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noise floor n.— «If you make your recording too soft, you will mix in too much of what is often referred to as the “noise floor,” the spectrum that all the other sounds inhabit—generally sounds you don’t want.» —“Podcasting...
poofer n.— «Poofers: A slang term for girls who suddenly disappear from their community in order to take part in an arranged marriage. The girls are either kept hidden or moved to another state or country. This term is most often used by...
black blind n.— «It’s a common misconception among people that if someone is blind they can’t see at all n what is known as “black blind.” That, however, is not true for the majority of the blind and visually impaired n most have...
Here’s another newsletter from A Way with Words. On this past weekend’s show we mused over the idea of reading books on electronic devices, talked about “tow-headed,” and got to the German origins of “going to Buxtehude...
singlism n.—Gloss: bias against people who are not married or part of a couple. «“This notion that you can live a full and completely happy life as a single person is so underrecognized that people who feel that way are reluctant to say...
Howdy, pilgrims! This week in the A Way with Words podcast, discover the joys (and temptations!) of two new books of collected wisdom: "The Yale Book of Quotations" edited by Fred Shapiro, and James Geary's "Guide to the...