cat-faced
n.— «Cool winter weather or high soil moisture canlead to a shift toward femalness, where the stamens fuse to the carpels or ovary wall. The resulting fruits become severely ridged (carpelloid, or “cat-faced”) and hence are deformed and unmarketable.» —“Why Some Papaya Plants Fail to Fruit” by C.L. Chia, Richard M. Manshardt in College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources Fruit and Nuts (Manoa, Hawaii) Oct., 2001. (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...
Byron in Florence, South Carolina, is curious about his grandmother’s expression might as well, can’t dance, which she used when someone suggested an activity. This saying, as well as longer versions, are rooted in the idea of weather...