jollymander

A misheard word, which the person who mishears it, continues to mishear it, in exactly the same way, no matter how many times they ask for the word to be repeated.

K: Hi, my name's Kumail.
J: Camel?
K: Kumail
J: Sorry, can you say that again?
K: Kum-ay-il
J: Camel?
K: KUMAIL!
J: Hi Camel.

K: My name's not a jollymander; fix your fucking ears!

by Werdenschmidt May 07, 2018

presidential

(adj.) Representing the worst approach to something.

Can you believe how disorganised that debate was? They kept yelling over each other. It was so presidential.

by Werdenschmidt September 30, 2020

Politician's thumb

The way a politician holds their hand in a first with their thumb used as the pointer, because focus groups said that using a finger was too aggressive.

Originally pioneered by Barack Obama, and used by most politicians since then who don't want to be seen as overly aggressive.

Did you see the rendition of Nikki Haley in the SNL episode of the Republican presidential candidates debate? She nailed the politician's thumb.

by Werdenschmidt November 14, 2023

Arbitrage of deplorables

The natural phenomenon of horrible people migrating to services that don't want them until they're evenly spread, thereby removing the competitive edge of being able to claim that you don't serve horrible people.

Bob: I prefer to use X instead of Y, because they have fewer Nazis on the platform.
Jo: They used to, but there was an arbitrage of deplorables, and now they've got the local white nationalist cult using them.

by Werdenschmidt January 10, 2021

Toothpaste promise

Noun. A representation made, usually in advertising, that sounds impressive, but is effectively meaningless.
Based on the claim that all toothpaste ads make, i.e. 70% more effective (than brushing without toothpaste).

They said I could save hundreds of dollars per year on my car insurance, but that was compared to someone who never shops around, and has had the same policy for 10 years. It's always cheaper to switch to any other insurance company after a couple of years, so it was a total toothpaste promise.

by Werdenschmidt February 08, 2021

Weedership

A behavior exhibited by a leader who spends too much time in the weeds.

My boss entrusted me with this huge strategic project, but then he watched over my shoulder to suggest how to optimise the colours in the weekly update email. It was total weedership.

by Werdenschmidt April 29, 2022

Emmanuelization

The expansion of a contracted name to its full form when expressing unhappiness with someone.

"Emmanuel, don't do it!" uses the emmanuelization of the name Manny.

by Werdenschmidt September 13, 2022