A shoestring budget is a spending plan that’s as thin and spindly as a shoestring. Not surprisingly, the term gained popularity during the Great Depression. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Shoestring Budget” We...
parkitecture n.— «The rustic, rock-and-timber buildings and massive lodges constructed by highly skilled artisans are now famously part of the national parks” visual style, often referred to as “parkitecture.” In parks...
scare word n.— Note: A boo word. «The worries are real—including, among some economists, about the risks of a depression, which despite its scare-word status is just another term for an especially long or deep recession.» —“izing Up...
vitamin P n.— «Considering her own history of depression—Vincent had been taking “Vitamin P” (better known as Prozac) for years—she anticipated her mental health might suffer.» —“Norah Vincent spent a year disguised as a...
Kent in Dallas grew up calling the groove between the nose and upper lip a berber, a childhood coinage that even a makeup-counter consultant briefly adopted. The standard anatomical word is philtrum, also called the infranasal depression. It comes...
self-embedding n.— «Health officials in Chicago are warning about a growing trend among teenagers who inflict pain on themselves by inserting foreign objects under their skin. The practice, called “self embedding,” is similar...