fauxcellarm
n.— «What they are hearing is a barely discernable sound—perhaps chimes, a faint trill or an electronic bleat—that they mistake for the ringtone of their cellphone, which isn’t ringing. This audio illusion—called phantom phone rings or, more whimsically, ringxiety or fauxcellarm—has emerged recently as an Internet discussion topic and has become a new reason for people to either bemoan the techno-saturation of modern life or question their sanity.» —“I Hear Ringing and There’s No One There. I Wonder Why” by Brenda Goodman New York Times May 4, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
- Care Package (episode #1511) 11/12/2018: Sending someone a care package shows you care, of course. But the first care packages were boxes of food and personal items for survivors of... [more]
Ding-Ding Man (episode #1509) 10/29/2018: In 1803, a shy British pharmacist wrote a pamphlet that made him a reluctant celebrity. The reason? He proposed a revolutionary new system for classifying... [more]
Take Tea for the Fever (episode #1508) 10/22/2018: Silence comes in many forms. Writer Paul Goodman says there is, for example, the noisy silence of "resentment and self-recrimination," and the helpful, participatory silence... [more]
Sundog (episode #1507) 10/15/2018: A clever pun can make the difference between a so-so phrase and a memorable one. The phrase "the last straw" refers to an old fable... [more]
Oh, For Cute! (episode #1506) 10/08/2018: A stereotype is a preconceived notion about a person or group. Originally, though, the word stereotype referred to a printing device used to produce lots... [more]
You must log in to post a comment.