L



laconic (adjective)§
Of a person, speech, or style of writing, using very few words. (NOA)
Using or involving the use of a minimum of words; concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious. (MW)
Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.  Denotes terseness or conciseness in expression, but when applied to people it often implies an unwillingness to use words. (AHD)
Using few words in speech or writing. (BD)
Using very few words to express what you mean. (CD)
Speech or writing, using few words; neatly concise and to the point. (CHM)
If you describe someone as laconic, you mean that they use very few words to say something, so that they seem casual or unfriendly.  Of a person's speech, using few words; terse.  Brief or terse in speech or expression; using few words.  Expressing much in few words; concise. (CDC)
Brief and to the point.  Laconic is an adjective that describes a style of speaking or writing that uses only a few words, often to express complex thoughts and ideas.  The word comes from Laconia, a region in ancient Greece where the local Spartan rulers gave very short speeches. (VC)
Short; brief; from Lacones, the Spartans, who used few words. (JDO)
Expressing much in few words, after the manner of the Laconians or Spartans; brief and pithy; brusque; epigrammatic. (WUD)
Following the Laconian manner, especially in speech and writing; brief, concise, sententious.  Of persons, affecting a brief style of speech. (OED)
See:  Note on Terms to Describe Using Few Words

Laffer Curve (taxation rate and revenue theory)§
Economics
A curved graph that illustrates the theory that, if tax rates rise beyond a certain level, they discourage economic growth, thereby reducing government revenues. (AHD)
A graph purporting to show the relation between tax rates and government income; income increases as tax rates increase up to an optimum beyond which income declines. (VC)
A graph illustrating a theory which maintains that increasing tax rates beyond a certain point causes a reduction in government revenues by discouraging production and investment. (CDC)
A supposed relationship between the rate of taxation and the revenue received, under which maximum revenue is attained at a particular tax rate beyond which higher tax rates reduce the yield by discouraging the activity taxed. (OED)
Grokipedia:  A theoretical model in economics that illustrates the relationship between tax rates imposed by governments and the total tax revenue generated, positing that revenue increases with tax rates from zero up to an optimal revenue-maximizing point, after which further increases in rates lead to declining revenue due to behavioral responses such as reduced work effort, investment, and economic activity that diminish the taxable base.  The curve reaches zero revenue at both 0% and 100% tax rates, reflecting the intuitive principle that no taxation yields no revenue, while confiscatory taxation eliminates incentives to produce taxable income. (Groki)
Wikipedia:  Illustration designed to show the relationship between tax rates and the amount of tax revenue collected by government.  Typically represented as a graph that starts at 0% tax with zero revenue, rises to a maximum rate of revenue at an intermediate rate of taxation, and then falls again to zero revenue at a 100% tax rate. (Wikipedia)
Note:  The problem with ostensible critics of the Laffer Curve, for all their handwringing and economic misdirection, is the undeniable fact that if you tax income at 100%, you generate zero revenue.  I mean, for example, does anyone, left or right, doubt that a 99% rate will yield more revenue than a 100% rate?  And then...what about a 98% rate?  People who attack the Laffer Curve, are not really questioning its apodictic validity; rather they are challenging the concepts of private income and profit more generally.  Which of course, not surprisingly, they cannot bring themselves to admit publicly.
See:  Art Laffer Explains the Laffer Curve.

 laïcité or laicism (noun)§
France
A political system characterized by the exclusion of ecclesiastical control and influence. (MW)
Policy and principles opposing clericalism and restricting political influence and power to the laity.  The nonclerical, or secular, control of political and social institutions in a society, distinguished from clericalism. (CDC)
Grokipedia:  Laicism, often termed laïcité in its French formulation, is a doctrine enforcing the rigorous separation of religious authorities from state functions, relegating faith to private life while mandating public institutions' impartiality toward all creeds and none.  At its core, laicism demands absolute state neutrality toward all religions, positioning the government as indifferent to religious doctrines while prohibiting any public funding, endorsement, or integration of religious institutions into state functions.  This principle treats religion strictly as a private belief system, incompatible with the formulation of universal civic laws grounded in rational consensus rather than scriptural or theological claims, thereby preventing the causal pathway from clerical authority to policy influence. (Groki)
Grok:
A French principle that translates roughly to secularism in English, but it encompasses a broader and more specific set of ideas about the separation of church and state.  Here's a summary:
Separation of Church and State:  At its core, laïcité mandates that the state is neutral in matters of religion, ensuring that public policy does not favor any one religion or belief system over another.  This separation was formalized with the 1905 law in France, which established freedom of conscience and freedom to practice religion, while ensuring that the state does not recognize, fund, or subsidize any religion.
Public Neutrality:  In public spaces, especially in government institutions like schools, hospitals, and government offices, there's an expectation of religious neutrality.  This means that public servants, including teachers and other state employees, are generally not allowed to display religious symbols while working, to maintain this neutrality.
Freedom of Religion:  Laïcité is not about suppressing religion but about protecting the freedom of religion or belief for all citizens.  It allows individuals to practice their religion privately or in places of worship, but in public spaces, the expression of religion should not interfere with the rights and freedoms of others.
Education:  In French public schools, laïcité ensures that education is secular.  Religious instruction is not part of the curriculum, although students are allowed to practice their religion outside of school hours.  The principle aims to prevent religious influence in education, fostering an environment where students from diverse backgrounds can learn together without religious division.
Controversies and Debates:  Laïcité has been at the center of numerous debates, particularly concerning the wearing of religious symbols like the hijab, kippah, or large crosses.  Laws have been enacted to ban the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in public schools (2004) and to prohibit face-covering in public spaces (2010), which were seen as expressions of laïcité but have stirred significant controversy regarding personal freedoms versus public secularism.
Cultural and Political Context:  Laïcité is often interpreted differently across the political spectrum in France.  Some see it as a fundamental value protecting republican ideals, while others criticize it for potentially clashing with multiculturalism or individual rights, especially in a more diverse and globalized France.
Laïcité, therefore, is not just a legal framework but a cultural and philosophical stance that shapes French public life, aiming to balance individual religious freedoms with the secular nature of the state and public institutions. (Grok)
Note:  The problem with French laïcité, is that it completely breaks down when you allow one religion, especially a non-native religion, to ignore its principles.

lethologica (noun)§
The inability to remember a particular word or name. (NOA)
The inability to remember a word or put your finger on the right word. (WN)
Grok:  A psychological term that refers to the state where one cannot remember the word they are trying to think of, often described as the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.  It's when you have a feeling that the word is just out of reach, but you can't quite retrieve it from memory. (Grok)  Lethologica is not classified as a psychological disorder.  Instead, it refers to the common experience of struggling to remember a word or name.  This phenomenon is generally considered a normal part of language processing and memory function rather than a disorder. (Grok)

leviathan (noun)§
The political state, especially a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy.  Something large or formidable. (MW)
Something unusually large of its kind, especially a ship. (AHD)
Any huge or powerful thing. (CDC)
Anything which is large or powerful. (CHM)
Something that is very large and powerful; giant. (BD)
Something or someone that is extremely large and powerful. (CD)
The largest or most massive thing of its kind. (VC)
A thing that is very large or powerful, especially a ship.  An autocratic monarch or state. (NOA)
A leviathan is something which is extremely large and difficult to control, and which you find rather frightening.  Any huge or powerful thing.  Anything of immense size and power, as a huge, oceangoing ship. (CDC)
The name of some aquatic animal, real or imaginary, of enormous size, frequently mentioned in Hebrew poetry.  Transferred especially to a ship of huge size.  Figuratively, a man of vast and formidable power or enormous wealth.  Used by Hobbes for the organism of political society, the commonwealth. (OED)
Thomas Hobbes:  In a modern context, Leviathan symbolizes the need for a strong, centralized government to maintain societal order, prevent chaos, and protect the collective against individual or external threats, all under the framework of a social contract where rights are traded for security.  However, this concept also invites contemporary critique regarding the extent of governmental power and the preservation of individual freedoms. (Grok)
See:  Goliath, juggernaut

lexicography (noun)§
The editing or making of a dictionary.  The principles and practices of dictionary making. (MW)
The process or work of writing, editing, or compiling a dictionary. (AHD)
The activity or job of writing dictionaries. (CD)
The act of writing dictionaries. (VC)
The writing, compiling, and editing of dictionaries. (CHM)
The process or profession of writing or compiling dictionaries. (CDC)
The practice of compiling dictionaries.  The activity or occupation of compiling dictionaries. (OD)
The skill, practice, or profession of writing dictionaries. (LDOCE)
The art or practice of writing dictionaries. (JDO)
The art, process, or occupation of making a lexicon or dictionary; the principles which are applied in making dictionaries. (WUD)
The writing or compilation of a lexicon or dictionary. (OED)
lexicographer:  An author or editor of a dictionary. (MW)  A person who compiles dictionaries. (OD)

libertine (noun and adjective)§
noun
A person, especially a man, who freely indulges in sensual pleasures without regard to moral principles.  A freethinker in matters of religion. (OD)
A person, especially a man, who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, especially in sexual matters.  A person who rejects accepted opinions in matters of religion; a freethinker. (NOA)
One who acts without moral restraint; a dissolute person.  One who defies established religious precepts; a freethinker. (AHD)
A person, usually a man, who has few moral principles and has sexual relationships with many people.  Someone who forms their own opinions and beliefs about religion. (CD)
A freethinker especially in religious matters.  A person who is unrestrained by convention or morality, specifically, one leading a dissolute life. (MW)
A dissolute person; usually a man who is morally unrestrained.  Someone who lives life unencumbered by morals. (VC)
One unconfined; one at liberty.  One who lives without restraint or law.  One who pays no regard to the precepts of religion. (JDO)
One free from restraint; one who acts according to his impulses and desires; now, specifically, one who gives rein to lust; a rake; a debauchee. (WUD)
A person who follows his or her own inclinations; one who is not restricted by convention or tradition.  Also in figurative context.  A person, typically a man, who is not restrained by morality, especially with regard to sexual relations; a person of dissolute or promiscuous habits. (OED)
adjective
Unrestrained by convention or morality. (VC)
Characterized by free indulgence in sensual pleasures.  Freethinking. (OD)
Characterized by a disregard of morality, especially in sexual matters.  Freethinking in matters of religion. (NOA)
Morally unrestrained; dissolute. (AHD)
Having few moral principles and having sexual relationships with many people. (CD)
Licentious; irreligious. (JDO)
Free from restraint; uncontrolled.  Dissolute; licentious; profligate; loose in morals. (WUD)
Characteristic of or resembling a libertine; dissolute, licentious.  Free or unrestrained in disposition, behavior, or language.  Of literary composition or translation, extremely free; loose. (OED)

 lickspittle (noun)§
A fawning underling; a toady. (AHD)
A flattering or servile person. (CDC)
A fawning subordinate; a suck-up; toady. (MW)
A person who behaves obsequiously to those in power. (NOA)
A person who praises and tries to please people in authority, usually in order to get some advantage from them. (CD)
A person who flatters those in power to get something in return. (VC)
A person who is excessively flattering or obsequious to another person, especially one who is wealthy or powerful, in the hope of receiving a reward, benefit, patronage, etc.; a sycophant.  Also used as an adjective and verb. (OED)
to lick a person's spittle (verb):  To act in a servile, obsequious or sycophantic manner towards a person; especially with the aim of gaining favor or advancement.  Refers to the literal consumption of a person's spit by licking it, as a sycophantic or obsequious action. (OED)

limited hangout (noun)§
Grokipedia:  A limited hangout is a tactic in espionage, politics, and damage control operations involving the selective release of partial truths or minor admissions to deflect scrutiny from more damaging secrets or broader culpability.  The term, originating from intelligence jargon, describes a maneuver where operatives or officials, facing exposure, admit select facts to create a fog obscuring the core issues, thereby preserving operational security or narrative control. (Groki)
Grok:  A term used to describe a strategy where someone reveals a portion of the truth, often something incriminating or sensitive, to prevent a more damaging or complete exposure from coming to light.  It is like a controlled leak, giving just enough information to satisfy curiosity or deflect scrutiny, while keeping the full story hidden.  The phrase comes from espionage and intelligence circles, where it is a tactic to manage fallout by admitting to a lesser scandal to avoid a bigger one.  Think of it as a magician’s misdirection:  Show the audience a shiny coin in one hand so they do not notice what’s happening with the other. (Grok)
ChatGPT:  A strategic tactic used in politics, intelligence, and public relations where an individual or organization partially discloses truthful information to the public to cover up a more significant or damaging truth.  This technique is often employed to maintain credibility while diverting attention away from more incriminating details.  It allows the disclosing party to appear transparent while still controlling the narrative and minimizing fallout. (ChatGPT)

link rot (noun)§
Grokipedia:  Link rot is the phenomenon of hyperlinks tending over time to cease to point to their originally targeted file, web page, or server due to that resource being relocated to a new address or becoming permanently unavailable.  A link that no longer points to its target may be called broken, dead, or orphaned. (Groki)
Grok:  Refers to the phenomenon where hyperlinks on the internet become broken or invalid over time.  This typically happens when a webpage is moved, deleted, or the server hosting it goes offline, rendering the URL inaccessible.  As a result, the link no longer directs to the intended content, disrupting access to information.  It is a common issue in digital preservation, often leading to Not Found errors, and highlights the impermanence of online resources. (Grok)
Medium:  Although more rare, there are also deeply sinister, political causes of link rot, like government censorship.  Some governments dedicate a huge amount of time and resources to information control, attempting to take down websites to hide information from their citizens.  For instance, China’s government has targeted scientific and academic publications extensively for takedowns of specific articles in recent years.  Even the USA has been accused of censoring climate change information from government websites for political reasons. (Medium)

 logophile (noun)§
A lover of words. (MW)
A lover of words. (NOA)
One who appreciates and enjoys words. (AHD)
A person who loves words and language. (CD)
A person who loves words.  A lover of words. (CDC)
Someone who loves learning about words.  Logophiles have a deep interest in words and enjoy adding new ones to their vocabulary.  You can call yourself a logophile if you are fascinated by unusual words or get a kick out of digging into a word's origin to see how it relates to other words. (VC)
A lover of words. (OED)

lollygag or lallygag (verb)§
Fool around; dawdle. (MW)
To loiter aimlessly. (CDC)
To waste time by puttering aimlessly; dawdle. (AHD)
To spend time doing things that are not useful or serious; to fool around and waste time. (BD)
To fool around; to dawdle, to dally. (OED)
Spend time aimlessly; idle.  Dawdle. (NOA)
Loaf about and waste time; dawdle.  To be slow or idle or lazy. (VC)
See:  Note on Terms Describing Wasteful Use of Time

looter (noun)§
Grok:  Individuals who use force, fraud, or government intervention to take value from others without providing anything of equivalent value in return.  Looters exploit the productive efforts of others through coercive means like laws, regulations, or outright theft.  They are often portrayed as those in power, including politicians and business leaders who manipulate systems for personal gain, essentially living off the labor and achievements of others. (Grok)
See:  moocher

 lorem ipsum (noun)§
Publishing, Printing, Typography, Graphic Design
Placeholder text often used in publishing and graphic design to demonstrate the visual style of a document, webpage, or typeface.  It is intended to serve as a sample, not to be read as meaningful sentences. (MW)
Text consisting of jumbled fragments of Latin words, used as a placeholder in designing the layout of a document. (AHD)
OED:  A standard form of sample text, beginning ‘lorem ipsum’, used by compositors and graphic designers to establish or demonstrate the textual layout of a print or electronic document before the content has been finalized.  Hence:  Any form of boilerplate sample text used in this way.  Instances of its inadvertent appearance in publications begin in the late 1960s, suggesting that it began to be widely used in publishing around this time. (OED)
EB:  Lorem ipsum, placeholder or dummy text used in typesetting and graphic design for previewing layouts.  It features scrambled Latin text, which emphasizes the design over content of the layout.  It is the standard placeholder text of the printing and publishing industries.  The use of placeholder text in web design is often called greeking, bearing the same meaning as the phrase It’s Greek to me to describe something that appears incomprehensible.  Hence, Lorem ipsum and other placeholder texts are also known as Greek copy. (EB)
Grokipedia:  Lorem ipsum is a dummy or placeholder text commonly used in graphic design, publishing, and web development.  Its purpose is to permit a page layout to be designed, independently of the copy that will subsequently populate it, or to demonstrate various fonts of a typeface without meaningful text that could be distracting. (Groki)

 lotus-eater (noun)§
A person who leads a life of dreamy, indolent ease, indifferent to the busy world; daydreamer. (CDC)
One who ate the fruit or leaf of the lotus, and, as a consequence, gave himself up to indolence and daydreams. (WUD)
A person who leads a life of idle contentment or luxury, untroubled by the working world or by practical concerns; an idle or indolent person, especially one who passes the time pleasantly doing nothing productive. (OED)
Someone who lives a lazy and indulgent life. (CHM)
A lazy person devoted to pleasure and luxury. (AHD)
Someone who has a very comfortable, lazy life and does not worry about anything. (CD)
Someone indifferent to the busy world. (VC)
An indolent person. (MW)
lotusland or lotus land (noun):  A place or state of existence characterized by or conducive to idle contentment, ease, or indolence.  Now especially, a country, region, etc., perceived as affording a carefree or luxurious lifestyle; a paradise.  Sometimes as an epithet for a particular place. (OED)

Lotus Sutra (scripture)§
A central scripture of Mahayana Buddhism, emphasizing that anyone can attain enlightenment. (CDC)
An ancient scripture, the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, sutra of the lotus, considered to be one of the most important texts in Mahayana Buddhism. (OED)
One of the earlier Mahāyāna Buddhist texts venerated as the quintessence of truth by the Japanese Tendai and Nichiren sects.  The Lotus Sutra is regarded by many others as a religious classic of great beauty and power and one of the most important and most popular works in the Mahāyāna tradition, the form of Buddhism predominant in East Asia.  The sutra, composed largely in verse, has a total of 28 chapters and contains many charms and mantras, sacred chants. (EB)
Chapter-by-chapter outline. (Grok)

lumbersexual (noun and adjective)§
A young urban man who cultivates an appearance and style of dress, typified by a beard and check/plaid shirt, suggestive of a rugged outdoor lifestyle. (NOA)
A man who lives in a city but has a beard and wears clothes, such as checked shirts, that are typically worn outside in the country by people such as lumberjacks, people whose job is to cut down trees. (CD)
An urban man who cultivates an appearance and style of dress, typified by a beard and checked shirt, suggestive of a rugged outdoor lifestyle.  Designating an urban man who cultivates an appearance and style of dress, typified by a beard and checked shirt, suggestive of a rugged outdoor lifestyle; of or relating to such a person or style. (OED)
Grokipedia:  Lumbersexual, overlaps with metrosexual, in its attention to curated masculinity but contrasts through a rugged, outdoorsy aesthetic featuring flannel shirts, beards, and workwear-inspired fashion, appealing to urban men seeking authenticity amid perceived metrosexual excess.  This term, popularized in lifestyle media, reflects a backlash against sleek urbanity, blending hipster irony with blue-collar tropes while maintaining high grooming standards like manscaping beneath the facade. (Groki)
Grok:  Refers to a fashion and lifestyle trend where individuals, typically urban men, adopt elements of traditional lumberjack or outdoorsman style.  Here are some key characteristics:
Fashion:  This includes wearing flannel shirts, beards, and rugged boots as a fashion statement.  The look is meant to evoke an image of rugged masculinity with an emphasis on natural, earthy aesthetics.
Lifestyle:  Beyond fashion, the term can imply an appreciation for outdoor activities, manual labor, or a more back-to-nature ethos.  However, the lumbersexual lifestyle might not necessarily involve actual lumbering activities; it's more about the aesthetic and cultural connotations.
Cultural Context:  The trend emerged around the early 2010s and can be seen as a response to or an evolution from the metrosexual trend, focusing instead on a more authentic or self-made appearance, even if this authenticity is somewhat superficial or performative in urban settings.
In essence, lumbersexual describes a modern, urban man who adopts the look and sometimes the attitude of a lumberjack, more as a style choice than a reflection of their actual profession or daily activities. (Grok)

lumpia (noun)§
Philippines
In East and Southeast Asian cookery, any of various types of spring roll, typically consisting of a very thin pancake filled with minced meat, seafood, or vegetables, rolled into a cylinder, and sometimes deep-fried, and served with a dipping sauce. (OED)
Grok:  A type of spring roll commonly found in Filipino cuisine.  It typically consists of a thin, crispy wrapper, made from a batter of flour, water, and sometimes eggs, filled with ingredients such as ground pork, beef, shrimp, or vegetables, like carrots, onions, and bean sprouts, which is then fried until golden.  Lumpia is a staple at Filipino gatherings, parties, and street food stalls, symbolizing comfort and community. (Grok)
Grokipedia on lumpia.
See:  turon

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