ditch
v.— «Along the hall in the new gym the seemingly endless cafeteria line forms. Girls, giggling and laughing, “ditch” in line. This is a system whereby twelve girls crowd in front of you with the light remark “Ann was saving this space for us.” And so the line becomes a game of leapfrog, with each group trying to jump ahead of everyone else.» —“Noontime Chaos” by Jackie Stensel in Coshocton High School The Red and Black (Ohio) Nov. 2, 1956. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
The archaic English word ruelle means “the space between a bed and the wall.” It’s adapted from French ruelle meaning “a small alley or lane.” This is part of a complete episode.
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