A name that was once an acronym but outgrew the relevance to the words it represented.
JILA, formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, better known for Nobel Prize winning research in ultracold matter, is a nacronym.
A volume of arcane and occult knowledge featured in the horror stories of H P Lovecraft. Though he made reference to some genuine texts, the "unmentionable Necronomicon of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred" was entirely his invention. Throughout the Fifties and Sixties his books gained such a following among college students that numerous hoax versions were produced, drawing heavily on his own Cthulhu fiction and the writings of Aleister Crowley.
"You've got a Necronomicon? Woo, I'm impressed. *opens it* You'll notice that turning this diagram upside-down actually displays the Arabic for PROFESSOR CARLING BLOWS GOATS."
Nickname given to bales of marijuana thrown overboard or out of airplanes. Origin is reportedly from members of the US Coast Guard in the area of Southern Florida.
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.
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.
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 peecalculus.