In deafening workplaces, like sawmills and factories, workers develop their own elaborate sign language to discuss everything from how their weekend went to when the boss is on his way. Plus, English speakers borrowed the words lieutenant and...
A Mandarin Chinese speaker is curious about the origin of gung ho, referring to great enthusiasm. It derives from an anglicized Chinese expression, kung-ho, meaning “work together,” which was adapted and popularized by Marine officer...
valley of death n.— «Several speakers referred to the difficulty in getting an innovation from the idea stage to the commercial stage, a gap referred to as the “valley of death.” Andrew Dearing, secretary general of the European...
tokophobia n.— «Women, obstetricians suggest, are afraid of labor. Block reports that there’s even a new word for it: tokophobia, the fear of giving birth.» —“The Obstetric-Industrial Complex” by Noah...
fieldbus n.— «The focus of its group members is on so called “open fieldbus” systems, which allow devices of different manufacturers to be connected to a single communication bus.…You will take part in the development of...
concretable n.— «In an industrial lot alongside Pike Road, amid steel frames and giant cranes, is where portables are born. The concrete cottages that go together like an erector set and promise more permanence are finding their way to...