A Wisconsin listener remembers a boss who used to use an odd expression whenever he wanted to change the subject of a discussion. The boss would say, “Well, wet birds don’t fly at night,” then switch to another subject. Grant...
switch hitter n.— «Recipients of Obama’s summer mailing include many lobbyists who are called “switch hitters” in political parlance—contributors to lawmakers of both parties who seek to open Capitol Hill doors to them on a...
Belsnickle n.— «“Belsnickle,” a word meaning “Good St. Nicholas,” is a term used for a figure of Santa Claus holding a tree or branch in his folded arms. Santa is usually not smiling on a belsnickle, and the branch was...
throw n. the distance that a key or button can be pressed, as on a computer keyboard. Etymological Note: Directly related to “throw” in mechanical engineering, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the action or motion of a...
throw n.— «In addition, the keys use short-throw laptop-style scissor switches. My initial impression is that this seems to help avoid striking adjacent keys by accident.» —“Shiny” by Dan Razorwind.org May 8...
Mother’s Day factor n.— «The trick is to load up the switch as much as possible, short of “blocking” or what telephone engineers refer to as “the Mother’s Day Factor.” Translation: Telephone traffic is typically...