2 definitions by awibs
verb. to actively comprehend, to make sense of. To understand as a result of effort, as opposed to understanding intuitively. A derivative of the computer and linguistics term "parse," to analyze data or a sentence for structure, content, and meaning. Most frequently used in parody of a hypothetical error message generated by a computer that was fed nonsensical data, eg, "Does Not Parse."
She obviously had no idea what I was talking about. She just kept staring at me blankly, like 'does... not... parse...'
by awibs June 13, 2010
verb: an industry term for procrastination by writers, with heavy connotation of trying to justify the activity as something that "had" to be done. Usually activities that can arguably be considered productive, such as household chores or (highly tangential) background research. The term mocks the behavior of scraping the bottom of the bucket for excuses of diminishing quality.
I've mowed the lawn, washed the windows, weeded the garden, scrubbed the toilets, and worked out all my menus for the next three months. I guess it's time to... wait! I think the cat needs to be waxed! Yes! Cat waxing!
by awibs January 12, 2010