Interesting words, issue nine

Some interesting words for the weekend.

miasma: "a highly unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapor" or more abstractly "an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something." Originally, miasmas were thought to come from decomposing matter that caused bad smells and therefore caused disease. That particular miasma theory has been disproven, although the concept of diseases spreading through the air is something that does actually occur. To protect oneself from covid-infested miasmas, stay away from crowded indoor places where people do not wear masks. Effective ventilation systems can help decrease miasmas indoors. When the corpse flower bloomed, it produced a miasma.  

necro-tweeting: Tweeting something that is rather old or out of date, particularly without noting that it is not particularly current. Tweeting about something I wrote five years ago could be considered necro-tweeting. 

pavement surgeon, street kintsugi: in reference to repairing potholes by filling them with (unsanctioned) mosaics. 

charismatic megafauna: Large animals that are seen as charismatic in popular culture because they are viewed as impressive and/or beautiful. They are often invoked in conservation or environmentalist efforts due to their symbolic appeal. A tick is the opposite of charismatic megafauna. Giant pandas are charismatic megafauna and one of the National Zoo's main attractions. 

flavorite: a neologism! It is a portmanteau of flavor and favorite. It is used to describe a flavor that is your favorite. Ben and Jerry's 'Caramel Cookie Fix' ice cream was my flavorite, but it was discontinued, much to my disappointment.

Thanks for reading. Maybe you can use one of these words this weekend? As a parting note, Jeff Bezos has too much money. He could fund a lot of pothole repairs, among other things.