al-in-chgo's definitions

a/k/a

Abbreviation for "also known as," useful when defining terms that are known under two or more names:

Shortwave radio, a/k/a World Band radio; or

Taiwan a/k/a Formosa.

Also pseudonyms vis-a-vis given names:

Victoria Beckham a/k/a Victoria Adams and Posh Spice.

A simplified use has more recently emerged: simply to type the letters. omitting the slashes (a/k/a "virgules") in between -- it is rare that anyone would confuse "aka" with a word called something like "akk-uh" and "aka" is easier to type:

David Johansen aka Buster Poindexter.

Reginald Dwight aka Elton John.

But both spellings are currently in use:

Do you have any biographical information about writer George Orwell, a/k/a (or aka) Eric Blair?

Although an abbreviation, note that no period is required.

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from a Wanted poster: Wanted: Johnny Breeze, a/k/a John Brahms, a/k/a John Briscoe, a/k/a John Buchanan . . .

(contributor's note: not a real person).

by al-in-chgo March 5, 2010

junk armor

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An athletic supporter, such as a jockstrap or a plastic cup, that protects the male genitals ("junk") against impact or injury.

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"That football hit me right in the crotch! If not for my junk armor I'd be singing soprano now."

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by al-in-chgo March 8, 2010

franticky

Franticky is a combination of FRANTIC + PANICKY. It describes a situation in which a person is in a desperate hurry to do something, escape from a situation, etc., but whose efforts don't work because the panicked nature of his/her mood makes focus and resolve impossible.

"June, the phone bill is right here under your nose. You'd have found if if you hadn't been blindly riffling through the papers, all franticky."

by al-in-chgo March 5, 2010

Having an Average Weekend

Name of the rock-based instrumental tune that opened and closed the syndicated Canadian TV show, THE KIDS IN THE HALL (1990s).

The song was performed by a rock trio called "Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet," which name is, unfortunately, one character too long to fit the 30-character limit for tags. The band (1984-1991) was based in Toronto and one of its members was/is friends with one of the Kids in the Hall. Shadowy Men had a successful career in its relatively brief life and has a reputation as both innovative and influential, in that it fused Punk with Surf styles. The group's bassist, Reid Diamond, died of cancer in 1991.

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See also UrbanDictionary listing: Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet.

"Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet" is an unusual name, even for an indie band."

"A lot of their tunes have quirky names, too: consider "Having an Average Weekend," which The Kids In The Hall used as the intro / outro music for their show."

"TMI! Unless I can win a bar bet with it."

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by al-in-chgo March 1, 2010

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet

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Toronto-based rock trio (1984-91) credited with fusing the Punk style (Dead Kennedys e.g.) with Surf (the Ventures) into a distinctive but soon-imitated sound (sometimes called third-gen Surf).

The band usually recorded without vocals and has a number of EP's and CD's to its credit. Its last CD was released in 1995 but the band had effectively come to an end with the death of bassist Reid Diamond to cancer in 1991.

Televiewers may know Shadowy Men best from one particular song: "Having an Average Weekend," which was adopted by the Canadian satirical troupe Kids In The Hall as intro/outro music to the half-hour show of the same name.

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"What was that band on the radio that played those interesting chords?"

"Dude, you've never heard of Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet? They were huge in the eighties and early nineties. Even did the theme music for 'Kids In The Hall' on TV."

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by al-in-chgo March 1, 2010

priapic

Of or pertaining to the penis, penile.

The beauty of "priapic" is its semi-coded function: it can mean penile in a flaccid or an erect way.

"Priapic" is an adjective from name Priapus, but that word and the medical condition called priapism usually connote erection (i.e. "erection lasting four or more hours").

Todd: "Well, Robb, now that Men magazine and Playgirl have stopped publishing, what are you doing to encourage your little priapic enthusiasms?"

Robb: "Fuck you, gay boy, you've never heard of Internet porn? And it ain't little."

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by al-in-chgo May 10, 2010

logrolling

When a reviewer or critic who gets into a tradeoff of critical praise or "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" situation. Implicitly or by agreement, one reviewer exchanges praise (often fatuous) with another in the hopes his inflated regard will find its way into publicity, advertising copy, book-jacket blurbs and the like and increase the other's visibility (and sell more books). The favor is expected to be returned, and at some point is. Probably descended from the literal use of logrolling as a pioneer sport, in which neither participant can stay on the round, floating timber unless one is pedaling frantically one way, one the other, although the symbolism invoking a mutual-gratification pact analogous to masturbation cannot be denied.

In the 1980s, SPY magazine ran a regular column called "Logrolling In Our Time" giving exact instances of such tit for tat.

-- "Oh, God. This is logrolling at its worst. A___ says on the dust jacket of B____'s new novel that 'a new American voice is born.' Three months later B____, now bestselling author, says that A____'s latest textbook is 'unchallengeable in its supremacy in this field.'"

-- "They belong to a mutual admiration society, intellectually speaking."

-- "I'm sorry; did you say "intellectual mastur---"

-- "Shhh!"

by al-in-chgo June 13, 2013