touchstone

"The Moon is a kind of touchstone for us - and an important conceptual stepping stone on our way to Mercury."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

She, like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith who came before her, remains an enduring touchstone of black musical culture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

For color, Tiernan referenced early hand-tinting of black and white, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s Technicolor masterpiece “The Red Shoes” and Alfred Hitchcock’s dreamlike “Vertigo,” which was his touchstone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

The frontman says that in recent years he’d “tried to get away from using the word ‘heart’ because that had been a touchstone for so many of our early records.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

“I’m not a good touchstone to use for judging your sanity.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

CNN inexplicably settles for photos over video way too often and races through so many touchstones that the series often lacks sports context.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Having these cultural and historical touchstones become anthropomorphized not only takes viewers to places they might not get a chance to visit in person but also to make history more approachable.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

The group’s atmospheric sound and heart-on-sleeve romanticism have become touchstones for a wide variety of acts, from tranquil dream-poppers to loud and demonstrative emo-punks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

And of course, Bad Bunny is hugely popular across the United States, which has among the largest Spanish-speaking populations globally -- so why wouldn't he take part in one of the country's cultural touchstones?

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

They were the codes and touchstones of the world, capable of translation and possession.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison