dead man’s switch
n.— «On the subway and elevated lines it is found in the nearest doorman and a “dead man’s switch.”» —“Precautions of Railroads to Prevent Death at the Throttle” in New York Washington Post Magazine Jan. 19, 1908. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Many of us struggled with the Old English poem “Beowulf” in high school. But what if you could actually hear “Beowulf” in the English of today? There’s a new translation by Maria Dahvana Headley that uses contemporary...
Have you ever googled your own name and found someone else who goes by the very same moniker? There’s a word for that: googleganger. Plus, the language of hobbyists and enthusiasts: If you’re a beekeeper, perhaps you call yourself a...