superblock
n.— «“Superblocks” is the term for developments (whether a housing project or the World Trade Center) where city streets are demapped so that the development stands as a world unto itself without reference to surrounding streets and sidewalks. Amsterdam Houses is a superblock, but its buildings line up on an axis and the pedestrian pathways don’t lose their reference to the surrounding grid.» —“Top-Notch Public Housing” by Francis Morrone New York Sun (New York City) Oct. 6, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...
After our conversation about towns with extremely short names, many listeners wrote to tell us about Why, Arizona. Others pointed out that there are towns called Ely in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nevada. Other super-short appellations include Rye, New...