shoe
n.— «It’s no surprise, says Jerry Stauffacher’s mother, Mary Jane Stauffacher, that her son likes to compete in “shoes,” as race cars are often called nowadays.» —“Peter Day” Hesperia Star (California) May 2, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ophelia in Johnson City, Tennessee, wonders about the exclamation her great-grandmother often used when something surprised her: Cat bristle! That may be her own version of a minced oath, although it fits with the idea of how a cat’s tail might look...
Enthusiastic book recommendations! Martha’s savoring the biography of Alexander von Humboldt, the 19th-century explorer, polymath, and naturalist who revolutionized our understanding of nature and predicted the effects of human activity on...