optics
n.— «Optics. This euphemism for “spin”—as in “getting the optics right”—is big in Washington. We hope it doesn’t make it to Los Angeles.» —“How cliche” Los Angeles Times Jan. 1, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Many of us struggled with the Old English poem “Beowulf” in high school. But what if you could actually hear “Beowulf” in the English of today? There’s a new translation by Maria Dahvana Headley that uses contemporary...
Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won’t find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers in the book Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape. The book is an intriguing collection...