An increasingly relevant wordplay on the cliché "cautiously optimistic". As the world continues in free fall, its much more realistic to expect negative outcomes. Therefore, its much more pragmatic to maintain a cautiously pessimistic demeanor, rather than a cautiously optimistic one.

My cat is always cautiously pessimistic when inspecting anything new that I bring into the house.

Cautiously Pessimistic by ChimneySweepGreg August 10, 2012

Get the Cautiously Pessimistic mug.

Caution Call

The act of calling your girlfriend (or anyone for that matter) and hanging up right away simply so it says "Missed Call from 'your name'".

Great in those many situations where you don't want to talk to a girl, but you want her to think you cared a little bit.

Dude A: "Crap I told that girl I would call her!"
Dude B: "No worries, caution call that!"
Dude A: "Thanks man, you just saved my romantic night featuring her black silk sheets and my erotic demeanor!"

Caution Call by adri0801 August 5, 2009

Get the Caution Call mug.

throw caution to the wind

to disregard any risk or potential disaster when undertaking any enterprise, venture, etc.

The founders of the American-based fast-food chain, McDonald's, decided to throw caution to the wind when they established their original franchises in the 1930s, during the Great Depression.

throw caution to the wind by Polo May 24, 2007

Get the throw caution to the wind mug.

Abundance of caution

This type of caution is typically practiced by institutions and larger private sector organisations seeking to minimise exposure to personal injury or similar legal claims but has during the early part of 2020 increasingly been adopted by individuals seeking to cover up their total panic on realising their previous publicly stated position on a matter of significant risk was riddled with hubris and incoherent bravado.

“...out of an abundance of caution, temperature checks are now being performed on any individuals who are in close contact with the President and Vice President...”

Abundance of caution by Connell1968 March 14, 2020

Get the Abundance of caution mug.

cautionary whale

a young pregnant girl who serves as a warning to others her age

Jamie Lynn Spears is a cautionary whale for Miley Cyrus.

cautionary whale by Anna M January 12, 2009

Get the cautionary whale mug.

trucker's tan

A sunburn or suntan focused on the left arm. It is caused by the left side of the body being the only half that gets exposed to sunlight while driving. Presumably, it would be located on the right side of the body in countries where they drive on the left side of the road.

I had a trucker's tan after driving for 10 straight hours on a sunny day.

trucker's tan by population361 May 30, 2006

Word of the Day on October 5, 2026

Get the trucker's tan mug.

kidulting

The phenomenon where adults salivate at children's toys

Every time I walk into the toy aisle, I catch myself kidulting over the latest action figures and LEGO sets!

kidulting by Emotional Cruiser October 12, 2025

Word of the Day on October 4, 2026

Get the kidulting mug.

Boffin

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 murderer used a serrated blade.

Boffin by Agnon February 11, 2023

Word of the Day on October 3, 2026

Get the Boffin mug.

Pee Calculus

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.

Pee Calculus by anorlondo October 1, 2026

Word of the Day on October 2, 2026

Get the Pee Calculus mug.

Dutty

Literally "dirty" pronounced with a West Indian accent. Can also have a positive connotation, for example Sean Paul's album title "Dutty Rock".

"The girl is pretty but she corrupt and dutty!"

or, in a positive usage:

"Booya! That freestyle was dutty!"

Dutty by J Hall April 3, 2003

Word of the Day on October 1, 2026

Get the Dutty mug.