What’s it called when saying becomes sayin’? It’s not a trick question; it’s simply called an abbreviation. Grant and Martha settle an English major’s confusion about the possibility of a trickier term. With words like...
June bug n.— «While townies pejoratively dub them “June Bugs,” landlords relish confiscating security deposits and enforcing strict “no party” rules beyond the point of reason and jealous neighbors ruin the fun by...
14-er n.— «As a man in his 70s, Dr. Reed started climbing the “14-ers,” as they are called: the dozens of mountains in Colorado that rise to 14,000 feet or higher. Friends said that on those steep mountains, where the air...
non-er n.— «As we annihilated team after team in my senior year, I did get to play quite a bit. Referred to as a “non-er” (short for non-athlete) by my teammates, I mostly played special teams, but some blowouts were so bad...
boarding n.— «Another problem plaguing the ER is bed availability. Patients must be kept in an ER bed while waiting for one to open up on the surgical floor. This process, called “boarding,” makes ailing people in the ER lobby sit, or...
peedie n.— «“Peeds” or “peedie” when spoken by any doctor means a pediatric patient—that is, a child. But “auto versus peeds” in the ER means a car hit a pedestrian, age unspecified.» —“Doctors’ Lingo...