The death of Martha’s favorite cat Typo prompts her to reminisce about him, and about one of her favorite ailurophilic words, chatoyant.
J-hopping n.— «To jump a pair of foot-high tree roots spanning a trail in Woodland Park, mountain bike instructor Simon Lawton uses a technique called J-hopping which, like the Ollie skateboard move, is something I still can’t get my head...
coping classes n.pl.— «The term “coping classes” is the new omnibus term for those who consider themselves to be struggling financially to keep their head above water.» —“Hardworking families and Sierra Man join coping...
dusty foot n.— «Most head north along the same routes that Mexicans and Central Americans have long taken in their attempts to get to the US. Yet unlike other immigrants, Cubans simply walk across the US border and apply for residency:...
Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words. Over the weekend we talked more about political language, "hair of the dog," "a fish rots from the head down," and "pareidolia." We also posted another language...
Feel like having a little “hair of the dog”? Grant and Martha explain what dog hair has to do with hangover cures. And what do you call it when random objects form a recognizable image, like a cloud resembling a bunny, or the image of Elvis in...