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.
Recent Entries:
down to raisins
An expression coined by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. It means something similar as "seeing the light at the end of the tunnel." In other words, a task or period is reaching its end.
When Lincoln was asked where this phrase came from, he told the story of a little girl who ate too much and then followed that up with a dessert of raisins. She became sick and, eventually, was throwing up only the raisins. Thus, she knew that she was nearly done.
I came upon this phase while watching Manhunt, S1E6.
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References:
- Anecdotes About Abraham Lincoln - Got Dow to Raisins Reference ID anecdotes-about-abraham-lincoln-got-dow-to-raisins
- Mr. Lincoln's Whitehouse - The War Effort: Telegraph Office Reference ID mr-lincolns-whitehouse-the-war-effort-telegraph-of
- IMDB: Manhunt Reference ID imdb-manhunt
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DSKY
An acronym for Display Keyboard (pronounced diskey). This was the interface that Apollo astronauts used to communicate with the computers on the Command and Lunar Modules.
I first came across this acronym while watching the television series For All Mankind.
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References:
- IMDB: For All Mankind Reference ID imdb-for-all-mankind
- Smithsonian: DSKY - A Smithsonian description and image of a DSKY. Reference ID smithsonian-dsky
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edgelord
Edgelord is a term that combines edge (as in "edgy") with "-lord." It is 'net-speak for someone who deliberately makes provocative and nihilistic statements in order to appear rebellious or shocking.
It seems to have originated in the early 2000s on online forums like Reddit.
In September 2025, there was a shooting at an ICE facility in Houston, TX. As motives for the shooter were investigated, he was described as an edgelord.
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References:
- Ken Klippenstein: Exclusive: The ICE Shooter’s Politics Reference ID ken-klippenstein-exclusive-the-ice-shooters-politi
- CNN: Dallas ICE facility shooting leaves 1 detainee dead and 2 more injured, officials say Reference ID cnn-dallas-ice-facility-shooting-leaves-1-detainee
- The Guardian: I’ve learned a new word – and now I’m seeing the people it describes everywhere Reference ID the-guardian-ive-learned-a-new-word-and-now-im-see
- Definition: edgelord Reference ID definition-edgelord
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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:
- Definition: elision Reference ID definition-elision
- IMDB: Seinfeld S8-E19 "The Yadda Yadda" Reference ID imdb-seinfeld-s8-e19-the-yadda-yadda
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Engels' Pause
Engels' Pause is a period during the early Industrial Revolution (1790–1840) in England in which economic productivity and GDP per capita rose significantly, but real wages for the working class stagnated or even declined. It was named after Friederich Engles and coined by Robert C. Allen.
Many have theorized that AI will bring about similar changes for today's workers.
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References:
- Wikipedia: Engels' Pause Reference ID wikipedia-engels-pause
- YouTube: Open AI Founder Sam Altman on Artificial Intelligence's Future | Exponentially - Azeem Azhar interviews OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in 2023 and brings up Engels' Pause. Reference ID youtube-open-ai-founder-sam-altman-on-artificial-i
- Aberdeen Investments: How is AI going to change the economy? Reference ID aberdeen-investments-how-is-ai-going-to-change-the
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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:
- Wired: The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok Reference ID wired-the-enshittification-of-tiktok
- Wikipedia: Enshittification Reference ID wikipedia-enshittification
- The New Yorker: The Age of Enshittification Reference ID the-new-yorker-the-age-of-enshittification
- YouTube @TheAdamConover: The Ensh*ttification of Everything with Cory Doctorow Reference ID youtube-theadamconover-the-enshttification-of-ever
- Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It - Doctorow, Cory. New York: MCD / Macmillan, 2025. Reference ID enshittification-why-everything-suddenly-got-worse
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Findlandization
Findlandization is the process by which a country maintains its formal independence while being heavily influenced or constrained by the policies of a more powerful neighboring state, especially in its foreign policy.
The name comes from Finland's relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, where Finland avoided antagonizing the USSR to preserve its sovereignty.
The term is used pejoratively.
I first heard this term in an interview President Biden gave to MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell in which Biden recalled a conversation with Putin in which Putin was predicting the Findlandization of Europe.
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References:
- Wikipedia: Finlandization Reference ID wikipedia-finlandization
- The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, 16 Jan 2025 - Biden shares 'serious concern' for U.S. democracy in Oval Office interview with Lawrence O'Donnell Reference ID the-last-word-with-lawrence-odonnell-16-jan-2025
- Definition: Finlandization Reference ID definition-finlandization
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Floyd Hole
In the Venture Bros episode "Perchance to Dean," Dr. Venture introduces Dean to progressive rock (including one of my favorites, King Crimson!). He leaves Dean and comes back later to find that he's fallen unconscious. Dr. Venture screams, "He's fallen into a Floyd Hole!"
The term "Floyd Hole," now refers to the act of losing track of time while consuming media.
For example, "It's already 4PM?? I fell into a Floyd Hole watching YouTube!"
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References:
- Venture Bros: Perchance to Dream Reference ID venture-bros-perchance-to-dream
- Wikipedia: Pink Floyd Reference ID wikipedia-pink-floyd
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"Focus on the things that make your beer taste better"
A quote from Jeff Bezos during the 2008 YC Startup School.
Bezos made an analogy between AWS and breweries, at the turn of the 20th century when electricity had just been invented. These early breweries started generating their own power to leverage machines that ran on electricity. Soon, utility companies came along. Newer breweries that were able to just use electricity from the utility companies didn't have the capital expenses of the older breweries and were able to beat them.
I heard of this analogy from the Acquired podcast.
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References:
- YouTube: Footage from the '08 Startup School Reference ID youtube-footage-from-the-08-startup-school
- Acquired: The Playbook: Lessons from 200+ Company Stories Reference ID acquired-the-playbook-lessons-from-200-company-sto
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fomite
A fomite is an object or surface that acts as a medium to transmit infection. I became aware of this word during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
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References:
- Definition: fomite Reference ID definition-fomite
- ACS Environmental Au: Occurrence of Human Viruses on Fomites in the Environment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Reference ID acs-environmental-au-occurrence-of-human-viruses-o
- Tweet: @veshi 11 May 2020 - I think my word of the year is going to be "fomite" this year. Reference ID tweet-veshi-11-may-2020
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