my name is Cos's definitions
"Somebody Else's Problem", an effectively-magical field that obscures things you think aren't relevant to you, such that even though you see them (or hear them or read them) you don't actually *notice*, and quickly forget.
More generally, the phenomenon that causes people to ignore issues that they know about but think of as either not something they can do anything about, or not personally relevant to them right now. This can result in something that's very important to a group of people being ignored by every individual member of that group.
Popularized by Douglas Adams in the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" series, in which Ford Prefect describes it as:
"An SEP is something we can't see, or don't see, or our brain doesn't let us see, because we think that it's somebody else's problem.... The brain just edits it out, it's like a blind spot. If you look at it directly you won't see it unless you know precisely what it is. Your only hope is to catch it by surprise out of the corner of your eye."
In that series, a strange object can be effectively hidden from view while out in plain sight, by an "SEP field", which "relies on people's natural predisposition not to see anything they don't want to, weren't expecting, or can't explain."
More generally, the phenomenon that causes people to ignore issues that they know about but think of as either not something they can do anything about, or not personally relevant to them right now. This can result in something that's very important to a group of people being ignored by every individual member of that group.
Popularized by Douglas Adams in the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" series, in which Ford Prefect describes it as:
"An SEP is something we can't see, or don't see, or our brain doesn't let us see, because we think that it's somebody else's problem.... The brain just edits it out, it's like a blind spot. If you look at it directly you won't see it unless you know precisely what it is. Your only hope is to catch it by surprise out of the corner of your eye."
In that series, a strange object can be effectively hidden from view while out in plain sight, by an "SEP field", which "relies on people's natural predisposition not to see anything they don't want to, weren't expecting, or can't explain."
It's just been sitting there all day, hundreds of people have walked by, and nobody said anything or even turned to look! It's like it's got an SEP field around it.
by my name is Cos August 1, 2008
Get the SEP mug.It's spring, the weather turns warn, and for the first time in many months all the cute people wandering around the street/mall/food court/city park/farmers market/etc. are wearing light clothing revealing faces, arms, legs, cleavage... The more of them distract you, the more often you turn to look, the more likely you are to get bisexual whiplash.
Straight people can get it too, of course, but being bi doubles your vulnerability.
Straight people can get it too, of course, but being bi doubles your vulnerability.
The cute people are out today! I went to get some food and got bisexual whiplash just trying to cross the street.
by my name is Cos November 24, 2007
Get the bisexual whiplash mug.A hookup or other episode of sex (such as the start of a new involvement) between people who dated or hooked up way back when, lost contact with each other for years, and became reacquainted.
See: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Life/75527-Are-you-a-retrosexual/
See: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Life/75527-Are-you-a-retrosexual/
She's not dating anyone right now, but she's had retrosex with two guys she hasn't seen since high school who she found on Facebook recently.
by my name is Cos January 25, 2009
Get the retrosex mug.To be ignored by someone without purpose or malice. You simply don't register on their radar screen. ::bleep, bleep, bleep::
I played arm-candy sufficiently well to get totally bleeped by a state rep. He said hi, and then utterly ignored me for the rest of the conversation. it was sort of entertainingly disconcerting.
by my name is Cos January 24, 2009
Get the bleeped mug.Like a non-sequitur, a pre-sequitur doesn't follow what immediately preceded it, but instead relates to something that came much earlier. It is a sudden or jarring break in the chronology, but it does follow... when you remember what it refers to.
Jen: Why did you leave Los Angeles?
Keith: Well... have you ever lived there?
Jen: I visited once, for a week. I liked the street performers on the boardwalk...
Keith: Oh, the boardwalk is where I got this red scarf!
Jen: I was trying to knit a scarf just like that last year but I never finished.
Keith: Where do you get yarn around here?
Jen: There's a good store just a few blocks from here, wanna come see?
... ten minutes later ...
Jen: Huh, do you smell Indian food?
Keith: Hmm, not really... but now I'm in the mood to get some Indian Food.
Jen: Sure, let's!
Keith: It was the pollution, that's why.
Jen: pollution?
Keith: Yeah, I wanted somewhere with real air, and LA wasn't it!
Jen: Oh, why you left Los Angeles
Keith: Well... have you ever lived there?
Jen: I visited once, for a week. I liked the street performers on the boardwalk...
Keith: Oh, the boardwalk is where I got this red scarf!
Jen: I was trying to knit a scarf just like that last year but I never finished.
Keith: Where do you get yarn around here?
Jen: There's a good store just a few blocks from here, wanna come see?
... ten minutes later ...
Jen: Huh, do you smell Indian food?
Keith: Hmm, not really... but now I'm in the mood to get some Indian Food.
Jen: Sure, let's!
Keith: It was the pollution, that's why.
Jen: pollution?
Keith: Yeah, I wanted somewhere with real air, and LA wasn't it!
Jen: Oh, why you left Los Angeles
by my name is Cos November 28, 2007
Get the pre-sequitur mug.They won't like it, but the IT department says we need to fenestrate the entire department, including the ones who are using Linux.
by my name is Cos April 16, 2009
Get the fenestrate mug.The sort of unfortunate or amusing coincidence or contradiction that you're tempted to label "irony", but realize isn't actually ironic at all. Named for Alanis Morisette, whose song Ironic contains many examples of alany and none of irony (except for the song as a whole, which is ironic...).
You plan a trip to a faraway city, contact your friend who lives there who you haven't seen in months, and find out she's actually going to be visiting your city that same weekend, so you'll miss each other. Such alany!
by my name is Cos December 14, 2008
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