︎butter and eggs
n.— «Americans are betting almost a billion dollars a year that they can guess…The Chicago butter and egg prices.…In some cities it is called “numbers,” in others, “policy.”…The “banker” may nominate other combination of digits and take them from the bond sales on the stock exchange, from butter and egg prices, from baseball or football scores.» —“Betting Billion A Year They Are Good Guessers” in New York City Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisc.) Oct. 20, 1932. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Imagine telling someone how to get to your home, but without using the name of your street, or any other street within ten miles. Could you do it? We take street names for granted, but these words are useful for far more, like applying for a job or...
Patrick in New York City is curious about the term ride or die, which describes a friend, fan, or romantic partner who is devoted to the end. The expression shows up in the mid-1990s in hip hop and the work of Tupac Shakur and The Lox, and often...