awfulize
v.— «It is a most common experience in law schools to have someone say, of some action or state of events, “how awful,” with the clear implication that reversing it will de-awfulize the world to the full extent of the initial awfulness.» —“Commentaries on Richard A. Posner’s ‘Economic Analysis of Law’” by Arthur Allen Leff Virginia Law Review Mar., 1974. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Kinbank is a new database that illustrates the global diversity of family terms. English, for example, specifies sibling relationships with just one of two terms: sister or brother. But most other languages have even more specific terms. In...
Barbara Kingsolver’s book Demon Copperhead is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield set in today’s Appalachia. Martha shares memories of a long-ago visit to Kingsolver’s family farm in Virginia, where they...