A term preferred by some writers in preference to using "homosexual" as a noun.
In a newsmagazine cover article on Gore Vidal in the late 1970s, the celebrated author and essayist explained that, since "homosexual" is used as an adjective ("homosexual fantasy"), the noun form needed something more, well, distinctive and substantive: he used "homosexualist" to describe someone who is gay in practice, or as a state of being.
One doesn't argue lightly with Gore Vidal but there are precedents either way in forming nouns. "Alcoholic drink" / "Joe's an alcoholic," uses "alcoholic" first as an adjective, then as a noun. Similarly, "Green politics" / "Cary has become a Green."
OTOH a medical practitioner of psychiatry is not a "psychiatric" (better used as an adjective = "psychiatric evaluation"), but a "psychiatrist," a description of a person, not a field. One who enjoys sensual things is a "sensualist" but has an appreciation of the sensual.
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In a newsmagazine cover article on Gore Vidal in the late 1970s, the celebrated author and essayist explained that, since "homosexual" is used as an adjective ("homosexual fantasy"), the noun form needed something more, well, distinctive and substantive: he used "homosexualist" to describe someone who is gay in practice, or as a state of being.
One doesn't argue lightly with Gore Vidal but there are precedents either way in forming nouns. "Alcoholic drink" / "Joe's an alcoholic," uses "alcoholic" first as an adjective, then as a noun. Similarly, "Green politics" / "Cary has become a Green."
OTOH a medical practitioner of psychiatry is not a "psychiatric" (better used as an adjective = "psychiatric evaluation"), but a "psychiatrist," a description of a person, not a field. One who enjoys sensual things is a "sensualist" but has an appreciation of the sensual.
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"John is an out-of-the-closet homosexual"; OR
"John is an out-of-the-closet homosexualist."
BUT ALSO: "John is a homosexual," OR
"John is homosexual." -- BUT NOT:
"John is homosexualist."
It is much to be hoped that the definitions above of "same-sex love" or "practitioner of same-sex love" will stand, despite the fact that many right-wingers use it almost as a slur (it can get clinical) and avoid "gay" as a neologism. Don't think it isn't political, either.
GAY: Current idiom in casual speech would have it
"John is gay." Note that "a gay" commodifies John just a little.
See Gay.
"John's love life has been exclusively homosexual since 1993."
"John has an active homosexual love life."
"John is the kind of homosexualist other homosexualists can be proud of."
"John is an out-of-the-closet homosexualist."
BUT ALSO: "John is a homosexual," OR
"John is homosexual." -- BUT NOT:
"John is homosexualist."
It is much to be hoped that the definitions above of "same-sex love" or "practitioner of same-sex love" will stand, despite the fact that many right-wingers use it almost as a slur (it can get clinical) and avoid "gay" as a neologism. Don't think it isn't political, either.
GAY: Current idiom in casual speech would have it
"John is gay." Note that "a gay" commodifies John just a little.
See Gay.
"John's love life has been exclusively homosexual since 1993."
"John has an active homosexual love life."
"John is the kind of homosexualist other homosexualists can be proud of."
by al-in-chgo February 27, 2010
Get the homosexualistmug. "Jagoff" (sometimes "jag-off") seems to have originated in Pittsburgh but is also recognized in the Midwest as slang for an inept, feckless, contemptible, or generally worthless person, a loser, a "schlemiel."
The term is almost certainly derived from the verb "jack off" (through noun "jack-off") as in "masturbate," but somewhat like the British use of "wanker," it is usually not a direct comment on self-pleasuring, but more of a general term of contempt or deliberate abuse. Like "wanker," "jagoff" is somewhat vulgar and not to be used lightly, and avoided in cultivated speech, but is recognized by all in the regions in which it has currency.
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The term is almost certainly derived from the verb "jack off" (through noun "jack-off") as in "masturbate," but somewhat like the British use of "wanker," it is usually not a direct comment on self-pleasuring, but more of a general term of contempt or deliberate abuse. Like "wanker," "jagoff" is somewhat vulgar and not to be used lightly, and avoided in cultivated speech, but is recognized by all in the regions in which it has currency.
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The book KILLER CLOWN relates that John Wayne Gacy became especially flustered or angry when called a "jagoff." So the police deliberately used that term to throw him off-balance during interrogation.
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by al-in-chgo August 18, 2010
Get the jagoffmug. 1. Abbreviation for University of California at Los Angeles.
2. Upper Corner of Lower Abingdon, an irreverent nickname for Viginia Highlands Community College (Abingdon, Virginia) in the southwestern part of the state near Bristol.
2. Upper Corner of Lower Abingdon, an irreverent nickname for Viginia Highlands Community College (Abingdon, Virginia) in the southwestern part of the state near Bristol.
by al-in-chgo February 23, 2010
Get the UCLAmug. 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."
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"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."
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"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
Get the controversialmug. 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 07, 2013
Get the Clappertrapmug. 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
Get the jockstrap-sniffersmug. Tumescence in reverse; the process where, after ejaculation, a man's penis shrinks and reverts to "normal" pre-sexual size.
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"I get boners quick but after sex I lose them quick too. My dick goes back to normal size before I can say "detumescence".
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"I get boners quick but after sex I lose them quick too. My dick goes back to normal size before I can say "detumescence".
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by al-in-chgo March 12, 2010
Get the detumescencemug.