upstairs-downstairs house
n.— «Before the storm, Delery Street contained block after block of…two-story structures referred to as “upstairs-downstairs houses.”» —“Longing for Home in a Sealed New Orleans Ward” by Deborah Sontag in New Orleans New York Times Oct. 24, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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...
Book recommendations and the art of apology. Martha and Grant share some good reads, including an opinionated romp through English grammar, a Spanish-language adventure novel, an account of 19th-century dictionary wars, and a gorgeously illustrated...