deer fast n.— «She recalled how the boy began to cry because he was so thirsty, but he still refused water. Many Iraqi parents try out what is known as “deer fasting,” probably based on a belief that deer eat less during the...
turabosis n.— «Psychiatrists have studied delusions like turabosis, which is the belief that one is covered in sand, and which has been documented in Saudi Arabia but would be unlikely to occur in, say, North Dakota.» —“Look Closely...
A Brazilian has been researching why actors use the unlikely expression “break a leg” to wish each other well before going on stage. He suspects it’s a borrowing of a German phrase that means, “May you break your neck and...
deep time n.— «Johnson says. Just two years ago, Johnson paid little attention to global warming. He works in what scientists call “deep time”—when time is measure in millions of years. Until recently, there wasn’t much belief that...
flight to cash n. a sudden widespread selling of investments, or their rapid conversion from illiquid to liquid, in anticipation or belief of an unfavorable or unsafe market; a sudden widespread withdrawal of bank deposits. Editorial Note: A...
conscience v.— «“We not intimidating people,” said the angry, ugly, picket. “We are just attempting to conscientize them.” It seems that the American belief in the inalienable right of every noun to become a verb is...