Skip to main content

Bill M.'s definitions

spoonerism

A word or phrase created by swapping the initial letters (or first consonant sounds) of two words or syllables to get a new word word or phrase. The spelling doesn't have to be correct, only the pronounciation is important. The term "spoonerism" was named after Reverend W.A. Spooner (1844-1930).

Not to be confused with anagrams, palindromes, and other word games.
- "Peas and carrots" is a spoonerism of "keys and parrots"
- "tea bags" becomes "bee tags"
- "trail mix" becomes "mail tricks"
- "Save the whales" becomes "wave the sails"
- "forearm" becomes "oar farm"
by Bill M. August 27, 2004
mugGet the spoonerism mug.

bass guitar

(BASE - gitt - TARR) A musical instrument that's a hybrid of the upright bass (also known as the double bass or bass violin) and the electric guitar, conveniently combining the low tonal range of the upright bass with the portability and playability of the guitar. Popularized by models created by Leo Fender in the 1950s, although he wasn't the first to manufacture a bass & guitar combination.

Like the original upright bass, bass guitars most commonly have 4 thick strings tuned EADG. But extended-range models with five (BEADG) or six strings (BEADGC) are available too, as are 8 and 12 string models (based off the idea of 12 string guitars).
Paul McCartney and Sting both play the bass guitar.
by Bill M. July 27, 2004
mugGet the bass guitar mug.

wwjd

Stands for "What Would Jesus Do?", where "Jesus" refers to Jesus of Nazareth (see New Testament). Often printed on cheap bracelets or along the length of lanyards.

Articles with "WWJD?" are worn by Christians to promote and/or reflect the idea that in times of conflict or moral dilemna, one should speculate (based on the teachings and behaviors described in the Gospels) what Jesus would probably have done in the given situation.
"I'm not sure if I should write this webpage script in Perl, Java or PHP. Hmm, What Would Jesus do?"

"WWJD? Well for starters, he probably wouldn't purchase and wear tacky jewelry."

"Why is exclaiming 'Jesus Christ!' considered taking the Lord's name in vain, but wearing tacky 'WWJD?' jewelry isn't?"
by Bill M. July 30, 2004
mugGet the wwjd mug.

deism

The belief that God (or some form of deity or divine creator) exists, but plays no interactive role in our day to day lives
The founding fathers of the United States were largely deists.
by Bill M. July 27, 2004
mugGet the deism mug.

and then some

A slang expression used to humorously imply that the preceding statement was an understatement. If speaking, the word "then" is usually stressed.
"You're a real bastard, ya know that, Joe?"
"And then some." - from the film 'The Last Boy Scout' (1991)
by Bill M. July 27, 2004
mugGet the and then some mug.

Berkshires

("BURK - sheerz") The western half of Massachusetts. Pretty much everything west of Springfield, regardless of whether or not the town is in the actual county of Berkshire. Known for its heavily wooded areas, ski resorts, and small towns, in contrast to the more urbanized eastern half of the state.
"We went to the Berkshires last winter to go skiing."
by Bill M. December 17, 2004
mugGet the Berkshires mug.

hair metal

A band of the hard rock or heavy metal variety associated with the 1980s, even if from the early 90s (as was the case with Damn Yankees, Mr. Big, Nelson) "Hair metal" was a term not coined until well into the 90s, but roughly covers what was known in the 80s as "glam metal".

Self-proclaimed haters of hair metal try to define the genre as music with all focus on image, and contrast it with grunge. Yet in grunge, the lack of aesthetics became a trendy enforced look itself, and the scene never produced any virtuoso "musician's musicians". Many credit Nirvana and grunge with the "death" of hair metal, but this is historically inaccurate, as hair metal's loss of popularity was mainly due to 1) sudden denial by radio stations and Mtv of any airplay or promotion, and 2) unrelated pitfalls of many key bands in a very short time span: Ozzy Osbourne had announced retirement, inner conflict led to Guns n' Roses' break-up, too many years taken off in between some band's albums (Metallica, Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Def Leppard), while other bands lost prominent members (Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Poison).

Most hair metal bands in fact continued to put out albums and play small venues throughout the 1990s, finding promotion via the internet, college radio, and the work of loyal fans. Ironically, it then became a much more anti-corporate, "alternative" form of music than the 90s pop music that was still being called "alternative".
"Haha, look at all that hair metal. I hate anything that came out of the 80s."
"Wait a minute, didn't you just buy the latest CDs from Guns n' Roses, Aerosmith, and Metallica?"
"Yeah, but those bands don't count as hair metal because, um, you know. Er, uhhhh...hey what's on TV tonight?"
by Bill M. July 23, 2004
mugGet the hair metal mug.

Share this definition

Sign in to vote

We'll email you a link to sign in instantly.

Or

Check your email

We sent a link to

Open your email