bong
n.— «Speaking of Fiji, the political tension there seems odd. How can people be thinking military coup when they’re wearing the most relaxed and comfortable of executive uniforms—the business sarong. I like the business sarong (or bong, as it’s known among wearers). It seems perfect for our summers, and would leave the usually stitched-up blokes at the top end of town much more liberated at the bottom end of their wardrobe.» —“Lumpy grey stars” by Tony Squires Daily Telegraph (Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia) Nov. 5, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Loretta in Shreveport, Louisiana, wants to know what lexical and dialectal clues linguists look for when guessing where someone is from. She also wonders: Do people with long careers in the military or who grew up in a military family have a...
A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn’t about “suffering.” It’s from a Latin word that involves voting. Plus: military cadences often include...