Lois in Newfoundland, Canada, asks about the phrase pain in the pinny, meaning “stomach discomfort.” Pain in the pinny, or more commonly pain under the pinny, refers to a pain under one’s pinafore, or apron, the word pinafore...
Aught, meaning “zero,” is one of those odd terms where the original version—naught—was heard as two words, so people started saying an aught. This same process, known as metanalysis, misdivision, and a few other names, happened with...
hooter hider n.—Gloss: a cloth or short apron that gives a mother modesty when nursing a child. «This invention is called the Hooter Hider, for women who want to breast feed in public. Buggy and I are going into business for ourselves...