In California, everybody gets a little crazy when those hot, dry winds called Santa Anas start blowing. A caller asks the origin of the name. Is it a translation of Spanish for “Satan’s wind”? By the way, here’s that list of...
You may have learned that an estuary is where a river meets the sea, but a reference librarian asks whether she should eschew estuary as a word for the confluence of freshwater bodies. Martha and Grant tide her over with some more information. This...
landspout n.— « The storm produced small tornadoes often known as “landspouts.”…A landspout tornado is not a traditional tornado and usually not as strong, however they can be quite impressive.» —“Mike’s Weather...
puddle n.— «A “puddle,” in theater parlance, is a heap of clothing an actor steps into and is quickly zipped inside during one of those split-second costume changes that dazzle audiences. “Puddles” are one of the...
chemtrail n.— «The chemicals are deposited into the sky by jets, and they leave trails that resemble those left by planes when flying at certain altitudes. The trails that we are used to seeing, which are caused by condensation, are...
sky island n. an isolated ecosystem occurring at a high altitude, such as on a mountain top, which shows evolutionary tendencies similar to those occurring on islands surrounded by water. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)