Novelist Charles Dickens created many unforgettable characters, but he’s also responsible for coining or popularizing lots of words, like “flummox” and “butterfingers.” Also, the life’s work of slang lexicographer...
The exclamation “Oh my stars and garters!” likely arose from a reference to the British Order of the Garter. The award for this highest level of knighthood includes an elaborate medal in the shape of a star. The expression was probably...
Is it really possible to change your style of speaking so that you stop using the verbal fillers um and you know? Yes, you can. Martha relates her experience with dialect-coach-to-the-stars Sam Chwat. He was adamant that by catching ourselves every...
ice v.— «Celebrities aren’t the only ones getting iced out. Corporations want some icing action too. Smith’s company created a crystal-incrusted Nintendo Wii. They still take orders from the general public through the company Web site...
yellow-star cluster n.— «Starting with the upcoming 2009 budget, the Air Force will need at least $20 billion more every year to meet its modernization needs, he said. “I think this is really a yellow-star cluster,” Wynne said, describing...
mocapography n.— «The movie, which opens in November, was filmed in something called “mocapography” using a multitude of digital cameras doing motion capture. Stars Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone and Crispin...