TagYellow

Amberbivalence

A Chicago-area listener suggests that approaching to a yellow traffic light and deciding whether or not to go for it might be described as amberbivalence. It’s somewhat like that decision you face when coming toward what you know is a stale...

Reassigning Bird Names

Grant notes that birds sometimes get re-christened with a different name. Often a bird’s commemorative name—one that honors a bird’s discoverer—will be replaced years later. Case in point: Rivoli’s hummingbird is now known as the...

yellow-star cluster

yellow-star cluster  n.— «Starting with the upcoming 2009 budget, the Air Force will need at least $20 billion more every year to meet its modernization needs, he said. “I think this is really a yellow-star cluster,” Wynne said, describing...

skittle

skittle  n.— «Our guys usually dump 200 rounds of “Skittles” onto the target. I did not know what Skittles were for a long time. Back in Hawaii, I came upon two crew chiefs arguing loudly. One of them was very upset about the...

butter butts

butter butts  n.— «Audubon warblers, the Western form of the yellow-rumped warbler, also were moving through in large numbers early last week. These blue and yellow warblers are affectionately called “butter butts” by many birders due to...

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