From the Herman Miller DesignLink Newsletter...

Zoomburg? Sprawling suburbs, subdividing out of control.

Toad? Temporary, Obsolete, Abandoned, or Derelict site. Think empty and defunct Toys ''R'' Us.

Snout House? House with the main entrance set too far back from a street-facing wall. A protruding garage is often the culprit. (Portland, Oregon planning officials ban snouts. There, houses must pass the "trick or treat test." Children should be able to find the front door.)

Dolores Hayden, a Yale professor of architecture, urbanism and American studies, has compiled her definitions in "A Field Guide to Urban Sprawl," scheduled to be published this fall.

As Hayden studied the built and developed environment, ''I began to see that one of the most useful things to do might be to develop a common language.'' She was interviewed recently by The New York Times.

Hayden's language stimulates thought. It provides insight by calling it what it is.

Litter on a stick? Highway billboards.

My wife and I call "snout houses" by a less catchy phrase:

"Welcome to our garage" houses.