QuacksO's definitions

Paul Freeze

Da hugely-popular 'n' prolific actor and narrator who really "gave you da chills" with his uniquely "icy" voice.

In da 1953 version of "War Of The Worlds", Paul Freeze does a great "cold opening" by quoting from H.G. Wells' book in a delightfully "frosty-toned" narration.

by QuacksO March 3, 2025

checkout-counter coercion

A.k.a. "point-of-sale pressure". Similar to second-generation enabling, this term refers to a comparably-shameless mooching-strategy that's used on someone when you're both out shopping; it involves knowingly carrying a cancelled/expired credit card or a debit/cash/gift card that has no/insufficient funds on it, and then attempting to use said worthless plastic to pay at the checkout. Well, naturally, when the clerk swipes your card and then regretfully announces that the card was rejected, this awkward and "unexpected" delay creates an acutely-humiliating situation, especially if other shoppers are present. So you first make a great show of looking shocked/flustered/embarrassed, then hastily turn to your shopping-buddy and ask meekly but urgently, "Oh, I'm so sorry --- I forgot/didn't realize that my card wasn't gonna work this time! Do you think you could pay for my purchases just this once, and I'll pay you back as soon as I can?" And then of course, your hapless companion finds himself in a "hanged if you do and hanged if you don't" dilemma --- he can either get stuck with paying off a huge store-bill, or look like an unfeeling jerk in front of all those other customers if he indignantly refuses, especially since it would mean that you would then have to crimson-facedly tiptoe all around the store again to put all of your purchases back on the shelves, plus it would also mean that any money that your friend used for gas to take you shopping will have been wasted, also.

I prudently side-step any incidents of checkout-counter coercion by always making sure to gently-but-firmly tell my shopping-companions beforehand that (1) they will be totally "on their own" about coming up with the funds to pay for their purchases, and (2) I will **not** refund their gas-money if they're unable to obtain their desired items.

by QuacksO August 7, 2018

"the three B's" of feminine desirability

Beauty, brains, and boobs (duh!).

I appreciate "the three B's" of feminine desirability as much as the next dude, but there's really not all that much going for those attributes if the chick doesn't also have a nice personality --- a kind heart is what I look for most in a lady.

by QuacksO August 4, 2018

debrisfing

Obtaining task-completion information from laborers after a scattered-materials-cleanup assignment.

I was pleased with my employees' debrisfing reports regarding da successful-and-thorough sweeping-and-disposal operation of da yard and parking lot after da wind-storm last night.

by QuacksO January 26, 2022

clustermers

A small crowd of people who enter a store as a group.

Having clustermers come in can be a store-owner's dream-come-true if each of the members of the group buys a few items, but it can also be a nightmare if they all just want to use the restrooms.

by QuacksO June 23, 2018

billyache

What your get BUTT eventually develops from being repeatedly BUTTED by one or more male members of da "best BUTTER in America" species.

It's said dat goats aren't actually born with a strong urge to use their scalps as battering-rams for your posterior; it's a learned trait from having humans playfully pat or push on their heads when they're small. So simply refrain from such "encouragement to engage" behavior if you don't want major billyaches later on.

by QuacksO January 14, 2022

fly by wire

A term that addresses multiple types of "overseas" activities:
1. The modern-day system used by large commercial aircraft for added safety during flights to foreign countries.
2. Refers to the actions of a scam-king foreigner --- he asks people to send him money "by wire-transfer", and then promptly makes haste to "fly the coop" once he receives the fraudulently-obtained funds.

I got a sob-story e-mail message from a guy from Nigeria, asking me to Western Union him some temporary cash to help settle the multi-million-dollar estate of his terminally-ill grandfather who's on his deathbed, and then he'd share out with me ten percent... yeah, right! Sounds to me like da classic "fly by wire" con-game...

by QuacksO January 22, 2017