rum hound
n.— «So for the third time, Wilson checked himself into a private hospital in New York that specialized in drying out “rum hounds,” as he called himself. He knew what to expect: doses of barbiturates, bitter herbs, castor oil and other purgatives, vomiting, tremors and depression. He also knew that just about every hard case like him went back to drinking.The prospect was so dismal he picked up beer for the cab ride.» —“Wilson died sober but thirsty” by David von Drehle Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Ind.) May 9, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A book of photographs and essays by famous writers celebrates libraries — and the librarians who changed their lives. Plus cutting doughnuts, spinning cookies, and pulling brodies: There are lots of ways to talk about spinning a car in circles on...
Oofless is an antiquated bit of British slang that describes someone temporarily short on cash. It’s from ooftisch, a Yiddish-derived term for “cash placed on the table,” from German auf Tisch. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...