Victor Felix's definitions

pop tart

Actually, the use of "pop-tart" as an adjective for a slatternly pop singer was first coined by Mark Hänser in the Long Beach (California) Union Daily in 1983, first in reference to "Pat Bena-tart" then famously about Scandal's Patty Smyth (of "Goodbye To You" and "The Warrior" fame.)

By Mark Hänser, from the CSULB Union Daily's "finals week" issue of June, 1983:

"Pop Tart (pop tärt) n. 1. A delightful toaster pastry manufactured by Kellogg's of Battle Creek, MI. Often iced, the flaky treat is filled with either yummy fruits or some other sweet, such as chocolate or brown sugar-cinnamon. adj. 2. Patty Smyth, lead singer of the pop-rocking quintet Scandal. Possessing a certain fondness for leather-topped party dresses and long black gloves. Smyth follows in the footsteps of a long line of female perfomers who like to tease as much as torch. syn - Pat Benatar, Suzi Quatro."

by Victor Felix December 28, 2005

rhinolingus

The act of sucking on someone else's nose.

Karl was so turned on by Jerry's aquiline Jewish snoot that he just had to suck on it, despite her objections; Jerry was not especially fond of rhinolingus.

by Victor Felix June 28, 2006

Germany

A nation with a tortured history in the heart of Europe where governmental support of the arts and artists is a given. Germany's closest friend and ally is France (whose armies, under Napoleon, raped and pillaged their way across the Rhine between 1805 and 1806). Traditionally both a Roman Catholic and a Lutheran country, depending on the region, Germany now has the fastest-growing Jewish population in the world. The Austrians are ethnic Germans (Austria was historically the most powerful German state until its defeat by Prussia in 1866); the Swiss are not.

If you give a "thumbs-down" to this entry on Germany, then you are woefully uninformed.

by Victor Felix July 1, 2006

MassArt

Short for Massachusetts College of Art, the second-oldest art school in America (after RISD, or Rhode Island School of Design). Founded in 1873, MassArt is one of the most highly-rated art colleges in the country, and Boston's leading institution of arts-based higher learning. It is also the only publicly-funded art school in America, though sadly that will probably change; out-of-state tuition is already prohibitive.

The famous photographer William Wegman, known to millions for his arty and witty portraits of dogs, was a graduate of MassArt. But he didn't receive much recognition while a student at the famously formal institution.

by Victor Felix December 28, 2005

air hair

The thinning hair atop a balding man's head that you can see right through.

In the last seasons of his classic sitcom, Jerry Seinfeld's air hair became quite noticeable. So was Nicholas Cage's - before he really went bald and had to wear a piece in his films.

(This term was first coined by Mark Hänser of Boston, MA)

by Victor Felix September 3, 2005

civicide

The willful and intention destruction of a great city, including murder and exile of its inhabitants. Policide, the willful and intentional destruction of a nation, can be used as a synonym — polis is the Greek word for "city."

Rome's destruction of Carthage is an ancient example of civicide; Washington's abandonment of flood- and hurricane-ravaged New Orleans is apparently a modern one.

by Victor Felix December 28, 2005

Dark Horse

A song (a great one too, although not terribly well sung or produced) and the title track of the 1974 Apple album of the same name by the late, great George Harrison. Dark Horse was also the name of the visionary guitarist and composer's record label (distributed by the Brothers Warner), which he recorded seven albums for after leaving Apple (the label the Beatles formed in 1968) in 1976. Harrison himself was also known as the Dark Horse of the Beatles, a reference to a racehorse that people bet little on in the beginning, but who ultimately outshines his competitors in the end. When you have Lennon, McCartney and Martin as your mentors and Clapton, Dylan, and Shankar as three of your best friends, you can't help but radiate brilliance, as George did — and still does. As the Man himself sang:

"I'm a dark horse
Running on a dark race course
I'm a blue moon
Since I stepped out of the womb
I've been a cool jerk
Looking for the source
I'm a dark horse."

by Victor Felix October 1, 2005