[ukulele]

Part of me dislikes the title "Blood Unicorn" for being sensationalist, but part of me really likes it for being completely accurate and even a little bit poetic. It kind of feels like all titles should strive for this balance, but I also kind of hate it. I'm sure there's a German word for what I'm feeling!

[rglovejoy]

"Blood Unicorn" is a great name for a metal band, though.

[notananthem]

Came here to laugh and and celebrate a really silly name. BLLOOOOOOODDDD UNIIICORNNNN.

[microtherion]

… or for a gruesome Viking ritual human sacrifice.

[Areading314]

Ambivalent (and its the same in German)

[ukulele]

I've always thought of ambivalent as meaning no strong feelings either way, but I see that it can also mean mixed feelings (even strong ones). Is there a word that doesn't also include the first part, where it means solely having strong mixed feelings?

[pavlov]

Torn?

"I'm all out of faith / This is how I feel, I'm cold and I am shamed / Lying naked on the floor ..."

[ggambetta]

And appropriately for this story, "illusion never changed / into something real" :)

[ScottBurson]

I've always thought of "ambivalent" as indicating fairly strong mixed feelings. I think it's actually the word you want. For the first meaning, I would go with "indifferent".

[duncanawoods]

"Conflicted" seems to capture it but isn't very poetic.

There is more interesting language available if you are oscillating between views e.g. "vacillate" but not really the same as ambivalence.

[HarryHirsch]

"Zwiespältig"

[soVeryTired]

Goodbad

[IAmEveryone]

They are ambivalent, but the headline isn’t.

[wyldfire]

It seemed to me as if the author semi-sheepishly is admitting being caught up in the fervor surrounding Theranos:

> I used to refer to it pretty regularly as the Blood Unicorn, Elasmotherium haimatos, because it was a Silicon Valley unicorn with a peak valuation of $9 billion that managed to raise $700 million from investors.

I suppose if "unicorn" is meant to describe fundraising activities, it's accurate. They really raised that money.

[osteele]

I believe this[1] is the article in which the author, Matt Levine, introduced the phrase “blood unicorn”. That article continues with a quote about Theranos's “bait and switch”; the author concludes the section with “‘There will be an appropriate time and place to talk about the past,’ said Theranos; my guess is that the place might be court.”

EDIT: This article[2] (also by Matt Levine) predates [1]. “And here is a unicorn being barbecued in what looks like a medieval manuscript that I will just assume prophesies the coming of Theranos. ‘And lo, a Unicorne shall come among ye, and ye shall call it by the name Theranos, or in the Old Tongues, Elasmotherium Haimatos. And it shall take your Bloode, but only a lyttle bit of your Bloode, and it shall do strange Magick upon said Bloode, and tell ye many Things. But then it shall come to pass that its Magick was [makes 'so-so' hand gesture], and that those Things were mostly not true. And ye shall barbecue that Unicorne.’”

[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-08-02/mergers-u...

[2] https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-05-26/libor-cha...

[mathattack]

Matt would appreciate your use of footnotes!

[jeffreyrogers]

He's always been skeptical of them as far as I can remember. The whole "Blood Unicorn" thing is a long running joke in his column.

[DoreenMichele]

At one time, it was valued at $10 billion and being called a dekacorn based on valuation.

[edanm]

FYI, the author regularly discusses unicorns in his daily column, and often gives them funny/appropriate names. E.g. Blood Unicorn for Theranos, Decacorn for Unicorns over 10b in value, and other ones I can't remember now.