Obamamania, Obamabot, Obamathon, Obamamentum— the list of variations on the name “Obama” goes on and on. Is there an English word that means “the in-laws of your son or daughter”? And what does it mean when someone...
Pope’s nose is a jocular name for the fatty tail end of a turkey, the part also called the parson’s nose, or more anatomically, the uropygium. Holly in Oregon heard the expression from a nun in Alaska and wondered whether it was irreverent. It fits...
We hear the word maverick a lot lately, but where did this term for a stubborn nonconformist come from? Martha tells the story of the Texas politician who inspired the word, and whose grandson apparently coined another familiar English word...
chemical rapping n.— «At a subsequent press conference senior FEI officials said capsaicin was a prohibited substance because its pain-relieving properties were potentially performance-enhancing. It also had...
uppie n.— «Upland sandpiper stands with a very erect posture for a shorebird. It often will perch on a fence post and make its distinctive wolf whistle call. The “Uppie” has a brown mottled back and a white breast, with black...
scrap fever n.— «A fence was cannibalized by vandals at Ravine pool, and the pump room at Collins Pool—which the city will not open this year but could have used for parts—was stripped of metal.…Scrap fever, as it is sometimes...