The Pebbles I Collect: November 2022

Friday, November 25, 2022

Concerted: Jointly arranged or carried out; coordinated.

I had never read modern Japanese novels (of the "serious" variety) in any concerted way. (Haruki Murakami)

Quirky: Having or characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits or aspects.

These insights explain many of the less-rational and often-times quirky behavior exhibited by consumers. (Macroeconomics by McConnell-pg. 116).

Heretical: Holding and opinion at odds with what is generally believed.

When it comes to Slinkies, this idea is easy to understand. When it comes to individuals, companies, cities, or economies, it can be heretical. (Dona Meadows in System Thinking, pg. 2)

Jittery: Nervous of unable to relax

South Africa started on a jittery note with openers Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma out inside six overs with the score on 39. (Dawn)

Hamstring: Severely restrict the efficiency or effectiveness of.

It means that whatever investigation is done will be hamstrung from the start by accusations of interference and partiality, and the acrimony between the state and the PTI will continue to grow. (Dawn)

Brush over: Ignore

"Simple, we need to be as clinical as possible. No teams are a brush over (in this tournament)," said Ashwin. (Dawn)
As such, expect next week's meeting to be heavy on party-to-party atmospherics and mutual praise, and to brush over the various points of contention in the bilateral relations. (The Diplomat)

Labels: Dawn

Laity: Lay people as distinct from the clergy; ordinary people, as distinct from professionals and experts.

Ms. Armstrong is one of the most popular and respected writers on religion in the English-speaking world. Her defection from a youthful spell as a novice nun is both a credential of her expertise and a qualification for talking to the laity.

Nigher: Within a shorter distance; closer, nearer.

The "very survival of our species is at stake", she writes, and the end is nigher than we think: "We have to change not only our lifestyle but our whole belief system. We have ransacked nature, treating it as a mere resource, because over the last 500 years we have cultivated a world view that is very different from that of our forbearers".