al-in-chgo's definitions
A term of utter contempt for a worthless, meretricious person, a no-account, with the implication that s/he is of low moral character.
A "bum" has long been an Americanism for a tramp, vagabond or homeless person (and lacking in the "backside" meaning as in the U.K.). The "crumb" may come from the irritating or useless character of bread crumbs or toaster crumbs, but it is possible (despite the spelling) that the first syllable derives from "crummy" as in worthless, detestable. The internal rhyme solidifies the expression.
A "bum" has long been an Americanism for a tramp, vagabond or homeless person (and lacking in the "backside" meaning as in the U.K.). The "crumb" may come from the irritating or useless character of bread crumbs or toaster crumbs, but it is possible (despite the spelling) that the first syllable derives from "crummy" as in worthless, detestable. The internal rhyme solidifies the expression.
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"I have no use for my daughter's ex-husband. Ever since the divorce he drifts from job to job and is always behind on child-support payments. He doesn't even send his child a birthday card! As far as I'm concerned, he's a complete crumb-bum."
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"I have no use for my daughter's ex-husband. Ever since the divorce he drifts from job to job and is always behind on child-support payments. He doesn't even send his child a birthday card! As far as I'm concerned, he's a complete crumb-bum."
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by al-in-chgo August 18, 2010
Get the crumb-bummug. Pronounced roughly "Ah-YEEEEEE!," this highly useful word not only lets you scream in Italian, but in most other major Romance languages and, because of its onomatopoetic (sound-into-printed word) quality, is pretty well understood around the world.
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by al-in-chgo May 18, 2010
Get the aiieee!mug. 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. Metaphor describing a phenomenon that is inherently painful or repulsive, but from which the spectator can't turn away -- it's as compelling as sucking a tooth socket that recently had a tooth in it.
"Worst. Play. Ever."
"Why did you stay?"
"It was a like sucking a tooth that had just been removed -- I knew it was awful and would stay awful, but I just couldn't stop watching."
"Why did you stay?"
"It was a like sucking a tooth that had just been removed -- I knew it was awful and would stay awful, but I just couldn't stop watching."
by al-in-chgo July 7, 2014
Get the sucking a toothmug. Graduate of one of the United States' military service academies, which operate as collegiate institutions.
Use of term is said to be especially prominent among graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland).
Use of term is said to be especially prominent among graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland).
Among U.S. military officers, they're known as "ring knockers" because they proudly wear the big, gold class rings they earned when they graduated from one of America's military academies. (TIME magazine, April 2001)
by al-in-chgo June 15, 2013
Get the ring knockermug. by al-in-chgo March 23, 2010
Get the covertmug. A term a man, particularly a gay man, might use to describe his penis in length and then by width (sometimes meaning girth or circumference), in inches (20 by 15 cm). He's lying, of course. Or at least, no more than a two percent chance he's in that territory.
If he claims six by eight (six long, eight "wide" or perhaps in circumference), you're getting into choad territory. See choad also spelled chode. Demand immediate proof.
If he claims six by eight (six long, eight "wide" or perhaps in circumference), you're getting into choad territory. See choad also spelled chode. Demand immediate proof.
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"So he told me, 'I've got an eight by six.' At first I thought he was talking about a new kind of car engine, or something. I finally figured out what he meant, but he had already proven himself to be such a jerk that I had no desire to check out that particular attribute."
Old Joke -- Q: What's a Gay Eight? A: Six inches.
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"So he told me, 'I've got an eight by six.' At first I thought he was talking about a new kind of car engine, or something. I finally figured out what he meant, but he had already proven himself to be such a jerk that I had no desire to check out that particular attribute."
Old Joke -- Q: What's a Gay Eight? A: Six inches.
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by al-in-chgo March 1, 2010
Get the Eight By Sixmug.