Lexical Compendium

Wait... what is this? Sometimes I come across a word, phrase, idiom, quote, reference, bit of slang, person of interest, etc that either I don't know or I find amusing, interesting, etc. This is a collection of those items so that I can refer back to them in emails, texts, etc.

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argy-bargy

Argy-bargy is British slang for the kind of back-and-forth that accompanies a vigorous argument.

When my brother and I discuss politics, there's always a bit of argy-bargy.

Argy-bargy and the similar argle-bargle appear to have originated in Scottish slang. One can clearly see that the first part of the rhyming pair is formed from the word argue and the second is nonsense... or mumbo-jumbo. This type of word is what's known as a rhyming reduplication (other examples are mumbo-jumbo or okey-dokey).

I first encountered this term while listening to the Aussie host of the podcast Risky Business (#758).


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References:

  1. The Atlantic: The Brouhaha Behind 'Argle Bargle': A Linguistic Explanation
  2. Definition: argy-bargy
  3. Risky Business #758

Tags: slang , vocabulary , podcast

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canard

A canard is false or unfounded statement/story.

It literally comes from the French canard meaning "duck." There's a French idiom that goes "vendre un canard à moitié" and means "to sell half a duck," in other words, to swindle someone. Over time this evolved to mean something more like a "false report."

There's a second use of this word in the aviation industry where it's a bit of jargon which describes a configuration in which a small forewing is placed ahead of the craft's main wings.

In the early 1900s French aviation engineers built a plane with these small forewings that was reminiscent of a duck and they started calling these planes "avions canard."


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References:

  1. Definition: canard
  2. Word of the Week: Canard
  3. Wikipedia: Canard (aeronautics)

Tags: vocabulary , tipofmytongue , jargon , idiom

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chookas

The word chookas is Australian slang and something performers traditionally say to each other to wish luck before a show. It's similar to the expression "break a leg."

Chook is Aussie slang for chicken. One explanation for how chookas came to be used in the performing arts is that if there was a full house, the theater company could afford a chicken dinner.

Other sources seem to indicate that it was originally pronounced choogas was was an abbreviation of the phrase "cheers and good wishes."

I first came across the word chookas while watching Deadloch (S1, E6).


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References:

  1. stackexchange etymology possibilities
  2. IMDB: Deadloch

Tags: slang , vocabulary , aussie , television

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compunction

Compunction is the feeling of guilt that follows the doing of something bad.

The word comes from the Latin compungere, meaning "to prick severely," i.e. a prick of conscience.


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References:

  1. Etymology: compunction
  2. Definition: compunction

Tags: tipofmytongue , vocabulary

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defenestration

Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window.[1]

The word comes from the Latin de ("down from") + fenestra ("window"). It originated in the early 1600s when people were writing about the Defenestrations of Prague.[2]

Today the word tends to not be used in the literal sense but more metaphorically, i.e. "a defenestrated prince."[3]


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References:

  1. Definition: defenestration
  2. Wikipedia: Defenestrations of Prague
  3. The Guardian: Not in this together: King Charles cuts Andrew loose to save royal family’s repute

Tags: politics , vocabulary

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elision

An elision is the omission of a sound or syllable when speaking (i.e. "I'm" for "I am"). It can also refer to the deliberate omission of something.

The word comes from the Latin elisio meaning "a striking out."

Examples:

  • His account of the events was marked by a conspicuous elision of blame.
  • I shoulda called you yesterday.

The Seinfeld episode "The Yadda Yadda" uses an elision to skip over the best part.


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References:

  1. Definition: elision
  2. IMDB: Seinfeld S8-E19 "The Yadda Yadda"

Tags: grammar , vocabulary

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enshittification

Enshittification is the progressive decay of an online platform or service as it prioritizes profit extraction over user experience.

The term was originally coined by Cory Doctorow in 2023 in an essay titled The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok [1] in which he wrote:

Here is how platforms die: First, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die.

I call this enshittification, and it is a seemingly inevitable consequence arising from the combination of the ease of changing how a platform allocates value, combined with the nature of a "two-sided market," where a platform sits between buyers and sellers, hold each hostage to the other, raking off an ever-larger share of the value that passes between them.


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References:

  1. Wired: The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok
  2. Wikipedia: Enshittification
  3. The New Yorker: The Age of Enshittification
  4. YouTube @TheAdamConover: The Ensh*ttification of Everything with Cory Doctorow
  5. Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It - Doctorow, Cory. New York: MCD / Macmillan, 2025.

Tags: technology , slang , vocabulary

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fractomorpheme

A fractomorpheme is a productive morpheme, that is, one that is readily used to make new words.

An example is the suffix -gate, coming to denote something scandalous. It is derived from Watergate, the name of the hotel at the center of the early 1970s scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of President Nixon.

In early March 2025, members of the Trump administration were using Signal to coordinate a military operation in Yemen. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, was erroneously added to this group chat. The scandal that ensued was dubbed Signalgate.

Update May 2025: it turns out that it wasn't exactly Signal that the Trump administration was using, but rather TeleMessage Signal, or TM SGNL. TeleMessage has been hacked at least twice and the stolen data is available on DDoSSecrets.


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References:

  1. The Atlantic: Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal
  2. Definition: fractomorpheme
  3. Wikipedia: United States government group chat leak
  4. The Atlantic: The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
  5. Wired: How the Signal Knockoff App TeleMessage Got Hacked in 20 Minutes
  6. DDoSSecrets: TeleMessage - A large amount of data stolen from TeleMessage after they were hacked, including plain text messages.
  7. SignalGate Meets WordPress: Outgoing National Security Adviser’s Phone Dumps Messages via Israeli App
  8. Drop Site News: Israeli App on Mike Waltz’s Phone Exposed User’s Passwords
  9. DarkReading: CISA Warns of TeleMessage Vuln Despite Low CVSS Score

Tags: politics , vocabulary

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glaze

To glaze is to excessively praise or flatter someone, often in an over-the-top, cringe, or sarcastic manner. The implication is often that the recipient was unworthy of such praise. This slang word was popularized in online spaces like TikTok.

I first heard it when Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) had the following Tweet exchange:

@sama:
we updated GPT-4o today! improved both intelligence and personality.

@StockLizardKing:
It’s been feeling very yes-man like lately

Would like to see that change in future updates

@sama:
yeah it glazes too much

will fix


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References:

  1. Definition: glaze
  2. @sama Tweet
  3. The Verge: New ChatGPT ‘glazes too much,’ says Sam Altman

Tags: slang , vocabulary , netspeak

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grumbletonian

This archaic word was used to describe someone who was discontent, i.e. someone who grumbles a lot. The origins of the word are in 17th century English politics.

I heard the word in an episode of the podcast The Allusionist.


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References:

  1. Podcast: The Allusionist - Episode 193: Word Play 3: Lemon Demon
  2. Definition: grumbletonian

Tags: vocabulary , slang , podcast

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