︎gronk
n.— «Delaveris was immediately hooked on prison lingo—and particularly taken with one word, “gronk,” which has myriad meanings. In prison parlance, it’s a derogatory term for inmates used by prison guards. Linguists, however, are divided. Some suggest it means “sex slave”; others say that it refers to a Neanderthal or a brutish person with limited intellect. But no matter how many uncomplimentary descriptions can be dug up, Gronk is now the name of a fledgling fashion label.» —“The House of Gronk” by Lara Zamiatin Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Oct. 31, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Tracy in Beaufort, North Carolina, says her grandmother, aunts, and uncles used to try to calm down an upset or bossy person with Well, don’t get astorperious! You might debubiate! In the work of Zora Neale Hurston and in Harlem Renaissance...
Samantha Harvey’s novel Orbital is a sensuous, exhilarating meditation about the strangeness of life on a space station, with its mix of tedious tasks and jaw-dropping views. And: a musician who rode the rails in his youth shares the slang he...