Ah, yes -- the infamous "generation gap" strikes again as I meander into my early fifties.
blow back (blo'bâk) n. -- 1. Backpressure in an internal-combustion engine or boiler; 2. Unburned powder residue released by the automatic ejection of a spent cartridge or shell from a firearm; 3. Unintended consequences that rebound on the perpetrators of disinformation, intelligence operations, or covert action. The term "blowback," which officials of the Central Intelligence Agency first invented for their own internal use, is starting to circulate among students of international relations. It refers to the unintended consequences of policies that were kept secret from the American people. What the daily press reports as the malign acts of "terrorists" or "drug lords" or "rogue states" or "illegal arms merchants" often turn out to be blowback from earlier American operations. One man's terrorist is, of course, another man's freedom fighter, and what U.S. officials denounce as unprovoked terrorist attacks on its innocent citizens are often meant as retaliation for previous American imperial actions. The most direct and obvious form of blowback often occurs when the victims fight back after a secret American bombing, or a U.S.-sponsored campaign of state terrorism, or a ClA-engineered overthrow of a foreign political leader.
obviate: to anticipate and dispose of or make unnecessary.
testaceous: 1. Having a shell. 2. Having the reddish brown color of bricks or baked clay.
napier: One in charge of table linen in a royal household.
Bucca -- goblin of the wind, once supposed by Cornish people to foretell shipwrecks. It is also a sprite fabled to live in the tin mines.
Mojo -- Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is a small bag, a type of magic charm, often of red flannel cloth and tied with a drawstring, containing botanical, zoological, and/or mineral curios, petition papers, and the like. It is typically worn under clothing. The word Mojo traces its origins to Africa and entered the English language during the era of slavery in the USA. It has been widely known from the 19th century and early 20th century to the present. Other regional names for mojo bags, or for specific types of mojos, include gree-gree (a Bantu word typically spelled gris-gris by people in Louisiana because of the state's Francophone origins), mojo hand, conjure bag, conjure hand, toby, jomo, and nation sack. In Haiti, the usual name for this sort of charm bag among those of African descent is a wanga, oanga, or wanger. Mojo hands are carried for their supernatural powers, such as protecting from evil or crossed conditions, drawing love, or bringing good luck or success in gambling and other money matters. A mojo bag can also be prepared for use in more nefarious spell-craft, such as to render a man impotent by tying his nature. The mojo bag usually contains a mix of herbs, powders, personal concerns such as a hair or fingernail clippings, sometimes a coin or dice, a lodestone, a petition paper or prayer, and other objects thought to promote supernatural action or protection. The tying of the bag is an important part of its making, as this keeps within it the spirit whose aid is being sought. Once thus fixed and prepared, the mojo is fed to keep it working, generally with a liquid, such as a perfume, an anointing oil, or in some cases a drop of urine. References to mojos, nation sacks, and tobies are common in 20th century rural and urban blues songs by musicians such as Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, the Memphis Jug Band, Muddy Waters, and Lightnin' Hopkins. Some of the earlier blues tunes were covered by white rock & roll bands in the 1960s and beatboxers in the 2000s. The tunes thus reached audiences unfamiliar with the folk beliefs referred to in the lyrics of the songs. Popular songs such as "I Got My Mojo Workin" by Muddy Waters use the reference of mojo to male virility, libido, or the penis itself. Waters refers directly to John the Conqueror root which is believed have magical sexual powers. The root is a possible item in a mojo bag and in dried form is believed to resemble the testicles of a dark-skinned man. Likewise, Jim Morrison of The Doors named himself "Mr. Mojo Risin" — an anagram of "Jim Morrison" — in the song "L.A. Woman." This usage of the word was spoofed by Mike Myers in the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, in which the title character has his mojo stolen, and loses his sexual confidence and prowess. Some other slang meanings of mojo in common use include: charisma, karma, and cocaine (as in "Gimme that mojo!"). Despite these variant usages, the word mojo continues to be widely used to mean what it always has meant in the African-American community -- namely, a conjure hand.
Ensemble cast -- An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows for flexibility for writers to focus on different characters in different episodes. In addition, the departure of players is less disruptive to the premise than it would be if the star of a production with a regularly structured cast leaves. Some films have ensemble casts, usually ones that revolve around one large theme, like the The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars movies, or ones that revolve around interrelated themes persistent throughout individual subplots of the characters. In theatre, the same principle applies, however the definition may be extended to mean that the whole cast 'moves and thinks as one'. Where the group is fully aware of everyone else in the cast, reacting to other movements in the cast, it requires heightened senses and a lot of concentration, with great amount of the focus being on peripheral vision and hearing. Ensemble performance can be recognised by the 'flow' of performance, with scenes flowing together seamlessly, often the piece doesn't contain many props, with one prop doubling as various different objects. A lot of dance theatre contains aspects of ensemble performance.
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