Lexicon- part 1

hey, these aren't inside jokes! I am freely sharing them, no?

no?: a European way to turn a declaration into a question, last minute. It's useful for procrastinators. Also great when you want someone to agree with you without a lot of argument. "This Bush is shit president, no?" (see: closed question)

up the cute: When someone or something just decides to be cuter or more likable. Here's an example: when my family got a new puppy, our old dog started trying to sit in our laps. She was definitely upping the cute.

hard but good: This is what a dishonest person will say when describing a really difficult situation that has no upsides, when they can't simply admit that it was pure pain. "On my trip, my passport and wallet got stolen, and then when I called home I found out that my grandma died. Also, I got a terrible case of food poisoning, and I think I've decided I need to break up with Brian. Yeah, life's been hard but good."

pizza on the carpet: This American Life ran a story about a man whose job involved interviewing the mentally disturbed to make sure they weren't cheating the government for subsidies. He went to a house where there was this pristine white carpet and white furniture. Everything was perfect, except there was one piece of pizza smashed upside down in the middle of the floor. "Pizza on the carpet" refers to the one thing that tips you off to the huge load of crazy in a situation.

passive aggressive hand puppet: this isn't a term so much as a thing to do when someone is bothering you. Just use your hand to say passive aggressive things, like "I used to be jealous of people like you until I realized there's more to life than money." The great thing is that when people get offended with you, you just blame it on the puppet.

closed question: a great way to keep the conversation flowing without actually having to learn anything new about the person you're talking with. example: "How much does your dog weigh?"