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.
tribology
Tribology is the scientific study of friction, lubrication, and wear between interacting surfaces in relative motion. It blends principles from mechanical engineering, materials science, chemistry, and physics.
The word was coined in 1966 by British mechanical engineer Peter Jost in a report to the UK government titled "Lubrication (Tribology) - A Report on the Present Position and Industry’s Needs". The word is formed from the Greek root tribos meaning rubbing.
During a trip with my brother, he told me about a tribological analysis his firm performed along with a write-up they published and this is how I was introduced to the term.
While looking up the origins of the word tribology, I thought it would fit perfect in an episode of Archer. The characters often use absurdly niche references followed by incredulity when nobody knows the reference.
[Scene: ISIS HQ hallway, someone slips slightly on a recently waxed floor]
Lana: Whoa -- can we not buff the floors like an Olympic luge track?
Archer: Who are you, Peter Jost?
Lana: Who?
Archer: Peter Jost? The father of tribology??
[Everyone stares blankly]
Archer (muttering): Seriously guys, read a book! Well, actually an obscure UK lubrication report from 1966.
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References:
- Definition: tribology Reference ID definition-tribology
- Science Direct: tribology Reference ID science-direct-tribology
- Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers: What is Tribology Reference ID society-of-tribologists-and-lubrication-engineers
- "The Invention of Tribology: Peter Jost's Contribution" - by John Williams, Robinson College, University of Cambridge Reference ID the-invention-of-tribology-peter-josts-contributio
- IMDB: Archer Reference ID imdb-archer
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vibecoding
Vibecoding (also vibe coding) is the act of developing software by purely defining a project and letting AI do the work.
The term was popularized earlier this year (in 2025) by OpenAI founding member Andrej Karpathy. It has since taken off and I hear it everywhere.
The NYT's Kevin Roose wrote an article on his experience with vibecoding and also covered it in an episode of Hard Fork.
Update May 2025: added Freethink's piece about the technical and cultural shift happening around vibecoding.
(link to this entry)
References:
- Wikipedia: vibe coding Reference ID wikipedia-vibe-coding
- NYT: Not a Coder? With A.I., Just Having an Idea Can Be Enough Reference ID nyt-not-a-coder-with-ai-just-having-an-idea-can-be
- Tweet: @karpathy 02 Feb 2025 - @karpathy's tweet about "vibe coding" Reference ID tweet-karpathy-02-feb-2025
- Hard Fork: Is Google Search Cooked? + We're Getting a U.S. Crypto Reserve? + What You're Vibecoding Reference ID hard-fork-is-google-search-cooked-were-getting-a-u
- Freethink: Vibe coding is rewriting the rules of technology Reference ID freethink-vibe-coding-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-te
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wagwan
Wagwan means "what's going on" and is Jamaican/English slang. It seems to have originated from Jamaican Creole wah gwan ("what go on").
I first heard this while watching Supacell, where it's used prolifically in the dialog.
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References:
- IMDB: Supacell Reference ID imdb-supacell
- What does wagwan mean? Reference ID what-does-wagwan-mean
- Definition: wagwan Reference ID definition-wagwan
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"What ho! She bumps!"
I came across this bit of old-timey slang in the television show "The Artful Dodger." It means something like, "Wow! It works!"
(link to this entry)
References:
- IMDB: The Artful Dodger Reference ID imdb-the-artful-dodger
Date Added: Unknown