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A new favorite word

I have a new favorite word.

Yesterday, in the comments after my post on cranks attacking the concept of a scientific consensus, a reader named Craig wrote:

We don’t talk about consensus on these issues today merely because the consensus is so strong that only a dedicated guanophrenic would ever question them.

“Guanophrenic”? I love that word. It has the prefect combination of meaning, in essence, “shithead,” while having a delightfully clever implication of bats as in “batshit insane.” Of course, being a physician, I’d probably prefer the term “guanocephalic” proposed later in the comment thread. Either way, I’ll steal it.

By Orac

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski.

That this particular surgeon has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 35 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER:: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: [email protected]

22 replies on “A new favorite word”

Sid, you are an idiot, and from the data gathered from your comments here: a racist idiot. Next time try actual evidence.

“You sir are a guanophrnic from GlenBeckistan”.

I love the ring of it. I will use it at the first instance and often from then on.

I’ve used the terms coprocephalic (shithead) and coproencephalic (shit for brains) for years.

I learned some amazing (possibly bogus) things about the Circle of Willis 35 years ago, but nothing about fecalemia, whatever that is. A Google search gets me nowhere- please elucidate?

Another variant – “scatocephalic.” But I admit to really liking the “guano” implication 🙂

Funny, I see “guanophrenic” as related to “schizophrenic,” i.e. “batshit crazy.”

circle of willis..

isnt that the traffic circle out front of Boston General?

ekinoderm- your memories of the Circle of Willis are probably perfectly correct.

Like “supratentorial” as a code for “all in the patient’s head,” “fecalemia of the Circle of Willis” was code for the patient’s brain being perfused with shit. The former was often uttered at the patient’s bedside and the latter away from the bedside. But the code was clear.

The Circle of Willis in front of Boston General reminds me of another (now obsolete) story about a guy who hails a Boston cab, grabbing his crotch and yelling, “Take me to the hospital, fast!” The cabbie says, “Peter Bent?” and the guy shouts, “Bent, hell, I think she bit it off!”

[sigh]

I’ll try again:

guanophrenia is an unfortunate side-effect of cranio-rectal impaction syndrome.

Would ‘coproglossia’ be ‘talking shit’ and ‘bovine coproglossia’ mean ‘talking bullshit’?

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