Frederick from Valdosta, Georgia, wonders about the term galley-west. To knock something galley-west means to “knock it into confusion” “send everything in all directions.” In Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Aunt Sally angrily throws a basket across the room, which “knocked the cat galley-west.” Galley-west, meaning “crooked,” “awry,” or “wobbly” goes back to an older word meaning the same thing, collywest or collyweston. Although the precise origin of galley-west is unclear, the village of Collyweston in England was once known for having roofs covered with irregular pieces of slate, and their disordered appearance may have influenced this word’s development. This is part of a complete episode.
What makes a great first line of a book? How do the best authors put together an initial sentence that draws you in and makes you want to read more? We’re talking about the openings of such novels as George Orwell’s 1984...
To slip someone a mickey means to doctor a drink and give it to an unwitting recipient. The phrase goes back to Mickey Finn of the Lone Star Saloon in Chicago, who in the late 19th century was notorious for drugging certain customers and relieving...
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