The Idler's GlossaryDawdler. "Layabout. Shit-heel. Loser. For as long as mankind has had to work for a living, which is to say ever since the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, people who work have disparaged those who prefer not to. This glossary, which closely examines the etymology and history of hundreds of idler-specific terms and phrases (whether pejorative, positive, or simply descriptive), aims not merely to correct popular misconceptions about idling, but to serve as a preliminary foundation for a new mode of thinking about working and not-working. It is intended to be specifically useful for journalists, who will never again have any excuse for describing an indolent person as languid, Epicurean behaviour as dissipated, or an idler as a slacker. Mark Kingwell's introduction offers a thoughtful but playful defence of the idler as the highest form of life, enlisting support from literary and philosophical sources (Aristotle, Kierkegaard, Russell, Bataille) as well as making some key distinctions: leisure vs. 'leisure time'; idler vs. slacker; not doing vs. failing to do. Kingwell also makes note of some lurking problems, such as the Idler's Conundrum, whereby dedicated idling succumbs to a form of work ethic, and Positional Goods Creep (per Veblen), whereby idling becomes a shorthand for social status and wealth. The Idler's Glossary is destined to become the Devil's Dictionary for the idling classes, necessary reading for any and all who wish to introduce more truly free time into daily lives. |
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Common terms and phrases
19th-century 20th-century slang ABSENTMINDED ACEDIA aesthetic AMBLE APATHETIC Aristotle BALK BARTLEBY Baudelaire blasé bored boredom British slang CADGER called century clock colloquialism consumption Damien Hirst DAWDLE DAYDREAM derived describe desire DESULTORY DETACHMENT DO-NOTHING DODGER DOZE DREAMER engaged English ENNUI EPICUREAN FIDDLE FLÂNEUR FLIGHTY FREELOADER French Guy Debord HALF-ASSED Henry Miller HOBO human idler IDLER'S GLOSSARY idling inactive INATTENTIVE INDOLENT INSOUCIANT INVISIBLE PRISON JOSHUA GLENN KAROSHI KICK BACK KILL LANGUID lazy person leisure LETHARGIC LIE-ABED Lin Yutang linger live loitering LOLL LOSER luxury MARK KINGWELL mind MOOCHER notes OBLOMOV OTIOSE pejorative philosopher pleasure PROCRASTINATE QUITTER RELAX SAUNTER SCAMP SCROUNGER Shunryu Suzuki SKIMPOLE SKIVER slack slacker SLACKTIVISM slang term meaning sleep SLOTHFUL SLUGGARD sluggish society SPONGER SUPINE SYBARITE synonym thing tion TIRED TORPID true idler UNFREE LABOR UNWORK UPCYCLE UPTIGHTNIK useless VAGABOND VOLUPTÉ WAGE SLAVERY writes Z Z Z