periodic
n.— «I thought he had sobered up during our growing up years. I was wrong. He was what is known as a “periodic.” He revealed his dual life to my sister and to me as we entered college, then regularly showed up on campus to get drunk with his old frat brothers.» —“Sometimes, fathers set an example of what not to do” by S. Derrickson Moore Las Cruces Sun-News (New Mexico) June 16, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Need a slang term that can replace just about any noun? Try chumpie. If you’re from Philadelphia, you may already know this handy placeholder word. And there’s Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and … The Bronx — why do we add...
When there’s no evening meal planned at home, what do you call that scramble to cobble together your own dinner? Some people apply acronyms like YOYO — “you’re on your own” — or CORN, for “Clean Out your Refrigerator...