gombo
n.— «In accepting bribes and payoffs, journalists themselves perpetuate corruption, and they have a term for it: gombo. The word is French for okra, a slippery plant substance that sticks to your fingers.» —“Cameroonian Journal: Greasing Wheels and Palms” by Marilyn Greene International Journalists’ Network Apr. 3, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In Cockney rhyming slang, apples and pears is a synonym for “stairs,” and dustbin lids means kids. Plus, sniglets are clever coinages for things we don’t already have words for. Any guesses what incogsneeto means? It’s the...
National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a foreign language. And third, find out what you truly believe, because if you’re not writing from...