pith

It looks pretty forthright on the page, but Mr. Isaacson skillfully teases fresh pith and resonance out of those familiar words.

He wore a pith helmet that had been painted to match the balloon’s bright patchwork of colors and patterns, with a small, brave flag flying on top.

He wore khaki trousers tucked into tall leather boots, a safari jacket, and a pith helmet.

Mountain yam, bamboo pith and shoots, lotus seeds and gorgon fruit, which Yin says “looks like chickpeas, and tastes like tapioca,” all appear on his menu, too.

It also speaks to her love of hats, which has sometimes got her in trouble – for example her widely criticised colonial-style pith helmet on safari in Kenya.