The English word stilliform means “drop-shaped,” from Latin stilla, meaning “drop.” The same drippy root turns up in distill, “to drip down,” and instill, “to put in drop by drop,” and the spelling stilliform even has a row of tall, narrow letters...
A listener from California says her family’s way of remarking on rain is to mention the space between falling drops. So a 12-inch rain means there’s about a foot between one drop and the next. Tricky, huh? This is part of a complete episode...
How do double rainbows form? Scientists at University of California San Diego have explained that extra-large droplets, known as burgeroids because of their burger-like shape, have the effect of creating a double rainbow. Burgeroids, all the way...
Susan, a nursing student in Madison, Wisconsin, asks why medical shorthand uses GTTS to mean “drops” or “drips,” as in medication given by drip. The abbreviation comes from Latin gutta, “drop,” with the vowels removed and an English plural -s added...
bendy bus n.— «One of the 19-metre-long Swansea Metro vehicles—or bendy buses as they have become known—was parked up on The Kingsway in the city centre yesterday for a drop-in surgery.» —“Bending our ears on bus” This Is...
drop-off store n.— «Zehall is among a growing number of small businesses across the country tapping into this market. He operates what is known as a drop-off store, where people can bring their items to be auctioned and shipped. While...
