cowdust time
n.— «By “cowdust time,” the evocative Indian term for dusk, we are still 30 miles from our village. After asking the way a dozen times (Indians tend to be relaxed about the subtle difference between “left”and “right”), eventually we find it but, in the darkness, it looks like no Indian village we have ever seen.» —“My village hut’s a mansion” by Stephen McClarence in India Telegraph (U.K.) May 6, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
The English language has been greatly enriched by borrowings from the languages of Asia. Barely scratching the surface, we have from Japan skosh, tycoon, tsunami, origami, yen, kimono, futon, and karaoke. From Chinese comes yen, kowtow, gung ho, and...