schluff v.—Gloss: To temporarily dismount a bicycle and use it something like a scooter in a place where bicycle-riding is forbidden or unwelcome. «Sidewalk bike riding is like jaywalking—who among us cannot resist, once in a while or more. Bikes...
desire line n.— «Note long ago, a friend told me about an intriguing concept called “desire lines.” It seems that when landscape architects lay out walking paths and trails in parks and other public spaces, they invariably find that people soon...
whale eye n.— «When a dog turns his head away from you but his eyes are turned as far to the side as possible in your direction, the whites of his eyes take on that crescent shape. When a dog’s eyes take on this appearance, professionals in the...
recon by fire n.— «The danger is particularly acute at night. The Iraqis do not have night-vision equipment, so when they spot people approaching their checkpoints they have a tendency to do what the Americans refer to as “recon by fire.” If those...
skip v.— «According to the press accounts, many snowmobile drivers like to “skip” their machines over open water.…A snowmobile cannot change direction while “skipping”—it can only go in a straight line. If a snowmobile doesn’t make it across the...
white clown n.— «Taproot Theatre director Karen Lund supplies a twinkly anti-realistic performance style to accompany Wilde’s ingenious artifices. Her cast includes inspired clowns: Aaron Lamb as Algernon, Kevin Brady as Jack, Charity Parenzini as...