half-pregnant
adj.— «The resolution on North Korea belongs to a new set of UN decisions that diplomats refer to as “half-pregnant.” These, though impressive on paper, are subject to “ifs and buts” that render them useless in practice.» —“Eye of the Storm: Security Council to Iran: Go for it” by Amir Taheri Jerusalem Post (Israel) Oct. 19, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Lachryphagy is literally “tear-eating,” and refers to the way some insects crawl up to the eyes of much larger animals to sip their protein-rich tears. The name of the wine Lachryma Christi means “tear of Christ,” and someone...
The new Downton Abbey movie is a luscious treat for fans of the public-television period piece, but how accurate is the script when it comes to the vocabulary of the early 20th century? It may be jarring to hear the word swag, but it was already at...