bug boy
n.— «Around the racetrack, they are called “bug boys,” but not for their love of insects. These jockeys get their names because the Daily Racing Form used to print a “bug”—or asterisk—next to the weight assignments of apprentices. The more asterisks, the less experience and winners an apprentice had. They are the rookies of thoroughbred horse racing.» —“Del Mar: The apprentices” by Jeff Nahill in Inglewood North County Times (Escondido, California) July 16, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ever wonder what medieval England looked and sounded like? In Old English, the word hord meant “treasure” and your wordhord was the treasure of words locked up inside you. A delightful new book uses the language of that period to create...
Do you refer to your dog or cat as “somebody”? As in: When you love somebody that much, you don’t mind if they slobber. In other words, is your pet a somebody or a something? Also, for centuries, there was little consistency in the...