Why do we speak of trying to egg on a person, meaning to urge them to do something? Martha explains that the egg in this case has nothing to do with chickens. This kind of “egg” is derives from an old root that means to “urge on...
A violin maker wonders about the origin of a practice in his trade known as purfling, where a black and white line is inlaid into a tiny channel along the edge of the instrument. Martha traces the word back to the Latin filum, meaning...
jeggings n.— «“What’s so great this year,” she says, “is that they’re making jeans that are great for boots.” They’re slim, soft, light and tight, fitting almost like leggings. In fact, At the store they like to call...
coyoteing n.— Note: Related to coyote camp. «The remote location of the fire has spurred crews to set up remote campsites closer to the fire’s edge, Freel said, a process known as “coyoteing.”» —“Despite aggressive firefight...
gasper n.— «Autoerotic death is, usually, an accidental death while attempting to achieve orgasm via some form of asphyxiation. Estimates have placed deaths from this practice, in the United States, at between 500-1,000 per year. Other...
Hudson River alligator n.— «The quaint wooden pilings you see at the edge of Manhattan, the ones that trace the outlines of long-gone piers, are a hazard in the making. When a storm knocks one of them loose, the resultant floater—a...