A ditloid uses numerals and initial letters to suggest a phrase, such as 26 L in the A, or 52 W in a Y. Sometimes called an equation analysis test, this type of puzzle was dubbed a ditloid by a newspaper columnist who clued the name of Alexander...
It’s time for book recommendations! Martha’s enjoying an armchair tour of important places in the history of our language, and Grant recommends relaxing with books that make great reading for both children and adults. Plus, are you the...
whisper number n.— «Rumor-mongering, of course, has long been the stock in trade of some on Wall Street. Billions of dollars a day are bet on “whisper numbers” and overheard lunchtime chatter. Information is the coin of the realm. Some of...
acoustic ranching n.— «Researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole hope to prove fish can be trained to associate certain sounds with feeding, by putting thousands of black sea bass in a dome-shaped structure at the...
buckraking n.— «All three contracted with the insurance lobby to give speeches to industry groups for large sums of money, a practice known as “buckraking.” Though the Washington Post reported in 2002 that NBC prohibited its...
friendgrief n.— «According to Harold Ivan Smith, one of the country’s leading experts on grief and grieving, the last category, which he refers to as “friendgrief,” is not given the recognition it deserves in the pecking order...