Big Mother
n.— «When a pupil doesn’t show up for school without advance notice from the parents, the school contacts the parents immediately. None of this is thought of as being the least bit unusual. This is childhood in the ’90s. Big Mother is watching you. Mrs. McClelland accepts it as a necessary part of parenting, imposed by the world that preys on children.» —“Worries about violence are eroding children’s freedom Fear in the neighborhood” by Pete McMartin Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada) Mar. 19, 1993. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Nancy Gabriel from Ithaca, New York, recalls her father’s no-nonsense responses to minor injuries when she was a child: After making sure she was really all right, he’d say, It’s far enough from your heart; it won’t kill you. Other times he...
In 1916, a small-town newspaper in Pennsylvania printed a fanciful item about a local gathering with a guest list that included, among others, Miss Ella Vader, Mr. Ray Zor, and other punny names. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...