When you pick up a book of poems, how many do you read in one sitting? Some people devour several in a row, while others savor them much more slowly. Plus, it’s a problem faced by politicians and public speakers: When you have to stand in...
Shrilk, a new substance made out of shrimp shells and silk, is gaining popularity as a substitute for plastic. We can still pretty much guarantee that, “One word: shrilk,” will never be a classic movie line. This is part of a complete...
It’s the business of business jargon. Say you’re in line at the drugstore. Does it bother you if the cashier says, “Next guest”? In department stores and coffeeshops, does the term “guest” suggest real...
canning n.— «Marilyn Frano, Weymouth’s substance abuse prevention coordinator, said she came up with the idea after she heard that Weymouth High School athletes were asked to collect change—a practice known as “canning”—outside liquor...
flashtard n.— «The problem is in a lot of cases it’s just going to be used and abused by people who have no business designing websites in the first place—you know, the people commonly known as “flashtards.” After all there’s...
Martha explains how experiments with dead frogs and live wires led to the invention of the battery, and inspired a couple of familiar English words.