bureaucrat, whither, sundae, soda, genie, ice cream

To a certain kind of English gentleman, Paris is an ice-cream sundae—high politics and high culture topped with a dash of romance

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The French capital holds a special place in people's memories. Two new…

ECON.ST

Spotlight

Ice Cream Sundae

Bureaucrats in the Reagan administration may have been a little off-the-mark when they suggested that ketchup be deemed a vegetable in the menu of federal-sponsored school lunches. But, the president was exactly on target when he declared that ice cream deserved not just its own day, but its own month! In 1984, Ronald Reagan declared July National Ice Cream Month, and the third Sunday in July (today!) National Ice Cream Day. Surveys show that some 90 percent of American households buy ice cream, and the top five flavors (vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry and chocolate chip mint) make up some 50 percent of the sales.

Quote
"My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate." — Thornton Wilder

 
Left, Jessica Kourkounis for NYT; right, Phil Kline for NYT
For Soda, the Genie Is Out of the Bottle
By JULIA MOSKIN

A small group of modern soda jerks are leading a revival that is bringing up-to-date culinary values to ice cream sodas, sundaes and egg creams.

bureaucracy noun [C or U] MAINLY DISAPPROVING
a system for controlling or managing a country, company or organization that is operated by a large number of officials who are employed to follow rules carefully:
I had to deal with the university's bureaucracy before I could change from one course to another.

bureaucrat
noun [C]
someone working in a bureaucracy:
It turned out she was one of those faceless bureaucrats who control our lives.

bureaucratic
adjective
I had a lot of bureaucratic hassle (= long and difficult dealings with officials) trying to get the information I needed.
The company was inefficient because it was highly bureaucratic.


whither 
adverb OLD USE
to where:
Whither are they going?

sundae

Pronunciation: /ˈsʌndeɪ/  

 /ˈsʌndi/ 

NOUN

A dish of ice cream with added ingredients such as fruit, nuts, and syrup.

Example sentences

Origin

Late 19th century (originally US): perhaps an alteration of Sunday, either because the dish was made with ice cream left over from Sunday and sold cheaply on the Monday, or because it was sold only on Sundays, a practice devised (according to some accounts) to circumvent Sunday legislation.