A Navy vet recalls learning the slang term gundeck, meaning “to sign off on checks or reports without fully completing them.” A possible origin involves a ship’s gun deck, either as a place where sailors hid to avoid duties or where navigational...
Garrett in San Diego remembers his great-grandmother saying You bet your boots! or You bet your britches! to mean without a doubt. The phrases are common in American English and likely come from gambling, where betting your boots or trousers would...
A former naval flight officer wonders how the term cockpit ever came to mean the part of the aircraft where pilots sit. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Origin of Plane Cockpit” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi...
off-deck adj.— «Right now, 99% of the U.S. mobile content market is on carrier decks.…The next wave is off-deck—selling direct to consumers.» —“Thumbplay launches mobile content portal” by Jason Ankeny in New...
carrier deck n.— «Right now, 99% of the U.S. mobile content market is on carrier decks.…The next wave is off-deck—selling direct to consumers.» —“Thumbplay launches mobile content portal” by Jason Ankeny in New...
off-deck adj. (said of software or digital media) coming from a remote server or system. Editorial Note: A deck is the software and information that ships with or is installed on a mobile phone, personal digital assistant, or other small wireless...

