Vanessa in Dallas wondered about hot mess after her daughter spotted it on a license plate. The Southern expression can describe someone whose life looks chaotic, with dropped balls and missed deadlines, yet who remains likable or attractive. It can...
In today’s schools, mean girls might dismiss a classmate who wears Ugg boots, drinks sugary lattes, and listens to Top 40 radio as basic. This adjective for a slightly vapid, mainstream trend-follower first showed up in hip-hop lyrics around...
Can ordinary also mean “crude” or “crass”? This usage was more common in previous generations, but it is still acceptable. It’s also the source of ornery, meaning “combative” or “crotchety.” This...
bunhead n. a ballet dancer. Editorial Note: Often derogatory. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
dago T n. a ribbed, white cotton tank-style undershirt; a wife-beater; a boy-beater. Editorial Note: A synonym is guinea T, which, like dago T, is often perceived as derogatory or offensive. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
dirka dirka interj. a mimicry of spoken Arabic; also attributive, connoting things Muslim, Arabic, or Middle Eastern, or those related to terrorists or terrorism. Editorial Note: This expression is often, but not always, derogatory. Etymological...
