Discover the joys (and temptations!) of two new books of collected wisdom: “The Yale Book of Quotations” edited by Fred Shapiro, and James Geary’s “Guide to the World’s Great Aphorists.” Grant explains why leafing through such books can be...
bokashi n.— «Bokashi buckets: bokashi is the Japanese word for fermented organic matter, and this system is unusual because it involves both cooked and uncooked kitchen waste. Read the instructions carefully to see what you can and can’t add. It...
cover n.— «Many restaurants serve twice as many “covers” (that’s diners in kitchen parlance) as they do in a normal shift. That puts an amazing strain on everyone—reservationists, prep cooks, chefs, bartenders, servers—even the people who pour...
proof-texting n.— «It seemed that anyone could really make the Bible support just about whatever they wanted it to. They could control the text, using it as a tool to prove certain beliefs (a practice often referred to as “proof-texting”). As a...
baloney pony
n.— «If he’s so great, why aren’t you ridin’ the baloney pony?» —“Re: Do me a favor? Read this!” Usenet: dfw.personals July 21, 1997. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
buddy punching n.— «What we found was that it’s not the guy that leaves for three hours that we’re up against. Instead, it’s the guy who helps out his out a friend by punching in his time card, whether virtual or real. This is commonly called buddy...