︎golden thread
n.— «This reluctance to sign up for the army life is being ascribed partly to the merger last year of the six Scottish regiments into one, with the consequent loss of regional identity. This identity is referred to as the golden thread which would see today’s Scottish soldier risking his life in Basra under the same badge as that worn by his father on the streets of Belfast, his grandfather on the Normandy beaches, or his great-grandfather in the trenches at the Somme. It may be no bad thing that this golden thread is broken. It is no bad thing that our young people appear to have less of an appetite for war.» —“Not enough soldiers? Then turn to the Household Chavalry” by Tom Shields Sunday Herald (Glasgow, Scotland) Sept. 22, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Imagine telling someone how to get to your home, but without using the name of your street, or any other street within ten miles. Could you do it? We take street names for granted, but these words are useful for far more, like applying for a job or...
Understanding the varieties of conversational styles can mean the difference between feeling you’re understood and being insulted. “High-involvement” speakers interrupt or talk along with someone else to signal their enthusiasm...