Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words! This week we kicked off our online-only summer minicasts. There are *two,* one announcing the minicasts and explaining the term "estival," and another digging into the brilliant...
fat tail n.— «Finance is about numbers, and some numerical analysis will always be needed to see trends and plan investment strategies. But there are limits to numerical jugglery, and this is the underlying message of the current round of...
black swan n.— Note: Probably related to the theories of philosopher Karl Popper. «Finance is about numbers, and some numerical analysis will always be needed to see trends and plan investment strategies. But there are limits to numerical...
A caller wants help understanding a phrase he saw in Sports Illustrated: enough money to burn a wet dog. This is part of a complete episode.
teachback n.— «Asking questions doesn’t ensure that patients understand the answers. For that reason, many doctors now advocate a method called teachback. First, a doctor explains the situation to the patient in language that’s as plain...
postman’s holiday n. a vacation or holiday spent in a pastime similar to one’s usual employment. Editorial Note: This is a synonym for the far more common “busman’s holiday,” which dates to at least 1893. Thanks to Al Rotches for...