Glossary

An avid reader, I tend to be sesquipedalian, often without realizing it. If there's a word in .angelheaded hipsters you think should be added to the glossary (i.e., no one knows what it means and I was crazy to use it in the first place), please let me know.

emoticons (Chapter 0) - also called smileys, these are symbols created out of punctuation and used to express emotion in Internet communiques such as chat rooms and e-mail. The 1997 World Almanac and Book of Facts lists several, including the following:

     : )      smile
     ; )      wink
     : *      kiss
     : (      frown
     =: 0     argh!

Numerous variations, such as Ace's "shotgun," are appearing all the time.

Another means of Internet shorthand involves abbreviations that are more-or-less universally recognized by Net users. Examples in "Internauts" include:

     bbl:  be back later
     btw:  by the way
     lol:  laugh out loud
     lmao: laugh my ass off

BatFan's gibberish symbol (<<<<<<<<-----BATMAN------<<<<<|=====+), taken from an actual chat room, is apparently supposed to be a sword, signifying, as I guess, that Batman is "keen." Really. You think I make this stuff up?

dog terms (Chapter 6) - Goddog refers to all people and objects he encounters by their smells, of course. Most are fairly obvious but a few rate additional explanation:

     alpha - short for "alpha wolf." Goddog sees Ace as the leader of his pack.

     biters - fleas, of course.

     a day and a night - dogs can't count; one day or many, it's all the same to them.

     plantflesh - lots of vegetarians on the Deadhead trail.

     tales - a  dog's anus is like an olfactory fingerprint, telling other dogs everything
             about who they are and where they've been. This is why dogs sniff each others'
             butts; it's like shaking hands, only more so.

     Womansmell Secret - William Faulkner actually invented the word "womansmelling;" I
             	 just borrowed it. Secret is Annie's brand of deodorant.

hierophant (Chapter 3) - an archaic word for priest, now used only in connection with the Tarot; not, as some have suggested, "an elephant who inherits lotsa money."

maxillae (Chapter 1) - the manipulative organs next to the oral orifice on many insects.

praxis (Chapter 1) - the practical application of something intangible, as a philosophy, science, etc.

proboscis (Chapter 3) - a nose or noselike appendage.

sidereal (Chapter 3) - of or relating to the stars.

skyclad (Chapter 3) - a word almost exclusively used by the modern pagan community, meaning simply, "clad in nothing but the sky," i.e., naked.

tripindicular (Chapter 1) - nonsense word meaning someone or something that is, like, tripped out. The word was coined by Fast Times at Ridgemont High, or maybe by my friend Rudy, I'm not sure which.