janky
adj.— «The two artists wear white, “janky-ass Tyvek” painter’s suits; they move quickly, transferring wooden panels and cement legs to the curb beneath the AC Transit sign. Within minutes, they are assembling the bench.» —“There Goes the Neighborhood” by Jen Loy Kitchen Sink (Oakland, California) Oct. 31, 2003. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...