Jiffy from Atlanta, Georgia, relates a story about a smelly road trip cooped up with her dog Moxie, who’s been sprayed the night before by a skunk. In recounting the story, she realized she hadn’t used the word skunked since she played cribbage with her dad years earlier. To be skunked or to get skunked in cribbage and other games and sports refers to “being defeated by a large margin,” and often ending the game prematurely because the victory is already decisive. Similarly, lexicographer Bryan Garner applies the participial adjective skunked to words such as hopefully and decimate, with meanings that are so unclear or controversial that they’re best avoided altogether. This is part of a complete episode.
In the 1970s, talk-show host Johnny Carson had a recurring bit where he’d declare, “It was so cold…” to which the audience would respond, “How cold was it?” Carson always offered a goofy response, such as “It was so cold the ice cubes were wearing...
Lindsay in San Diego, California, says some of her younger coworkers use the phrase out of pocket to mean “unavailable,” but she’s also heard it used to mean “acting out of line.” The meaning of this phrase usually involves one of three things...
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