header
n.— «The bricks laid longways are called stretchers; the bricks laid crossways, so that you can only see one end, are called headers. In English bond, the courses of stretchers and headers alternate. In Flemish bond, each course has alternating headers and stretchers.» —“The name’s Bond, Flemish Bond” by Christopher Howse Telegraph May 28, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Brian from Lafayette, Indiana, wonders why chicken is abbreviated CHX in the restaurant industry. Using X as a substitute or shortener has a long history. Medieval scribes sometimes drew a line through the final stroke of an abbreviated word. This...
In this bonus A Way with Words minicast, Martha and Grant step into the historic streets of Marblehead, Massachusetts, where the simple cry of “Down bucket!” could serve as a kind of local password. After they ponder that and other language of...