With memorable phrases like coagulated sunlight and gilded gravel, poem “Churning Day” by Seamus Heaney is a fine example of how poets can draw out astonishing beauty from the most mundane of tasks — in this case, churning butter...
A government official in New Zealand has devised a new Maori-based glossary to replace some of the English words used by the government for talking about mental health, disability, and addiction. For example, he proposes replacing the word autism...
Eva from Honolulu asks about the family expression infra dig — heard by her as “in for a dig” — for something too undignified to do, such as asking dinner hosts for leftovers. The phrase is a clipped form of Latin infra dignitatum, “beneath one’s...
dignity bag n.— «The Love You packs program is intended to ease the moving of foster children, said Fowler, who explained that in the 1950s when a child moved between foster homes, all of their possessions were placed in garbage bags. “We...
people of pallor n.— «“White” only describes what a few people look like, and it needs a dignified euphemism, like “People of pallor.”» —“Kiss Me—I’m “White’” by Rob Morse San Francisco...