Epistling (n)

A vanishing skill.

Piffle (n, v)

All that crap everyone's spewing about Sage Grouse right now and how much it hurts to care.

Yeah. Yeah it does hurt to care these days.

It hurts a whole awful lot.

Endangered Species

All of a sudden, it appears that no one cares about our biodiversity and endangered species. Except for the select group of us who care a whole awful lot.

Governors, City councils, and now the Army are all whining about how 'protecting sage grouse' (an animal in the single digit percentage (3.1%) of it's original population, will hurt them. Not to mention all the other species that will, by proxy, be protected as well.

Oh boo hoo. There are nearly 8 billion people (over 1600% of our rightful population) on this bloated planet, and nearly all of us don't deserve to be here.

Quit your damned belly-aching you sniveling whiny little peasants and try to have a wise thought. I know it's hard. People are very nearly never wise. Such a rant as this is case-in-point. 

We are whining about listing this bird as threatened, not even endangered. When, rationally, it would be impossible to argue in non-legal terms that it isn't critically endangered. 3.1% of it's original population. And that's using the upper estimate (500,000 individuals.) of it's current population. It is critically endangered. Perhaps some state-run ideas can help protection, perhaps listing it will piss off the rabble so that it actually hurts the Sage Grouse. But it is, very obviously, endangered.

What would it be like if there was only 3.1% of human's rightful population on this planet? Let's do some figuring:

The global population should not really be over 500 million. Which is really generous: we didn't crack that until 1500 AD. We might be a lot more comfortable (and the worlds forests would certainly be a lot more comfortable) if we were estimated closer to 100 million, which we seemed to hover pretty stable at between 6000 BC to nearly AD.

3.1% would be 3.1 to 15 million people. Which is still quite a lot, between the current population of Albania and Los Angeles California.

Ahhh... What a wonderful world that would be....

Would you call people endangered at that point?

Mendacious (adj)

The opposite of Veridical. Is this the majority? Or is it simply easier to be mendacious and loud? Or is it that people are just attracted to stupidity and sin?

Portmanteau (n)

An interesting word. Merriam has the first definition as a especially sizable suitcase. But all anyone uses it for are blended words like 'brunch' and 'slithy'.

How a word for a suitcase became a type of combined word is strange to think about. But I guess it works.

Mumper

It would not be veridical to say that the culturati can't be mumpers. They can. And often have to be to maintain their status as culturati.

It's bloody expensive.

lissome (adj)

Culturati are often, if not by definition, not very lissome. ...Maybe that's ok... the veridical are also not very lissome. They can't be.

Culturati (n)

An awesome word. Trekkies are a culturati, Otaku are culturati, often nerds are some form or another of culturati... even scientists, if you consider science a form of culture --  which is pretty accurate.

All those people who went to see the ET/Atari game dig up in the desert are a culturati.

Proxime (adj)

Not the best, but almost the best.

Simulacrum (n)

A simulacrum is never veridical.

Earwig (v)

It is rare or impossible to earwig as a veridical influence.

Savvy (v)

One must be veridical to savvy.

Veridical (adj)

A description of a minority. A minority of writing, speaking, thoughts, actions, people, places, humanity...

Perhaps not. It would not be veridical to claim such a thing off the cuff. But, even if it is a majority, the veridical are easily overshadowed by the non-veridical by the simple reality that it is a lot harder to be veridical.

Tyro (n)

Noob.

Precocious (adj)

Used for flowering or fruiting plants who produce their flowers before their leaves are developed, or flowers and fruits which appear unusually early in the year.

It gives a pretty context for this metaphor we often use for children I hadn't been aware of.

Honorificabilitudinity (n)

If you want to sound more like Porky Pig, use this Oxfordian synonym for (the infinitely more simple) 'honorableness'.

Oxford also assures us that this word is pronounced in the US, and it is pronounced thusly: ɑnəˌrɪfᵻkəˌbɪlᵻt(j)uˈdɪnᵻdi/

Which I can't read. I would pronounce it, after lots of practice, thusly: On-or-IF-ick-Ab-ill-TWO-DIN-it-Tea.

Perfervid (adj)

A good synonym, but one few people are likely to understand.

Could you have guessed it means "impassioned" or "ardent", or more literally, 'very fervid!'?

If so, you should take a GRE test. Just for fun.

Mirepoix (n)

Deliciousness. But hard to make well.

Gauche (adj)

It is important to remember that just because someone might be gauche, that does not mean they are otherwise incompetent. Like what introverts often complain of. Some people, introvert or extrovert or otherwise, who are gauche might still be wondrously amazing. Don't judge people by their covers.

Atticism (n)

What to aim for in all communication. As long as you are not skimping on truth.

Rebarbative (adj)

Bunkum is rebarbative.

Bunkum (n)

Probably the most important word to describe American politics. If we understood our political system, we would use this word every day. If we understood the word, we would hopefully stop voting for the two parties of power. They spout a LOT of bunkum.

Keystone (n)

Apparently, according to Oxford, it is also a slap-stick series about cops.

I think of it as a special rock in an arch, or a ski area, or a rocky place, or a town, or a Dwarven mystical thing... there seem to be a lot of things that call themselves Keystone. It's a cool word.

Stentorian (adj)

A quiet word for loud. Very loud.

Government Assistance is Not Assistance

Ir is somewhat amazing that there is anyone who takes advantage of our welfare net. I don't have the patience for it. Even just getting Medicade for less than $1000 a month income is painful. And when you are terminated, as I was for making too much money, you have to call Connect for Health Colorado to appeal it within 30 days.

But Connect for Health Colorado does not handle Medicade refusals or appeals.

Yay.

I think I would rather just not have any healthcare. Assume the risks of injury and death because I am not the wealthy segment of our population and thus, as our culture has come to believe, I don't have a right to life after catastrophe. 

Which, in some ways, I am not all that opposed to. Except that this is not the case for other, more greedy homo sapiens. People whose sins allow them to persist longer than others.

It frustrates me is all. And makes me tired.

Argot (n)

From argoter which means "to quarrel", which is startlingly appropriate. The purpose of argot is to mystify, or to deliberately fail to communicate. Synonyms of argot are jargon, doublespeak, idiom, "special vocabulary. Examples of which could be policyspeak, lawerspeak, governmentspeak, et cetera. 

lotusland (n)

The reason we think utopia is so impossible is we don't understand what it needs. First, it must "induce contentment" by "offering an idyllic living situation". But that cannot be achieved through "self indulgence". That is not a path to contentment, but only short-term happiness or 'fun'. 

A true lotusland would also include work, and toil, and (I would theorize) a little bit of danger. Consequences, some trial, variety, circumstances. Just not undue or impossible poverty and cruelty.

caseous (adj)

A fairly worthless word. I suppose you could use it as a metaphor for smegma.

Brume (n)

A pretty word for a pretty thing; but I just think of sweeping...

Galenical (n)

Like supplements and vitamins and greens powders.

Paladar (n)

An incredibly restrictively specific word. It means an independent restaurant run by a family out of a private home in Cuba.

I don't know if we can really say it's an English word. How often is this used in Oxford?

Cantillate (v)

Like the Gregorian Chant.

Paradiddle (n)

It's a drumming pattern! Pretty much the easiest drumming pattern ever.

Diapause

Physical pause in what you wanna do. Mostly for insects and other small animals.

Malarky (n)

What a business, corporation, politician, aristocrat, or even beggar will feed you to get what they want. Some of it is a lot more effective than others.