Among ham radio enthusiasts, the word Elmer has become an affectionate term for an experienced ham radio operator who mentors a novice. It’s also used as a verb: Elmering someone means helping a new ham. The term was coined in a 1971 magazine article by Rod Newkirk, who wrote about his own mentor, Elmer P. Frohardt Jr. of Madison, Wisconsin. An older slang use of Elmer denotes a “rube” or “gullible person.” In ham radio lingo, 73 is a way of signing off with “best regards.” This is part of a complete episode.
When your server brings food to the table and inquires as to who ordered which dish, that’s informally known in the restaurant biz as auctioning. If your meal is delayed because the person who took your order forgot about it, that’s called a...
Candace from Memphis, Tennessee, wonders about the phrase You’re eating me out of house and home. The emphatic doublet house and home is part of a long tradition that includes scared out of house and home and chased out of house and home. Even...
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