david lincoln brooks's definitions

Whatever takes you home.

This millennial update of the Swingin' 60's "Whatever turns you on" is a little bit more cynical, yet more open to so-called alternative lifestyles. Truly a "post-porn" phrase, it refers to the internal visualizations one does as fantasy to induce sexual arousal and ultimately, orgasm ("home"). Loosely, it can mean "Whatever makes you happy" or "There's no accounting for taste."

Gossip #1: Have you seen his new wife? She's half his age, and he insisted that she have breast implants done, and that she bleach her hair blonde!"

Gossip #2: Wow. Whatever takes you home, I guess, hmm?

Or:

Man #1: I'm painting my house canary yellow... What do you think?

Man #2: Whatever takes you home.

by david lincoln brooks March 24, 2006

flanker

From the world of commercial perfumery: When a particular fragrance, masculine or feminine, has been a huge success, its makers will often try to capitalize on its success by creating "spinoff" fragrances. These "spinoffs", called flankers, might be similar to the original olfactorily, but with a different spin or variation put on it. "Light" versions, "sport" versions, "veil" versions are common types of flanker.

Traditional SHALIMAR perfume seems heavy and musky to a whole new generation of Millennial women accustomed to fragrances which smell detergent, aquatic and ultra "clean". With this in mind, the company's house, GUERLAIN OF PARIS, has launched a new flanker: a much lighter version of the classic 1925 sexbomb, pruned of its muskier elements, called simply SHALIMAR LIGHT.

by david lincoln brooks August 16, 2008

stove up

Swollen and badly bruised. Phrase primarily in rural, folk or country use in the USA. Often used to refer to an eye that is so swollen and black (usually due to a fist punch), it appears closed over.

On COPS, they showed a woman who'd been beaten up by her boyfriend; her face was all stove up.

by david lincoln brooks October 25, 2007

babysitting

Owing something to the orignal meaning of the word, in computer-speak this refers to a computer process-- such as the installation of new software-- which the installer cannot or dare not leave, because the installation is not fully automatic and might require input from the installer during the install.

Computer Geek 1: "Lets go grab a Starucks, want to?"

Computer Geek 2: "Can't. I'm installing new software."

Computer Geek 1: "Oh, just let it install itself, automatically."

Computer Geek 2: "No, this software requires some heavy babysitting."

by david lincoln brooks June 20, 2007

thang

Starting around 1990, roughly concurrent with the release of Spike Lee's seminal motion picture "MALCOLM X" and the dizzying successes of rap music stars, a t-shirt slogan started to appear which said; IT'S A BLACK THANG, Y'ALL, YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND.

The word "thang", used in this context, was an Ebonicism used to refer specifically to a cultural meme or norm, which those who belonged to the special group-- in this case, African-Americans, would immediately recognize and understand... whilst those not belonging to this group (whites or non-blacks) would fail to understand, appreciate, or even recognize.

Thus, by extension, a "thang" is a folkway, meme, norm, predilection, code, shibboleth, artifact or behaviour exclusive to, or closely allied with, a particular sub-group of the larger populace.

Upon entering a neighborhood bar traditionally frequented by the African-American community:

White wannabe-rapper: "Yo, what is up widdis? One jar at the end of the bar filled with pickled eggs and another one filled with pickled pig's feet? Yo, dass nasty!""

His Black buddy: "Man, it's a Black thang, you wouldn't understand."

Or, during a moment of treasured understanding:

Straight guy: "Would you mind please telling me what IS it with you gays and Barbra Streisand?
Gay guy: "Oh, I guess it's a Queer thang, you wouldn't understand."

Or, at a typical American High school:

High School Teacher A: "One of my students actually has a tattoo of a tiny black teardrop under his left eye! It's kinda creepy... What is THAT all about??"
High School Teacher B: "Yeah, well that's a Latino gang-banger thang. Supposedly it means they've offed someone."

by david lincoln brooks August 13, 2007

shit, shave, shower and shine

Originating in the U.S. Army of WWII, this is the shorthand slogan to describe the hygiene preparation an enlisted soldier must do to ready himself for a military inspection by superiors.

"Shine" refers to the careful and thorough polishing of one's black military boots.

Now it has entered civilian use to mean preparation for any important social event in which one must look good, often abbreviated nowadays to just "shit, shave and shower".

Soldier 1: "We've got an inspection later today from the brass."

Soldier 2: "Guess it's time to shit, shave, shower and shine."

by david lincoln brooks February 18, 2013

lekker

(South African English slang. Derived from Afrikaans. Literally, "sweet" or "tasty".)

"lekker" means tasty or pleasurable or very excellent. Originally referred to food, but used widely to describe any excellent or pleasurable thing.

Man, we had a lekker jorl last night.

Translation: Man, we had an extremely pleasurable excursion or night's partying last night.

"Man, the chow in Cape Town is lekker, ek se."

Translation: "Man, the food in Cape Town is extremely delicious, I tell you!"

by david lincoln brooks November 19, 2010