thumbnail moon n.— «The moon, which is about 15 per cent illuminated, or more commonly called a “thumbnail moon,” is said to be a setting moon and will move rapidly through the night sky early on making its decent.» —“Venus and Jupiter to Align...
Martha tries to unravel the tangled etymological web that connects gossamer, spiders, geese, and warm weather in a late autumn.
bomber’s moon n.— «When the novel opens, Harriet is atop Coventry’s cathedral watching for fires. Jeremy is on another part of the roof, and both are at the mercy of a bright, full moon, commonly called a bomber’s moon. It soon becomes evident that...
skeet-shooting n.— «A special technique, known as “skeet-shooting,” was developed by controllers to cancel out the high speed of the moon relative to Cassini and also help obtain ultra-sharp views as the spacecraft sped past the icy moon at 64,000...
wedding moon n.— «The resort offers a deal to those who are about to be married—guests who stay five night or longer are treated to a free wedding. Reynolds has also planned “wedding moons,” as she calls them, in Cozumel, Mexico; Hawaii and Las...
complication n.— «Yes, knobs. Otherwise known as complications, they control everything from a stopwatch accurate to a zillionth of a second, to displaying the phases of the moon, your altitude, and the efficacy of your golf swing. It is these...