al-in-chgo's definitions
Barack Obama's flippant reponse to Mitt Romney's complaint during their third televised debate (October 22, 2012) that the U.S. Navy had fewer battleships than at any time since 1917. Obama's remark that the military has fewer "horses and bayonets, too" makes an analogy that measuring battleships (as opposed to aircraft carriers) is an archaic metric of military power, in much the same way that measuring "horses and bayonets" would no longer indicate an army's might. (NB: Marines are still issued bayonets.)
"The Navy has fewer battleships than at any time since 1917."
"The military has fewer horses and bayonets, too. We live in a different world."
"The military has fewer horses and bayonets, too. We live in a different world."
by al-in-chgo October 23, 2012

A disparaging way to refer to the type of sports fan, most obvious at the collegiate level, who likes to get a little too close to the players, especially after the game.
Euphemistic synonym: "Rabid fans."
Euphemistic synonym: "Rabid fans."
"Before we conduct any interviews, it's a good idea to let the jockstrap-sniffers storm through here. Then we'll shoo them out and get down to business."
by al-in-chgo May 24, 2018

1. Tending to provoke or cause controversy by its nature.
2. A cliche the media use to add intrigue or entertainment value to a cultural manifestation or event that is singularly lacking in zest or inherent fascination.
3. Proceeding from 2., sometimes a semiotic code word used by the media to indicate osentible deviance, such as being homosexual or homosexuality, implying (perhaps unwittingly) that the event or person(s) at hand have a lurid background by definition.
2. A cliche the media use to add intrigue or entertainment value to a cultural manifestation or event that is singularly lacking in zest or inherent fascination.
3. Proceeding from 2., sometimes a semiotic code word used by the media to indicate osentible deviance, such as being homosexual or homosexuality, implying (perhaps unwittingly) that the event or person(s) at hand have a lurid background by definition.
1. "It seems that abortion is controversial no matter what a person says about it."
2. "Today we're going to interview Dr. Judah Wellness, whose new book THINK YOURSELF THINNER has become quite controversial."
3. "The TV color commentators keep calling that figure-skater controversial, but where's the controversy? He himself is quite open about being gay and doesn't seem to have a problem with it. I mean, everyone he knows, knows that he's gay."
--
"I agree, the use of "controversial" just seems a way to add spice; especially since coming out of the closet hasn't hurt him or his career. What is so sad is that so often, the media people are usually very au courant and sophisticated, and know darn well when they are using that tag in a hypocritical way."
2. "Today we're going to interview Dr. Judah Wellness, whose new book THINK YOURSELF THINNER has become quite controversial."
3. "The TV color commentators keep calling that figure-skater controversial, but where's the controversy? He himself is quite open about being gay and doesn't seem to have a problem with it. I mean, everyone he knows, knows that he's gay."
--
"I agree, the use of "controversial" just seems a way to add spice; especially since coming out of the closet hasn't hurt him or his career. What is so sad is that so often, the media people are usually very au courant and sophisticated, and know darn well when they are using that tag in a hypocritical way."
by al-in-chgo February 21, 2010

Bleats of wounded outrage in a tone of arrogant moral superiority from those who have trashed our civil liberties.
Named for James Clapper, head of NSA.
Named for James Clapper, head of NSA.
"The President says we weren't informed that our phone records were secretly being turned over to the FBI because we didn't need to know."
"What utter Clappertrap."
"What utter Clappertrap."
by al-in-chgo June 7, 2013

A scanlator is a person who performs scanlations, which are the unauthorized scanning + translation of a source work, usually a Japanese manga of some sort, into English for dissemination by e-mail or blog.
For more information, see scanlation.
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For more information, see scanlation.
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"Who's the translator on this graphic novel? Or should I say 'scanlator'."
"Scanlator is the word, the person is called "Kuzzy" but there's no full name, e-mail or blog address. They prefer to keep it that way because what they're doing breaks international copyright laws, even in cases of works that have been sitting untranslated into English for years."
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"Scanlator is the word, the person is called "Kuzzy" but there's no full name, e-mail or blog address. They prefer to keep it that way because what they're doing breaks international copyright laws, even in cases of works that have been sitting untranslated into English for years."
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by al-in-chgo April 12, 2010

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"The model Jeff York has some of the nicest lip fur I've ever seen."
"Yeah, John Stossel's is pretty great, too."
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"The model Jeff York has some of the nicest lip fur I've ever seen."
"Yeah, John Stossel's is pretty great, too."
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by al-in-chgo March 13, 2010

A used book (overall condition unimportant) that an avid reader "rescues" from a library sale, used-bookstore, clearance shelf, or home of a downsizing relative, without any immediate need for it but in the fear it will be pulped otherwise. The term puppy-dog comes from the similarity to rescuing an animal and taking it home to a house already full of cats and dogs, for fear it would otherwise be euthanized.
"Did you really need to buy DISCOURSES ON LIVY by Niccolo Machiavelli?"
"Well . . . it's a puppy-dog book to me. It's a good clean copy, it was cheap, eventually I may find time to read it, and most of all I couldn't bear the idea of it hitting the recycling bin and sent to print heaven."
"Well . . . it's a puppy-dog book to me. It's a good clean copy, it was cheap, eventually I may find time to read it, and most of all I couldn't bear the idea of it hitting the recycling bin and sent to print heaven."
by al-in-chgo August 4, 2016
