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.A factoid that is false or unsupported by evidence, but gets into public circulation anyway. Once it is repeated and quoted enough times, it gains a life of its own, and people assume it is true because they get it from multiple sources, even though the original source is flawed or unverified, or the information turns out to be false.
One common fictoid is the idea that people need to drink 8 glasses of water a day to be healthy. There's no sound basis for this recommendation, but it is quoted and given as advice frequently.
Recently (as of new years 2009), one of the big news stories has been the collapse of a fraudulent investment fund run by Bernard Madoff, which turned out to be a ponzi scheme. Although it takes months to go through the records to figure out how much money was involved, an initial estimate was that "up to $50 billion dollars may have been lost". Despite the fact that this was an initial best guess rather than the result of actual auditing, and despite the fact that even a clear definition of "money lost" in this case is vague, this $50 billion estimate has become a fictoid, and is being repeated in the press. Plenty of people believe that it is well accepted that $50 billion is the amount of money that was lost in this fraudulent scheme.
Recently (as of new years 2009), one of the big news stories has been the collapse of a fraudulent investment fund run by Bernard Madoff, which turned out to be a ponzi scheme. Although it takes months to go through the records to figure out how much money was involved, an initial estimate was that "up to $50 billion dollars may have been lost". Despite the fact that this was an initial best guess rather than the result of actual auditing, and despite the fact that even a clear definition of "money lost" in this case is vague, this $50 billion estimate has become a fictoid, and is being repeated in the press. Plenty of people believe that it is well accepted that $50 billion is the amount of money that was lost in this fraudulent scheme.
by my name is Cos January 11, 2009
Get the fictoid 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.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.Awe-inspiringly clueless gall or chutzpah. An action or utterance that appears to come from an outrageous ego coupled with a breathtaking sense of entitlement combined with complete lack of awareness.
People can show chutzpah consciously. People can "have the nerve" to do something while knowing they're taking a chance. But to show *real* blagojevich, someone almost has to have the blindly arrogant self-confidence that comes from really believing they're right, and having no clue that they might be mistaken.
People can show chutzpah consciously. People can "have the nerve" to do something while knowing they're taking a chance. But to show *real* blagojevich, someone almost has to have the blindly arrogant self-confidence that comes from really believing they're right, and having no clue that they might be mistaken.
The canonical example is former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested and impeached after recordings of him were made public, in which he discussed his desire to get money, jobs, or other favors in exchange for appointing someone to a vacant Senate seat, and angrily swore at those who expected him to "give away" the appointment for nothing.
Despite this, he had the blagojevich to compare himself to Ghandi, his arrest to Pearl Harbor, and to say that it was "an honor to fall on principle on behalf of the people."
..........
Not only did he never tell me that he'd tested positive before we had sex... but now he's suing me for harassment telling other people about it!
Wow, the blagojevich of that man!
Despite this, he had the blagojevich to compare himself to Ghandi, his arrest to Pearl Harbor, and to say that it was "an honor to fall on principle on behalf of the people."
..........
Not only did he never tell me that he'd tested positive before we had sex... but now he's suing me for harassment telling other people about it!
Wow, the blagojevich of that man!
by my name is Cos February 2, 2009
Get the blagojevich mug.A misplaced pop culture reference, usually caused by confusing similar names or words, and referring to someone/something irrelevant or ridiculous in context.
As with a malapropism, the confusion and result are similar; however, rather than confusing the meaning of standard English words, one is confusing similar-sounding names & pop culture references.
A malapopism can also occur when someone is unaware of the fact that the same name refers to a different person/thing/event, and makes an inappropriate reference based on that mistaken assumption.
As with a malapropism, the confusion and result are similar; however, rather than confusing the meaning of standard English words, one is confusing similar-sounding names & pop culture references.
A malapopism can also occur when someone is unaware of the fact that the same name refers to a different person/thing/event, and makes an inappropriate reference based on that mistaken assumption.
Both kinds of malapopisms (similar names; same name but different people) in conversation:
Jen: The Cottingley fairies were a hoax, and Arthur Conan Doyle was fooled. James Randi's book tells all about it.
Arshad: Damn fairies, always wanting to restrict the free market! :)
Everyone: *stares blankly*
Arshad: You know... all that Libertarian stuff Randi wrote?
Everyone: Oh, you mean Ayn Rand!
Arshad: ohhh.
Who were the Senators from Illinois before Obama and Durbin?
Well, before Durbin was Paul Simon...
Hah, did he sing "Sound of Silence" to the Senate?
Dude, that's not the same Paul Simon!
Jen: The Cottingley fairies were a hoax, and Arthur Conan Doyle was fooled. James Randi's book tells all about it.
Arshad: Damn fairies, always wanting to restrict the free market! :)
Everyone: *stares blankly*
Arshad: You know... all that Libertarian stuff Randi wrote?
Everyone: Oh, you mean Ayn Rand!
Arshad: ohhh.
Who were the Senators from Illinois before Obama and Durbin?
Well, before Durbin was Paul Simon...
Hah, did he sing "Sound of Silence" to the Senate?
Dude, that's not the same Paul Simon!
by my name is Cos April 2, 2009
Get the malapopism mug.A misplaced pop culture reference, usually caused by confusing similar names or words, and referring to someone/something irrelevant or ridiculous in context.
As with a malapropism, the confusion and result are similar; however, rather than confusing the meaning of standard English words, one is confusing similar-sounding names & pop culture references.
A malapopism can also occur when someone is unaware of the fact that the same name refers to a different person/thing/event, and makes an inappropriate reference based on that mistaken assumption.
As with a malapropism, the confusion and result are similar; however, rather than confusing the meaning of standard English words, one is confusing similar-sounding names & pop culture references.
A malapopism can also occur when someone is unaware of the fact that the same name refers to a different person/thing/event, and makes an inappropriate reference based on that mistaken assumption.
Both kinds of malapopisms (similar names; same name but different people) in conversation:
Jen: The Cottingley fairies were a hoax, and Arthur Conan Doyle was fooled. James Randi's book tells all about it.
Arshad: Damn fairies, always wanting to restrict the free market! :)
Everyone: *stares blankly*
Arshad: You know... all that Libertarian stuff Randi wrote?
Everyone: Oh, you mean Ayn Rand!
Arshad: ohhh.
Who were the Senators from Illinois before Obama and Durbin?
Well, before Durbin was Paul Simon...
Hah, did he sing "Sound of Silence" to the Senate?
Dude, that's not the same Paul Simon!
Jen: The Cottingley fairies were a hoax, and Arthur Conan Doyle was fooled. James Randi's book tells all about it.
Arshad: Damn fairies, always wanting to restrict the free market! :)
Everyone: *stares blankly*
Arshad: You know... all that Libertarian stuff Randi wrote?
Everyone: Oh, you mean Ayn Rand!
Arshad: ohhh.
Who were the Senators from Illinois before Obama and Durbin?
Well, before Durbin was Paul Simon...
Hah, did he sing "Sound of Silence" to the Senate?
Dude, that's not the same Paul Simon!
by my name is Cos March 4, 2009
Get the malapopism mug.