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Olive989's definitions

Crotch mingle

A somewhat crass but humorous term for sexual intercourse. (Or any sexual relations in which two sets of genitals meet and appear to have lengthy discussions).
Single and ready to crotch mingle.
by Olive989 March 25, 2023
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Portmanteaus

When two words are blended together to create one word, using only a portion of each word.

Examples:

(Internet)=Interconnected + Network
(Brunch)= Breakfast + Lunch
(Moped)= Motor + Pedal
(Bash)= Bang + Smash
Most people realize "Brunch" is a portmanteaus, but what about "Internet?"
by Olive989 March 27, 2023
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Compound Words

When two (whole) words are combined to create a new word with a new meaning.

(This new meaning can be wildly different from what the original two words mean on their own).

Additionally, there are three different kinds of Compound Words: Open, Closed, and Hyphenated.

Closed compound words have no spaces. Open compound words have separation between the two (or three) words. Hyphenated compound words have hyphens between words.

(Closed Compound Words):

Justice- Just, Ice,
Bargain- Bar, gain,
Kidnapping- Kid, Napping,
Grandparent- Grand, Parent,

Babysit- Baby, Sit,
Pineapple- Pine, Apple,

(Open Compound Words):

(While there’s a physical space between open compound words, the meanings of the two words have been combined. This is why they are still considered Compound.)

Examples:

Cell Phone- Cell, Phone,
First Aid- First, Aid,

Common Sense- Common, Sense,

Real Estate- Real, Estate,

Life Jacket- Life, Jacket,

Rib Cage- Rib, Cage,

Hot Dog- Hot, Dog,

Cotton Candy- Cotton, Candy,

(Hyphenated Compound Words):

Well-being- Well, Being,
Word-of-mouth- Word, Mouth, Of,

Up-to-date- Up, date, to,
Most native English speakers don't give compound words much thought...because we're so overly familiar with them in every day speech. However...Compound words are a great testament to how bizarre (and often hilarious) the English language can be.

Like think about the distinct departure in meaning between say: kidnapping vs. kid napping or one nightstand vs. one night stand, Or what about how we decided to define generational age with words like "Grand" or "Great?" (I.E. Great-Great-Grandparent). We all know there's nothing grand about aging itself, and not everyone's grandparents qualify as "grand" either. "Hot dog" is another little adventure.

There is so much about the world that's wonderful and weird sitting in front of us, but we miss out because we don't pay attention to what's overly familiar.
by Olive989 March 27, 2023
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Road

(1.) A path previously laid out by someone else, to arrive at a destination or goal.

(Can be either physical or existential, literal or metaphorical).

(2.) A metaphor for the journey of the life, death, or existence in general.

(3.) A point of access, connection or intersection, in a larger system. (Can refer to the structure of actual roadways, or anything that resembles that structure…(like veins/arteries in the human body, or the branches/roots of a tree).

(4.) A particular method or approach, to learning or doing something.
(1.) If you take the strictest definition of road vs. street…A street is supposed to imply buildings and addresses, either public or private. And a road is supposed to emphasize a means of travel.

(This gets kind of confusing and weird when you consider people live on both streets and roads. However, you’ll notice a highway is never called a street. It’s always a road.)

(2.) The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

(3.) Veins are like the local roads of the human body. Arteries are like major highways. And blood vessels are like small residential streets.

(4.) (A.) The road to Michael’s heart, is his stomach. Better work on that Lasagna.

(B.) The road to learning, isn’t the same for anybody. The most effective teachers tap into their students’ individual motivations and learning styles.
by Olive989 April 1, 2023
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Negative Cue

The absence of something (some detail, signal, or anomaly) which highlights an answer to a problem or question.
Doctors used to believe all disease manifested as something foreign/outside the body attacking it. In the case of Scurvy, a lot of doctors got tunnel vision looking for a positive cue. (Some Germ or pathogen present that would explain the condition.) But none was to be found. It wasn't until biochemist Fredrick Gowland Hopkins considered what was absent (a lack of vitamin C) that the true cause of scurvy was discovered. This absence was a negative cue.
by Olive989 October 25, 2023
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Positivity

(1.) The false idea that negative elements of life need to be edited or denied, for someone to be happy, successful, or even just okay. Instead of just accepting that life is full of everything: the wonderful, the terrible and everything in between.

(2.) A toxic leftover from a multi-billion dollar self- help industry.

(3.) The kind of willful ignorance and denial that inspired idioms such as, "Ostrich with its head in the sand" and "Elephant in the Room". A mental rationalization for ignoring or downplaying problems....instead of accurately assessing and fixing them.

(4.) Malignant hope for people and situations that are never going to change.

(5.) A favorite excuse/justification for those who emotionally police and manipulate others.
If you have to construct "positivity" out of the ether, and put it in places it clearly doesn't belong....it's probably bullshit. What's "positive" about lying to yourself?
by Olive989 January 6, 2022
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Dave

An underdog who people may or may not root for, but who still beats the odds anyway.
Once upon a time, Dave kicked Goliath's ass. Now he crunches numbers at Goldman and Sachs.
by Olive989 January 14, 2021
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