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mikhail epstein's definitions

webbiage

webbiage n (web + suffix iage, like in verbiage) Ð excessive use of web tools and design beyond those needed to present a certain content or achieve a certain goal.
Why do you need all this webbiage? Simplify, simplify!
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
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ifnik (if + suffix nik)

someone whose life, habits and thinking are constructed conditionally.
Don't ask him what he's going to do. A typical ifnik, he will give you a dozen of "ifs."
by Mikhail Epstein October 2, 2003
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dislove

dislove verb transitive (prefix dis + love; cf. dislike, disapprove) Ð to have a deep negative feeling, attraction-through-aversion to smbd.

"Dislove" is a deeper feeling than "dislike," it is not just a matter of taste, but of personal relationship. It is addressed to individuals rather than to inanimate entities. Dislove implies a strong negative emotional connection to its object.
I don't hate Andy. I just dislove him. I wish him to be happy with somebody else.
by Mikhail Epstein November 7, 2003
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philophobia

philophobia n (Greek philia, love + phobia, fear) - a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of love and intimacy, of deep relationship with smbd.
It seems Stalin suffered from philophobia. He never had a deep personal relationship with anybody, a man or a woman, either friendship or love.
by Mikhail Epstein November 7, 2003
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oneirogenic

oneirogenic adj (from Greek oneiros, "dream" + genic; cf. photogenic, telegenic) Ð having a propensity to appear in somebody's dreams.
Some people are photogenic while others are oneirogenic. These characteristics rarely coincide. A person who is plain and unnoticeable in real life may haunt our dreams and imagination.

Have you noticed that cats are more oneirogenic than dogs?

To surprise your friends at a party, ask them: "Do you find me "oneirogenic"? If the answer is "yesÓ, ask them to recall your adventures in their dreams.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
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hibyer

hibyer, n. (hi+bye+suffix er)

a marginal acquaintance with whom "hi' and "bye" are the most typical units of verbal exchange; the vocabulary of a minimal relationship.
Do you know this woman? - Not really, we are hibyers.

They were married for ten years, but now they are only hibyers.

I was surprised when hibyer stopped for a more substantial conversation.
by Mikhail Epstein November 16, 2003
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bespite of (conjunction)

bespite of conj (blend of "because of" and "in spite of" - a condensed form of the expression "because of, or perhaps in spite of."
This work, when done and published, will be met with keen interest by scholars and general public alike, bespite of its controversial nature.


Bespite of the intensity of the debate, there has been considerable advancement in our understanding of this global trend.

Bespite of the expectation of Truman's impending loss, Democrats turned out, and by means of an "underdog effect" assured Truman's victory.
by Mikhail Epstein November 14, 2003
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