Word: petard
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...last, the Post Office--too clever by half--seems to be on the verge of hoisting itself on its own little game of petard. True, no greater number of firstclass letters will flow through the mails (the rates increase to five cents as of the first of January), but at least no one need ever receive another piece of junk mail. Nemesis in this instance is a curious little figure named Mr.Zip. Mr.Zip is five little numbers that secretaries of giant from firms are supposed to be able to put on hundreds of useless envelopes to speed them on their...
...excerpts from Canaday's columns. He had written, for example, that "the bulk of abstract art in America has followed the course of least resistance and quickest profit," that it "allows exceptional tolerance for incompetence and deception," and that "critics and educators have been hoist with their own petard, sold down the river. We have been had." He said that abstract expressionism's disciples at universities and museums are guilty of "brainwashing." and the whole situation is "fraud at worst and gullibility at best." This, stormed the angry protesters, "is the activity not of a critic...