Shadow congressperson

More of a term than a word; shadow congressperson are:

"The offices of shadow U.S. Representative and shadow U.S. Senator are elective offices in the District of Columbia. While the holders of these offices are not seated in either house of the United States Congress, they promote the District's efforts to gain full voting rights. Historically, shadow congressmen were elected by organized incorporated territories prior to their admission to the Union.[1] The name was based on the traditional practice of the Official Opposition appointing shadow cabinets in parliamentary systems.[citation needed]"

'via Blog this'

Well-heeled

Well-heeled: having plenty of money. From http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0304/dictionary_men030104.asp:

There is some dispute over the origin of "well-heeled,'' which means "wealthy.'' We know it originated in the United States in the late 1800s, but its derivation is unclear. One popular explanation is that wealthy people have plenty of money to see that their shoes are always stylish and in good repair, not worn down at the heels; hence they are literally "well-heeled.'' 

The other explanation for "well-heeled'' is somewhat more complicated. In the late 1800s, "well-heeled'' was also used to mean "adequately armed with weapons.'' As the story goes, this use of the term derived from the practice of equipping fighting gamecocks with steel spurs. Eventually, according to this theory, the sense of "well-heeled'' meaning "wealthy'' evolved out of this "well-armed'' sense. 

The theory seems plausible, since wealth can indeed be a powerful weapon, and it's true that the "armed'' sense of "well-heeled'' is attested some ten years earlier than the "wealthy'' sense. But it's also possible that the two meanings developed fairly simultaneously, independent of each other. Without more clear-cut evidence, we can't say for sure whether the first person to use "well-heeled'' to mean "wealthy'' was drawing the imagery from shoes, or from guns!

'via Blog this'

Urban Dictionary: tl;dr

From Urban Dictionary: tl;dr:

Literally, "Too long; didn't read" 
Said whenever a nerd makes a post that is too long to bother reading.
"omg you postwench. i can only say one thing in response - tl;dr"
"tl;dr...why dont you give up on your unabridged edition of War and Peace or at least stop posting it here?"

'via Blog this'

terroir

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir:

Terroir (French pronunciation: ​[tɛʁwaʁ] from terre, "land") is the set of special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place, interacting with plant genetics, express in agricultural products such as wine, coffee, chocolate, hops, tomatoes, heritage wheat, and tea.

From Backyard Composting Isn't Scary—It's Actually Quite Easy | TakePart:

"I’ve wondered how bat guano is harvested, if vegans are OK with eating vegetables that sucked up nutrients from applications of blood and bone meal, and considered the scatological affect that fertilizing my tomatoes with compost comprised of waste from the Los Angeles Zoo would have on the terroir of my backyard.   "

'via Blog this'

Auscultation

Auscultation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Auscultation (based on the Latin verb auscultare "to listen") is the term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope. Auscultation is performed for the purposes of examining the circulatory system and respiratory system (heart sounds and breath sounds), as well as the gastrointestinal system (bowel sounds)."



'via Blog this'

peonage

From peonage system - Google Search:

Peonage, also called debt slavery or debt servitude, is a system where an employer compels a worker to pay off a debt with work.

'via Blog this'

comme il faut

From comme il faut - Wiktionary:

Adjective[edit]comme il faut (comparative more comme il faut, superlative most comme il faut)

1. Proper; in keeping with etiquette or social standards

"Talking during performances is perfectly comme il faut in Wharton – why else go to a show if not to talk to one's friends?"



'via Blog this'

paraenetic

From Protrepsis and paraenesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

In rhetoric, protrepsis (Greek: πρότρεψις) and paraenesis (παραίνεσις) are two closely related styles of exhortation that are employed by moral philosophers. 

New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham writing on the book of Judge:

It consists of a midrash on a series of scriptural references and texts (vv 5-19) and a paraenetic section (vv20-23).

'via Blog this'

veridical

veridical - (adj) truthful



From Modern Appearances of Jesus « Christianity in Antiquity (CIA): The Bart Ehrman Blog:

Still, at the end of the day, he thinks that something “transcendent” has led to some of the modern visions of Jesus he recounts. In other words, they – or some of them – are veridical.)

'via Blog this'

epigone

From epigone - definition of epigone by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.:

ep·i·gone  (ĕp′ĭ-gōn′)n.A second-rate imitator or follower, especially of an artist or a philosopher.

'via Blog this'

Sommelier

From Sommelier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

A sommelier (/ˈsɒməljeɪ/ or /sʌməlˈjeɪ/; French pronunciation: ​[sɔməlje]), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role is much more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter: In fine dining today the role is strategically on a par with that of the executive chef or chef de cuisine.^[1]

Example sentence: I learned everything I know about sommeliers from tonight' episode of Parks and Rec.

'via Blog this'

Zugzwang

From Zugzwang - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move", pronounced [ˈtsuːktsvaŋ]) is a situation found in chess and other games, where one player is put at a disadvantage because he must make a move when he would prefer to pass and not move. The fact that the player is compelled to move means that his position will become significantly weaker. A player is said to be "in zugzwang" when any possible move will worsen his position.^[1]

From Mr. Nobody:

Nemo age 9: In chess, it's called Zugzwang... when the only viable move...
Nemo Nobody aged 118: ...is not to move.

'via Blog this'

fait accompli

fait accompli - Wiktionary: French for "a done deal" (pronounced "fay complee").



'via Blog this'

florilegium

florilegium - noun, plural flo·ri·le·gi·a  [flawr-uh-lee-jee-uh, flohr-] 

a collection of literary pieces; anthology.

From God and Freedom | First Things:

"Brague’s talk was a running commentary on a florilegium of biblical texts; I can’t fit the entire roster into a single column, but the following selections ... may be aids to Lenten reflection."

'via Blog this'

suppurate

From suppurate - Google Search: "undergo the formation of pus; fester."



From Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning: "For days we were unable to wash, even partially, because of frozen water-pipes, and yet the sores and abrasions on hands which were dirty from work in the soil did not suppurate (that is, unless there was frostbite)." (30)



'via Blog this'