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.
What makes a great first line of a book? How do the best authors put together an initial sentence that draws you in and makes you want to read more? We’re talking about the openings of such novels as George Orwell’s 1984...
To slip someone a mickey means to doctor a drink and give it to an unwitting recipient. The phrase goes back to Mickey Finn of the Lone Star Saloon in Chicago, who in the late 19th century was notorious for drugging certain customers and relieving...
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