Ever wonder what medieval England looked and sounded like? In Old English, the word hord meant “treasure” and your wordhord was the treasure of words locked up inside you. A delightful new book uses the language of that period to create...
Betsy in Murray, Kentucky, reports that a friend was baffled when Betsy told her Quit your mulligrubbing. She was advising her friend to stop complaining. Since the 16th century, mulligrub meant “a state of depression,” or “a bad...
war-fighter n.— «According to Anderson, improving soldiers” digestive health is a primary concern for the U.S. Army because “war-fighters”-a term used to describe members of all the military branches-have long suffered...
womb room n.— «The spaces, called “womb rooms” by some researchers, are predicated on the obvious notion that the best place for a premature baby would be the exquisitely complex environment where, in the last three months of gestation...
BARF n.— «Some owners take that to mean bones and raw food, better known as the B.A.R.F. diet. But vets who approve are difficult to find—especially if they’ve saved dogs from intestinal obstruction, perforation and peritonitis caused by...
sword throat n.— «The most common medical complaint: a sore throat, or “sword throat” as it’s known in the business, which typically occurred while they were still learning, after frequent performances or from stunts involving multiple or...