A young listener wonders: Why do the words icing and frosting both refer to the idea of being cold? The names for this sweet cover on a cake refer to its appearance, not its temperature. Something similar occurs with the glaze in glazed doughnut...
pramface n.— «Bristol has what is known in Britain as the look of the teen mum, the “pramface.”» —“A Mighty Wind blows through Republican convention” by Heather Mallick Rabble.ca (Canada) Sept...
quinfecta n.— «If guessing three winners in three races at the horse track is called a trifecta, what do you call Hillary Clinton’s scheduled near-sweep of the Sunday news shows? We count five separate appearances. Would that be a...
1661 n.— «I’ve always detested the expression “mutton dressed as lamb.” It’s misogynist, mean and women are not meat; even Sam Kekovich would concur with that. But there’s a new version of it that describes women who retain...
1661 n.— «The technical term for this—where you look pullable from behind, with your slashed mini, straggly Joss Stone hair and macrame ankle bracelet, but when swivelled around, look more like someone eligible to collect a pension—is...
1661 syndrome n.— «Carole Malone mentioned the 1661 syndrome—where men think you’re attractive from the back (16)…and then back off when they see your face (61). This issue is supposed to affect all women over the age of probably 35...