white horse
n.— «I was enlisted for NS in 1994. My platoon mates and I were at first unaware that there was a “white horse” among us. Therefore, we were generally surprised with the “special privileges” accorded to us that ranged from more frequent canteen breaks, later wake-up hours and sometimes better food servings. It was only till the passing-out parade (for recruits) that the truth dawned on us. One of our platoon mate, who did not stand out in any way, be it in physical tests, shooting skills or leadership qualities, was named the company’s best recruit instead of other more worthy ones. The puzzle was quickly solved when it was known that the “white horse’s” influential father is the guest-of-honour for our batch’s passing-out-parade.» —“White Horse Issue” by Dawei Yan Workers’ Party of Singapore Nov. 17, 2003. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
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...