Word: brooms
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...DYLAN R. MATTHEWS "BROOM OF THE SYSTEM...
...18th century slang term for "rigidly moral." If you were a settler in the 1700s, Sunday was a day to rest and honor the Sabbath, nothing less and (definitely) nothing more. It wasn't just alcoholic beverages that were forbidden; if you cut your hair, picked up a broom or even kissed your kid, you were in violation of blue laws and could be subject to fines, whippings and righteous scorn from both the pulpit and the public...
...alleged indiscretions would have had a more limited impact if they had occurred before the age of blogs and mass media. In the words of Yasmina Reza, a French playwright who wrote an excellent piece about the Kundera affair for Le Monde, “one can broom someone’s entire life in 30 seconds” these days...
...parted ways at 2:30, having learned a lot about each other and how quickly entertainers can sweep up 5,000 dollar bills with a broom and put them into plastic bags, I was sad to give up my posse membership. Sure, there was a lot of waiting around and being very sensitive to Flo's moods, but it was fun being in a really tight group. Especially because I didn't pay for anything...
...fetid political culture "that has been there for centuries," but that's an old excuse. One of his election promises was to clean up Brazilian politics, and with two years to go--rules forbid him to seek a third consecutive term--he'll have to start wielding the broom vigorously. The education system, despite increased funding and access, is still an embarrassment: Brazilian students continue to score at the bottom on international math and reading tests. Taxes are exorbitant, Amazon deforestation is rising again, and Brazil has one of the world's most wasteful public bureaucracies. To fix all those...