G


gainsay (verb)§
Deny or contradict (a fact or statement).  Speak against, oppose, or contradict (someone). (OD)
To declare to be untrue or invalid.  Contradict, oppose. (MW)
To declare to be false; deny.  To oppose (someone), especially by contradiction. (AHD)
To refuse to accept something as the truth. (CD)
Take exception to.  Contradict or speak out against; challenge authority. (VC)
gainsaid (past tense)
gainsayer (noun)

gaslight (verb)§
To psychologically manipulate (a person) usually over an extended period of time so that the victim questions the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories, and experiences confusion, loss of confidence, and self-esteem, and doubts, concerning their own emotional or mental stability.  To subject (someone) to gaslighting.  To grossly mislead or deceive (someone) especially for one's own advantage. (MW)
To trick or control someone by making them believe that their memories or beliefs about something are wrong, especially by suggesting that they may be mentally ill. (CD)
To manipulate a person by psychological means into questioning his or her own sanity. (OED)
To psychologically manipulate (someone) so that they question their memories, perception, or sanity. (AHD)
EB:  An elaborate and insidious technique of deception and psychological manipulation, usually practiced by a single deceiver, or gaslighter, on a single victim over an extended period.  Its effect is to gradually undermine the victims’ confidence in their own ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, right from wrong, or reality from appearance, thereby rendering them pathologically dependent on the gaslighters in their thinking or feelings. (EB)
Note:  The above definitions refer to gaslighting an individual, but the fact is that this technique is often used (by the media, politicians, academics, etc.) on the public as a whole.  In fact, while individual gaslighting is a rather rare and eccentric occurrence, public gaslighting by elites is relatively common.  It is the latter which has popularized this term.  By ignoring this more typical contemporary usage, the above definitions (and their creators) demonstrate the gaslighting of gaslighting.

gauche (adjective)§
Lacking grace or social polish; awkward or tactless. (AHD)
Lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward. (NOA)
Lacking social experience or grace; not tactful; crude.  Crudely made or done. (MW)
Lacking social polish, poise, or refinement; tacky, graceless, tactless, rude, boorish, or awkward and foolish. (VC)
Awkward and uncomfortable with other people, especially because young and without experience.  Behaving in a way that is offensive to other people, especially because of not knowing what is correct or not caring about the feelings of others. (CD)
See:  crass

Gaylord box (noun)§
Bulk-sized corrugated box.  Pallet-sized box for bulk shipping.  First manufactured by the Gaylord Container Corporation, but has become a generic term.  Today, the Gaylord box is synonymous with large corrugated boxes, often pallet-sized. (RM)

Gell-Mann amnesia effect (psychological concept)§
Michael Crichton:  You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well.  You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues.  Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward, reversing cause and effect.  In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read.  You turn the page, and forget what you know.

That is the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect.  I would point out it does not operate in other arenas of life.  In ordinary life, if somebody consistently exaggerates or lies to you, you soon discount everything they say.  In court, there is the legal doctrine of falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus, which means untruthful in one part, untruthful in all.  But when it comes to the media, we believe against evidence that it is probably worth our time to read other parts of the paper.  When, in fact, it almost certainly is not. The only possible explanation for our behavior is amnesia. (Michael Crichton)

Grok:  A concept named after physicist Murray Gell-Mann, who observed a common human tendency in how people process information, particularly from the media.  It refers to the phenomenon where individuals believe news or reports on topics they are unfamiliar with, even after encountering a clearly inaccurate or oversimplified story about a subject they do know well.

The idea is this:  When you read something about a field you are an expert in and spot errors, you recognize the media got it wrong.  But then, when you turn the page or switch to a different topic you do not know much about, you instantly forget that lesson and assume the next story is accurate, essentially resetting your skepticism.  Gell-Mann argued this reflects a broader issue with how people trust simplified narratives without questioning their reliability.

For example, a biologist might scoff at a poorly researched article on genetics, but then unquestioningly accept a political story right after, forgetting the media’s track record.  It is a critique of both human credulity and the way information is often packaged for consumption. (Grok)

gender dysphoria (noun)§
The condition of feeling one's emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one's biological sex. (OD)
A distressed state arising from conflict between a person's gender identity and the sex the person has or was identified as having at birth.  Also:  A condition marked by such distress. (MW)
Note:  Gender dysphoria is typically manifested by a rejection of traditional gender roles and by a desire to live as a member of the opposite sex.
See:  cisgender, neopronoun, pronouns (declaring or stating)

germane (adjective)§
Relevant and appropriate. (VC)
Relevant to a subject under consideration. (NOA)
Related to a matter at hand, especially to a subject under discussion. (AHD)
Being at once relevant and appropriate; fitting. (MW)
Relevant to the matter under consideration, pertinent. (OED)
Ideas or information that is germane to a particular subject or situation is connected with and important to it. (CD)

ghost (verb)§
To cut off all communication with someone, especially a romantic or sexual partner, without providing an explanation. (AHD)
To end a relationship with someone suddenly by stopping all communication with them. (CD)
End a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication. (NOA)
Informal:  To abruptly cut off all contact with someone (such as a former romantic partner) by no longer accepting or responding to phone calls, instant messages, etc. (MW)
ghosting (noun):  The practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication. (OD)

gleichschaltung (noun)§
German
The standardization of political, economic, and social institutions as carried out in authoritarian states. (NOA)
The act, process, or policy of achieving rigid and total coordination and uniformity (as in politics, culture, communication) by forcibly repressing or eliminating independence and freedom of thought, action, or expression.  Also:  Forced reduction to a common level; forced standardization or assimilation. (MW)
The enforcement of standardization and the elimination of all opposition within the political, economic, and cultural institutions of a state. (CDC)

Gold Coast (country)§
Former name (until 1957) for Ghana. (NOA)

Gordian knot (noun)§
An intricate problem, especially a problem insoluble in its own terms, often used in the phrase cut the Gordian knot.  A knot tied by Gordius, king of Phrygia, held to be capable of being untied only by the future ruler of Asia, and cut by Alexander the Great with his sword.  Cut the Gordian knot has become a popular way to describe a neat solution for an apparently insurmountable difficulty. (MW)
An exceedingly complicated problem or deadlock.  An intricate knot tied by King Gordius of Phrygia and cut by Alexander the Great with his sword after hearing an oracle promise that whoever could undo it would be the next ruler of Asia. (AHD)
A proverbial term for a problem solvable only by bold action.  In 333 bc, Alexander the Great, on his march through Anatolia, reached Gordium, the capital of Phrygia. There he was shown the chariot of the ancient founder of the city, Gordius, with its yoke lashed to the pole by means of an intricate knot with its end hidden.  According to tradition, this knot was to be untied only by the future conqueror of Asia.  In the popular account, probably invented as appropriate for an impetuous warrior, Alexander sliced through the knot with his sword.  The phrase cutting the Gordian knot has thus come to denote a bold solution to a complicated problem. (EB)
A metaphor for an intractable, complex problem or situation that resists conventional resolution due to its intricate entanglement of factors, often requiring a bold, decisive, or unconventional approach to unravel or overcome.  Originating from the legend of King Gordius of Phrygia, who tied an elaborate knot that could only be undone by the future ruler of Asia, famously severed by Alexander the Great with a sword, the term implies a challenge where the true solution or outcome remains obscured until acted upon, blending uncertainty with high stakes.  In modern usage, it is applied in contexts such as strategy, negotiation, diplomacy, or philosophy to denote a dilemma that tests insight, resolve, and the ability to cut through ambiguity rather than merely untangle it. (Grok)
A difficult problem or situation.  To cut the Gordian knot:  To deal with problems by taking forceful action. (CD)
An intricate knot tied by Gordius, king of Gordium in Phrygia.  The oracle declared that whoever should loosen it should rule Asia, and Alexander the Great overcame the difficulty by cutting through the knot with his sword.  A matter of extreme difficulty.  To cut the Gordian knot:  To get rid of a difficulty by force or by evading the supposed conditions of solution.  An indissoluble bond.  Resembling the Gordian knot; consisting of twisted convolutions, intricate, involved.  Gordian difficulties. (OED)

grace (noun)§
Courteous goodwill. (NOA)
A sense of fitness or propriety.  A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill. (AHD)
Sense of propriety or right; the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful. (MW)
A sense of propriety and consideration for others; a disposition to kindness and compassion; a polite and thoughtful way of behaving. (VC)
The quality of being pleasantly polite, or a willingness to be fair and honest.  Ways of behaving that are considered polite and pleasant.  The charming quality of being polite and pleasant, or a willingness to be fair and to forgive. (CD)
Appropriateness of behavior (in a particular situation); seemliness. (OED)
Note:  Obviously, there are several meanings of grace.  I think these, around the idea of courteous goodwill, are the best in regard to the word graceless as I have used it.
See:  graceless, gracious

graceless (adjective)§
Lacking grace, elegance, or charm. (NOA)
Wanting sense of decency or propriety; improper, uncouth. (OED)
Lacking a sense of propriety; devoid of attractive qualities. (MW)
Having or exhibiting no sense of propriety or decency. (AHD)
Not polite or showing respect or sympathy towards others. (CD)
Lacking graciousness; lacking social polish, poise, or refinement; having no manners. (VC)
See:  grace, gracious

gracious (adjective)§
Courteous, kind, and pleasant, especially towards someone of lower social status. (OD)
Behaving in a pleasant, kind, polite, calm way. (CD)
Marked by kindness and courtesy.  Characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit.  Graceful.  Marked by tact and delicacy; urbane. (MW)
Characterized by kindness and warm courtesy, tact and propriety, elegance and good taste. (AHD)
Characterized by kindness and warm courtesy, charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit; exhibiting courtesy, politeness, and compassion.  Gracious descends from the Latin word for goodwill.  A gracious person wants everyone to be comfortable.  Even at a difficult moment, a gracious person remains thoughtful and kind, like the gracious way you treat a waiter who spills a glass of juice on your lap. (VC)

gremlin (noun)§
A mischievous sprite imagined as the cause of mishaps to aircraft.  More generally:  Such a creature imagined as the cause of any trouble or mischance.  Hence also:  An unexplained problem or fault. (OED)
An imaginary mischievous sprite regarded as responsible for an unexplained problem or fault, especially a mechanical or electronic one. (NOA)
An unidentified source of trouble or malfunctioning. (Green's)

Gresham's Law (economic theory)§
Originally, bad money drives out good.  Later:  If we make no distinction for the worthy and no penalty for the unworthy, the unworthy proliferates, and over time becomes the new standard.  Finally, the Charlie Munger definition:  Bad morals drive out the good; unethical behavior is contagious. (RM)
Note:  I have written on Gresham's Law here.

grit (noun)§
A firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.  Mental toughness and courage. (MW)
Courage and resolve; strength of character. (OD)
Courage and determination despite difficulty. (CD)
Firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck. (DC)
The determination and courage to continue doing something even though it is very difficult. (CDC)

guff (noun)§
Foolish talk or ideas.  Trivial, worthless, or insolent talk or ideas. (OD)
Nonsense, humbug.  Verbal abuse. (MW)
Nonsense; baloney.  Insolent talk; back talk. (AHD)
Lies, nonsense, twaddle; insolence; talk; trouble, problems. (Green's)
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F <=> H

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