spinner
n.— «There’s the predictable “Hi, Mum” and “Missing you, Julie” alongside common prison lingo such as “screw” and “spinner,” the latter a term referring to the inmate generally known as the unit idiot.» —“The House of Gronk” by Lara Zamiatin Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Oct. 31, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...