To grok something means “to understand it completely.” The word grok comes from a language spoken on the planet Mars—well, at least according to the science fiction writer who coined the term! Also, we know the meaning of the word...
Fans of the popular British baking show know that you don’t want your many-layered cake to concertina, or “collapse like an accordion.” The verb concertina, in this sense, derives from the name of an accordion-like instrument. This...
Concertina wire takes its name from the concertina, an accordion-like instrument whose bellows fold in and out. The term fits the World War I innovation: coiled barbed or razor wire that travels compactly, then expands to fill space atop a fence...