black water
n.— «A brave West Australian Government is considering asking its residents to at least think about drinking recycled sewage water. In Victoria, the Bracks Government has firmly ruled it out and the Liberals agree there is no need for a move to drink what is known as black water.» —“Recycled sewage water a political turn-off” by Ellen Whinnett Herald Sun (Australia) Jan. 5, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...
Carl in Sebastopol, California, was reminded of his childhood on New York’s Lower East Side while ready Harry Golden’s book For 2 Cents Plain (Amazon), the title referring to how customers ordered a plain glass of seltzer. For a little...