wendy
v.— «Misogyny, anti-intellectualism, vindictive political opponents, an out-of-control press—the resignation of Wendy Alexander as leader of the Labour party at Holyrood offers something to everyone with a thesis about the loss of public respect for the UK political process. First, misogyny. In recent years the Scottish political classes have introduced a new verb to the English language—the idea of being “wendied”—a term invented to describe the way that Alexander apparently browbeat her civil servants, assistants and anyone else who didn’t match her exacting demands. A wendying was often said to be carried out in a shrill manner—another word that cropped up in descriptions of her style.» —“Alexander’s achilles” by Ewan Crawford Guardian (United Kingdom) June 30, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Many of us struggled with the Old English poem “Beowulf” in high school. But what if you could actually hear “Beowulf” in the English of today? There’s a new translation by Maria Dahvana Headley that uses contemporary...
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what’s called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need to reflect on what humans all share as a species. A book about the end of the universe...