charity stripe n.— «Free throw: It’s the greatest misnomer in sports. It’s neither free, nor a throw. It should be called an “earned, uncontested shot,” but that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like free throw. It’s only a...
alligator arms n.pl.— «Some of the best players in the NBA have developed “alligator arms”— sports parlance for not extending the arms—under the pressure of big free throws.» —“The fine art of shooting free...
This week’s language headlines include the publication of new slang dictionary, and an entire book devoted to that tiny piece of punctuation, the period, and a tip-off about audio recordings of famous authors whose voices would otherwise be...
finé del capo n.— «I preferred Knoebels’ Twister, with its banging 101-foot split-lift hill (it climbs in two stages), and terrifying finé del capos (head-choppers, or low-hanging beams)? It’s a gut-wrenching coaster.» —“A Good Old...
moondust n.— «They must choose between snatching an hour of sleep or using the precious time to clean their weapons, which often jam from the fine sand—which soldiers call “moondust”—that is swept up by incessant winds...
flour gold n.— «You can find nuggets. California is renowned for having larger pieces. But primarily what you’re going to find at first is fine gold, or flour gold as they call it. That’s all worth money too. Don’t throw it out, or be...