A Vermont listener named Amy is looking for a word to denote a particular kind of light. She has an eye condition that makes her photophobic, which means that ordinary light makes her physically uncomfortable. She wants a word that describes that specific level of illumination where color just begins to be detectable. None of the following quite gets at what she’s looking for: alpenglow, dim, gloaming, pre-dawn light, subdued light, starlight, or crepuscular. There’s the word antelucan, an archaic word that describes conditions just before dawn, from Latin words meaning exactly that. Martha makes up the word chromagogic based on Greek roots that would mean “leading to color,” just as hypnagogic refers to the period leading up to sleep. But Grant may have the best and most specific suggestion of all: amylight. Do you have a better one? This is part of a complete episode.
When you’re talking about the location of an inanimate object, is it okay to say that it lives there, as in The peanut butter lives in that cabinet or The flashlight lives on that shelf? Strictly speaking, of course, that object isn’t...
Sean in Oneonta, New York, says that when he was growing up in New Jersey, his family would pile in the car and set off on a surprise adventure, whether a short distance or long, and the kids would be told only that they were going on Buxtehude...
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