ditch
v.— «So far I have talked to 35 people who are Columbus natives or from nearby towns. “DISH” is used only by persons 40 or older. “DITCH” is most common among high schoolers and up to age 40. So, Arnold, your observation about usage in the 70s and 80s is right, but it looks like “DISH” is the older term. Finally, the youngest generation, 6-12 year olds now uses simply “D.” I’m still trying to figure out the geographic distribution of this term, but it doesn’t seem to reach much beyond the boundaries of Franklin County (i.e., a radius of 20 miles or so).» —“More on dishing in line” by Steve Hartman Keiser ADS-L June 13, 2001. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means “money.” In the same way, cat beer isn’t alcoholic — some people use cat beer as a joking term for “milk.” And imagine walking on a...
A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn’t about “suffering.” It’s from a Latin word that involves voting. Plus: military cadences often include...