upside, downside, eff, walk-up, remotely, seclude, seclusion, ivory tower, incriminate

Robert M. Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” won him the adulation of general readers and drove him into seclusion. He emerged now and then to lament that the academic world wasn’t taking his philosophy more seriously.

Delegate Count Leaves Sanders a Steep Climb to Catch Clinton

By PATRICK HEALY

The delegate count in the Democratic primary shows Senator Bernie Sanders slipping behind Hillary Clinton, and the odds of him overtaking her are growing increasingly remote.

"Those individuals who have led secluded or isolated lives, or have hitherto moved in other spheres than those wherein well-bred people move, will gather all the information necessary from these pages to render them thoroughly conversant with the manners and amenities of society." _Manners and Rules of Good Society_ _By a Member of the Aristocracy_




He paused, with a straight glance of his sunken eyes which was a full equivalent of the unspoken termination “and you know it.” The head of the so-called Special Crimes Department debarred by his position from going out of doors personally in quest of secrets locked up in guilty breasts, had a propensity to exercise his considerable gifts for the detection of incriminating truth upon his own subordinates. That peculiar instinct could hardly be called a weakness. It was natural. He was a born detective. It had unconsciously governed his choice of a career, and if it ever failed him in life it was perhaps in the one exceptional circumstance of his marriage—which was also natural. It fed, since it could not roam abroad, upon the human material which was brought to it in its official seclusion. We can never cease to be ourselves
.


Inquiry About Runner Angers South Africans
By BARRY BEARAK
For many South Africans, the brouhaha about whether Caster Semenya is too masculine to compete in women’s track events has been an affront to everyone. 

 2009.6.26
The Walk-Up to Yahoo's Annual Meeting

Let's be honest -- even with the sassy stylings of CEO Carol Bartz, who will be appearing at her first Yahoo annual meeting this morning -- there are few of these affairs that are even remotely exciting.

 Repsol Upside Is Seen After YPF Seizure

Repsol YPF has lost nearly one-fifth of its valuation after the Argentine government's move to seize control of its YPF unit sliced a huge chunk of the Spanish oil company's production and earnings. But some investors and analysts are starting to devise a potential upside scenario for Repsol.

 

A Little Land That the Subway Forgot

The upsides of relative remoteness: Buildings don’t block sunlight. Properties have lawns. And stores offer parking.

upside

(ŭp'sīd') 
n.

1. The upper side or portion.
2. An advantageous aspect: the upsides and downsides of home ownership.
3. An upward tendency, as in business profitability or in the prices of a stock.

prep. Slang
On: "If you still didn't get it, well, sometimes you have to hit people upside the head ... to get their attention" (Howie Carr).



ivory tower (EYE-vuh-ree TOU-uhr)

noun: A place or state of privileged seclusion, disconnected with practical matters and harsh realities of life.

Etymology
Translation of French tour d'ivoire, from tour (tower) + de (of) + ivoire (ivory). The term was first used in the figurative sense in 1837 by literary critic Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (1804-1869).

Notes
The term is often applied to academia for its supposed preoccupation with lofty intellectual pursuits. While the term in its figurative sense is first attributed to the French critic Sainte-Beuve, it is found in the Song of Solomon 7:4 in a literal sense: "Your neck is like an ivory tower."

Usage
"In a democratic system, the true leaders have to remain constantly in touch with, and reach out to, the people and not remain like a king in an ivory tower." — C L Manoj; The Agony of the Hereditary Turks; The Economic Times (New Delhi, India); Aug 9, 2010.

seclude

Pronunciation: /sɪˈkluːd/

verb

[with object]

• keep (someone) away from other people:I secluded myself up here for a life of study and meditation

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'obstruct access to'): from Latin secludere, from se- 'apart' + claudere 'to shut'

seclusion

Pronunciation: /sɪˈkluːʒ(ə)n/

noun

[mass noun]

• the state of being private and away from other people:they enjoyed ten days of peace and seclusion
• [count noun] archaic a sheltered or private place.

Derivatives
seclusive

Pronunciation: /-sɪv/

adjective

Origin:

early 17th century: from medieval Latin seclusio(n-), from secludere 'shut off' (see seclude)

Definition of walk-up

noun

North American

• a building allowing access to the upper floors by stairs only: a studio apartment in an ungentrified walk-up [as modifier]:a walk-up hotel
• a room or flat in a walk-up building.

walkup
also n.

1. An apartment house or office building with no elevator.
2. An apartment or office in a building with no elevator.

remote
adj., -mot·er, -mot·est.

1. 1. Located far away; distant in space.
   2. Hidden away; secluded: a remote hamlet.
2. Distant in time: the remote past.
3. Faint; slight: a remote possibility; had not the remotest interest.
4. Far removed in connection or relevance: a cause remote from everyday concerns.
5. Distantly related by blood or marriage: a remote cousin.
6. Distant in manner; aloof.
7. Operating or controlled from a distance: remote sensors.
8. Computer Science. Located at a distance from another computer that is accessible by cables or other communications links: a remote terminal.

n.

1. A radio or television broadcast originating from a point outside a studio.
2. A remote control device.

[Middle English, from Old French remot, from Latin remōtus, past participle of removēre, to remove. See remove.]

remotely re·mote'ly adv.
remoteness re·mote'ness n.

eff

━━ vi. 〔俗〕 〔婉曲〕 ＝fuck.
eff off　＝FUCK off.
eff and blind　悪態をつく.

"It's remote. Let's face it, bloody remote. And you'd find the people in the villas pretty damn dull, I can tell you. There's one that you might say isn't, but I don't suppose you'll meet him."

"Oh?"

"Actually, we had a row and I told him pretty effing quick what I thought of him."

affront

tr.v., -front·ed, -front·ing, -fronts.

1. To insult intentionally, especially openly. See synonyms at offend.
2. 1. To meet defiantly; confront.
   2. Obsolete. To meet or encounter face to face.

n.

1. An open or intentional offense, slight, or insult: Such behavior is an affront to society.
2. Obsolete. A hostile encounter or meeting.

[Middle English afrounten, from Old French afronter : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin frōns, front-, face; see front.]

incriminate

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈkrɪmɪneɪt/

Translate incriminate | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

verb

[with object]

• make (someone) appear guilty of a crime or wrongdoing:he refused to answer questions in order not to incriminate himself (as adjective incriminating)incriminating evidence

Derivatives

incrimination

Pronunciation: /-ˈneɪʃ(ə)n/

noun

incriminatory

adjective

Origin:

mid 18th century (earlier (mid 17th century) as incrimination): from late Latin incriminat- 'accused', from the verb incriminare, from in- 'into, towards' + Latin crimen 'crime'