WORDCRAFT DICTIONARY, S
Note:
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saber rattling a show or threat
of military power, esp. as used by a nation to impose its policies on
other countries [often used with the implication that the threat is mere bluff
and bluster]
sabkha a flat depression
that regularly floods and evaporates, leaving layers of clays and salts
sabot a wooden shoe (of
the sort associated with the Dutch), made from a piece of wood shaped and
hollowed out to fit the foot
sabotage destruction of
property to interfere with another's normal operations; more broadly,
deliberate subversion [akin to sabot]
saccade a brief, rapid
eye-movement from one position of rest to another, either voluntary (as in
reading) or involuntary (OED adds: sudden, violent check of a horse, by drawing
the reins suddenly; or, more generally, any jerk or jerky movement
whether horsy or not.
sacheverell (etymology)
a chamber-pot
sad sack eponym: an inept person; esp. an inept soldier
safe harbor law: a
legal provision that affords clear protection for specific conduct, where
standards might otherwise be unclear
sagacity the quality of being discerning,
sound in judgment, and farsighted; wisdom
sagittarian archer-like
sailplane see glider
salacious appealing to or sexual desire; also, lustful; bawdy
salariat the class or body of salaried
persons usually as distinguished from wage earners. [presumably a take-off on proletariat]
salchow figure-skating jump (contrast axel, lutz): skate backward on
left foot inside edge (thus
again curving left); jump and spin
saliant; salient heraldry:
leaping, springing. See rampant,
dormant, guardant for other heraldic terms.
Sally Lunn eponym: a slightly sweetened tea cake
salmagundi 1. a
miscellaneous collection or mixture 2. original sense: a dish of
chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, onions with oil and condiments
salmonella eponym: type of bacteria, often toxic
salubrious health-giving;
healthy
salutary causing an improvement; also,
favorable to health
salver a tray, usually
silver, for formal serving of food or drink
samaritan one ready and generous in
helping those in distress
sambo offspring of a black and a mulatto;
see mulatto
samizdat an underground press (computer
jargon any unofficial promulgation of textual material, esp. computer
documentation that is rare, obsolete, or never formally published)
samphire a certain plant, growing on rocks by the sea, whose leaves are
used in pickles
Samson eponym: a
man of great physical strength
sandhi a change of pronunciation of a morpheme, based upon
the one following. (E.g., in 'don't we' the t is pronounced, but in
'don't you' it shifts, becoming doan chew.)
sandhill
perch mythical fish that swims backwards through dry desert
streams, to protect its eyes from dust. compare goofusbird, goofang <wink>
sandwich eponym: two pieces of bread with a
filling between them. (verb: sandwich
between: to insert between two people or things)
sangfroid self-possession or
imperturbability, esp. under strain
sanguine 1. cheerfully confident 2. blood-red, or of a healthy
ruddy color: a sanguine complexion
sans culotte 1. a
lower-class Parisian republican in the French Revolution 2. an extreme
republican or revolutionary
sansei see issei
sapfu see snafu
sapid (chiefly N. Amer.)
1. flavorsome 2. pleasant or interesting
sapience wisdom; sagacity
saponaceous soapy; soaplike
sapphism eponym: female
homosexuality; lesbianism; adj. sapphic, sapphistical.
(from Sappho, lyric poetess of isle
of
sarcasm etymology: from Greek meaning "to tear off
flesh"
Sardanapalian eponym: luxuriously effeminate
sardonic toponym: disdainfully humorous; scornful and mocking
Sardoodledom eponym: clever but trivial or immoral
plays
Sassenach Scottish &
Irish; derogatory: an English person (adj. English
sastruga (plural sastrugi)
a long wavelike ridge of snow, formed by the wind, found on the polar plains
satrap a subordinate official;
implies one given to tyranny or of ostentatious display [also: a
provincial governor in ancient
saturnine 1. bitter or scornful; 2.
melancholy; sullen; showing a brooding ill humor
satyriasis excessive, desire in and behavior by a man (flip side of
nymphomania)
saucy lightly pert and exuberant; also, improperly
forward or bold
saudade (Portuguese) roughly,
"sorrowful longing"; can have the sense of homesickness, yearning for
someone, fond remembrance, melancholy and fond memories of gone-by days, lost
love, and a general feeling of unhappiness
saurian like a lizard
savoir faire a polished sureness in social
behavior
savvy practical knowledge of
something; being shrewd (adj: having savvy)
scacchic pertaining to the game of chess
scalawag a scamp, rascal, or rogue; an amusingly
mischievous child
scapegoat one made to bear the blame for
others (verb: to make someone a scapegoat)
scapegrace an incorrigible scamp; a rascal.
(Often with the semi-complimentary sense of a likeable rascal.)
scarab a large dung beetle,
sacred in ancient
scaramouche; scaramouch eponym: a cowardly buffoon
scenario an outline or model of an expected or supposed
sequence of events
schadenfreude a malicious satisfaction in the
misfortunes of others. [from
schist certain rocks easily split into
flat parallel layers
schlemiel a foolish simpleton, a hard-luck
victim type, a born loser
schlep slang: to carry with
difficulty; to lug
schlimazel a chronically unlucky person,
for whom nothing seems to turn out well; a born "loser". [rhymes with
"thin nozzle".]
Schlimmbesserung German: a so-called improvement that makes things
worse
schmaltz informal 1. maudlin
sentimentality. 2. liquid fat, especially chicken fat
schmendrick a Caspar Milquetoast; a kind of
schlemiel but weak and thin
schmo 1. a boob, a schlemiel; a
hapless, clumsy, unlucky jerk 2. an average nobody, a man-in the street;
"Joe Shmo" is a more colorful way to say "John Doe."
schnook a timid schlemiel, a meek patsy;
also: a Sad Sack, more to be pitied than despised
schoenobatist a tight-rope
walker
schooner a large beer glass, generally holding a pint or more
schroedinbug eponym: computer
programming (software): a bug that doesn't manifest until someone reading
code or using it in an unusual way notices that it never should have worked, at
which point the program promptly stops working for everybody until fixed.
Schuhplattler a lively Bavarian and
Austrian folk-dance, with slapping of the thighs and heels
sciamachy see skiamachy
sciolto loose
sciomancy divination by shadows [dictionary at mancy
lists 54 form of divination]
sciurine squirrel-like
sclera the white of the
eyeball
scofflaw coinage: a contemptuous violator of
laws, esp. of laws deemed silly or trivial
scolecology a treatise on worms
Scotch egg hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded, and then deep-fried
Scotch mist mist and drizzle (named after the common
weather in
Scotch woodcock scrambled eggs on toast, with anchovies
scotoma a blind spot in the field of
vision. (a medical term, but with potential figurative use; see here)
scrabble 1. to proceed by clawing with the hands and feet; to
scramble 2. to grope about frenetically with the hands 3. to grapple or struggle [among other meanings]
screwball whimsically eccentric
(noun: such a person) [from an oddly-behaving pitch in baseball]
scrip doctor's order for prescription
or for testing (heard regionally. Perhaps from scrip: 1. a written certificate, list, etc. 2. a
small scrap, esp. of paper with writing on it.)
scriptophily the collecting by
hobbyists of old stock certificates and bonds of defunct companies, that have
no intrinsic value other than their aesthetic appeal or relative rarity
scrofula a tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes, esp. of the neck.
Common in children; usually spread by unpasteurized milk from infected cows.
(from Latin scrofa "breeding
sow." )
Scrooge eponym: a mean-spirited
miserly person; a skinflint
scrophulariaceous pertaining to the figwort
family of plants: veronica, foxglove, snapdragon, etc.
scruff the back of a
persons or animals neck;
the nape
scrutineer one who examines
something closely and thoroughly. (Brit: one who takes or counts votes)
scud [verb] to move
fast in a straight line because or as if driven by the wind (noun, literary:
clouds or spray driven fast by the wind)
scuffle an unceremonious and disorganized struggle. verb: to
so fight at close quarters
scullion a household
servant of the lowest rank; hence, a person of the lowest order
scurf dandruff (or other
skin-flakes formed as fresh skin develops below)
scut a stubby erect tail, as on a
hare, rabbit, or deer
scutch to separate the
valuable fibers from the woody parts (of flax, for example), by beating
Scylla see Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla and Charybdis
eponym: between Scylla and Charybdis: in a position where
avoidance of one danger exposes one to another danger (from Homer's Odyssey)
scytale a cylinder for writing in cipher. One writes on strip of paper wrapped
around the scytale, then unwraps the strip; the writing is read by one having a
scytale of the same diameter
secular concerning a long
period of time, esp. long-term change
sedulous showing dedication
and diligence. (noun: sedulity)
see wood publishing: to see a book before the release date; premature
circulation
seel to stitch shut the eyes of a
falcon
seidel a beer mug
seif dune a sharp-crested sand dune with
curved edges, often several miles long
selbstgesprδche fόhren talking to oneself (lit. "to lead
self-conversations")
self-consequence self-importance; an exaggerated estimate
of one's own importance
sell-through percentage of wholesale purchases resold
to consumers
semelfactive of a
verb: expressing the sudden and single occurrence of an action, e.g. cough;
sneeze; glimpse; flash; tap
semese half-eaten
semidemiquaver
see quaver
semimonthly semimonthly and semiweekly mean twice
a month/week. For every two months/weeks', bimonthly and biweekly
should be used.
semiotics the study of signs and symbols
semiweekly see semimonthly
semordnilap a word that spells a different word when reversed; e.g.,
desserts <> stressed, or a similarly reversible phrase or sentence.
(Note: ' semordnilap' is 'palindromes' spelled backwards.)
sempiternal enduring forever; eternal
senectitude (also here) old age;
elderliness from the same root as senile and senior]
senescent growing old; aging; decaying
with the lapse of time
sennight seven days and nights (half a
fortnight)
sensei 'teacher' in Japanese; a term of
respect
sententious characterized by
maxims or pointed sayings but often in the bad sense of 'addicted to pompous
moralizing'
separatrix the / sign. (for
synonyms, see virgule)
sequoia eponym: a huge species of coniferous tree, that can reach
more than 300 feet tall
sιrac; serac a pinnacle
or sharp ridge of ice, among the crevasses of a glacier [Fr. sιrac,
a kind of white cheese]
serendipity the knack of
making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident. Also, such a discovery.
serge a woolen twill
serigraphy silk-screening: ink forced through silk
mesh, parts of which have been impermeably coated
serpentine like a serpent
servile meanly submissive; slavish; cringing; fawning
sesamoid the small bones that develop in the capsule of a joint
[cognate to "sesame seed"]
sesquipedalian adj. 1. very long (of a word) 2.
using very long words. noun: a very long word [literally, a foot and a
half]
se-tenant group of stamps differing in color or design, but printed
next to each other on the same sheet
sexile to banish ones roommate from
the dorm room, so that one have privacy there for sex with one's partner
shabti (or ushabti)
a figurine
placed in an ancient Egyptian tomb to be a substitute for the deceased in any
work he might be called upon to do in the afterlife
shagreen an Eastern
untanned leather with many small round protuberances, especially dyed green (also,
shark-skin)
shallowpated shallow-brained
shallow-water
wave a wave whose depth is a very small, in
comparison to its wavelength
shambles (interesting etymology; see
Archives)
shambolic chiefly British slang: disorderly or chaotic
shanachie (Irish?/Scottish?) a
person fond of telling the old tales and legends of the country
shandygaff or shandy a drink made of beer or
ale mixed with ginger beer, ginger ale, or lemonade
shanghai to forcibly carry off,
into servitude, a convenient victim. Figuratively: to entrap or
commandeer someone into a job
Shangri-La toponym: 1. an imagined paradise
on earth 2. a distant hideaway, secluded, peaceful and beautiful
shatterpated disordered or wandering in intellect
shellΉ a small glass for beer
shell² the most spectacular of fireworks comprising a
lifting charge (to propel the shell into the air) and a bursting charge to
eject stars or subassemblies in the air after a predetermined delay
sheltron; shiltron a usually-circular formation of infantry, armed with very
long lances, designed to thwart a cavalry charge
shepardize eponym: to update a legal citation by
finding later cases that cite that same citation
sheqel Israeli currency: 100 agorot = 1
sheqel
sherbet, sherbert Australian: an alcoholic beverage, esp. beer
Shermanesque (not in on-line dictionaries) eponym: 1. of an absolute, unequivocal refusal to run
for office 2. brutally thorough (of a conquest)
sherry toponym a certain type of wine (named
from the place where it was originally produced)
shibboleth 1. a custom or practice
that betrays one as an outsider 2. a word or phrase that marks a
particular group; a catchword
shikari a big-game hunter,
or a guide for one
shikse; shikseh Yiddish, disparaging: a non-jewish woman or girl
shillelagh an Irish cudgel
shiltron see sheltron
shire a district roughly equivalent to a county
Shirley Temple (or 'Shirley Temple cocktail') eponym:
a nonalcoholic drink, for children who want to have a "cocktail" with
the adults
shirty Chiefly British: ill-tempered;
angry: He saw how shirty she was about it (P.G. Wodehouse).
AHD's etymology, a remarkable display of either innocence or prissiness, claims
this is derived from "shirt", as in keep one's shirt on. I'd instead suggest that
the "r" is "shirty" is epenthetic.
shive a broad bung hammered into a hole in the top of a
cask
shlepper a drag, a drip, a jerk, a
maladroit performer; also, someone unkempt, untidy, run-down-at-the-heels
shmatte Yiddish: a ragged garment (literally "rag")
Shoah the Holocaust of World War
II
shoat a young pig (just after weaning)
shoddy badly made or done;
also, vulgar and pretentious; also, amoral, sordid
shoo-in a certain winner;
one sure to succeed
short shrift rapid and
unsympathetic dismissal; curt treatment
short-short an extremely brief short-story
shot-clog the companion
tolerated because he pays for the drinks
shower of shit, goes like a Australian slang: really fast or impressive
shufti
shunamitism rejuvenation of an old man by a
young woman
shylock eponym: offensive:
a ruthless moneylender; a loan shark. verb: to lend money at exorbitant
interest rates
shyster eponym: an unscrupulous lawyer [tautological?]
sialagogue something that
promotes flow of saliva
sibyl eponym: a female prophet
sic Latin for 'so' or 'thus'. Inserting [sic], into a
quotation that has an error in it, indicates that the quoted material is being
reproduced accurately, and that the error is in the words quoted rather than in
mis-quotation.
sick puppy orig. and
chiefly
sierra a range of
mountains having an irregular or jagged profile
sight rhyme see eye rhyme
sigmatism defective pronunciation of
s-sounds, sibilant sounds; intentional repetition of words with sibilant speech
sounds, as in She sells sea-shells
silhouette eponym: a profile or shadow-outline of the human figure,
filled in of a dark color
silver-tongued (also here) with the power of
fluent and persuasive speech; eloquent
simian like an ape
simoleon slang, old-fashioned: a dollar
Simon Legree eponym: a brutal
taskmaster
simony eponym: the buying or
selling of a church office, privilege or service; for example, accepting a fee
for performing a baptism
simper to smile in a
silly, self-conscious, often coy manner
sinciput the forehead (also,
the upper half of the skull)
sine qua non an indispensable
condition
singerie a painting showing monkeys in human clothes, engaged in human
activities
single-varietal beer made using just one variety of hop
SIP
(knitting) Sock In Progress
siren eponym: a dangerously fascinating woman. Usually used in the
phrase siren song an enticing plea or appeal,
esp. one that is deceptively alluring. (after women in Homer's Odyssey, whose beautiful singing tempted
sailors to sail toward them into dangerous, fatal waters.)
siriasis sunstroke; sudden prostration
from exposure to the sun or excessive heat. also, a sunbath
sise the number 6 on dice
sistrum an ancient percussion
instrument (still used in
Sisyphean eponym: endlessly laborious or futile
Sitzfleisch the ability to endure or persist
in some activity [Characteristically German?]
skean-dhu; sgian-dhu a small black-hilted dagger tucked into the top of a mans knee sock
in Scottish Highland dress
skedaddle to leave hastily; scram
skein a flight of wild
fowl
skep an old-style beehive:
dome-shaped, and made of straw or wicker
skerrick Aus. informal: the smallest bit
skerry [pronounced like scary]
a rugged isolated sea-rock; a reef
skiagraphy telling time by sundial
skiamachy (or sciamachy; sciomachy) [The meanings in dictionaries and in actual
usage are somewhat varied. E.g.:]
1. sham fighting; a mock
contest
2. futile combat; tilting at
windmills
3. futile argument
caused by misunderstanding of terms used
4. contentiousness; argument
for the sake of argument, at least on one side
skibob a vehicle for gliding downhill
over snow. Resembles a bicycle on skis
skid row a squalid city district,
inhabited by derelicts, alcoholics. addicts and the homeless
skidoo (or 23 skidoo) scram; leave quickly
skijoring a sport in which cross-country skier is pulled (as by
a horse, sled-dog or vehicle)
slam
dunk fig. a sure thing,
a certainty; also adj. (verb: to defeat decisively)
slant; slash the / sign. (for synonyms, see virgule)
slippery slope a dangerous and irreversible
course: the slippery slope from narcotics
to prison. [Wordcrafter note: I do not think this definition is entirely
accurate, but can find no better.]
slipstream the airflow driven
backward by an airplanes propeller or jet (auto- and bicycle-racing: an area of reduced
pressure produced by a fast-moving vehicle as it moves through air, thus
reducing the resistance for the vehicle in back)
slough of despond a state of extreme depression [From John Bunyan's allegory, Pilgrim's
Progress]
sloughΉ [rhymes with 'bough' or, in the
slough² [rhymes with 'rough'] to cast off or shed skin or
other outer layer; the item so shed [also fig.]
slough³ (rhymes with "glue") a depression filled
with deep mud or mire; a stagnant swamp; also, a state of deep despair
or moral degradation
slubΉ the greenish-black algal growth
on wave- or tide-washed wharf pilings
slub² to extend fibers and twist after carding (noun: a slight irregularity in yarn, from knotting or twisting, or
including uneven lengths of fiber in spinning)
slubberdegullion a slobbering or dirty fellow; a worthless sloven
sluggard a lazy, sluggish
person
smalt deep blue
smaragdine of or pertaining to emerald; resembling emerald;
of an emerald green
smarmy unpleasantly and excessively
suave, ingratiating or earnest
smellfeast an uninvited
dinner guest; a parasite; a greedy sponger [once a very common word]
smeltΉ 1. to extract metals from ore, by heating; to
refine 2. (British form of) past tense and past participle of
'smell' 3. a small silvery fish (see separate entry)
smelt² a small silvery food-fish (another meaning, as a verb: 'to melt or
fuse ores')
smorgasbord 1. a buffet
meal featuring a variety of dishes. 2. a varied collection
snafu slang: a chaotic or
confused situation [Situation Normal: All F*Cked Up].
Similarly tarfu Things Are Really
F*cked Up; (ta)fumtu (Things are) FU More
Than Usual; fubar
FU Beyond All Recognition; janfu Joint Army-Navy
FU; susfu Situation Unchanged: Still FU; fubb FU Beyond Belief; sapfu
Surpassing All Previous FU's; fujigmo F-You, Jack;
I Got My Orders
sneeze guard the clear plastic or glass
shield over salad bars, etc.
sniglet a humorous coined
word that doesn't appear in the dictionary, but should
snooker a kind of billiards (or pool); popular in the
soapbox
verb; informal: to make
an impromptu or unofficial public speech, often flamboyantly (noun: a temporary platform used while making that
speech). But most often used in the idiom on
(one's) soapbox speaking one's
views passionately or self-importantly.
Soapy Sam eponym: disparaging nickname for any unctuous, oily person
[not in dictionaries]
sobriquet; soubriquet
[accent on 1st syllable] 1. an affectionate nickname
2. an assumed name
sockdolager a decisive, finishing blow
Socratic eponym: see maieutic
sodality brotherhood; community; a
fellowship
Sodom toponym: a place noted for extreme vice and corruption
soft day Irish euphemism: a rainy day
soft money political donations made in such
a way as to avoid federal regulations or limits, as by donating to a party
organization rather than to a particular candidate or campaign
soi-disant (swah-dee-ZAHN) self-styled (one
major dictionary erroneously adds "so-called" in its definition)
solander eponym: a protective box shaped like a book, to hold
botanical specimens, maps, etc.
solecism 1. a word blunder 2.
a social blunder (not to be confused with solipsism)
solfatara a volcanic area
that gives off sulfurous gases and steam
solferino toponym: a
bright crimson dye; its color
solidus the / sign. (for synonyms,
see virgule)
soliloquize to utter a soliloquy; to talk to one's self. synonym monologuize
soliloquy a speech of ones thoughts when
alone, or regardless of hearers, especially in a play
solipsism the view that the self is all
that exists (not to be confused with solecism)
solipsistic of the view that the self is the only reality, or the
only thing knowable
Solomon eponym: a very wise person. [Wordcrafter note:
Id say this term often has the implication of thinking outside the box,
finding a novel, creative solution. See next entry.]
Solomonic eponym: having great wisdom
or discretion in making difficult decisions; esp. by crafting compromise or by
creatively "thinking outside the box"
solon eponym: a wise
lawgiver or legislator [often sarcastic]
somber dark; gloomy; or fig.: melancholy; dismal (also, serious; grave)
sombrero a broad-brimmed hat, of felt or
straw, typically worn in
somnolent sleepy; drowsy. also: somnolent inducing
drowsiness
sonnet a verse-form of 14 lines with
one of various permissible rhyme schemes.
(Note: I believe each line must be in iambic pentameter [5 metric feet], but
cannot confirm this.)
sonorous with a full, deep, or rich sound
sook Australian slang: a
cry-baby
sophism a specious but
fallacious argument, used either deliberately to deceive or mislead, or to
display ingenuity in reasoning (contrast paralogism)
sophister a sophist [also, oddly, a 2nd or 3rd year student at Oxford,
Cambridge, Harvard, Dartmouth; a 3rd or 4th year student at Trinity College,
Dublin]
sophisticate (verb) to adulterate commodities with
some foreign or inferior substance; thus, to similarly corrupt a
document, a person, etc., making it less genuine or honest
sophomania unrealistic belief in one's own intelligence;
delusion of super-intelligence.
sophomore
(oxymoron) a
student in the second year of college (or of a 4-year secondary school)
sophomoric conceited and overconfident, but
exhibiting great immaturity and lack of judgment
soporific 1. drowsy 2.
inducing drowsiness or sleep (noun: a drug or other thing that makes one
drowsy)
sordine a
damper or mute for musical instruments, esp.
the cone-shaped mute for a trumpet
sorites a chain of enthymeme [enthymeme a
"truncated syllogism" where one premises is left implicit, rather than
stated explicitly]
sororal like or befitting a sister;
"sisterly kindness"; "sororal concern". (the feminine
counterpart of fraternal')
sortie 1. an attack by troops breaking out of a
defensive position; also, a flight by a military aircraft 2. an incursion into new territory
sottise a silly remark or
saying; a foolish action
sottisier a collection of
sottises, esp. a list of written stupidities
sotto voce in soft tones, so as not to be
overheard
soubrette theater 1.
the role of a saucy, coquettish maidservant or like subordinate (also,
the actress in that role) 2. a woman of the stage who, in real life, is
that sort of flirty person
sough [pronounced SOW or SUF] noun
or verb: a soft murmuring, rustling or sighing, as of the wind or a gentle
surf
soupcon; soupηon a very small quantity
sousaphone eponym: a large brass
wind instrument, much like a tuba but shaped so that weight will rest on a
shoulder and it can be more easily carried in a marching band
spaewife female fortune teller
spalpeen Irish dialect:
rascal; scamp
sparge a sprinkle (verb:
1. to spray or sprinkle 2. to introduce air or gas into [a
liquid]). beermaking: to spray malted barley with water
to dissolve out the malt ready for fermentation
spatalamancy divination by skins, bones, &c [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
spathe a leaflike bract enclosing a
flower cluster or spadix, as in the jack-in-the-pulpit and the calla
spathic (geology; mineralogy) dividing well; having good
cleavage (could be applied to women?)
spavined old and decrepit; over-the-hill
specific performance law: the remedy of having a contract enforced in
accordance with its terms
speed camera camera sited on the side of the road and takes pictures of
passing cars. It uses radar to gauge their speed and if any are exceeding the
speed limit their drivers get a ticket in the post
spell verb: to carry a burden on one's shoulders, usually
halting from time to time for a rest. noun:
(a) a short distance, especially that between the resting places of a man with
a heavy burden on his back. (b) the burden itself
spelt an ancient and
hardy wheat,
grown mostly in
spencer eponym: a type of short double-breasted overcoat
for men; a type of women's jacket
spendthrift one who spends money recklessly or wastefully
Spenglerian eponym:
relating to the views of Oswald Spengler, who held that all major cultures
undergo similar cycles from birth to maturity to decay
spermologist one who gathers
seeds
sphallolalia flirtatious talk that does not
lead to amorous action
sphragistics the scientific study of seals and signet rings
spick and span neat, trim, and
smart, as if quite new
spile a small wooden
bung (peg) to plug a casks hole or to regulate the flow [also, the same for the hole in a tree tapped for sap]
spindrift windblown sea spray. Also called
spoondrift.
spit-splice
(knitting) a method
of joining a new ball of yarn into the project, when the old ball runs out
spiv Brit: a flashily dressed man of disreputable dealings
splodge a thick, heavy, or clumsy splotch
splog (from spam blog):
a fake blog, without meaningful content, set up to attract hits to generate
advertising revenue or Google-ranking
spoliator one who spoliates; a spoiler (spoliate to plunder; to pillage; to despoil; to rob)
spondulicks Brit. informal: money
spong one who encounters great good luck, despite their own
incredible stupidity or clumsiness. (spawny + mong )
spooge slang: 1.
semen 2. motorcycling: the black gunk that can run out of the
silencer
spoom a frothy, light type of sherbet
spoondrift see spindrift
spoonerism eponym: transposition of initial
sounds of words (as in tons of soil for sons of toil)
sporran large pouch of skin or fur, worn by Highlanders in front of the
kilt
sport a spontaneous
mutation in a branch, which might be useful
sportive playful; frolicsome (archaic:
amorous or wanton); also, relating to or interested in sports
spotted dick Brit: a steamed suet pudding. The "spots"
are sultanas or raisins. Recipe
sprachgefόhl (literally,
"language-feeling") an intuitive sense of what is linguistically
appropriate; also, the character of a language
sprigging planting sprigs of
grass in shallow furrows, to make a lawn
sprog Brit. & Austr. slang: a baby
or young child. verb: to give birth
squeans cartoons: the little
bubbles that float above a character's head to show intoxication. briffits those little clouds of smoke when
some thing moves abruptly. hites
lines showing forward/backward movement. agitrons
lines showing sideways movement. ALL NON-STANDARD; coined by Mort
Walker
squib 1. a small firework that hisses
before exploding 2. a short piece of satirical writing
squick vulgar slang: to gross out;
to disgust
squidger tiddlywinks; compare sqoup: the larger wink used to propel or
flip a player's winks; the shooter (verb: squidge
to so propel) You try to pot it.
squidge-off
use of the squidger to start the game
squopped if a free tiddlywink lands on another
wink, that wink is squopped
squiggle a small wiggly mark or scrawl (verb:
to squirm and wriggle)
squinchΉ a small arch built across the
interior angle between two walls
squinch² v.trans: to squeeze the eyelids or face together [squint +
pinch]. intrans: to squeeze up so as to fill less place; to crouch
("squinch down"; "squinch over")
squirrel (etymology) from the ancient Greeks name for it, skiouros, which means shadow-tail. How apt!
squonk creature of the
squop tiddlywinks: to cover and immobilize
(another's wink) with one's own (compare squidger)
SRO 1. single room occupancy 2. standing room only
St. Elmos fire eponym: visible electric discharge on a pointed
object (ship's mast or airplane's wing) in an electrical storm
St. Vitus dance eponym: nervous disorder marked by spasmodic
movements
staggered board a board (of directors) whose
members terms are overlapping, not coincident, so that only some directors
(not all) are elected in any single election
stakhanovite eponym: a Soviet worker
exceptional in increasing production. (I suggest that the word is not limited
to Soviets, and means "an exceptionally hard worker" with
pejorative overtones of overzealousness.)
stalemate a deadlock; a situation of
opposing parties in which neither side can make further progress or take any
further worthwhile action. verb: bring to stalemate. [term evolved from
the game of chess]
stalking horse a sham candidate put forward to
conceal another's candidacy or to divide the opposition (or, generally,
something used to mask a purpose)
stanchion 1. an upright
pole support 2. a framework of vertical bars used to secure cattle in a
stall or feed trough
standing law: a
party's right a be the person bringing a legal claim
star chamber characterized by
secrecy and often being irresponsibly arbitrary and oppressive
stare decisis law: the
doctrine of precedent; the general rule of following earlier decisions
stareomancy divination by the elements [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
stark-naked (etymology)
stash (knitting)
ones supply
of extra yarn. (The yarn in a knitters life tends to accumulate.)
stash enhancement shopping and buying more yarn
stash diving finding yarn in your stash for the new
project instead of purchasing new yarn
souvenir stash yarn you bought on vacation that reminds
you of the place, but which you cant knit because, well, it reminds you of
your vacation
steatopygous having extremely fat buttocks
steganography secret writing by
hiding the message in an apparently innocuous document or other matter
stemwinder two completely different
meanings: 1. a rousing political speech; but occasionally, 2. a
speech so long and boring that it feels as though one needs to wind ones watch
before it ends
stentorian eponym: extremely loud; a
stentorian voice
Stepford toponym: robotically
conformist and compliant; attractive but without individuality, emotion, or
thought
sternomancy divination by the marks from the breast to the belly [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
sternutation formal: the
action of sneezing
stertorous characterized by heavy snoring
Stetson eponym: trademark for a broad-brimmed high-crowned felt hat
steward (originally, pig-warden) one who
manages property or other affairs for someone else
sthenia marked bodily strength; vigor
stipple to paint, etc. in
dots or short strokes
stirrup-cup a drink handed to
a man already on horseback setting out; a parting glass. Also called deoch an
stoat an ermine (a small weasel-like carnivore), in its brown
summer coat. ("The ermine
[has] a very high metabolic rate which
makes it a very effective and agile hunter. However, its slim body shape
dictates that it must eat often to survive.)
stocious irish slang: drunk
stockinette or stocking
stitch
(knitting) a certain pattern
that is very smooth and even; all of the nubs are on one side of the
fabric. Tends to curl
stonking Brit., colloquial: excellent, amazing;
considerable, powerful
stovaine eponym: the first successful substitute for cocaine as an
anesthetic
strabismus 1.
cross-eye (or other improper alignment of the eyes) 2. fig; rare:
perversity of intellectual perception
strangury a condition of
slow, painful urination, caused by muscular spasms of the plumbing
straw boss a worker who acts as a boss or
crew leader; an assistant to a foreman in charge of supervising small gang of
workers
strident 1. loud,
harsh and grating 2. presenting a point of view in an excessively
forceful way
stridulate to make a shrill grating,
chirping, or hissing sound by rubbing body parts together, as certain insects
do. a stridulant
sound; a stridulatory
insect
striga a type of witch that thrives on the life force of
children, leaving its young victims prematurely aged and weak
stringer a local journalist, paid by a news corporation to report on news
from their area
strobotron a gas-filled electron tube used esp.
as a source of bright flashes of light for a stroboscope (1937)
strophe 1. stanza 2. two or more lines
repeated as a unit
struthionine ostrich-like
studmuffin a sexually attractive young man
stultify 1. to cause
to appear foolish or absurd 2. to render useless or ineffectual; cripple
stuprate to deflower a virgin
stygian toponym: pertaining to
the river Styx; hence: hellish;
infernal
stymie to impede, obstruct,
frustrate, thwart (a person, an activity, or a project) [from golf]
sub rosa happening or done
in secret (contrast sub
divo in the open
[lit. under god or, by transference, under the sky])
subdolous sly; crafty;
cunning
subincision the slitting of the underside of the
penis, a puberty rite among some tribal peoples
subitize to judge the number (of objects in a group) rapidly,
accurately, and confidently without counting them
sublittoral of ocean depths to
about 200 meters; neritic
substitution cipher
secret writing, where the letters of the text are replaced by substitute
letters, without transposing them
subtlist (also subtilist)
one addicted to subtleties. subtilism the
quality or state of being subtle; subtlety (not necessarily positive)
succedaneum a substitute. (can refer to
persons or other items, particularly to medications; often seems to imply a
substitute that is acceptable but inferior.)
succubus an evil spirit who has sex with men they sleep. (see incubus)
succumbent submissive; yielding
sufferance absence of objection rather than
genuine approval; patient endurance (esp. of pain or distress)
summoner a petty officer
who cites persons to appear in court
sunbeam (interesting etymology; see
Archives)
sundae why is an 'ice cream sundae'
named after a day of the week? The majority view cites old "blue
laws" which forbade the sale on the Lord's Day of intoxicating sprits
including carbonated soda. So on Sunday an soda parlor had to remove the soda
water from its sodas, serving only cream and syrup the ice-cream sundae.
sunder to split apart
(implies by violence: to wrench apart)
sun-dog see parhelion
superannuated 1. ineffective,
or sent out to pasture, because of old age. 2. outmoded; obsolete
superbia unreasonable and inordinate
self-esteem
superincumbent lying upon and pressing down on. ventricumbent lying face down; prone
supeter armor for the feet [OED's only source is a 1611 dictionary]
supine lying on one's back (contrast prone lying on
one's stomach)
suppletion use of an unrelated word form in a linguistic paradigm: go/went;
bad/worse
suppurate (also here) to form or discharge
pus (suitable for figurative use as an insult)
supralapsarian one who holds that Adam and
Eve's acts were fore-ordained; they could not have chosen otherwise
surcease noun cessation. verb, trans.
& intrans. to bring or come to an end; stop
surculigerous biol: producing suckers
surreptitious taken 'on the
sly', secretly or furtively, with efforts to avoid detection
susfu see snafu
suss slang: to figure out; also,
to size up; study
susurrus a soft, whispering or rustling sound; a murmur
Svengali eponym: a person who exercises a
controlling influence on another, esp. for sinister purpose
swale 1. moist or
marshy low land (or: a shallow
depression on a golf fairway or green) 2. a shallow trough-like
depression (as along a roadside) that carries overflow water (or: a trough between ridges on a beach,
paralleling the coastline)
sward an expanse of
grass turf (also, the upper soil layer of soil, esp. when
grass-covered)
swarf the fine metallic particles that
accumulate from using a machine tool to grind, sharpen, or cut metal (from Old
Norse sverfa, to file)
swashbuckler a swaggering or daring soldier,
swordsman, or adventurer; or a novel or drama dealing with a such a
character
swath 1. a strip
(from the specific sense: a mowing-path the width of a scythe-stroke, or
the cut grass or grain in such a path). to cut a swath to create a
great stir, impression, or display
sweating cooking foods over low heat
without browning
sweetheart (etymology)
SWI Snowmobiling While Intoxicated. Term used in the law
courts, akin to DWI
swidden an area cleared
for temporary cultivation by cutting and burning the vegetation
switch-hitter baseball: one able to bat
either right-handed or left-handed; "going both ways". slang:
a bisexual person (also, the following meaning found in usage but not in
dictionaries: person or software able to perform well at any of two or more
functions)
swive a synonym for the
f-word. The latter first appears around 1500, and 'swive' (related to 'swivel')
is the term previously used. The verb to quim
may refer only to the female's role in the activity.
swivet a tizzy; a state of extreme agitation
swizzle UK noun: a swindle or a
confidence trick; verb to swindle,
con or cheat. Also, and chiefly US: an unshaken cocktail (cf. swizzle stick a small stick used to stir a
fizzy drink to cause the carbon dioxide to escape)
sword of Damocles eponym:
something that threatens imminent disaster
sybarite a person devoted to pleasure and
luxury; a voluptuary
sycomancy divination by figs [dictionary at mancy
lists 54 form of divination]
syllepsis a form of pun: using a word to relates
to two others, in two different senses (She stole my heart and my wallet), as
a literal sense and a figurative sense. (Note some authorities say that one
use must be illogical [Jane murdered him, and you may too.] or
ungrammatical.)
sylph 1. an
imaginary spirit of the air (later: 2. a slender woman of light,
graceful movement
sympatico 1. likeable; congenial 2. of
like mind or temperament; compatible
synapse the gap between two neurons
(nerve cells), across which impulses are transmitted
syncretism 1. the amalgamation of different religions,
cultures, or schools of thought 2. linguistics: the merging of two
or more originally different inflectional forms (e.g., thee and thou
become you)
synecdoche a type of metonym, where the smaller term is substituted for the
larger (e.g., "hand" for worker) or vice versa (e.g., "the
law" for a police officer)
synechthry the state of living together in
a loveless marriage
synesthesia a condition in which one type of
stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when hearing a sound produces
the visualization of a color; or tasting a sound
synodical relating to a church counsel, also, relating to a
conjunction of celestial bodies
synoptic 1. like a synopsis; taking a general overview 2.
meteorology: of data obtained nearly simultaneously over a large area of the
atmosphere
syntality the consistent and predictable
behavior of a social group
syntonic highly responsive
(emotionally) to the environment; having the responsive, lively type of
temperament which is liable to manic-depressive psychosis. Most often seen in
the phrase ego-syntonic.
syphilis [etymology] definition
unneeded. origin: perhaps Greek mythology [click for detailed entry]
syzygy the straight line
configuration of 3 celestial bodies in a gravitational system
