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
Barbara Kingsolver’s book Demon Copperhead is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield set in today’s Appalachia. Martha shares memories of a long-ago visit to Kingsolver’s family farm in Virginia, where they...
A listener in Newport News, Virginia, says that sometimes, just for fun, he answers the phone with a homophonous I’m here to hear. You have my ear! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Homophonous Phone Greeting: I’m Here to...