I want to open an arbitrarium and fill it with things like statues of people who have feet for hands, photographs of people on the beach who went there just because they felt like it, a diorama of a courthouse scene in which a judge is delivering a sentence based on his whim rather than on the facts of the case. A rock from my shoe. A dead squirrel. The letter M. An empty candy wrapper. The sound of silence!
When a person spends time showing face at a place of work, family gathering, or at some other public or private commitment, for no other utility or purpose but for the sake of showing face.
I put in a 12 hour shift at the office with my door open, 8 hours of which was actually work, 4 hours of which was totally arbitrary facetime.
A very eloquent way to ask a bi-partisan question. A question that when answered will not benefit either party. Often asked by a "moderator" between two separate parties, acting as a mutual individual.
Moderator: "I hate to impose an arbitrary inquisition but you two are getting f*cking no where."
British slang for a scientist or technical expert, esp . when the speaker is not certain of the expert’s specific field of study. Not necessarily derogatory, but typically used by persons without a technical background. In the US, the equivalent would be “egghead”, “squint”, or “geek.”
Origin of the word is unknown. Started sometime in World War 2. Given the typical evolution of British slang, could easily have started because what these experts did was confusing or “baffling” to the common person.
According to the boffins downstairs, the murdererused a serrated blade.
When you have to pee in a movie but don’t want to miss anything, and must do the following mental equation: will the amount I have to pee cause enough discomfort to diminish my attention capacity for the remainder of the movie to an extent which is greater than the amount of the movie I would miss by making a mad dash to the restroom.
I saw Satantango last night, wonderful film but by the 5th hour I had to start doing pee calculus.
Short-hand for the word floccinaucinihilipilification, meaning the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).