [1] Shinola was a popular brand of shoe polish, which had a color and texture not unlike feces.

lordosis

  Lordosis is historically defined as an abnormal inward curvature of the lumbar spine.