witness post
n.— «Sara Yurman, 33, is a geographer with the Gwinnett County planning department who specializes in mapmaking. She found a “witness post” in the Modoc community, a rare thing, so she said, that showed that Modoc sits 5 feet above sea level.» —“Cyclists head home to BRAG again with growing event” by Jim Galloway Atlanta Journal Constitution (Georgia) June 20, 1988. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
We tend to take the index of a book for granted, but centuries ago, these helpful lists were viewed with suspicion. Some even worried that indexes would harm reading comprehension! A witty new book tells the story. Plus, the Latin term bona fides...
In 1968, students at Cheyenne High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming, compiled a collection of their own slang, including the word Clyde, used to refer to one’s head, as in Use your Clyde! This is part of a complete episode.
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