meth mouth
n.— «Methamphetamine seems to be taking a unique, and horrific, toll inside its users’ mouths. In short stretches of time, sometimes just months, a perfectly healthy set of teeth can turn a grayish-brown, twist and begin to fall out, and take on a peculiar texture less like that of hard enamel and more like that of a piece of ripened fruit. The condition, known to some as meth mouth, has been studied little in dentistry’s academic circles.» —“Grisly Effect of One Drug: ‘Meth Mouth’” by Monica Davey New York Times June 11, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...
After our conversation about towns with extremely short names, many listeners wrote to tell us about Why, Arizona. Others pointed out that there are towns called Ely in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nevada. Other super-short appellations include Rye, New...