cat-facing
n.— «When you pick up a gnarly apple or peach, or a misshapened strawberry…the cause of this damage has been attributed to cold weather, frost, lack of pollination, disease, etc., but in most instances you can put the finger of guilt on a group of “cat-facing” insects.…Although the healthy tissue around the injured spot grows, a scar is formed over the damaged spot and normal development is slowed down at this point. When thiss happens…you get a “cat-faced” or deformed fruit hardly fit to eat.» —“Green Thumb Queries” by George Abraham Chronicle-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) May 13, 1955. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...