Twice a day the River Thames recedes, revealing a muddy shoreline. Hobbyists known as mudlarks stroll the surface searching for objects that have found their way into the river over the centuries, everything from ancient Roman jewelry to modern...
Crossword puzzles are a marvelous mental workout. A delightful new book about them shares plenty of crossword lore and puzzle-solving tips. Also, performers who tell each other break a leg aren’t really hoping someone gets hurt. The phrase...
Michelle in Pembroke Pines, Florida wonders why performers wish each other luck with the admonition Break a leg! This practice of wishing the opposite of what you really mean appears across a wide range of theatrical traditions. German performers...
pureplay n.— «The songwriters, recording companies and performers who own the rights to these recordings feel they should be compensated since many Internet radio stations make money simply by playing music without live hosts, news...
glass closet n.— «There are still many performers and industry notables, he says, who threaten to sue if their sexuality is revealed. Others live gay social lives but don’t talk about their sexuality—the so-called “glass closet...
vom n.— «The stage at Le Rêve is a 27-foot-deep circular pool of water. At three points on its circumference—the 12 o’clock, 4 o’clock, and 8 o’clock positions—are vomitory lifts (not vomitory as in “a place where you puke”...