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.When two people are cuddling in bed, three arms have somewhere to be but the fourth arm is in the way. It's the extra arm.
"I've always wondered exactly what to do with that extra arm. I've tried curling it up between us, putting it above my head under the pillow, straightening it between us and the only thing that seems to work is just putting it behind me."
-- metafilter posting
-- metafilter posting
by my name is Cos October 23, 2007
Get the extra arm mug.More extreme version of meatatarian (alternate spelling: meagan).
A vegetarian doesn't eat meat; a vegan eats only fruits and vegetables.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, a meatarian wants meat in every meal; a meagan not only wants meat in every meal, but avoids the veggies altogether.
A vegetarian doesn't eat meat; a vegan eats only fruits and vegetables.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, a meatarian wants meat in every meal; a meagan not only wants meat in every meal, but avoids the veggies altogether.
We have a really hard time having dinner together, because I'm a vegetarian and she's megan, so she doesn't like anything I want to eat!
by my name is Cos June 3, 2008
Get the megan 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 July 20, 2008
Get the alany 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.More extreme version of meatatarian (alternate spelling: meagan).
A vegetarian doesn't eat meat; a vegan eats only fruits and vegetables.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, a meatatarian wants meat in every meal; a megan not only wants meat in every meal, but avoids the veggies altogether.
A vegetarian doesn't eat meat; a vegan eats only fruits and vegetables.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, a meatatarian wants meat in every meal; a megan not only wants meat in every meal, but avoids the veggies altogether.
We have a really hard time having dinner together, because I'm a vegetarian and she's megan, so she doesn't like anything I want to eat!
by my name is Cos February 5, 2010
Get the megan 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.