This week we kick off our 2008 summer minicasts, offered only online, with two downloads. It’s what we’re calling an estival festival. We hear a lot about political candidates these days. But did you ever stop to think about where the...
Nuremberg defense n.— «“I was only following orders.” It’s perhaps the most infamous explanation offered by military members accused of crimes, invoked by defendants from Nazi Germany to Abu Ghraib. Now, the so-called Nuremberg...
twenty-minute takeout n.— «The “security check” used by the CIA to prepare a detainee for transport on a rendition plane was described to us by one source in the American intelligence community as a “twenty-minute takeout.” His...
flea n.— «A flea, in the parlance of medical students, is an internal medicine resident. And, by way of further explanation—here’s where the pejorative nature comes into play—a flea is “the last thing off a dying dog...
motarded adj. excessively stupid; in the military, enthusiastic to the point of stupidity. Editorial Note: Although there’s no shortage of jokes, puns, and misunderstandings about its similarity to “retarded,” a different...
boob tape n.— «“Have you got any boob tape?” one young woman asks, thankfully adding a colourful explanation. Boob tape is double-sided adhesive tape designed to prevent wardrobe malfunctions of the type pioneered by singer Janet...