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A SPINNER'S DICTIONARY
The thirteenth letter of the alphabet. Also, Bond's boss.
MACHINATION
Something planned better while petting a curved moustache. Or a hairless cat.
MACHISMO
When simply being a guy is not enough.
MAGISTERIAL
People who like to be listened to.
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
‘Great distinction’ in latin, or the very opposite of what I thought it meant.
MAGNUM OPUS
To me, it would be A Spinner’s Footnotes. I think. I hope. We’ll see, I guess.
MAINSPRING
Replace spring with motive and there you go.
MALAPROPISM
Using a similar sounding word but with a different meaning for comical reason. Of course, that’s not really my cup of pee.
MALINGER
Something you should never ever do.
MALODOROUS
Why we invented soap. In part.
MANFUL
To boldly go.
MANHANDLE
When handling is hard but feasible by man. Boy did I make that word weirder.
MANNERLY
An honest answer to the question ‘’What do you want your kids to be?’’. But parents always go for ‘Happy’.
MANTRA
A non-commercial slogan.
MARKDOWN
Replace mark with price.
MARKSMAN
Replace marks with skilled in shooting.
MARTIAL LAW
When you fight the law and the law wins.
MASQUARADE
Acting.
MASTICATE
The purpose of teeth.
MATCHMAKER
When you really like that 1+1 equals 2.
MATRICULATION
To judge someone’s future over his or her grades.
MAVEN
Someone you should talk about learn as much as you can.
MEALTIME
Time for meal.
MEDEVAC
When you fly from point ‘bleeding dangerously in a dangerous place’ to point ‘hospital’.
MEDIAN
When they say read between the lines. It’s the between. Or not.
MEEK
Animals treated badly.
MEGALITHIC
When big stones are used by humans for art or architectural purposes.
MELLIFLUOUS
When voices made to sing do what they are made for.
MEMORANDUM
Messages between coworkers.
MENDACIOUS
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
MERETRICIOUS
Beauty without meaning.
MERITORIOUS
Deserving merit.
METAFICTION
Awesome fiction.
METASTASIS
When the worst just can’t stand still.
METONYMY
Substitution at its finest.
MIASMA
When you wish you were anosmic.
MIDRIFF
Tummy.
MILKER
Mammals used by large brained mammals for the product that makes them mammals.
MILQUETOAST
Not loquacious.
MINCING
Being real careful.
MINISTRATION
Fancy word for help.
MINUTIAE
They do say the devil is in the minutiae.
MISCELLANY
A myriad variety of stuff.
MISHMASH
A mix and match without the match.
MISSIVE
Ordinary words written on ordinary paper that, combined, become quite more than ordinary.
MISTY-EYED
How you feel when mist touches your eyes, and nothing but your eyes.
MIXMASTER
Master in food or music blending.
MOAT
The best part to build with a sand castle.
MODICUM
A tad.
MODUS OPERANDI
Because what you do doesn’t really matter. It’s always been about how you do it.
MOMENTOUS
How to view people around you.
MONGREL
A dog that can solely be defined by that word.
MONOMANIA
When the line between love and obsession is blurry. Well, replace blurry by non-existent.
MORASS
A roadblock.
MORTIFY
When your ego is terrified.
MOTHER-OF-PEARL
When makes a pearl a pearl. In part.
MOULT
Get rid of the old to make place for the new.
MUCKRAKE
Trying to cut the figural ladder of someone else.
MUDSLINGER
Trying to destroy the figural ladder of someone before he or she gets on it.
MULLION
Because a window is not only glass.
MURK
Murk falls across the land… The midnight hour is close at hand…
MUSING
How ideas are discovered.
MUSTY
Not fresh.
MUZAK
Elevator music.
MYRIAD
I covered this. A buttload.
The fourteenth letter of the alphabet. Also, Nitrogen’s nickname.
NAMBY-PAMBY
Not macho.
NARCOLEPSY
Sleeping at most unfortunate times.
NASCENT
Day 1.
NATTER
Talking without meaning.
NAVEL
A button in the middle of the belly.
NAVEL-GAZING
To forget that everyone has the same navel.
NEFARIOUS
Every Bond villain.
NEIGHBOURLINESS
When it’s really important that your neighbours know how great you are.
NEPOTISM
When family trumps professionalism.
NETHERWORLD
The bad place.
NEUTRON
Neutral particle.
NEW WORLD ORDER
Is this the real life? Or is this fantasy?
NIFTY
How engineers wish their work to be viewed.
NINCOMPOOP
Original insult.
NIPPING
Using something sharp to hurt.
NO-FRILLS
Where frills represent anything unnecessary.
NONPAREIL
What DNA offers everyone of us.
NON SEQUITUR
A conclusion or response that would make Spock raise an eyebrow.
NORTHERLY
Follows the Polaris star.
NOSTRUM
Self-medication recommended by Facebook. HA! Just kidding… Or am I?
NOTIONAL
Where anything is possible.
NOVITIATE
A level of expertise that we all share at first.
NUMISMATICS
A science that combines geology and economy.
NUTRIENT
What the body really hopes to get when it gives us hunger.
NYMPH
Young insects, young women, nature spirits… Really a good starting point to many types of story characters.
The fifteenth letter of the alphabet. Also, the perfect letter to express awe, misfortune or surprise.
OBFUSCATE
The opposite of teaching.
OBSEQUIOUS
Trying too hard.
OBSTREPEROUS
Trying hard enough without any success.
OCCLUDE
Block it to close it.
ODDMENT
Something odd.
OFFAL
Edible, yes. Appetizing, not so much.
OFF-KILTER
Not quite right.
OGLE
When you confuse people with food.
OLD-LINE
Been around for a long time.
OLIGARCHY
When the needs of the few greatly outweigh the needs of the rest.
OMINOUS
When you say always answer the question ‘’What’s the worst that could happen?’’
ONEROUS
When the worst that you could is bad, and you know it.
ONOMATOPOEIA
Describing a sound with the actual sound it makes.
OPALESCENT
Great to introduce a debate on colours.
OPINE
To say what you mean.
OPPROBRIUM
Normal reaction to intense stupidity or cruelty.
OPULENT
A buttload.
ORATORICAL
To make sure that what you say will be remembered.
ORDERLINESS
Spock’s way of life.
ORNERY
The worst kind of stubborn.
OSTENSIBLE
The worst kind of truth.
OSTRACISM
Or how to breed pain and solitude.
OUTBURST
When emotion needs to get out. With words. Usually not positive ones.
OUTLAY
The inspiration of money.
OVERARCHING
Idealist.
OVERDRAFT
Substracting B to A… Only A is smaller than B, and each A and B should end with a dollar sign.
OVERHAND
Should really be named overshoulder.
OVERT
Where what you see is what you get and that’s it and that’s all.
OXYTOCIN
The hormone that allows mammals to be mammals.