A wingnut is a handy, stabilizing piece of hardware. So why is it a pejorative term for those of a certain political persuasion? Also, is there something wrong with the phrase committed suicide? Some say that the word commit is a painful reminder...
The Mighty is a website with resources for those facing disability, disease, and mental illness. In an essay there, Kyle Freeman, who lost her brother to suicide, argues that the term commit suicide is a source of unnecessary pain and stigma for the...
pull the chute v. phr.— «There was a big stigma about concussions years ago—‘Nah, he’s not that hurt.” He’s pulling the ‘chute, which is another term for pulling up lame. He’s soft. He can’t play tough...
concretable n.— «For the most part, portables don’t have the same stigma they did a few years ago. Before 2002, all the portables were the old wooden or metal-framed ones. Many are 30 or more years old. Today, about 560 portables are...
oyayubi sedai n.— «So important has the thumb become on gadgets in Japan, where text messaging caught on earlier, that a certain demographic group is referred to as oyayubi sedai, “the thumb generation.”» —“All Thumbs...
liftback n.— «What’s wrong with the word “hatchback”? Apparently there’s enough of a negative stigma associated with the designation to make most car manufacturers’ marketing departments dub their “5-door...