Ruth in Cincinnati, Ohio, is curious about the lyrics to the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic “Maria” from the movie The Sound of Music. Maria, a nun who’s not quite a good fit for the abbey, is described as “a flibbertigibbet, a will-o’-the-wisp, a...
flipping n.— «Those wetlands that remained were often tracts of infertile, troublesome land such as the West Coast pakihi swamps. Yet today even these are under pressure. Mechanical diggers are now used to smash the buried, impervious mineral pan...
stumper n.— «First, what the loggers call a stumper uses its arm to chop down some trees. The first batch of trees, from the start line to the edge of the property line, are laid across the swamp. The stumper’s large, tank-like track tires...
frog jockey n.— «The squabble has also divided many of the competitors, grown men and women who spend days and nights before the fair crawling around ponds and swamps looking for the perfect jumping frog. Known as frog jockeys, the handlers are...
