Unobtainium
Unobtainium is a material that is unobtainable mostly because it doesn’t seem to exist.A word maven column that I read says the name incorporates the suffix common to chemical elements in order to suggest some desirable substance either that isn’t at all or else is so rare that even folding money can’t get you any. It’s also a potent excuse, of course, for non-delivery. If only you had some, you can lament, there’d be no problem.One must be careful, I was warned, to distinguish between unobtainium and handwavium. Handwavium refers to a way of ignoring the laws of physics, among others, as if one might banish an insuperable impediment by simply waving a hand at it.The Star Trek series makes great use of handwavium. The familiar replicator, the transporter, and the phaser come to mind. Faster-than-light space drives which, of course, can’t exist at all, take handwavium for granted and speed on their way.Naturally, things like this eventually work their way into the church. At this very moment, the Breakawayers, having got where they are with unobtainium and, as well, being overburdened by it, are making great use of handwavium by simply phasering canon law into oblivium, another entity which, for some, is no problem at all.