bonsai n.— «The chamber-music arrangement of “Das Lied,” begun by Arnold Schoenberg early in the last century, presents the blueprint of the piece but sounds harsh without the cushioning of more than one musician on each of...
knocks and socks n.pl.— «That reclaim program is effective for both emissions of knocks and socks.» —by Lucille Van Ommering in Sacramento, Calif. Meeting Before The California Air Resources Board May 22, 1997...
schmoopiness n. behavior that is excessively cutesy, precious, or adoring. Editorial Note: This word—and the noun schmoopy ‘a term of affection for one who is adored; a person who exhibits schmoopiness’ and the adjective schmoopy ‘(excessively)...
e-day n.— «She is looking into the possibility of offering an extra Friday program. Coined an E-Day (extra, enhancement or experiment), the course would be offered the Friday that kindergarten students do not have class. Although still in...
woo-woo adj.— «Of course, not everyone who thinks that science doesn’t tell all would think it’s reasonable to believe, as Gibson does, that one can program crystals with thought energy. But Gibson says there is ample evidence—both...
purple adj.— «Operation Purple is the only summer camp program that focuses on helping kids deal with deployment-related issues and is open to children of personnel from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (“purple” is a...