posts tagged ‘language’
Urawaza
12 July 2011 • out of context
tags: economy, language, meaning, quotes
“An urawaza (Japanese for “secret trick”) is a quirky, ingenious technique that optimizes an everyday activity like cleaning up spills, preventing odors, or folding laundry. In Japan, urawaza have been shared by word of mouth and passed down to descendants for centuries. In the aftermath of World War II, urawaza helped the population make best use of scarce resources, like using alcohol instead of more expensive household solvents for cleaning. Lifestyle urawaza were popularized in the Japanese television series Ito-ke no Shokutaku (The Ito Family Dinner Table), incorporating many viewer-submitted tips. The term itself became globally popularized when video gamers in the 1980s began sharing their game-related urawaza online.”
Backmasking
22 June 2011 • out of context
tags: language, music, quotes, recording
“Backmasking (also known as backward masking) is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward.”
NIMBY: not in my back yard
18 May 2011 • out of context
tags: language, politics, quotes
NIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for the phrase not in my back yard. The term (or the derivative Nimbyism) is used pejoratively to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Opposing residents themselves are sometimes called Nimbies.
Saunter
29 March 2011 • out of context
tags: language, meaning, walking
saun·ter verb \ˈsȯn-tər, ˈsän-\
Definition of SAUNTER
intransitive verb
: to walk about in an idle or leisurely manner : stroll
— saunter noun
— saun·ter·er \-tər-ər\ noun
Examples of SAUNTER
1. They sauntered slowly down the street.
2. He sauntered into the store.
Origin of SAUNTER
probably from Middle English santren to muse
First Known Use: circa 1667
Epokhē
5 March 2011 • out of context
tags: language, meaning, perception, quotes, truth
“Epoché (ἐποχή, epokhē “suspension”) is an ancient Greek term which, in its philosophical usage, describes the theoretical moment where all judgments about the existence of the external world, and consequently all action in the world, are suspended.”
Sapere aude
5 March 2011 • out of context
tags: language, meaning, quotes
“Sapere aude is a Latin phrase meaning “dare to be wise”.”
Antinomy
5 March 2011 • out of context
tags: language, meaning, perception, quotes, senses, thinking, truth, uncertainty
“Antinomy (Greek αντι-, against, plus νομος, law) literally means the mutual incompatibility, real or apparent, of two laws. (…) The term acquired a special significance in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), who used it to describe the equally rational but contradictory results of applying to the universe of pure thought the categories or criteria of reason proper to the universe of sensible perception or experience (phenomena).”
Aporia
5 March 2011 • out of context
tags: language, meaning, perception, quotes, truth, uncertainty
“In philosophy, an aporia is a philosophical puzzle or a seemingly insoluble impasse in an inquiry, often arising as a result of equally plausible yet inconsistent premises. It can also denote the state of being perplexed, or at a loss, at such a puzzle or impasse.”
On me faict haïr les choses vray-semblables quand on me les plante pour infaillibles
5 March 2011 • out of context
tags: books, language, perception, quotes, truth
“On me faict haïr les choses vray-semblables quand on me les plante pour infaillibles. J’aime ces mots qui amollissent et moderent la temerité de nos propositions: «A l’avanture», «Aucunement», «Quelque», «On dict», «Je pense» et semblables. Et si j’eusse eu à dresser des enfans, je leur eusse tant mis en la bouche cette façon de respondre, enquêteuse, non resolutive: «Qu’est-ce à dire?», «Je ne l’entens pas», «Il pourroit être», «Est-il vray?»… qu’ils eussent plutôt gardé la forme d’apprentis à soixante ans, que de representer les docteurs à dix ans, comme ils font”.
Michel de Montaigne, Essais, livre 3, Des boiteux