The newspaper comic strip, that somewhat obsolete yet extremely pervasive section of the popular culture, has been largely neglected in the world of jargon and technical terminology--until now, of course. Presented below is an all-purpose dictionary of terminology related to newspaper comic strips, suited for use in criticism, conversation, and mean jokes. Learn them all and impress your friends!*

anatomy in absentia, noun
A character design in which some body parts are conspicuously absent, esp. facial features. Examples: Dilbert (mouth), Cathy (nose).

attempted risqueism, noun
Use of extremely mild swear words and/or references to risque topics in an attempted to seem mature and sophisticated. Examples: Zits, Get Fuzzy, Dilbert

attractive coloration, noun
Use of coloration which attracts the eye. Examples: Zits, Mother Goose and Grimm

Bradyvision, noun
Skewed or otherwise disoriented artwork within panels. Named for Pat Brady. Example: Rose is Rose.

brandspeak, noun
Frequent use of actual brand names in comics.

cluttle, noun
Excessive details in comic art, esp. in the form of small objects in the background (does not extend to detailed objects). Examples: FBoFW, Hi and Lois See also cluttlewords.

cluttley, adj.
The quality of having cluttle.

cluttlewords, noun
Like cluttle, except that there are legible labels on everything. Often combined with pseudobrandspeak. Example: FBoFW

color dichotomy, noun
Casting foreground characters in one flat color, and casting background characters in a different flat color, often the former's opposite. Examples: Mary Worth, Rex Morgan MD

decaying ambition, noun
Comics in which details disappear little by little, i.e., plenty of detail in the first panel, with each successive panel having less than its predecessor. Also called laziness. Example: Hi & Lois

contempotropism, noun
Frequently mentioning the newest technologies, apparently in an attempt to seem hip and modern. Examples: Blondie, Cathy

deflective coloration, noun
Use of coloration which makes comic difficult even to look at, esp. light pastels. Examples: Sally Forth, Mary Worth

fanspeak, noun
Excessive references to cartoonist's favorite franchises. May be characterized by subtle background details or exclusive jokes. Example: FoxTrot

Gilchristianism, noun
The use of realistic, scantily-clad women in comic artwork. Often portrayed as fairies to get them safely past editors. Named for Guy Gilchrist. Example: Night Lights and Fairy Flights.

gleefle, noun
Hovering symbols of emotion, especially happiness. Example: Rose is Rose.

grimtone, noun
The dark, foreboding imagery which results when gray-halftone comics are "colorized". Example: Rose is Rose (colorized dailies).

plastisheen, adj.
The quality of being completely untextured, i.e., a flatly-colored surface. Example: Family Circus, Hi & Lois.

proceduralism, noun
Comics which rely on a collection of structured gags which are re-drawn and re-used ad infinitum. Example: Cathy

pseudobrandspeak, noun
Similar to brandspeak, pseudobrandspeak is the use of fictional or parodical "brandnames" in comic artwork. Examples: FBoFW, Hi and Lois

retaintive coloration, noun
Use of coloration which makes it difficult to stop looking at a comic, esp. due to high saturation. Example: Mother Goose and Grimm

teentalk, noun
Use of slang in teenagers' dialog, often consisting of outdated slang and trends. Examples: Zits, Hi & Lois, FBoFW

Sansomian, adj.
The quality of a comic which is so uninteresting that everyone agrees that it's worthless. Named for Chip Sansom. Example: Born Loser

saturation syndrome, noun
Exclusive use of a variety of extremely saturated colors. Examples: Hi and Lois, innumerable others.

scoobly, adj.
The quality of being ill-defined in comic art. Scoobly art is vague, cartoony, and often unidentifiable. Esp. common in cluttley backgrounds. Example: Hi and Lois.

xeric strip, noun
A comic strip which re-uses its artwork extensively. Examples: Baldo, Blondie

*Impressment of friends not guaranteed. Use these terms at your own risk.