Nancy Friedman’s blog Fritinancy is a great source of information about how products get their names. For example, the names Twitch and Jitter were rejected before the creators of Twitter finally settled on the well-known moniker. This is part of a...
Does the expression petered out have to do with the Apostle Peter denying he knew Jesus? No, “petered out” may derive from the French peter, meaning to “pass gas.” Another theory is that the expression originated in mining and the use of saltpeter...
maitre-dish
n.— «Both worked at the Fog City Diner; Doug as bartender, Nancy as “maitre-dish.”» —“After a few years, he fit the picture” by Louise Rafkin San Francisco Chronicle (California) July 19, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
spitbite n.— «There were lines so skilfully crisscrossed by the artist and so perfectly printed that they looked 3-D, like actual black threads. I learned a new word, spitbite, a process of mixing ink with soap (originally spit, I gather)...
doughnut effect n.— «Asters are easily propagated by division in the early spring. Simply dig the clump up once the shoots appear in early May, and gently pull the crown apart. When they require dividing, you will notice new growth around the...
ghost voting n.— «The mailer focuses on a practice called ghost voting, a widespread practice of voting for fellow members in the Texas House.» —“Political Ads: How Trustworthy Are They?” by Nancy Wilson KEYE-TV (Austin, Texas) Sept. 30, 2008...
