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Holiday, That Unmowed Bit of Yard, or Unpainted Strip of Wall

Fernando in San Antonio, Texas, is curious about the use of the term holiday to mean a space on a wall that’s been covered unevenly and requires repainting. This usage goes back to the shipbuilding industry of the 1700s, when workers tarring the bottom of a boat would leave a holiday, or bare spot, as if they’d gone off on holiday. It’s also used in many other ways to mean the unfinished place or part of any work or surface. This is part of a complete episode.

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