turtle back n.— «I have seen books labeled field guides that are too big or heavy to be comfortably carried on a hike. The guideline is that the book be less than 5 inches wide, 8 inches high and about 1 inch thick so it will fit in a...
bluey n.— «Her daughter Jordan, a small cyclone of post-school hyperactivity, kneels on the floor drawing on a sheet of pale blue paper. This is what is called a bluey,” the army-issue airmail letters which now also come in the form...
fizzle yield n.— «Moreover the institute paper points out that with a relatively crude gun-type device, there is a good chance of a problem known as pre-detonation, where the nuclear chain reaction starts too soon, resulting in what is...
pomp v.— «House decorations are extravagant house boards that are made through a process called pomping, which is done by gluing tissue paper to wooden boards.» —“Students celebrate Homecoming” by Samantha Liss in...
half-pregnant adj.— «The resolution on North Korea belongs to a new set of UN decisions that diplomats refer to as “half-pregnant.” These, though impressive on paper, are subject to “ifs and buts” that render them...
IOU nothing money n.— «They’re trying now to establish a single currency in Europe. I don’t mind that so much, if Europe wants it, but this present world-wide fiat paper money—what I call “IOU nothing” money—is going to break down. We’re...