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
National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a foreign language. And third, find out what you truly believe, because if you’re not writing from...
Twice a day the River Thames recedes, revealing a muddy shoreline. Hobbyists known as mudlarks stroll the surface searching for objects that have found their way into the river over the centuries, everything from ancient Roman jewelry to modern...