snag
n.— «Cash L. Hopkins, 25, an inmate from the Indian Ridge Corrections Center in Snohomish County, was killed Aug. 18 at the Ace Creek fire when a burning snag fell on him.» —“Forest-Fire Death Spurs State Review” in Spokane Seattle Times (Wash.) May 17, 1987. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
The English language has been greatly enriched by borrowings from the languages of Asia. Barely scratching the surface, we have from Japan skosh, tycoon, tsunami, origami, yen, kimono, futon, and karaoke. From Chinese comes yen, kowtow, gung ho, and...