Polly, a library worker in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, wonders about the correct term for the fuzzy puffball atop a warm hat. Is it a tribble or a pompom? The word tribble first appeared in the classic Star Trek episode “The...
Bethany in Ithaca, New York, wants a word that sums up a way she’s feeling lately: being desperately lonely, but also reveling in her solitude. She’s toying with her own coinage based on Greek and Latin roots having to do with...
casino capitalism n.— «This book’s middle chapters succinctly show how “casino capitalism” (a coinage by Susan Strange, one of the left-wing critics of the market that Green deftly cites) led from late 2007 to a...
fur baby n.— «The comparative review of recent history to the present, and the changing status of dogs from living outside the home as working dogs on farms and as guard dogs, or serving as a distraction for the children in the family and...
nomunication n.— «The intimacy that drinking fosters between friends, clients and colleagues has given rise to a new word: “Nomunication,” a bilingual coinage combining the Japanese for drinking with communication...
juicy committee n.— «The Nigerian coinage, “juicy committee,” is a thinly disguised reference to the abuse of committees by legislators to demand bribes and/or contracts from the ministries, departments or agencies (MDAs) of...