Hal

1. The HAL-9000 computer, guardian of the spacecraft Discovery in the novels and films of 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel, 2010. First activated at the HAL plant in Urbana, Illinois on January 12, 1997 (or 1992 in the film version). HAL is short for Heuristic ALgorithmic, and not derived by moving one letter back from the initials of IBM, as some have suggested. HAL's apparently psychotic behaviour in 2001 is revealed in the novel, and in either version of 2010, to have been a result of a neurosis arising from conflicts between his programming to accurately input, analyse and output information, and the demands of national security mandated by the Pentagon.

2. Any troublesome, wary or otherwise bloody-mindedly unhelpful computer.

Open the pod bay doors, Hal.

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Che Guevara radical

Bleeding heart college age lefty who thinks they are working to defeat the whole terrible System with a capital(ist) S because there is a big red poster of Che Guevara (printed no doubt on a massive press somewhere like Columbus, Ohio) in their bedroom. Swears eternal enmity to anyone from NASA to Monsanto, has probably played their part in uprooting at least one field of allegedly GM sugar beet and has no doubt pleaded in public that we have no right to be in space until the last African baby is fed (and if that had been arranged there would surely be something else). Of course you just know that in ten years' time, if not sooner, the Che Guevara radical will have an office job for the Coca-Cola Company in Shanghai and drive an SUV.

She's 18 and she's all Che Guevara radical, but just wait until she graduates from Uni and the poster will come down.

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redrum

Word used in the novel "The Shining" by Stephen King and in the movie based on it and directed by Stanley Kubrick. "Murder" spelt backwards. Also works on many other levels, being suggestive of bloodshed, wrath, inebriation, violence, a force that consumes people's lives like some satisfying drink, and something used to subdue the Native American tribes that form a subtext of the film.

... redrum ... redrum ... redrum ... redrum ... redrum ... redrum ... redrum ... redrum ... redrum ...

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oxymoron

A contradiction in terms. Contrary to what some people will tell you, from Limerick to Florida, it does NOT mean a stupid ox. Derived instead from the Greek words oxy (sharp) and moros (dull).

Examples of oxymorons:

sunny night
military intelligence
compassionate conservative
ethical landlord
honest politician
open-minded altie
Christian Democrat
to appear invisible
deafening silence
friendly fire
charm offensive
civil war

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so many puppies, so little time

Expression of repressed rage and anger at the world. Taken as a lament that with so many puppies (vulnerable shitheads/valuable commodities/etc) in the vicinity, one does not have the time or freedom to exercise one's creative vigour in destroying the whole goddamned lot of them.

Twenty CVs sent out, nineteen Dear John letters, one ignored. No money. So many puppies, so little time.

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Hell

1. Town in Nebraska slightly to the west of Heck but east of Motherfuckingcrapdagger.

2. A place they send you when you die for posting those adverts for religions or religiously connected material on the right of an Urbandictionary page. Yes, this includes Scientology.

3. Accurate description of the surface of the planet Venus, although on Venus there aren't that many guys in kinky suits with pitchforks.

4. The most terrible place most people can imagine. Like a boarding school on Sunday, only funnier.

5. A place you invoke after you discover that the bottle of absinthe that cost you over a hundred Euro shattered in transit.

6. Rumoured to be the subtitle of the latest version of Microsoft Word.

7. Place where you go, according to Gary Larson, to play the accordion for eternity.

8. A place where there are fires everywhere but it's dark. It's either very very hot or very very cold. You burn up ... forever. If there was any possibility of it being real it wouldn't have to be portrayed as anywhere near as nasty.

We're in Hell, and the good news is the population is only 301.

Now that line on Hell oughta stop them ... I wish.

Venus is Hell, Earth is Heaven.

I thought I was back in boarding school on a Sunday, but it turns out I'm only in Hell. That's a relief.

Hell! My best absinthe!

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knacksploitation

Movie that shows Irish Travellers in a good light, implying that anyone who doesn't care overmuch for knackers has simply lost their wild romantic side. Such productions typically have big Hollywood money behind them. Think more Into The West than Pavee Lackeen.

Oh, great. Here we go with the salt of the earth movie tinkers again. Yes, it's another dreary knacksploitation flick.

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