Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words! This past weekend we celebrated National Grammar Day (again): We also discussed "booby trap," played a quiz based on "snowclones," and talked about the word "piker."...
outdoor room n.— «Many of us will be spending our leisure hours in the backyard—what has come to be called the “outdoor room.” “The outdoor room has been a growing trend over the past few years, so the selection, quality...
zoochosis n.— «We know that animals in zoo suffer from “zoochosis,” a term used to describe obsessive, repetitive behavior such as incessant pacing or head bobbing. We know that the law only requires animals to be provided a cage “large”...
phlashing n.— «You don’t have to take an ax to a piece of hardware to perform a so-called permanent denial-of-service (PDOS) attack. A researcher this week will demonstrate a PDOS attack that can take place remotely. A PDOS attack damages...
nightstand Buddhist n.— «One in four Americans ages 18 to 29 say they are not affiliated with a religion, according to the survey. Many in this age group—whom Smith teaches at Ripon College—he refers to as “nightstand Buddhists...
ice v.— «Celebrities aren’t the only ones getting iced out. Corporations want some icing action too. Smith’s company created a crystal-incrusted Nintendo Wii. They still take orders from the general public through the company Web site...