With memorable phrases like coagulated sunlight and gilded gravel, poem “Churning Day” by Seamus Heaney is a fine example of how poets can draw out astonishing beauty from the most mundane of tasks — in this case, churning butter. This is part of a...
Working for a furniture maker in New England, Steven and his co-workers used the word Dutchman to denote a high-quality patch to disguise an imperfection in the wood. In an article in the Journal of American Speech, historian Archie Green notes that...
Hi-ho, Martha and Grant here! Did you miss us? We've been super-busy, working hard to keep bringing you more entertaining conversation about language. Thanks for the cards, letters, and phone calls in which you share your love, too. We want to...
freeway flyer n.— «Especially since the effects of Proposition 13 began to kick in with a vengeance, community colleges have become ever more dependent on cheap labor provided by part-time faculty, who are often known as “freeway flyers” because...
What’s a Luddite? Martha explains that this term for “someone resistant to technological change” has its roots in a form of populist rage in the early 19th century. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Luddite” You’re listening to A...
relamp v.— «Fluorescents should be changed all at once, a technique called group relamping, to reduce labor cost by 30-50%.» —“Top Ten Things Furniture Retailers Need To Know About Lighting – Online Article” Furniture World Magazine Sept. 30, 2008...
