non sequitur (plural non sequiturs)

1. (logic) An invalid argument; one in which the conclusion cannot be logically deduced from the premises.

   The argument "All ravens are black; this object is black; therefore, this object is a raven" is a non sequitur.

2. Any abrupt and inexplicable transition or occurrence.

   Having a costumed superhero abduct the vicar was an utter non sequitur in the novel.

3. (humor) A kind of pun that uses a change of word, subject, or meaning to make a joke of the listener's expectation:

   "Take my wife - please." -- Henny Youngman

   "If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised." -- Dorothy Parker

   "A fool and his money are soon partying." -- Steven Wright

prerogative • \prih-RAH-guh-tiv noun

1 a : an exclusive or special right, power, or privilege: as

b : one belonging to an office or an official body

*c : one belonging to a person, group, or class of individuals

d : one possessed by a nation as an attribute of sovereignty

2 : a distinctive excellence

halcyon adj

Langeweile

Noun

Langeweile f.

1. boredom

Etymology

French échelon, from échelle 'ladder'.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈɛʃəlɒn/
• (US) IPA: /ˈɛʃəlɑːn/

Noun

echelon (plural echelons)

1. A level or rank in an organization, profession, or society.
2. (military) A formation of troops, ships, etc. in parallel rows with the end of each row projecting further than the one in front.

Translations

valetudinarian (comparative more valetudinarian, superlative most valetudinarian)

1. Of infirm health; seeking to recover health; sickly; weakly; infirm.

Tableau vivant (correct plural: tableaux vivants) is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move. The approach thus marries the art forms of the stage with those of painting/photography, and as such it has been of interest to modern photographers.

A portmanteau (IPA: /pɔrtˈmæntoʊ/), plural portmanteaux, is a word or morpheme that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded meaning. A folk usage of portmanteau refers to a word formed by combining both sounds and meanings from two or more words (e.g., spork from spoon and fork, animatronics from animated and electronics, guesstimate from guess and estimate, wikipedia from wiki and encyclopiedia, or ginormous from gigantic and enormous). Typically, portmanteaux are nonce words or neologisms. Portmanteaux are commonly used in science fiction for a wide variety of technical words, such as cyborg from cybernetic and organism.