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
Michelle in Williamsburg, Virginia, wonders about the origin of alley-oop!, which she says when hoisting her toddler. It’s from French allez, the imperative of aller meaning “to go” and houp or hop, an onomatopoeic utterance made...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski is pondering the degrees offered by various colleges and universities — or at least, the degrees those institutions should offer, considering their names. For example, at what Ivy League school might you expect a course...