Joan from Buffalo, New York, wants to know how to spell a particular word that means to spiff up, clean up, straighten, or fix. The word is zhuzh, which has had dozens of different spellings over the years because it’s primarily transmitted orally...
The slang expression “No Tea, No Shade,” meaning “No disrespect, but …” is common in the drag community, where T means “truth.” The related phrase “All Tea, All Shade,” means “This statement is true, so I don’t care if it offends you or not.” At...
A caller whose wife is from eastern Kentucky says she uses the term swarpy to describe clothing that’s too big, ill-fitting, and may even drag on the ground. This term probably derives from an old Scots verb “swap,” meaning to “sweep” or “swing,” or...
The language of restaurant menus. Need a dictionary to get through a dinner menu? Research shows the longer the description of a particular dish, the more expensive it will be. Plus: What’s the best way to use a thesaurus? DON’T — unless, that is...
podfade n.— «But there’s a problem with deciding to do a podcast on mortgages if you’re just in it for the money…after a few episodes you’re likely to experience what’s known in the industry as “podfade”—that’s when a podcast just… kind… of… goes…...
flying K n.— «This is skiing’s equivalent of drag racing and, unlike in slalom, there are no gates or turns. Speed skiers just point the ski tips straight down a hill that is so steep it is almost freefall. Also known as the “flying K,” because...
