scatter hoarding
n.— «Every year, the squirrels plant a forest of pecan trees for me. They observe a practice called “scatter hoarding.” That means they harvest nuts and such and bury them all over the place. That way, no single raid by a competing nut eater can decimate an entire hoard at one time.» —“Pecans love extra rainfall” by Jessie Gunn Stephens Herald Democrat (Sherman, Texas) Sept. 13, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Episode Archives
One of our favorite callers : Adorable six-year-old Aiya! 12/13/2019: ... [more]
Electrifying! - a Special Minicast from Martha 12/12/2019: Hey, podcast listener! Martha here with a special minicast of A Way with Words. Today I want to tell you a story — and make... [more]
Bug in Your Ear (episode #1537) 12/09/2019: Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, not... [more]
The Black Dog (episode #1536) 11/25/2019: Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect them from theft? Scribes sometimes added a curse... [more]
Beside Myself (episode #1535) 11/04/2019: The new Downton Abbey movie is a luscious treat for fans of the public-television period piece, but how accurate is the script when it comes... [more]
You must log in to post a comment.