zugzwang
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...
tempura
Flemish artists used mixed tempura and oil painting during the 1400s[....] --Oil paint entry in Wikipedia, until 16 January 2006 I corrected this in the entry, of course, but...
dum-dum
I've known the term "dum-dum," referring to a particular kind of ammunition, for years, but it was only just now that I found out where the word comes from: the...
lost the plot
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...
flat chat
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 -...
judicial and judicious
"Judge Alito has been a judicious judge and my confidence he will be a judicial justice is based on my personal knowledge of the man and my belief his...
motherload
[...] there was no way Apple could win the motherload of customers [...] --Peter Burrows, "Should Apple Open Up?", Business Week, January 11, 2006 I've seen this a couple...
chappal
"[...] 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...
Vitruvian
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,...
buffer
"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;...