cranial-rectal inversion n.— «I learned that Officer Sam Morgan, of the California Highway Patrol, occasionally uses the term “cranial-rectal inversion” when referring to drivers of especially poor judgment, which was one of the most...
ill na na adj.—Gloss: very good. “Ill” is old-fashioned hip-hop slang meaning good or great, “na na” is a euphemism for the vagina. Note: Probably from a 1996 Foxy Brown album Ill Na Na. «If you are an existing...
Greetings, workers of the world! This is another newsletter from A Way with Words. This past weekend's show was re-run about the secret words of families. Give it a spin: We also talked about "knocked up," "the real...
shadow toll n.— «When the toll roads were built, the TCA said no taxpayer money would be used to operate roads, Fitts said. But the term “shadow tolls” seems to be a euphemism for “taxpayer-supported toll road,” he...
opportunity room n.— «He had brought a cheat sheet to class and gotten caught. Now the students were sitting in judgment of him.…The six students deliberated and decided the offender deserved three days of in-school suspension...
Also speaking of animals, an immigrant from India recounts his confusion the first time he heard the expression “I’m going to go see a man about a horse.” How in did that become a euphemism for “I’m going to go to the...