We tend to take the index of a book for granted, but centuries ago, these helpful lists were viewed with suspicion. Some even worried that indexes would harm reading comprehension! A witty new book tells the story. Plus, the Latin term bona fides...
In her newsletter Bloom Anywhere, writer and editor Gwen Moran relates a conversation with her oncologist, who discouraged her from using the term bucket list. As a result, Moran began replacing the expression bucket list with bliss list. She...
To describe something tiny or insignificant compared with something vast, you might reach for phrases like a drop in the ocean or a drop in the bucket. In Mandarin, there’s an equally picturesque phrase that translates as nine cows, one hair, 九 牛 一...
If you’re looking for a placeholder when you can’t remember someone’s name, there’s always whats-her-bucket. Or try using the Newfoundland catch-all term buddy, as in buddy wasisname. This is part of a complete episode.
Our conversation about orts, that term well-known to cruciverbalists for “random bits of leftover food,” prompts listeners to share memories of ort buckets in the dining hall at summer camps, and instructions to keep them as free as...
bucket baby n.— «Not for bucket babies…This is a great car seat! We borrowed an infant seat from a friend for our daughter’s first two weeks, but disliked it because she slouched down, her head flopped over, and the straps didn’t...