Ironed Spit Mint

Old English īsern, iron — past-participle of iron. As a color modifier, ironed implies a clear-and-smoothed-and-pressed quality, the crisp color of Mid-Century-Modern freshly-ironed-shirt-and-trouser dress-attire textile finish. Sits at the crisp-and-finished end of the grid, parallel to pressed and starched in usage.

Old English spitu, narrow point of land. As a color modifier, spit implies a narrow-projection quality, the visual register of Cape-Cod-and-Spurn-Head narrow-tide-deposited sand-spit-and-shingle hand-walked coastal surfaces extending into open water. Sits at the modifier-and-place end of the grid, parallel to strand and cay in usage.

The genus Mentha — peppermint, spearmint, apple mint, water mint — the cooling herb whose menthol gives it that quality at the molecular level. The color refers to fresh peppermint leaves before drying: a clean, slightly cool green with the matte finish of trichome-rich leaf surface. Lighter than basil, cooler than parsley, with the mojito-and-Pimm's association of a herb tied to summer drinks across two continents.