thermal roughening n.— «In February, crews started blasting the sidewalks with a blowtorch—or “thermal roughening,” as they call it—to burn away the slippery top layer of stone.» —“Mayor Bloomberg orders $1M worth of repairs on sidewalk near City...
A caller remembers an odd phrase from her childhood. If she asked too many questions, her mother would brush them off with the phrase “layers for meddlers and crutches for lame ducks.” Say what? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
hero snow n.—Gloss: snow that is soft on top and firm underneath, providing excellent conditions for sport skiing. «The firm base and soft granular top layer found in spring is also sometimes referred to as “hero snow.” It is so good for skiing...
lasagna gardening n.— « Three garden designs that have caught my attention lately are island beds, raised beds and lasagna gardens.…Lasagna gardening is a nontraditional organic technique that relies on a layering method called “sheet composting.”...
bark n.— «The pulled pork is a good portion for the price. The meat has what is called, in barbecue jargon, a “bark” on the outside. The bark is the dark coating of dry rub cooked on the surface of the meat. Under the bark is the “smoke ring,” a...
sky weed n.— «Happy Valley had two other pluses: the absence of a homeowners association, “which adds another layer of bureaucracy and red tape,” and a dearth of palm trees (“sky weeds,” as Schroeder calls them), which tend to give away a...