self-talk
n.— «Social workers said a practice called “self-talk” can help people cope. Ruthanne Faught with Women Strength in Peoria said, “If your self talk is this is ok, it maybe only temporary, maybe I need to look at taking the bus, maybe I could car pool, maybe I could ride a bicycle. It’s that self talk that calms you down.”» —“Gas Spike Causing Tempers to Spike” by Brock Spencer in Peoria WHOI-TV (Creve Coeur, Illinois) Sept. 1, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and...
Sam in St. Charles, Illinois, says that when he mentioned a big old water tower nearby, his mother corrected him, saying the water tower wasn’t old, it was new. Can’t you use big old or big ol’ in that way? Of course you can! The...