Words & Stuff

In chess, zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move" [...]) occurs when one player is put at a disadvantage because he or she has to make a move--the player would...

Which reminds me that it was only a few weeks ago when I first encountered the phrase "lost the plot," which I gather is quite common British slang. To "lose...

Apparently, "flat chat" is Australian slang for "flat-out busy," as in "I've been flat chat at work[....] I've had absolutely no time to blog[....]" (from an entry in ModBlog -...

"[...] Not some mullah, some sepoy, wearing out my chappals in hard service.[...]" --White Teeth, by Zadie Smith, 2000; p. 74 of the 2000 Vintage International trade paperback edition...

That famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, showing a man standing in a circle with his arms out? I never knew it had a name. It's called the Vitruvian Man,...

"I can't expect two youngsters like you to find it much fun talking to an old buffer like me." --The Magician's Nephew, by C. S. Lewis, first published 1955;...

"And tomorrow [...], shalt come over all the castle with me and see the estres and mark all its strength and weakness[....]" --The Horse and His Boy, by C....

"What coil are you keeping down there, Mullugutherum?" --The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis, written around 1953; p, 157 of the 1994 HarperTrophy paperback edition MW11 says "coil"...

They lammed each other on the head with great clumsy stone hammers. --The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis, written around 1953; p, 83 of the 1994 HarperTrophy paperback...

The basename is dirified (spaces replaced by underscores, other punctuation removed) in order to create a valid URL. --Movable Type 3.2 User Manual: Entry basename Anil Dash says: "Dirified...