Definitions by Tapir Trouble Too

findlay

A findlay occurs when someone firmly vows to do a specific thing, but bows to public pressure or practical constraints and backs down a few days after making that vow. For example, if you state that you're going to stay in your position ("I'm not going anywhere") on a Thursday, then suddenly quit on Sunday, you've done a findlay.

"Mom said at the start of the week that she wanted to plan a big family dinner for Friday, with everyone making a particular dish -- but I guess having to make last-minute trips to the store, plus having to get all of us organized in time, was just too much so she did a findlay."

"I decided I was going to run the local 10 km race for sure next month, but then someone at work backed a forklift over my foot, so I'm going to have to findlay this time."

findlay by Tapir Trouble Too September 21, 2026

shoelipsism

The philosophical idea that only your own body is sure to exist. This manifests as the assumption that everyone else wears similar sizes to you, so when you make or buy clothing for other people, you may end up giving them something that's too large or too small for them. For example, in March 2026 it was reported in The Wall Street Journal that President Trump "has taken to guessing people’s shoe size in front of them", and ordering a pair of $145 Oxford leather Florsheims for them on the spot. Various male members of the administration including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have been seen wearing their ill-fitting shoes, reportedly afraid to tell Trump that his guess was incorrect. David Roth of Defector posted on Bluesky, "Keep on clompin' boys!"

"My Aunt Betty knitted me a lovely pair of socks, but I'm afraid she's got a touch of shoelipsism -- she made them to fit herself, and I'm going to have to try to shrink them in a hot dryer because they keep falling down around my ankles."

shoelipsism by Tapir Trouble Too March 11, 2026