smudging
n.— «Wendy Sarasohn, a broker with the Corcoran Group who has guided buyers away from apartments she felt had bad vibes and who has arranged smudgings (an American Indian practice during which smoke is used to cleanse a place of negative energy), said a broker should disclose if “something unharmonious” has taken place.» —“Some Buyers Regret Not Asking: Anyone Die Here?” by Stephanie Rosenbloom New York Times Apr. 30, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Sigrin writes from Albany, New York, that she misheard our earlier conversation about the expression shaving yak hair meaning “performing a monotonous, tedious task.” At first she thought we said shaving gnat hair, which she figures is...
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...