Fearman's definitions
1. A particularly enjoyable or important occasion.
2. The day a woman menstruates.
3. In the Harry Potter series, the day one of the students receives a howler, typically in the Main Hall in front of everyone else.
2. The day a woman menstruates.
3. In the Harry Potter series, the day one of the students receives a howler, typically in the Main Hall in front of everyone else.
The launch of one's first novel is a red letter day in any novelist's life.
She had her first red letter day last week. She spent all day sulking in her bedroom.
Another red letter day for poor old Ronald.
She had her first red letter day last week. She spent all day sulking in her bedroom.
Another red letter day for poor old Ronald.
by Fearman November 11, 2007
Get the red letter daymug. Affected humorous goodbye to someone the speaker can't stand. The bit before the comma is spoken out loud, the rest is more sotto voce; the whole phrase may be repeated straight out to a third party.
by Fearman March 4, 2008
Get the see ya, don't want to be yamug. 1. Movie directed by Alan Parker in 1978, loosely speaking about the real-life experiences of young American hashish smuggler Billy Hayes in a Turkish prison. Starring Brad Davis and John Hurt. Script by Oliver Stone.
2. To escape from prison or some other aversive situation. Reference taken from Parker's movie.
2. To escape from prison or some other aversive situation. Reference taken from Parker's movie.
Midnight Express had six nominations for Academy Awards and won two of them.
I had to catch the midnight express out of boarding school.
I had to catch the midnight express out of boarding school.
by Fearman May 24, 2008
Get the Midnight Expressmug. Pseudoscientific diagnosis most often made of people by their narcissistic parents, in conjunction with airheaded social workers, so that the parents don't have to accept personal responsibility for ten to twenty years of filling the kid's head full of dysfunctional bullshit. Also useful, in our age of postmodernist relativism where science is seen as at once useful and deeply suspect, for purposes of claiming financial aid. The kids could probably do with the aid, but society doesn't need the quackery. Those who make a mint out of selling the notion of this condition often rope in a few undeniable autistic savants to their argument so as to confer a thin veneer of respectability on the whole enterprise.
Incidentally, the very use of the word syndrome is pseudoscientific when used in the field of psychiatry. In medicine or any real science, a syndrome is defined as a wide range of symptoms, not all of which may be present in any one patient, which can be proven to link back to a common cause. To take two examples: Down's Syndrome results from a doubling of the sex-linked X chromosome in a person's genotype. It manifests in a range of symptoms including a flattened facial structure, a slant to the eyes, above average muscular development and below average intelligence, not all of which will necessarily manifest in any one person with the syndrome. Likewise, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, manifests in any of a large number of otherwise usually rare opportunistic infections once the body's immune system has been disabled by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Again, not all of these show up in any one case; again, there is a common underlying cause.
After decades of research, psychiatrists remain divided on how the human mind works. There are various conflicting schools of thought (Freudians, Jungians, Adlerians, gestalt therapists, a plethora of others); beyond some empirical research on brain chemistry, neural functioning and other areas related to hard science, the teaching on the workings of the mind get rather hazy rather fast. In other words, we don't really know for certain how the mind works in the sort of detail that would enable us to talk about "common origins" for the extremely wide range of symptoms allegedly linked to this so-called syndrome. The word "syndrome" is simply used in this case because the naive and misguided think it sounds impressively scientific. The very fact that the parameters of Asperger's are so broad and vague pretty much tells you what this whole racket is really about; selling people a bill of goods. However, in the majority of cases, given the plasticity of the human mind in early development and the lack of any explanation of how this "syndrome" is supposed to arise, the above definition is, I would offer, likely to be at least as good as any.
Incidentally, the very use of the word syndrome is pseudoscientific when used in the field of psychiatry. In medicine or any real science, a syndrome is defined as a wide range of symptoms, not all of which may be present in any one patient, which can be proven to link back to a common cause. To take two examples: Down's Syndrome results from a doubling of the sex-linked X chromosome in a person's genotype. It manifests in a range of symptoms including a flattened facial structure, a slant to the eyes, above average muscular development and below average intelligence, not all of which will necessarily manifest in any one person with the syndrome. Likewise, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, manifests in any of a large number of otherwise usually rare opportunistic infections once the body's immune system has been disabled by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Again, not all of these show up in any one case; again, there is a common underlying cause.
After decades of research, psychiatrists remain divided on how the human mind works. There are various conflicting schools of thought (Freudians, Jungians, Adlerians, gestalt therapists, a plethora of others); beyond some empirical research on brain chemistry, neural functioning and other areas related to hard science, the teaching on the workings of the mind get rather hazy rather fast. In other words, we don't really know for certain how the mind works in the sort of detail that would enable us to talk about "common origins" for the extremely wide range of symptoms allegedly linked to this so-called syndrome. The word "syndrome" is simply used in this case because the naive and misguided think it sounds impressively scientific. The very fact that the parameters of Asperger's are so broad and vague pretty much tells you what this whole racket is really about; selling people a bill of goods. However, in the majority of cases, given the plasticity of the human mind in early development and the lack of any explanation of how this "syndrome" is supposed to arise, the above definition is, I would offer, likely to be at least as good as any.
Johnny and Mary Stewart could never get their asses out of bed in the morning and Mary filled little Billy's head with nonsense about how the world is full of people out to get him. When he was bullied in school she told him to ignore it. Now she's gadding about telling everyone he has Asperger's Syndrome. Surprise surprise.
by Fearman July 29, 2007
Get the asperger'smug. Long-bearded earthy worldly wise simple genius invented by cartoonist R. Crumb. The only man in history (according to one cartoon) to get a new lease on life when, once he had died, God asked him what he thought of Paradise and his scrupulously honest aesthetic appraisal of the whole place pissed off the Big Man big time. Best known for such catch phrases as "Keep Truckin'".
by Fearman April 11, 2008
Get the Mr. Naturalmug. Expression of extreme fatigue, revulsion or similar burning desire to get the metaphorically exposed creepy-crawly critters out of the way as quickly as possible. A quote from Addams Family Values.
Oh, please, not more of these fanatical freaks! Not more vegetarian animal loving bomb experts! Who moved the rock?
Not more Aryan Nation types, oh please, who moved the rock?
Not more Aryan Nation types, oh please, who moved the rock?
by Fearman March 4, 2008
Get the Who moved the rock?mug. To be the epitome of something, typically something unpleasant. To stand as the best (or more likely worst) example of a series of things.
Of all the slimy schemes Jim's pulled over the years, his attempt to pay a psychologist to testify in court that Marie, whom Jim had actually repeatedly raped the previous year, was merely paranoid, just has to take the biscuit.
by Fearman February 22, 2008
Get the take the biscuitmug.