Mary from Flagler Beach, Florida, says when she lived on St. Croix, it was common to describe overindulging in a plentiful meal by saying that everyone ate and drank like knockin’ dog. This Caribbean English expression referring to “abundance” and...
The words plethora and drastic both have roots in ancient Greek. Both were first used in English as medical terms, plethora indicating “an excess of bodily fluid” and drastic meaning “having an effect.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript...
iceberg disease n.— «Experts commonly refer to it as an “iceberg” disease. Visible at the tip are individuals whose symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss and, in children, delayed growth. The rest of the iceberg consists of those...
logbook lending n.— «Increasing numbers of borrowers with bad credit records are resorting to taking out loans with exorbitantly high interest against the value of their cars, according to debt counselling charities. The practice, known as “logbook...
skin area n.— «It was more than 40 miles to the destroyed zone by ruck march, a forced troop march carrying gear and armaments which can weigh in excess of 100 pounds. The term used to describe the region of the country is the “skin area” on the...
beaching n.— «Dofasco spokesperson Andrew Sloan said the incident in question occurred when excess molten iron was poured into shallow pits by the plant—a process known as “beaching.” The pits had snow in them and the reaction caused a “sizeable...
