Remember a few years ago when Amazon introduced that mysterious device called a Kindle? People worried that electronic readers would replace traditional books. Turns out the death of the hardcover was greatly exaggerated. Also, the expression...
Why do we say something is jet black? It doesn’t have anything to do with aircraft. The jet in jet black is the name of a black semi-precious stone, which in turn takes its name from the part of Syria where it was found in abundance in...
pillow driver n.— «The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says there are at least 1.5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria. If they seek work, they will lose their status as refugees. Iraqi refugees who were once doctors...
inspiration n.— «Sometime last year, Hariri’s patience with Syria finally snapped. The moment was probably last August when he had an “inspiration”—the Lebanese euphemism for a summons to Damascus—and was told that the...