doo wop

(also "do wop")

A form of popular music, primarily but not exclusively the domain of black performers, which achieved prominence in the 1950s. Its most prominent element is close, multipart vocal harmonies, sometimes rendered accapella. The term "doo wop" is typical of the the nonsense syllables often used as a chorus.

"The Great Pretender" by the Platters is probably the best known example of Doo Wop music.

by balbulican August 03, 2004

diva

A talented but imperious female performer. Originally used to describe opera starts, the word is now commonly applied to female performers in virtually any medium.

Celine Dione demands mint flavoured toothpicks in her dressing room at every performance...what a diva!

by balbulican July 17, 2004

man about town

A sophisticated, suave male urban dweller; one who knows which bars to frequent, where the fashionistas dine, and which shows one must see.

The character of James Bond epitomizes the concept of a "Man About Town".

by balbulican July 21, 2004

Pulp-Fiction

1) Popular fiction produced in the 1950s and published in inexpensive periodicals nicknamed "pulps" for the inferior quality of paper they used, compared the "slicks" (e.g., Life or Time magazine.) Most frequently used to describe detective, western, or science fiction writin of the period. 2) Title of a 1994 film by Quentin Tarantino.

Ray Bradbury and Louis L'Amour are two well known American authors who began their literary careers as writers of pulp fiction.

by balbulican August 08, 2004

hair band

A musical ensemble, generally from the 1980s whose most noteworthy asset is their coiffure.

If they wore jeans, sang about girls and beer, and looked like they spent more on their perms than on their instruments...they were probably a hair band.

by balbulican July 14, 2004

Atlas Shrugged

A very large novel by Ayn Rand, a shallow but popular important Conservative thinker of the early to mid twentieth century. It explores many of the themes that later found their expression in Libertarian philosophy. Noteworthy for its interesting political views, paper thin characters and an awkward, implausible plot.

"Atlas Shrugged" is a book that really impresses people who haven't read much good fiction.

by balbulican July 21, 2004

jigging

In Newfoundland and Norther Canada, the practice of fishing without a rod by lowering a hook into the water and rhythmically jerking it upward until it encounters a fish.

"All sizes and figures with squid lines and jiggers, they congregate here on the squid-jigging ground."

by Balbulican January 25, 2004