Tennessee music box
n.— «Dulcimers come in all shapes and sizes—peanut-shaped models, triangles, graceful ovals and rectangular contraptions often called “Tennessee music boxes.” They usually have three or four strings and sound like a cross between a mandolin and a guitar, but sweeter-sounding, more fluid and droning than both.» —“Starry Lullabye” by John Nova Lomax Nashville Scene (Tennessee) Aug. 24, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Amid court-ordered busing in the 1970s, a middle-school teacher tried to distract her nervous students on the first day of class with this strange assignment: find a monarch caterpillar. The result? A memorable lesson in the miracle of metamorphosis...
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...