We’ve mentioned the word orts before. It means “leftovers,” but if you want another great word for leftovers or various little odds and ends, there’s always manavalins. That’s how Herman Melville spelled it, although there are several other versions. Manavalins may derive from manarvel, “to pilfer from a ship’s stores.” This is part of a complete episode.
What makes a great first line of a book? How do the best authors put together an initial sentence that draws you in and makes you want to read more? We’re talking about the openings of such novels as George Orwell’s 1984...
To slip someone a mickey means to doctor a drink and give it to an unwitting recipient. The phrase goes back to Mickey Finn of the Lone Star Saloon in Chicago, who in the late 19th century was notorious for drugging certain customers and relieving...
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