A firefighter named Steve in Newport News, Virginia, wonders why in his line of work, and for some police, certain additional kinds of days off after long unbroken shifts are called Kelly days, Kelly shifts, or Kelly time. The term most likely comes...
Visiting firemen doesn’t necessarily refer to firefighters. The terms visiting fireman and visiting firemen may refer to any of several types of visitors from out of town, including non-firefighting celebrities, tourists, and rowdy conventioneers...
Your telephone is for talking, right? Or is it? We’re guessing it’s been a while since you sat next to a telephone waiting for it to ring. In fact, maybe you’re one of those people who HATE to see that voicemail message light blinking. But for many...
Firefighters don and doff their equipment, words that derive from “do on” and “do off.” New York City firefighters’ buff-colored uniforms apparently inspired our word buff, as in a fan — a reference to fire enthusiasts who would show up in buff...
A firefighter is annoyed by his boss’s use of the term pre-plan. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pre-Plan” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Dave. How are you? Hello, Dave. Hi, Dave. Doing well. Hi. Welcome to the...
shake and bake n.— «Some people lay down on the floor to get below the smoke. Others began shaking open their emergency rescue shelters. Made of a reflective material, the tents are a last resort. Some firefighters ghoulishly refer to them as “the...
