bolter v.— «The Greyhound, which looks as if it sprang from the womb of Howard Hughes’s Spruce Goose, is 50,000 pounds of flying metal that must set itself down on the pitching deck of a ship at 120 knots and come to a complete stop in...
slagosphere n.— «In a recent interview about his controversy-baiting wife Ayelet Waldman, novelist Michael Chabon condemned “the slagosphere”—that merciless virtual coliseum in which anyone with a DSL can publicly eviscerate...
burn n.— «Jarrett Jack’s solid preseason might push Roy to playing more at shooting guard, but he’ll still get a lot of what a lot of people annoyingly refer to as “burn” this year—more than anyone else on this list. He’s already over...
nerd prom n.— «Comic-Con, the nation’s largest celebration of comic books and pop culture, has descended on the San Diego Convention center. It’s when superheroes walk the streets, artists and animators are treated like A-listers, and...
cow dust hour n.— «The “cow dust” hour of evening—how I love that phrase—when the call comes for home and family, and the sky is filled with the green, gold, crimson of the screaming, homing parrots.» —“Exquisite Fantasy...
Bitching Betty n.— «When the technicians throw an emergency into the program, the pilots become familiar with the female voice—known universally to pilots as “Bitching Betty”—that announces the problem automatically into their...