In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
soaking n.— «A painful out: In base ball’s earliest years, a player could throw a runner out by hitting him with the ball in a practice called soaking. Soaking was outlawed by 1867.» —“A lesson in baseball’s beginnings” by...