Solipsistic

from citizen-lane.com

Today's word comes from the Latin words solus "alone" + ipse "self." As a proper noun, it refers to a bizarre philosophy which would seem to be a delight for any third rate narcissist (or most babies). The individual with a solipsistic world view believes that he or she is the center of the Universe, and that everyone else doesn't exist (or, for those not so extreme, can not be proven to exist).

Yes. As a common noun, the word means: extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption. Let's use this neat word in a sentence, shall we:

Al Gore is a solipsistic son of a bitch.

Or,

The Left in America has become a bunch of solipsistic sons of bitches.

OK, alright. But that's really the truth, isn't it? If you look closely at some of the things people like Al Gore say in public, it'll make you scratch your head in puzzlement. What is behind their dogma, since reason most surely isn't? Feelings, wishes, lusts, and the inclination to evil.

Bea Arthur Was a Marine

I always loved actress Bea Arthur, who played the character Maude on the TV show of the same name, and who played Dorothy on The Golden Girls. I came across this article about her, and her military service.

Bea Arthur, who passed away recently, reminded me of my aunt. I loved her dry, sarcastic sense of humor and her appealing mixture of toughness and feminity. I used to watch The Golden Girls just to see her; many times she had me almost asphyxiating with laughter.

Elliptical

WORD OF THE DAY: ELLIPTICAL

Elliptical: characterized by extreme economy of expression or omission of superfluous events; marked by deliberate obscurity of style or expression.


Elliptical has a connotation: although it means “concise in expression”, it also implies that the purpose for such concision is to be obscure, mysterious and perhaps evasive.

The root of this word is from the Greek language (“elleiptikos”, which means “defective”). Here is an example, taken from a passage of Steven King’s The Stand:

He gave her a jolly wink. “Every dog has his day, Fran.”
She smiled back at him, a little puzzled. But she supposed it was just Harold, being elliptical.

A related word-concept is disingenuous.

The idea is one of deception. In the example above, Harold was being elliptical and disingenuous because he was hiding something from Fran.