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
Yasha, who grew up speaking Russian, recalls phrase used to comfort a child after a small mishap like a skinned knee. The phrase translates as “It will heal in time for the wedding,” and Yasha had assumed it was solely Slavic. So he was surprised to...
The word budget derives from French bougette, “leather bag.” An old phrase in English to open one’s budget, meant “to speak one’s mind.” The word purse is related to French bourse, a word for the stock market. This is part of a complete episode...