devil day
n.— «Thursdays and Fridays are when F-1 inmates order and receive their week’s supply of snacks from the canteen. These are the tensest days, Les Farrar has learned in his seven months in the cage. Inmates call them devil days. Those who have run out of supplies are looking around to see who hasn’t. They’re looking—everyone’s eyes are always darting in jail—to see who has stepped away from his bed. Sometimes, on devil days, they don’t even care about that. They just come up and demand.» —“Hard Time: Inside Richmond’s Jail” by David Ress Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia) Dec. 17, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Lucy in Louisa, Virginia, recalls that if her mother was exasperated when the kids were misbehaving, she’d announce I’m going to put you both in a wet paper bag and see who falls out first! This is part of a complete episode.
Related
Rose in Lebanon, Virginia recalls a phrase passed down from her great-grandmother: The night before the first day of school, parents would come into the children’s bedroom and say in a singsong voice: School butter, school butter. This...