TagStone

erratic

erratic  n.— «When I rounded the a sharp corner, rising from the dry gully I’d dipped into, the stones were less than 20 paces away, resting before me with the candor and natural equipoise of wild animals. In years past, I’d come upon such...

butterfly gate

butterfly gate  n.— «The insert was among several in the Nov. 15 issue, celebrating the magazine’s 40th anniversary. All the inserts were what the industry calls butterfly gates—ad pages on the outside, which unfold to reveal pages of...

witness mark

witness mark  n.— «We took a cursory glance around for the drill hole (witness mark) without results. The boulders previously lining the east side of the road seem to have been either replaced or built into a more solid stone wall. Several...

flash blood

flash blood  n.— «Many injecting drug users share dirty needles or use a dangerous cash-saving technique known as “flash blood,” in which a user injects heroin or another illicit substance and then draws a syringe full of blood...

treechange

treechange  n.— «These days, now that a seachange has become prohibitively expensive for many, people are now considering the option of a “treechange”: downshifting from the capital cities to scenic rural localities, still...

1661

1661  n.— «The technical term for this—where you look pullable from behind, with your slashed mini, straggly Joss Stone hair and macrame ankle bracelet, but when swivelled around, look more like someone eligible to collect a pension—is...