hooptedoodle  (hoop-tuh-doodle)

Noun:  Simply put, hooptedoodle is a literary term that refers to the type of overly wordy prose that gets in the way of propelling a story forward. It's filler, and could be edited out without taking anything important or relevant from the writing.

Origin: As far as I can tell, the term was coined and used several times by John Steinbeck in his 1954 novel Sweet Tuesday. If anyone knows anything different, please say so!

Writer Elmore Leonard was fond of the word as well, and often cited John Steinbeck's use of it when refering to it.

Quoting Elmore Leonard from his New York Times article from July 16, 2001:

"Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. What the writer is doing, he's writing, perpetrating hooptedoodle, perhaps taking another shot at the weather, or has gone into the character's head, and the reader either knows what the guy's thinking or doesn't care. I'll bet you don't skip dialogue."

"What Steinbeck did in Sweet Thursday was title his chapters as an indication, though obscure, of what they cover. 'Whom the Gods Love They Drive Nuts' is one, 'Lousy Wednesday' is another. The third chapter is titled "Hooptedoodle 1" and the 38th chapter 'Hooptedoodle 2' as warnings to the reader, as if Steinbeck is saying: 'Here's where you'll see me taking flights of fancy with my writing, and it won't get in the way of the story. Skip them if you want.'"

壁ドン (Kabe-don)

noun:  Kabe-don is a romantic situation popularized by shojo manga (Japanese comics aimed at teenaged girls) in which one person pins another person against the wall in a show of sexual dominance. "Kabe" means "wall" and "don" is the onomatopoeia for the thud sound of hitting a wall.



I first heard of the term in this video clip of all places!

charrette: [shuh-ret]

noun:

1. A collaborative session for a final intensive effort to work out problems to finish a project before a deadline. Pertains to arcitecture projects, urban planning, land use, interior design, etc.

etymology:  American, 1965-70.  From French meaning "cart."  From Old French, equivalent to "char" chariot or wagon.

trophallaxis: [trof-uh-lak-sis]

noun:

Trophallaxis is the the transfer of food, nutrients, and other secretions by mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-anus feedings within a community. This behavior can be found in colonies of insects such as bees, ants and termites, and it some species, is a form of communication as well as nutrition.  It is also the method by which gray wolves, vampire bats, and many species of birds feed their young.

etymology:  Coined in 1918 by entomologist William Morton Wheeler. Troph- + Greek állaxis "exchange"

insouciance: [in-soo-see-uh ns]

noun:   Casual lack of care or concern.  Indifference. Nonchalance.  The cheerful, guiltless feeling you have when nothing is concerning you.

Origin:  French; first known use 1790-1800


Related: adjective: insouciant

salubrious: [suh-loo-bree-uh s]

Adjective: Conducive to good health and well-being.  Healthful.  Good for ya.

"The salubrious mountain air did wonders for the tuberculosis patient."

Etymology: 1540-1550, Latin. salūbr meaning "promoting health," related to salūs meaning "health."

Two words again to make up for another week missed.  But I promise not to miss next week. ;-)

ebullition: [eb-uh-lish-uh n]

noun:

1.  A sudden outburst of passion or emotion.

2. The state of being ebullient.

3. The act or process of boiling or bubbling up.

4. A rushing forth of liquid (water, lava, and such) in an agitated state.

Origin: Latin, first known use 1525-1535


derecho:

Noun:

1. In meterology, a derecho is a widespread, long-lived wind storm.  Derechos are associated with bands of rapidly moving thunderstorms known as bow echoes or squall lines.  They can produce damage similar to that of a tornado, but the winds move in a straight-line path rather than rotating. (Courtesy of NOAA) If a swath of wind damage extends for more than 240 miles (400 kilometers) with wind gusts of at least 58 mph (93 km/h) along most of it's length, and several well-seperated gusts of at least 75 mph (121 km/h) or greater gusts, then the event may be classified as a derecho.

This image portrays a gust-front shelf cloud on the leading edge of a derecho-producing system.


Origin: Spanish meaning "straight."