W

waiter rule (social theory)§
One's true character can be gleaned from how one treats staff or service workers, such as a waiter. (Dave Barry)

Grok:  The waiter rule, also known as the server rule or service worker rule, is a social observation or informal litmus test stating that a person's true character is revealed by how they treat waitstaff, servers, or other service industry workers, especially when no personal gain or social pressure is involved.  In essence, someone who is polite and respectful to you but rude, dismissive, or demanding toward a waiter is not genuinely kind or considerate.  This concept has been popularized in business, dating advice, and psychology discussions as a way to gauge entitlement, empathy, and humility. (Grok)

wangle (verb)§
To succeed in getting or doing something by persuading someone or by being clever in some way.  To succeed in obtaining or doing something by not being completely honest in persuading someone to allow it. (CD)

Manage to obtain something by persuading or cleverly manipulating someone. (NOA)
To resort to trickery or devious methods.  To adjust or manipulate for personal or fraudulent ends.  To make or get by devious means; finagle. (MW)
To obtain, bring about or achieve by cleverness, persuasion, or deceit. (WN)

To contrive or obtain something by persuasiveness. (CHM)

To obtain or achieve by cleverness or deceit, especially in persuading someone. (AHD)

Achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods.  To get something through deception or devious coaxing. (VC)

To obtain something or get somewhere by irregular means, scheming, etc.; to use irregular means to accomplish a purpose. (OED)

Often used:  To wangle an invitation as in:  We managed to wangle an invitation to the party.

water (noun)§

The degree of clarity and luster of a precious stone. (MW)
The transparency and luster of a gem. (AHD)
The quality of transparency and brilliance shown by a diamond or other gem. (NOA)
The degree of transparency and luster of a precious stone as a measure of its quality. (CDC)

The degree of brilliance and transparency of a diamond. (CHM)

It is used for the lustre of a diamond. (JDO)

The limpidity and luster of a precious stone, especially a diamond. (WUD)

The transparency and luster characteristic of a diamond or other gemstone, or a pearl.  Often with preceding adjective characterizing the appearance of a particular stone or pearl, or especially indicating its quality as assessed in terms of its transparency and luster.  The three highest grades of quality in diamonds were formerly known as the first water, second water, and third water. (OED)

See:  first water

wealth consumer, net (economics)§

Grok:  Someone whose activities or employment might not directly generate sufficient economic value to offset the costs associated with their employment.  This does not necessarily mean they do not contribute to society or have no value; it is a more economic-focused perspective.  However, if government expenditure exceeds the economic benefits these roles bring, one could argue it leans towards wealth consumption. (Grok)

RM:  Teachers, nurses, firemen, and police are all examples of net wealth consumers.  But each of these, obviously, create wealth indirectly.  I think the teacher is the best example; think of the wealth she may create indirectly via her students and their future endeavors.  The firemen save wealth for others, etc.  But clearly there is a class who create no wealth whatsoever, either directly or indirectly.  The government dependent, the incompetent bureaucrat, and say for instance, a professor of queer studies. (RM)

wealth creator, net (economics)§

Grok:  Typically refers to someone who, through their work, generates more economic value than the cost of their employment.  This could mean their productivity results in economic growth, innovation, or increased efficiency, leading to more wealth in the economy overall. (Grok)

white elephant (noun)§
A property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit. (MW)
A possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of. (NOA)

A possession that provides few benefits and is an inconvenience or a financial burden to maintain. (AHD)

A possession or piece of property that is useless or unwanted, especially one that is inconvenient or expensive to keep. (CHM)

A valuable possession whose upkeep is extremely costly.  Something that is expensive to care for, and almost impossible to get rid of.  The classic white elephant is a purchase or project that seemed like a good idea but quickly got expensive and burdensome. (VC)

If you describe something as a white elephant, you mean that it is a waste of money because it is completely useless.  A possession that is unwanted by its owner.  An elaborate venture, construction, etc., that proves useless.  Something from which little profit or use is derived; especially, such a possession maintained at much expense.  A possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of.  A possession entailing great expense out of proportion to its usefulness or value to the owner. (CDC)

Figurative; a burdensome or costly objective, enterprise, or possession, especially one that appears magnificent; a financial liability. (OED)

wifty (adjective)§
Vague, imprecise.  Of thinking, argument, etc.:  Unclear; muddle-headed, scatterbrained; fuzzy.  Light-headed, muzzy, confused. (OD)

Scatterbrained or dizzy. (CDC)
Eccentrically silly or scatterbrained; ditzy. (MW)
Ditzy, eccentric, flighty, unfocused, scatterbrained. (WN)

A wifty person often forgets or loses things, or does not completely understand serious things.  Also:  Not clearly expressed or described, and not serious, as in wifty ideas. (CD)

An informal adjective that describes someone or something as eccentrically silly, scatterbrained, or vaguely impractical, often in a lighthearted, ditzy way, like being fuzzy-headed or whimsically unfocused. (Grok)

Vague, imprecise; of thinking, argument, etc., unclear; muddle-headed, scatterbrained; fuzzy.  Light-headed, muzzy, confused. (OED)

win-win negotiation (business practice)§

Negotiations in which each party walks away from the bargaining table having achieved its goals within the confines of an integrative, or value-creating, bargaining process.  Win-win strategies are all about increasing your opponent’s satisfaction even as you achieve the outcome you desire. (Harvard Program on Negotiation)

Note:  Despite its omnipresence in our culture, I find this concept terribly naive; see Jim Camp's Start With No.  I have written on this topic here.

See:  counterpart, negotiation

woman (noun)§

An adult female human being.  The counterpart of man. (OED)

An adult human female:  A human being whose 23rd pair of chromosomes (the sex chromosomes) are composed of two X chromosomes.  As chromosomes are located in the nucleus of each and every cell in the body, this chromosomal composition is immutable.  No amount of body mutilation or hormones (new or suppressed) will change the chromosomal makeup.  Thus if you are born female, you will remain female until the day you die. (RM)

Note:  How sad is it that today, this word needs to be defined?

See:  man

woolgathering or wool-gathering (adjective and noun)§
Indulgence in aimless thought or dreamy imagining; absentmindedness. (NOA)

Indulgence in idle daydreaming. (MW)

To engage in fanciful daydreaming. (AHD)

Idle or absent-minded indulgence in fantasy; daydreaming.  Indulgence in idle fancies and in daydreaming; absentmindedness. (CDC)

An idle indulgence in fantasy.  Showing a lack of attention or care. (VC)

Absent-mindedness; day-dreaming. (CHM)

Indulging in a vagrant or idle exercise of the imagination; roaming upon a fruitless quest; idly fanciful.  Indulgence in idle imagination; a foolish or useless pursuit or design. (WUD)

Indulging in wandering thoughts or idle fancies.  To indulge in wandering fancies or purposeless thinking; to be in a dreamy or absent-minded state.  Hence, indulgence in idle imagining or aimless speculation. (OED)

Note:  To my mind, it seems this word could also be used as a verb:  Stop your woolgathering and get back to work.

woolly (adjective)§
Lacking in definiteness or incisiveness; muzzy.  Of the mind, etc., confused and hazy.  Of painting, etc., lacking in clearness or definition.  Of sound, etc., dull and indistinct. (OED)

Woolly ideas and thinking are confused and not clear, and have not been considered carefully enough. (CD)

If you describe a person or their ideas as woolly, you are criticizing them for being confused or vague.  Lacking clarity or substance.  Tangled and confused; fuzzy.  Unclear; disorganized. (CDC)

Not showing clear thinking. (LDOCE)

Vague and muddled; lacking in clarity. (CHM)

Lacking in clearness or sharpness of outline.  Marked by mental confusion. (MW)

Vague or confused in expression or character.  Of a sound, indistinct or distorted. (NOA)

Lacking sharp detail or clarity.  Mentally or intellectually disorganized or unclear. (AHD)

woolly-minded (adjective)§
Vague or confused in character or expression. (OD)

Showing a vague or muddled way of thinking. (CDC)

See woolly and compounds. (OED)
woolly-mindedness (noun)
woolly-witted (adjective)

wordhoard or word-hoard (noun)§

A supply of words; vocabulary. (MW)

A person's vocabulary. (CDC)

The sum of words one uses or understands; a vocabulary. (AHD)

A collection of words or a person’s vocabulary.  A word-hoard usually refers to a collection of all the great vocabulary a person knows.  It often refers to a person's vocabulary, but it can also refer to all the words in a single language or the sum of words in a particular dictionary. (VC)

A store of words; in later use especially, the vocabulary of a person, group, or language. (OED)

Note:  Unfortunately, it seems that wordhoard is one's entire vocabulary, rather than a curated personal lexicon.

𓐵

V <=> X-Y

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X-Y  Z