soft-seater
n.— «The number of reading series in Washington has grown impressively high. They fall into two main types: soft-seaters and hard seaters. A soft-seater is typically held in a fancy auditorium with a lectern and microphone on the stage and, nearby, a small table that holds a drinking glass and water pitcher. The person who introduces the reader is all dressed up and appears to have painstakingly crafted his or her remarks.» —“Read ‘Em Like a Book” by Kevin McManus Washington Post Oct. 20, 1989. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What if, instead of being an inanimate object, a dictionary were alive? That’s the idea behind a lavishly illustrated new children’s book called The Dictionary Story (Bookshop|Amazon) by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. This is part of a...
Mary Beth in Greenville, South Carolina, wonders: Why do we say four-oh-nine for the number 409 instead of four-zero-nine or four-aught-nine? What are the rules for saying either zero or oh or aught or ought to indicate that arithmetical symbol...