bearpit n.— «He will take his seat opposite Miss Clark in Parliament’s chamber, or the bearpit as it is sometimes known, but he says he is not overly nervous at the prospect.» —“Key to square off against Clark for first...
spoiler n.— «The Ministry for Culture and Heritage are running a “spoiler” campaign by placing a paid advertisement that displays when the keyword “eventfinder” is searched for on Google. The technique is known as...
circuit breaker n. a rule or law that puts protective measures in place once a certain level of financial activity has been reached; (specifically) a law that provides tax refunds once a maximum of property taxes have been paid; a rule that shuts...
boo word n. an expression or term that represents a topic that is unpopular or unwelcome. Editorial Note: The antonym is hurrah word (also spelled hooray word). In recent years, both boo word and hurrah word are more common in the United Kingdom...
agremo n.— «The agremo’ of our Ambassador in Bangkok came after 4 months of sending his name from Kathmandu. Now, that he has been recalled again in such a short time, one doesn’t know how long the Thais are going to take to accept...
genomania n.— «The scientist responsible for this latest little outbreak of what has been dubbed “genomania” in foreign media—best defined as a fixation with simplistic pseudo-science purporting to link genetic variation with...