A Word in Your Shell-like: Synecdoche

Homer referred to the goddess Hera as “cow-eyed Hera”, or sometimes just “the cow-eyed”. The Victorians and the Bright Young Things of the 1920s parodied Homeric diction as follows:

a word in your shell-like: your shell-like ear
across the briny: the briny ocean
as per: as per usual
cast your baby blues on this: your baby-blue eyes
delirious: deliriously happy

dim and distant: dim and distant past (A few misdemeanours in the dim and distant. Arthur Daley)

diving into the percale: the percale sheets (S.J. Perelman)
doesn’t cut it: doesn’t cut the mustard
ecstatic: ecstatically happy

for lack of the folding, the hard-earned: folding money, hard-earned cash (Are you holding the folding – or just “holding”?)

for the foreseeable: for the foreseeable future
full canonicals: full canonical dress

I haven’t the foggiest: the foggiest notion
I’ll be there in a twinkling: in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (Bible)
I’m simply ravenous! ravenous with hunger

It’s positively Stygian in here! The gloom is Stygian – as dark as the River Styx that ferried the dead to the Greek underworld.

Let’s be crystal: crystal clear
not a shadow: not a shadow of a doubt
not in the slightest: not in the slightest degree
riveting: fascinating (My attention was riveted.)

the great unwashed, the many-headed: Victorian for “the poor” and “the mob”
Today I will write four pages of deathless. (Anthony LaFauci, deathless prose is meant.)
trip the light fantastic: Trip it, trip it, as we go/ On the light fantastic toe. (Milton)

vitals: vital organs, vital functions
the needful, the necessary: the necessary funds
the wherewithal: with which to pay
We haven’t an earthly: an earthly chance 

More figures of speech here, and links to the rest.

All this and more in my book Boo & Hooray! Available on Amazon.

11 Psychology Facts

1. Power corrupts: Individuals in positions of power tend to become more unethical.

2. Brain loves problems: The brain is more engaged and active when trying to solve problems, even if they are artificial.

3. One negative memory can outweigh many positive ones: A single negative experience can have a disproportionately strong impact on our overall perception and memories compared to a number of positive ones.

4. Appearance influences mood: Our physical appearance can affect our mood and how we feel.

5. The mere exposure effect: We tend to develop a preference for things we've been exposed to more frequently, even if we initially didn't like them.

6. Confirmation bias: We tend to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs, even if it's inaccurate.

7. The bystander effect: People are less likely to help in an emergency when there are other people present, as the responsibility is diffused among the group.

8. People value what they own: We often value items we own more than items we don't own, even if they are of equal value.

9. The strong exploit the weak: This phrase highlights the tendency for those in positions of strength to take advantage of those who are weaker.

10. Social validation over genuine liking: We may surround ourselves with people not because we truly like them, but because of the social validation they provide.

11. The truth can be less rewarding: Sometimes, telling people what they want to hear, even if it's a lie, can be more rewarding than telling the truth.

All from AI, and a lot more accurate than a current list that's going the rounds, including "You can tell when people are watching you". And at least they admit there is such a thing as "social validation". So much uplift assumes we live without a context.

More here, and links to the rest.