Is that serpent in the garage a garter snake, a garden snake, a gardener snake, or a mouse snake? All are apt names for the same snake, but the original is garter snake, which takes its name from the sartorial accessory. This is part of a complete...
What makes a word a word? If something’s not in the dictionary, you might not be able to use it in Scrabble. But dictionaries aren’t the last word on whether a word is legitimate. If you use a word that someone else understands, then it’s a word. So...
catty-wumper adj.— «Leaning against his 50-year-old pickup truck last week, Mr. Vorpahl explained some Bonac terms. If his chicken coop lets the raccoons in, something is out of whack, or “catty-wumper.” The pound trap is so named, he said, after...
Bonacker n.— «For nearly four centuries they have lived in a section the Indians called Accabonac, now known as Springs or Bonac, north of the village that is the wealthy’s playground. They are known as Bonackers, an insular group who fishes and...
upstreeter n.— «For nearly four centuries they have lived in a section the Indians called Accabonac, now known as Springs or Bonac, north of the village that is the wealthy’s playground. They are known as Bonackers, an insular group who fishes and...
