Definitions by Hot East
salamander
A long, thin propane or kerosene-fired heater used by contractors to cure plaster, spackling, or paint in the wintertime. The device is often left turned on overnight producing the illusion that there are flames in the building because of its glow. This results in a number of mistaken 9-1-1 calls for the fire department. Also known as a "torpedo heater" because it somewhat resembles a torpedo.
The caller said she saw flames in the building, but the fire department only found a salamander the contractors left on overnight.
salamander by Hot East September 13, 2011
Cafone
A person with a defective personality trait who consumes strikingly more resources than they require, often taking away from others while doing so. Someone who acts in a selfish and singular-minded way. Often, the person is unaware that they are acting in such manner, while, in some cases, the mannerism is deliberate and has been deeply reinforced by learned experiences from previously successful attempts.
That cafone Tommy came over the other night. He finished off all of my beer and ate most of what was in the refrigerator before he noticed all the free stuff was gone. Then, all of a sudden, he got tired and had to leave. Probably went to someone else's house for more.
corporo-political jackassery
The shenanigans that corporations play with disingenuous politicians, which place them in a higher position than the politician's individual constituents. These shenanigans may include contributions, lobbying, influence peddling, manipulation of regulatory environments, strong-arming, or other techniques, not unlike those of organized crime, but legitimized by a corporate presence, employed to create a favorable environment for the corporation and its shareholders mostly to the detriment of the individual constituents within the district served and the corporation's stakeholders. Often corporo-political jackassery exploits weak-minded people who respond to buzzwords and grossly oversimplified skeletal concepts they don't understand with militant activism in defense of the buzzword, despite the obvious detriment to the individual; i.e., "Obamacare."
A number of protections were enacted following the Great Depression to prevent our economy from tanking, however thanks to decades of corporo-political jackassery, most were deregulated and Wall Street was alloiwed to police itself. The end product left the U.S. with massive foreclosures, layoffs, and an exodus of industry which further eroded the middle class.
corporo-political jackassery by Hot East March 6, 2011
Chinkie
A dated pejorative slang term denoting Chinese origin. The term has largely been forgotten by political correctness and awareness of global peoples, but has resurfaced to describe consumer items and articles manufactured in China. These items are of poor or inferior quality or considered to be disposable - particularly when those items replaced higher quality items or ones with greater expectation of longevity. History shows that manufacture of these items may employ practices banned in or deemed hazardous by other nations, for example, adding melamine, an adulterant which may be poisonous to certain individuals or in certain concentrations, in order to fraudulently increase the protein levels of foods, or painting toys with lead-based paint.
These items are imported to the detriment of domestic workers and domestically produced items. Retailers and corporations counter that domestically produced materials would be significantly more expensive and that consumers would be unwilling to pay the cost differential, thereby harming their profit margins.
These items are imported to the detriment of domestic workers and domestically produced items. Retailers and corporations counter that domestically produced materials would be significantly more expensive and that consumers would be unwilling to pay the cost differential, thereby harming their profit margins.
Florida
The 27th state admitted to the United States. Florida is a haven for predatory scammers, prostitutes, white trash, businesses predicated on dismal customer service, and people fleeing something (bad marriage, debtor's prison, organized crime, etc.). The economy of Florida is based on attracting outside people oblivious of these realities or well-to-do GLBT individuals to see post-teen so-called "performers" dressed in anthropomorphic costumes, relive the fantasy childhood they never had, and to visit nearly-abandoned beachfront communities (see: economic collapse). The state appears to be split into three distinct areas: South Florida, a largely Hispanic and New York polyglot; Central Florida, a region with no discernable product or industry where people who cannot afford South Florida live; and the Panhandle, which is more like Southern Alabama. These factors are offset by beautiful weather, exotic flora and fauna, and scantily clad women (see: prostitutes and white trash). Much of the former aerospace program existed in Florida.
MNS
A radio code used by some urban public safety agencies as a professional sounding abbreviation for coffee, milk, no sugar. Intended to make a coffee run sound official and important.
g-job
A contraction for "government job." A questionable act, usually using public funds or resources, performed by a public employee geared toward personal or political gain. At times, this act may be preceeded by some degree of coercion or veiled threat from persons in authority.
Tommy is supposed to be checking for loose manhole covers, but he's really on a g-job painting the mayor's house.