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I came across this word today. I had never heard of it. When I looked it up I was even more surprised that I hadn't.
Without looking do any of you what this means?
Without looking do any of you what this means?
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Yes. I'm not good with phrasing good definitions of words that I know more at the gut level. The first word that comes to mind for ephemera, though, is bubbles. My two young sons love bubbles. They enjoy them and then they pop. I guess all of our lives is filled with ephemera. Is ephemera.
But I think the book definition of the word has to do with paper stuff not meant to last, because that is the context I've heard it in most recently, watching American Pickers. They use the term to refer to old cheap paper stuff that is collectible but was never meant to last, and was only meant to be enjoyed for a short time. Although, that is an odd use of the term, in my mind, because if it does refer to anything fleeting, and people have turned those fleeting pieces of paper into a long term enjoyment, then isn't that no longer ephemera?
ETA: IDK, I may have it backwards, and it really just means old paper stuff, and from that my understanding of the word came, as a secondary meaning.Last edited by Sour Masher; 10-25-2018, 12:35 PM. -
Yes, although I see it far more often in its adjectival form ephemeral.Comment
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I am on a Bonhams auction mailing list. I was reviewing some of the items and the term was used to describe some items.Originally posted by Sour Masher View Post
I looked it up and you are correct not meant to last. The definition did use paper stuff as examples. Strangely, these particular items that Bonhams was describing were glass and metal so it did not fit the definition.
I am embarrassed to say I watch quite a bit of American Pickers and have not noticed the word. I am pretty sure I will moving forward.
I also do not believe I have seen or heard it in the adjectival form as B-Fly mentioned.
I was just going to type that i don't see myself adding this to my vocabulary when the thought popped into my head that I should make this part of the name for one of my fantasy teams. I trade a lot and most of my players don't last very long. The Ephemeral Gypsies or some such thing.Comment
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Can I get an ephemeral on the rocks, please?“There’s no normal life, Wyatt, it’s just life. Get on with it.” – Doc Holliday
"It doesn't matter what you think" - The Rock
"I borked the entry." - Some dude on the Internet
Have I told you about otters being the only marine animal that can lift rocks?Comment
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yes, but I'm literate as fuckOriginally posted by Gregg View Post"You know what's wrong with America? If I lovingly tongue a woman's nipple in a movie, it gets an "NC-17" rating, if I chop it off with a machete, it's an "R". That's what's wrong with America, man...."--Dennis Hopper
"One should judge a man mainly from his depravities. Virtues can be faked. Depravities are real." -- Klaus KinskiComment
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this ... I had to look twice to figure out if this was a variant of ephemeralOriginally posted by B-Fly View PostIt certainly feels that way. But I'm distrustful of that feeling and am curious about evidence.Comment
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I may have to borrow this. (With your permission, of course)Originally posted by Fresno Bob View Post“There’s no normal life, Wyatt, it’s just life. Get on with it.” – Doc Holliday
"It doesn't matter what you think" - The Rock
"I borked the entry." - Some dude on the Internet
Have I told you about otters being the only marine animal that can lift rocks?Comment
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A clever moderator should delete this thread overnight."When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."Comment
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Where do we get one of those?Originally posted by senorsheep View Post“There’s no normal life, Wyatt, it’s just life. Get on with it.” – Doc Holliday
"It doesn't matter what you think" - The Rock
"I borked the entry." - Some dude on the Internet
Have I told you about otters being the only marine animal that can lift rocks?Comment
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Been collecting this stuff since i was a kid and didn't know the name.
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert EinsteinComment
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I had quite the old pizza box collection back when I was single.Comment
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feel free, I'm a giverOriginally posted by Steve 2.0 View Post"You know what's wrong with America? If I lovingly tongue a woman's nipple in a movie, it gets an "NC-17" rating, if I chop it off with a machete, it's an "R". That's what's wrong with America, man...."--Dennis Hopper
"One should judge a man mainly from his depravities. Virtues can be faked. Depravities are real." -- Klaus KinskiComment
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