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al-in-chgo's definitions

tat sleeve

Short for "tattoo sleeve": A tattoo that covers all or most of a person's forearm, as though it were the sleeve of a shirt.
Duane ("The Rock") Johnson has a very impressive tat sleeve.
by al-in-chgo August 13, 2012
mugGet the tat sleevemug.

phallus

1. The penis itself.

2. Specifically, an erect penis.

3. A representation of a phallus, often exaggerated, in art or myth.

4. A non-literal representation of phallic shape, intent or function.

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1. It's a little pompous to refer to one's penis as a phallus, but it is lexically correct.

2. A penis is for urination; when it becomes erect it is a phallus, serving sexual or reproductive purposes.

3. Two representations of phallus:

a. For example, a primitive sculpture that shows a grotesquely large penis is using the organ as a phallus to indicate fertility, or to represent masculine potency in general.

b. Similarly, the exaggerated genitalia in the work of gay artists such as Tom of Finland emphasize the erotic quality of the phallus, sometimes called hyper-masculinity.

4. A penis, phallus or idea of potency symbolized in an object. The most commonly used term, derived from Freudian psychoanalysis, is called a phallic symbol. One example of this is the very last shot of Hitchcock's 1959 thriller NORTH BY NORTHWEST, which wittily shows a passenger train plunging into a tunnel. Because of the prior plot, the audience knows very well that a train has erotic potential, so the last shot indicates sexual intercourse.

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by al-in-chgo March 14, 2010
mugGet the phallusmug.

The Valley

Abandoned prison restroom with long trough-style urinal off a low-traffic area, as described in John Cheever's 1977 novel FALCONER. To quote the author, this is where the inmates went after dinner "to fuck themselves." Themselves but not each other -- there were unwritten rules. Looking at other penises was okay, but not into another man's eyes. Touching another man was not allowed, except for the shoulder. A grim place, not gay by any definition, and certainly not the fantasy one-for-all tearoom scenes depicted in gay porn videos.

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Since The Valley in Cheever's award-winning novel Falconer was located on an upper floor, the origin of its name was obscure. Perhaps the name was coined to reference the trench- or trough-shaped nature of the elderly urinal itself.

-- "Where's Harry?"

-- "He went to The Valley after dinner."

-- 'When do you think he'll be back in our wing?"

-- "As late as possible, if I know Harry."

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by al-in-chgo February 25, 2010
mugGet the The Valleymug.

hissy fit

A sudden but violent outburst of a person shouting, screaming recriminations and (possibly) wailing, generally short-lived but shocking.

"Hissy fit" used to describe an adult tantrum but now has become an equal opportunity description, young or old, male or female. What they all have in common is no matter how severe the (alleged) offense, there is always some wounded pride involved, and usually an audience of bystanders along with the culprit who allegedly triggered the hissy.

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-- "When I told Sarah she couldn't have the doll, she broke down and pitched a major hissy fit. Right there in the toy department at Target!"

--"So when Joe got fired, all he did was throw a hissy fit out in the hall? Terrible. REAL men used to slug each other."

--"She freaked! She had a hissy! She thinks you're the cat's meow." 'Farmer Ted' (Anthony Michael Hall) in movie SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984), describing the Molly Ringwald character's sudden infatuation with a boy two years her senior.

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by al-in-chgo February 25, 2010
mugGet the hissy fitmug.

virgule

Typesetter's name for a "regular" (pre-computer-era) slash mark (/) that associates related terms. On computer QWERTY keyboards, commonly found to the right of the key for a period. The virgule key + shift indicates a question mark.
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Here's one use of the virgule: Most of the audience found the play racy/dirty, not just racy.
by al-in-chgo March 3, 2010
mugGet the virgulemug.

pecker

Casual way to say "penis." Not considered as vulgar as "cock," "prick," or "dick," almost cute in fact, but definitely not standard. Originally "pecker" was a Southern (USA) usage, but social mobility and innumerable HBO comic roasts have broadened its range.
"I've got Hubert's pecker in my pocket." Said by 1960s US President Lyndon Baines Johnson of his VP Hubert Humphrey, meaning (metaphorically) that Hubert was his bitch politically.

"I'd rather cut my pecker off." Said by same LBJ when told by his physician he had to stop smoking immediately.
by al-in-chgo July 13, 2012
mugGet the peckermug.

a/k/a

Abbreviation for "also known as," useful when defining terms that are known under two or more names:

Shortwave radio, a/k/a World Band radio; or

Taiwan a/k/a Formosa.

Also pseudonyms vis-a-vis given names:

Victoria Beckham a/k/a Victoria Adams and Posh Spice.

A simplified use has more recently emerged: simply to type the letters. omitting the slashes (a/k/a "virgules") in between -- it is rare that anyone would confuse "aka" with a word called something like "akk-uh" and "aka" is easier to type:

David Johansen aka Buster Poindexter.

Reginald Dwight aka Elton John.

But both spellings are currently in use:

Do you have any biographical information about writer George Orwell, a/k/a (or aka) Eric Blair?

Although an abbreviation, note that no period is required.

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from a Wanted poster: Wanted: Johnny Breeze, a/k/a John Brahms, a/k/a John Briscoe, a/k/a John Buchanan . . .

(contributor's note: not a real person).
by al-in-chgo March 5, 2010
mugGet the a/k/amug.

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