Barbie
n.— «Fortunately, Brits can take advantage of the weak dollar in a different way, said Stephen Adams in Britain’s Daily Telegraph. Instead of vacationing in the States, we are buying investment homes there. The new army of “Barbies”—from BARB, the term for those who Buy Abroad but Rent in Britain—has targeted the cheap property flooding the American market as a result of the mortgage crisis.» —“How they see us: A cheap vacation for Europeans” The Week (United States) April 10, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes...
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...