The emotional appeal of handwriting and the emotional reveal of animal phrases. Should children be taught cursive writing in school, or is their time better spent studying other things? A handwritten note and a typed one may use the very same words...
A listener confesses that for decades she misunderstood the expression take it with a grain of salt, meaning retain a healthy dose of skepticism, as take it with a grand assault. Such mishearings of a word or phrase that nevertheless make some sense...
dose n.— «Then on Tuesday, at one of the many literary events I attend, I saw Eva, a lass we had a short ‘dose’ as they call them—as if women are innocuous inoculations—when I was 25 years old, fresh from college, and she was a stroke of...
own a blackout v. phr.— «Otherwise take any taxi plying the Blue Town route at the busy taxi rank and tell the driver- as confidently as possible, or with a good dose of Dutch courage- to take you to Mma-Ten Days. He will deliver you at...
hair on them v. phr.— «Now, before you call your broker, a healthy dose of caution is in order. All of these companies have some hair on them—they wouldn’t be oversold if they were gems.» —“Four Stocks That Stand Out in Biotech’s...
cutes n.pl.— «Bell’s a heartthrob. Tall and handsome, he’s got a Donny Osmond-like dose of the cutes, and, onstage, cute elides into hott.» —“Pearls Before Breakfast” by Gene Weingarten Washington Post Apr. 4...