permie
n.— «Permaculturists—they call themselves “permies”—had converged on Merritt from as far away as Texas and Missouri.…Permaculture is clearly more than a style of gardening for these folks; it’s a way of life. There are rival schools and exponents, but it’s all about creating sustainable, food-providing human landscapes that mimic natural ecosystems. It borrows from systems like biodynamic, square-foot and French-intensive gardening.…Cob, a mix of adobe and straw, is a favorite permie building material.» —“Permaculturists are planting people—and growing ideas” by Ron Sullivan, Joe Eaton San Francisco Chronicle July 18, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Understanding the varieties of conversational styles can mean the difference between feeling you’re understood and being insulted. “High-involvement” speakers interrupt or talk along with someone else to signal their enthusiasm...
On a busy day in the emergency room, Alisa of Dallas, Texas, told an efficient colleague that she was really humming, meaning it as a compliment. Her colleague took offense, maintaining that humming meant “smelly.” Since the 18th...