dementia americana
n.— «The County court met Monday to pass on the sanity of Tony Hood. In the court’s opinion the case was found to be a bona fide case of insanity, unalloyed with “Dementia Americana” exaggerated ego or any other new fangled phase of insanity, and the boy was ordered to the Farmington asylum, Sheriff Barrow accompanying him to that place Tuesday morning.» —“Local Happenings” Wayne County Journal (Mo.) Jan. 30, 1908. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
David says that when he was growing up in Akron, Ohio, his family referred to the grassy area between the sidewalk and street as the devil strip. He’s since moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he doesn’t hear that term. There are lots...
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what’s called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need to reflect on what humans all share as a species. A book about the end of the universe...