Dover test
n.— «Since Vietnam, you may or may not have heard about the “Dover test,” which a military official coined as the threshold for what Americans could take as acceptable losses to the country, to people, and to the psyche in times of war. Dover Air Force Base in Delaware is the official entry point for America’s war dead. In the first Iraq War, the government banned media outlets from showing any returning deceased at Dover.» —“A quick note on opinion” by Chris Hall American Narcolepsy Apr. 26, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...