As noted in Francis Grose’s A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (Bookshop|Amazon), the term red rag, also redrag, is an old slang term for “the tongue,” as in the quotation he cites with a variant spelling of potato: Shut...
124-man n.— «The estimable dean was a lifelong crime reporter from the old Herald Tribune, a gentle sage who taught the pick-pocket art of massaging vivid details from a precinct’s “124-man,” the clerk who controlled “good stuff” filed by...
God shot n.— «The machine is for people who like to fiddle—and not everyone wants to grind beans, pre-heat demitasses, tamp at just the right pressure, “temperature surf” and do all the other hoo-ha necessary to produce a...
pot holing n.— «Pot holing refers to a conservation farming technique that involves making holes in the field. During crop production, inputs ¾ fertilizers/manure, seed, water, lime ¾ all concentrate in the prepared hole as opposed to...
twazzock n.— «All he can do is invite us to examine our responses to two statements: “Your son-in-law needs a loan,” versus “Your daughter’s boyfriend neads a loan.” According to Murray, “that’s the...
superblock n.— «“Superblocks” is the term for developments (whether a housing project or the World Trade Center) where city streets are demapped so that the development stands as a world unto itself without reference to surrounding...