zombie economy n.— «Yuen Pau Woo was the economist responsible for Japan in Singapore’s central bank when the Japanese bubble—helped by a run-up in real estate prices that made Park Ave. co-ops look affordable—caused the world’s second...
meteorwrong n.— Note: Also sometimes spelled “meteowrong.” «Nicklin said many people often mistake common terrestrial rocks for the kind that fall from outer space. He refers to them as “meteorwrongs...
ricket n.— Note: The Oxford English Dictionary has one cite for this word from 1958, defining it as criminals’ slang meaning “a blunder, mistake.” «Hearn is still involved in snooker, supplying Sky with the premier...
obiticide n.— «Speaking of which, the Star did in fact kill a couple of well-known people by mistake, a practice known as “obiticide,” or death by media. A Nov. 23 item about actors from the 1960s’ TV series Hogan’s Heroes...
Googleganger n.— Note: From the German word “doppelgänger,” meaning a look-alike or a double of a person. «It was an honest mistake: Eve’s name kept showing up on X-rated sites when her mother Googled it to keep tabs on her...
oops paint n.— «I wanted to do some interior painting, but a good can of paint or two is a little more than I could afford. I noticed what my paint dealer labeled as “oops” paint set to the side. It was paint that he made a...