Mother’s Day factor
n.— «The trick is to load up the switch as much as possible, short of “blocking” or what telephone engineers refer to as “the Mother’s Day Factor.” Translation: Telephone traffic is typically highest on that day. Thus, telephone networks are designed to hold up to peak loading on Mother’s Day.» —“A Programmer’s Guide to Switched Video” by Leslie Ellis Broadcast Newsroom July 23, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
Writer Jhumpa Lahiri grew up speaking Bengali and later English, then became passionately devoted to a third language, Italian. Her book In Other Words: A Memoir (Bookshop|Amazon) is a love letter to Italian and a vivid account of the challenges and...