a singer (to be precise, both a wailer and a crooner) who enjoyed enormous popularity between the nineteen-fifties and nineteen-seventies, culminating with his going to seed and an ignominious death on the toilet

known for his distinctive voice and sense of style, he has been called the king of rock and roll. although he had a surname (presley), it is rarely necessary to use it, as he is the most famous bearer of the name 'elvis' in history.

these facts, taken into consideration with the hordes of those who seek to impersonate him at las vegas and who insist they have seen him alive and well long after his death, suggest that he is roughly on par with jesus of nazareth in his religious significance

an edgy word for spoiled brats

(n.) heir to a centuries-long tradition of warlord-employed assassins and spies hailing from japan. very easily identified by distinctive black full-body pajamas (one would think this might interfere with the spying and assassinating but evidently not)

(n.) a vehicle powered by pasta. well, in a roundabout sort of way.

(n.) a terrorist who works with the good guys

(also: terrorist)

Is a breed of human that chooses to identify in society" as people who play video games"

Family - people initially assigned, but later chosen who an individual keeps close bonds with (also: Successful Adoptions)

(n.) a dining room cabinet or sideboard, short enough to serve as a secondary table, in which one (presumably one unwilling to admit they have a problem) may store their booze.

the name 'credenza' comes to us from italian, and means 'trusted one,' apparently because these cabinets were where food was taste-tested for poison before being presented to the pope

a sport involving fighting from Eastern Asia. While sports such as boxing and wrestling do involve fighting, they are not from Eastern Asia, and are thus not classified as martial arts

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
― John Muir
(also: tug)

“The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche,
(also: Nietzsche)

(n.) the eternal cycle of violence and poor career decisions which keeps us all occupied until death

(n.) suckers; potential customers

(n.) a small island nation that exists primarily to serve as england's whipping boy

once nearly starved to death after running out of potatoes. presumably they really like potatoes.

(n.) a craft intended to move across the top of a body of water. if it's really big it's called a ship. musical performer styx famously used one of these to saaaaaaaail away

also called "galactic basic" or the common tongue of westeros.

language originating in england, where it began as a variant of german before receiving some slapdash latin/french seasoning, resulting in a linguistic abomination. having spread to most of america and australia, it has become one of the more unavoidable languages on the planet.

(n.) a way of saying "distinguishing characteristics," when you feel that just saying "distinguishing characteristics" just wouldn't cut it

"hey, this has all the indicia of a run on the banks, george!"

(n.) the catalyst who transforms a solo nut into a leader
Derek Sivers is too good not to share:

(also: leader)
(also: second follower)

the monarchy
the royal family of france (boo). spent their time blowing money on big castles and eating cake in a time of famine; understandably, many in france had decided they wanted them gone. in the grand game of revolution, they were more or less the ball being kicked around by other factions. but that's no reason to lose your head.

the sans-culottes
the masses of dispossessed and discontent in paris leading up to the revolution. their name is an indicator of how badly off they were, as it means they could not afford the fancier kinds of pants (which looked like crap and which nobody wears nowadays anyway). their popular movement was the irresistible tide which carried other factions into government as the final traces of the old rule were wiped away.

jacobins
a radical anti-monarchist political club which had numerous members in france's national assembly. when the blood had settled, the jacobins were the dominant force in france (this didn't last). famous jacobins included mirabeau and robespierre.

girondins
a faction that appealed to the provincial nobility outside of paris. they started as a somewhat more moderate wing of the jacobins until robespierre forced them out for being *too* moderate. one of the more famous girondins was charlotte corday, who liked killing people while they bathed.

cordeliers
among the most extreme factions in play during the revolution, calling for such radical reforms as universal suffrage and democracy. like the girondins, they lost significant power leading up to the revolution and the remaining members were declared public enemies by the jacobins after that. famous cordeliers include danton (a big ugly buff guy), marat (who liked getting killed by women while he was bathing), and hébert (one of those guys who died by ironic guillotine)

(n.) the life of every party, a light source dressed up with an attractive fabric covering. consider adopting a lamp today.