Laura Maiklem’s book Mudlark: In Search of London’s Past Along the River Thames (Bookshop| Amazon) is a charming memoir about the rewards of scavenging for bits of history along the River Thames. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “A...
The cut-and-paste feature in word-processing programs makes it easy to rearrange text. But in the past, some writers literally cut and pinned their copy. At the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries, you can see the pins Jane Austenused to...
mag-stripe n.— «In theory, overseas merchants are required to accept US cards (which are called “mag-stripe,” for the magnetic stripe that identifies each card).» —“HomeATM’s “PIN my Card” Solves Chip and PIN Problems” by John B. Frank HomeATM PIN...
sposie n.— «Ask any disposable-addicted mother (“dispis” or “sposies” as we superior mums call them) about her impression of cloth nappies, and you will get some guff about pins, terries and boiling them on the stove.» —“Real nappies—the bottom...
