cowdust time n.— «By “cowdust time,” the evocative Indian term for dusk, we are still 30 miles from our village. After asking the way a dozen times (Indians tend to be relaxed about the subtle difference between “left”and “right”), eventually we...
gully cutting n.— «This tree in Strickland Place, Wentworthville, has undergone an extreme topiary make-over to allow room for overhead powerlines.…Arborist Hugh Taylor from Australian Tree Consultants said the practice was known as “gully cutting”...
black spider memo n.— «The notes, mostly hand-written, are known to recipients as the “black spider” memos in which Charles enthusiastically details his beliefs on particular political topics, using lots of underlining and exclamation marks. His...
tit singer n.— «His father, Robert Alda, worked in burlesque as what was known as “the tit singer”—he sang at the side of the stage while chorus girls danced and stripped.» —“Wow, look at the size of that audience!” by Lynn Barber Telegraph (U.K...
delo n.— «Billingsgate regular, she is well accustomed to the robust banter of the stallholders as well as their own private fish-merchant slang (“Delo,” for example, means anything that’s bad or ought to be thrown away).» —“Fish and tips” by...
K-T boundary n.— «This clay marked what scientists call the K-T boundary, the junction between rocks in which the fossils of dinosaurs are found, and those above, in which dinosaur bones have been replaced by more modern creatures.» —“Experts clash...