ditch

ditch v. especially in the phrase ditch in line, to unfairly take a place in front of others (in a line); to cut or butt (in line); to jump a queue. Editorial Note: Also infrequently given as dish. This term is particularly common in Ohio. Political commentator and Ohioan John Kasich frequently uses the term in the discussion of immigration. Doug Wilson has speculated that this form of ditch is a variant of dish defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “to ‘do for’, defeat completely, ruin; to cheat, circumvent,” which dates to at least as early as 1798. However, this and other theories are unproven. Thanks to Chris Waigl for bring this word to my attention and Steve Hartman Keiser for first mentioning it on the American Dialect Society email list. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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Further reading

When Pigs Fly (episode #1571)

Don’t move my cheese! It’s a phrase middle managers use to talk about adapting to change in the workplace. Plus, the origin story of the name William, and why it’s Guillermo in Spanish. And a five-year-old poses a question that...

Cool Beans (episode #1570)

If you speak a second or third language, you may remember the first time you dreamed in that new tongue. But does this milestone mean you’re actually fluent? And a couple’s dispute over the word regret: Say you wish you’d been able...