freeter
n.— «The advantage of being a “freeter” is that if you mised the shift, the responsibility falls on the person who hired you.» —“Young Japanese Breaking Old Salaryman’s Bonds” in Tokyo New York Times Oct. 16, 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...
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...