Mortarville n. a military base subject to regular attack. Also Mortaritaville. Editorial Note: Mortaritaville seems to refer specifically to Camp Anaconda near Balad, Iraq, although an informant says that a giant, multicolored “Welcome to...
cereal test n.— «Editors apply what is generically referred to in the newsroom as the “cereal test.” Photos that might upset a reader over breakfast are screened very carefully, and are used only if the subject matter or news...
past-poster n.— «At the roulette table the subject is the “team past post,” a deft system that accomplices use to slip a huge bet onto the table after the ball has dropped on the winning number. The best past-posters distract...
aepil n.— «Korean dictionaries are welcoming a new word, aepil. It is a Korean word referring to a condom. The Korean Anti-AIDS Federation chose the name from a public contest, and it means “what you need when making love.”...
dutching n.— «Dutch cocoa is subjected to a special process that was first developed in Holland. During the procedure, sometimes referred to as “Dutching,” the cocoa is treated with an alkali. The result is a cocoa powder that...
dhimmi n.— «Tolerated unbelievers were called dhimmi, or ahl al-dhimma, “the people of the pact.” This was a legal term for the tolerated and protected non-Muslim subjects of the Muslim state.…The dhimma, which...