cotton curtain
n.— «When the cotton curtain stood between us, and people were hateful and mean, I was here. When we didn’t have public accommodations, I was here. When the doors of opportunity had never been opened, I was here. When it was time to get the right to vote, I was here.» —“Reporter’s Notebook: Jackson In South” by Fay S. Joyce in Atlanta, Georgia New York Times Mar. 12, 1984. (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...
After our conversation about towns with extremely short names, many listeners wrote to tell us about Why, Arizona. Others pointed out that there are towns called Ely in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nevada. Other super-short appellations include Rye, New...