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...
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...
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...
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...
spiking n.— «The proposed firefighter contract also would have ended a practice known as spiking, where firefighters can inflate their pension payouts. The contract was designed to limit how much overtime and compensatory time pay could...
blue-out n.— «Nearly 40 percent of district teachers—3,500 employees—called in sick one day in September, prompting the early closure of six high schools and effectively crippling the district for the day. No organized action of that size...

