Wednesday, August 15, 2018

dustman

dustman (plural dustmen)
  1. (Britain) A person employed to collect refuse from people's homes and take it to be processed.
    • Lonnie Donegan, My Old Man's A Dustman
      Oh, my old man's a dustman
      He wears a dustman’s hat
      He wears cor-blimey trousers
      And he lives in a council flat.
       
       
       

Monday, July 30, 2018

caffè sospeso

A caffè sospeso (pronounced [kafˈfɛ soˈspeːzo]; Italian for "suspended coffee") or pending coffee is a cup of coffee paid for in advance as an anonymous act of charity. The tradition began in the working-class cafés of Naples, where someone who had experienced good luck would order a sospeso, paying the price of two coffees but receiving and consuming only one. A poor person enquiring later whether there was a sospeso available would then be served a coffee for free.[1][2] Coffee shops in other countries have adopted the sospeso to increase sales, and to promote kindness and caring.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Defastenism

Defastenism is a Remodernist art movement founded in Dublin in 2004. The Defastenists are also known as The Defastenist Party. Artists who have participated in it include Gary Farrelly, Pádraic E. Moore, Alexander Reilly, Liam Ryan, Sophie Iremonger and Nessa Darcy.

Mass wasting

Mass wasting, also known as slope movement or mass movement, is the geomorphic process by which soil, sand, regolith, and rock move downslope typically as a solid, continuous or discontinuous mass, largely under the force of gravity, but frequently with characteristics of a flow as in debris flows and mudflows. Types of mass wasting include creep, slides, flows, topples, and falls, each with its own characteristic features, and taking place over timescales from seconds to hundreds of years. Mass wasting occurs on both terrestrial and submarine slopes, and has been observed on Earth, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter's moon Io.


When the gravitational force acting on a slope exceeds its resisting force, slope failure (mass wasting) occurs. The slope material's strength and cohesion and the amount of internal friction between material help maintain the slope's stability and are known collectively as the slope's shear strength. The steepest angle that a cohesionless slope can maintain without losing its stability is known as its angle of repose. When a slope made of loose material possesses this angle, its shear strength perfectly counterbalances the force of gravity acting upon it.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

sett

A sett or set is a badger's den. It usually consists of a network of tunnels and numerous entrances. The largest setts are spacious enough to accommodate 15 or more animals with up to 300 metres (980 ft) of tunnels and as many as 40 openings. Such elaborate setts with extensive tunneling take many years for badgers to complete.[1] Setts are typically excavated in soil that is well drained and easy to dig, such as sand, and situated on sloping ground where there is some cover.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

tum

tum | tʌm | noun informal a person's stomach or abdomen. ORIGIN mid 19th century: abbreviation of tummy.

talk nineteen to the dozen

  to speak rapidly and without stopping