veraison
n.— «The growers thin the fruit when it’s going into veraison (a French term referring to the color change that happens as a grape is ripening), and the unripe fruit is pulled off the vine to give the more promising fruit more room to mature.» —“Good ‘n’ Sour Grapes” by Ella Lawrence Metroactive (San Jose, California) Mar. 30, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say...
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...