carton
n.— «Formosan termites often make aerial nests—commonly called a carton—of wood, saliva and fecal material. These can be as large as several cubic feet and may not have ground contact.» —“Termites Swarming in Texas” by Texas A&M University AgNews (College Station, Texas) May 5, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Aubrey in Waco, Texas, says her mother used to warn the kids against contracting honkus of the bonkus, a fanciful name for a contagious disease. This colloquial term probably comes from the words bonk and konk, meaning “to hit” or...
David from Plymouth, Wisconsin, wonders about the expression a cord of wood. The phrase goes back to the 17th century and has to do with using a cord to measure a specific quantity of stacked wood. This is part of a complete episode.
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