Washington Monument
n.— «In budgeting parlance, a “Washington Monument” is a popular program or facility singled out for budget cuts precisely because of its popularity. The term seems to have its origins in the U.S. Park Service official who, testifying before Congress in 1971, said the only way he could cut the budget would be to close the landmark to tourists.» —“The week in review” by Gregory Korte The Enquirer (Cincinatti, Ohio) Nov. 19, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Responding to our discussion about thin places, those spots where the boundary between this world and other realities seems narrow or permeable, a listener in Kirkland, Washington, sent us some eloquent thoughts about her own experiences of that...
In the Eastern and Southern United States, freezing rain that leaves everything covered with ice is simply known as an ice storm. In the Pacific Northwest, this sort of rain followed by a hard freeze goes by a more poetic name: silver thaw. This is...