Join two wayward radio hosts on A Way With Words, the call-in radio show about writing, speaking, slang, old sayings, and more.
Catchword for “three plastic animals rule”
Part of Speechn.
The part of speech reflects that used in the full entry, and not necessarily the part of speech as it is used in the quotation below.
Quotation: In the past, the Supreme Court has subscribed to what lawyers call a “three plastic animals” rule for religious displays: If a crèche in a town square, for example, is surrounded by a wishing well and a laughing clown, it’s constitutional. The logic is that reasonable observers perceive unadorned religious displays to be endorsements of religion, while the addition of kitschy accoutrements turns the display into a celebration of Americana.
Author:
Jeffrey Rosen
Article, Document, Publication, Web Site:
The New Republic
Date of Publication:
Mar. 4, 2005
This cite belongs to a full entry for three plastic animals rule.

Leave a comment, which must be approved by the moderator before it will appear. Courtesy matters!

Keep in mind that we're interested in terms that are not well-covered in mainstream dictionaries, or not covered at all. A mass of unexamined Google hits counts for nothing, but an early use of the term you've found in a book or periodical is very useful. A term does not have to be new to be recorded here, it merely needs to be worthy of more attention.
Name (mandatory):

Email (mandatory):

Location (optional):

Your Web Site (optional):

Remember my personal information

Notify me, by email, of follow-up comments.

Recent Catchwords
mill and fill n. (7/3)
snake run n. (7/2)
tranny n. (7/1)
secular adj. (6/30)
commuter trip n. (6/30)
wendy v. (6/30)
double-dekker n. (6/30)
gas-sipper n. (6/29)
nuke the fridge v. phr. (6/29)
mannyhose n. (6/29)
run one’s pockets v. phr. (6/29)
gay-lister n. (6/29)
cross-shopping n. (6/29)
weird stacking n. (6/29)
block busting n. (6/27)
beek n. (6/27)
sweatbox n. (6/26)
bump-out n. (6/26)
 More catchwords...
New Comments
Debra Ellick commented on hurricane amnesia (7/3)
tina commented on tranny (7/3)
Grant Barrett commented on tranny (7/3)
Tina commented on tranny (7/2)
Ben Zimmer commented on secular (7/1)
Alice Macpherson commented on sad (7/1)
Kerri-ann commented on candy flipping (7/1)
Rich Overton commented on smitty (6/30)
Prozacville.co.uk commented on Ja well no fine (6/30)
jim commented on robotripping (6/30)
JIm commented on robotripping (6/29)
Charles Miller commented on robotripping (6/29)
JIM commented on robotripping (6/28)
Ben Zimmer commented on block busting (6/28)
Larisa Gall commented on pencil plane (6/26)
Subscribe to the RSS feed.Subscribe to the mailing list.Browse the archive.Add to Technorati Favorites. © 1999-2008 by Grant Barrett, Double-Tongued Dictionary, New York City.