rat-trap bond
n.— «The southern and western walls of the building, which face the sun during the day, have been built using a type of masonry called the rat-trap bond. Popularised by the iconic architect Laurie Baker who died last week, this is a special arrangement of bricks that leaves air gaps between walls. The two-layered construction prevents transmission of heat from the outer to the inner wall. It also saves on the use of bricks.» —“The coolest building in town” by Raghava M. in Karnataka The Hindu (India) Apr. 11, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ever wonder what medieval England looked and sounded like? In Old English, the word hord meant “treasure” and your wordhord was the treasure of words locked up inside you. A delightful new book uses the language of that period to create...
It was a dark and stormy night. So begins the long and increasingly convoluted prose of Edwards Bulwer-Lytton’s best-known novel. Today the annual Bulwer-Lytton Contest asks contestants for fanciful first sentences that are similarly...