Charlie Brown tree
n.— «Two charming young women bragged to me (within 12 hours and 50 miles of each other) that they each have a “Charlie Brown” tree—small, skinny, needleless, crooked, with only half-a-string of lights and two ornament balls on it. “Furthermore,” they continued triumphantly, “everybody who comes in sees it and says, “I love your tree. I want one just like it.”» —“It’s beginning to look, sound, smell like Christmas” by Lucy Miele Rockford Register Star (Illinois) Dec. 7, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...
Understanding the varieties of conversational styles can mean the difference between feeling you’re understood and being insulted. “High-involvement” speakers interrupt or talk along with someone else to signal their enthusiasm...