ticktock n.— «As to whether he backed Mr. Geithner’s decision to introduce the bank bailout plan before arriving at specifics, Mr. Summers, well schooled in Washington’s ways, invoked newspaper slang for behind-the-scenes...
Are fairy tales too scary for children? A survey of parents in Britain found that more than half wouldn’t read them to their children before age five. Martha and Grant discuss the grisly imagery in fairy tales, and whether they’re too...
HENRY n.—Gloss: A person who is a High Earner But Not Rich Yet. «“My bonus is ‘shameful’—but I worked hard to get it,” said John Konstantinidis, a wholesale insurance broker, lunching Friday at Harry’s at Hanover Square. “I’m a HENRY,” Mr...
tank n.— «By Thursday, when the president met for the first time with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in “the tank,” the secure Pentagon conference room, the campaign had progressed.» —“After Campaign Push, Obama Cultivates...
mini-Madoff n.— «Their names lack the Dickensian flair of Bernie Madoff, and the money they apparently stole from investors was a small fraction of the $50 billion that Mr. Madoff allegedly lost of his clients’ savings. But the number of...
Obamamania, Obamabot, Obamathon, Obamamentum— the list of variations on the name “Obama” goes on and on. Is there an English word that means “the in-laws of your son or daughter”? And what does it mean when someone...