English spelling is a hot mess, even for native speakers. But as a new book shows, would-be spelling reformers, including Benjamin Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt, eventually just gave up. Also, what do you call your fellow parent in front of the...
protestival n.— «Somewhere around 300,000 people converged on the Seattle waterfront Saturday and Sunday to attend the 19th annual Seattle Hempfest, the world’s largest marijuana “protestival,” as organizers like to call it. While organizers and...
pay-for n.— «One issue was how to pay for reform—the “pay-fors” as they are called. “There are problems with the pay-fors,” Chambliss said, adding that the President had specifically asked him if he could support the surtaxes on the wealthy in the...
Missouri Model n.— «The brothers say they benefited from confinement in the Missouri juvenile system, which emphasizes rehabilitation in small groups, constant therapeutic interventions and minimal force. Juvenile justice experts across the nation...
rebluing n.— «The police force has since undergone reform in a process called “Re-Bluing”—a term derived from the process of refurbishing a gun barrel and also from the color of the force’s new digitalized-patterned blue uniforms.» —“U.S. forces...
pizza-parlour justice n.— «Two-for-one credit, also known as pizza-parlour justice, should be another target for reform this year. That’s where inmates are credited double-time for pre-trial custody, which makes no sense. Criminals play the system...