deadman
n.— Note: This term is covered in many mainstream dictionaries. «The church purchased an old school building, and member Gordon Ethridge moved it to the site on logs—with a little help from a “deadman,” Gatliff said. Another log, commonly called a deadman, was buried out ahead of the building and used as an anchor during the moving process. “They would pull it down to the deadman, then they would rebury it,” Gatliff explained.» —“Elam Baptist marks two centuries with book, celebration” by Rodney Manley Telegraph (Macon, Georgia) Aug. 2, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
One secret to writing well is … there is no secret! There’s no substitute for simply sitting down day after day to practice the craft and learn from your mistakes. Plus, childhood mixups around word definitions can lead to some funny stories...