Our conversation about slang terms for traveling by foot prompted an email from Tom in Canton, Texas, who reports that while living in Israel, he used to hear fellow high school students say in Arabic that they were taking bus number 11, the long...
First names like “Patience,” “Hope,” and “Charity” are inspired by worthy qualities. But how about “Be-courteous” or “Hate-evil”? The Puritans sometimes gave children such names hoping that...
live-out n.— «There are certainly lots of overseas Filipinos in other countries around the world especially in the Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates but the difference with Israel is that not all Filipinos work the same hours...
knocking on the roof n.— «The IDF has made frequent use of what is known as “knocking on the roof”: Militants are warned by phone when a residential building used to store arms will be bombed, and told to vacate the premised...
snuba n.— «For an unusual type of underwater exploration in the Red Sea try what the Israelis call snuba. It’s a combination of scuba diving and snorkeling. Divers, who must be at least 8 years old, wear fins and a mask but breathe...
airplane book n.—Gloss: a short, easy-to-read book. «The man who has written 16 titles, sold more than 1 million copies in Israel and set up his own publishing house (Keshet) doesn’t care to have his titles labeled “airplane...