︎
Jeffrey in New Bern, North Carolina, wonders why we use the phrase right as rain to mean “all satisfactory” or “quite correct.” No one’s sure about the origin of this expression, although it may reflect positive...
grot spot n.—Gloss: “Grot” means “dirt” or “rubbish” and rhymes with “spot” and is not commonly found in North American English. «The cul-de-sac has been branded as one of five dilapidated...
de-policing n.— «Crime rates are up from last year. Arrests, traffic stops and gun recoveries are down. And while there is dispute over the precise reasons, the union representing police officers in this city says it is partly because...
whoop-de-doo n.— «It has a whoop-dee-doo…much to the delight of the city’s young bicycle riders.» —“City’s Bike Motocross Course a Hit” by Robert J. Allan Los Angeles Times Jan. 13, 1974. (source: Double...
whoop-de-doo n.— «Another rider racing down the straight called the “L.I.E.” (after the Long Island Expressway) fails to negotiate the washboard bumps, or “whoop-do-dos,” as he should have and very nearly falls...
whoop de doo n.— «On the second day, we encountered 29 km of whoop-de-doos. For those unfamiliar with dirt bike vernacular, picture the harshest mogul run you’ve ever seen, lay it out horizontally, throw in some sand and you have whoops...