aglet – The plastic or metal covering on the end of a shoelace (formerly called the point) that makes it easier to thread through the eyelet holes. More…
plastic – From Greek plastos, “to form, mold.” More…
plastic surgery – Dates to 1837; “plastic” is used in the sense of “molding, shaping.” More…
velo binding – A type of document fastener using a narrow strip of plastic on the front and back and attached with thin plastic pegs through the pages; also called velobind. More…
circumstance – Literally “that which stands around (something).” More…
cost – Something that costs a particular amount literally “stands at or with” that price, from Latin constare, “to be settled or fixed, stand at a price, cost.” More…
stem – The stem of a tree is etymologically the upright part, the part that “stands” up, from its Germanic base sta-, “stand.” More…
wing it – Comes from theatrical jargon, referring to the hurried study of lines by an understudy in the wings, or to the help given by a prompter who stands in the wings of a theater. More…
ascend – A planet ascends when it moves toward the zenith or comes above the horizon. More…
substrate – The surface on which an organism lives or moves. More…
acquitment – The series of moves that a magician makes to convince the audience that his/her hands are empty. More…
haws – If an animal haws, it turns or moves to the left. More…
fishing vest – A sleeveless jacket with many pockets for carrying small objects. More…
English billiards – Played on a table with no pockets. More…
gnurr – The substance that collects over time in the bottoms of pockets or cuffs of trousers. More…
pucker – Has the underlying notion of being formed into “pockets.” More…
awareness band, awareness bracelet – An awareness band or awareness bracelet is made of rubber or fabric on which a slogan is written, usually sold to raise awareness for charitable causes. More…
Macintosh – A raincoat, named for Charles Macintosh (Scottish inventor, 1766-1843), who discovered how to waterproof fabric with rubber. More…
rubber – In the sense of the latex of the rubber plant, it is so called because you can rub out pencil marks with it, not the other way around. More…
amorphous – Something amorphous has no real shape or is irregularly shaped—like pudding; an amorphous solid lacks the perfect ordered structure of crystals. Other examples are glass, polymers, and rubber. More…
eye rhyme – A similarity between words in spelling but not pronunciation—like dove and move. More…
icon – Originally a “simile” in rhetoric; its etymological idea is of “similarity,” from Greek eikon, “likeness, similarity.” More…
goose pimples – Named for their similarity to the skin of a plucked goose. More…
lens – From Latin for “lentil,” because of the similarity in shape. More…
strawberry friend – A freeloader, one who visits only when the strawberries are ready for picking. More…
small fruits – Currants, raspberries, strawberries, etc. More…
soft fruit – Fruit that grows on bushes, such as berries, strawberries and currants, as contrasted with top fruit. More…
strawberry – Got its name because the plant “strews” its runners along the ground; its seeds are actually individual fruits and it is termed an aggregate fruit. More…
chop – A snap with the jaws or mouth is a chop. More…
crepitation, crepitate, crepitant – Crepitation is the sounds of Rice Krispies cereal (snap, crackle, pop); crepitate or crepitant is “making a crackling sound.” More…
oh snap – Also simply “snap”; an exclamation of dismay or disbelief, surprise, or joy. More…
snack – First meant “bite, snap (of a dog),” from a Dutch word meaning “to bite.” More…