A native speaker of Spanish has a hard time with prepositions in English. Why do we say that someone’s “on my mind” but “in my heart”? This is part of a complete episode.
whimperative n.— «The whimperative and the impositive are polite ways of commanding or requesting through indirection. Sadock states: “Every language provides subtle and not-so-subtle means of encoding information about the...
soft knock n.— «The Soldiers perform what is known as soft knocks, versus a more aggressive approach to enter the houses. They announce their intentions to enter houses over a loud speaker, asking the residents to unlock their front gates...
7,000-mile screwdriver n. micromanagement of a situation from afar. Editorial Note: The number of miles used varies depending upon the speaker and the situation. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
marble ceiling n.— «As speaker of the House, Pelosi, 66, would be second in the line of presidential succession, behind the vice president. “For a woman to break through what I call the “marble ceiling’ here is something quite...
prebate n.— «The state has sent 53 property tax refund checks—known in the parlance of education finance as “prebate checks”—of more than $10,000.» —“Gov. offers property tax plan; speaker says it lacks...