The television show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-I n,” popular in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, was famous for awarding its goofy trophy, the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate. But the term fickle finger of fate is actually decades older than that. This...
Revengelical n.— Note: A play on “Evangelical.” «Wasn’t it in Genesis (as Revengelicals follow the Old Testament pretty closely) that Moses was speaking with God over the fate of the “wicked” city Sodom and that if a whole 10 righteous people...
fearty n.— Note: The Dictionary of the Scots Language also includes the spelling feardie. «Independence is the big question behind current Scottish politics. If unionists avoid asking it, they look like what the Scots call “fearties”, frightened...
liberal lion n.— «The fate of Paul W. Douglas, the 47-year-old liberal lion of the Senate, now rests in the hands of Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago, whose own future is on the line.» —“‘A Precinct Captain’s Election'” by Mary McGory Oakland...
academic redshirting n.— «Concern about the academic fate of children who stumble in the early grades is driving up the entrance age for kindergarten at schools across the United States. In some states, education policy-makers are taking the step...
lane n.— «“I’m always mindful of my charter,” VanAntwerp said, noting that he must follow specific guidelines in making a ruling. “I stay in my lane,” the colonel said, using a foot-race analogy.» —“He holds the fate of Murrieta Creek” by Steve...
