Is it wrong to refer to children as kids? One discerning mother, when asked about her kids, always replied, “I don’t raise goats, but my children are fine.” Grant explains that as early as the 1600s, the word kids had popped up to refer to bratty or...
What’s happening linguistically when someone’s using the second-person singular possessive in a list of items? A Charlottesville, Virginia, caller began wondering that recently after hearing a wood-flooring salesperson say, “You got your maple, you...
flagging n.— «The boy with the photo on his cell was now in trouble for having pulled a girl’s pants down in class (another teen phenomenon known as “flagging”).» —“My Students. My Cellphone. My Ordeal.” by Ting-Yi Oei Washington Post Apr. 17, 2009...
charreada n.— «A growing number of middle-class Mexican-Americans spend lazy summer afternoons at the charreada—part rodeo, part fiesta and one of Mexico’s most revered sporting events, dating to the 17th century.…At family-owned arenas, where the...
BOI n.— «Anderson still takes a bit of pride in calling himself “B.O.I.,” a Texas term meaning “Born On the Island.” It’s a designation reserved for the mostly working-class year-round inhabitants of Galveston, differentiating them from well-to-do...
freshman stripe n.— «Also at UCD: the infamous Freshman Stripe…Since the inner campus is closed to automotive traffic, many, many people ride bikes to class. When the rains come in late Fall, the freshman can always be spotted because they have a...
