187
n.— «The number 187 is frequently used in gang graffiti around the United States, and represents the number of the California Penal Code for homicide. Graffiti which includes 187 is literally making a death threat.» —“The Newspaper of the Streets” by Janene Rae National Alliance of Gange Investigator Associations , 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...