ho-butt n.— «Wendy Coller, owner of Athletics Etc. on Independence Street, was present to sell Ho-Butt Athletics T-shirts. Ho-Butt is a local term of endearment that means “Hey buddy.” Although the term is unique to the coal region, it is...
Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words! This newsletter was originally supposed to go out on Monday, May 12th, but our service provider had a snafu and the messages disappeared into the ether. There are a lot of creatures on planets...
drive-by n.— «We went three salmon for seven bites (mine was one of the swing-and-a-misses, commonly called “drive-bys” in the angler’s jargon).» —“Columbia chinook season (and all the wet ‘fun’) ends” by Bill...
Hello from Indianapolis, where we've just spent a great weekend with the staff and listeners of WFYI 90.1. You can listen to this week's show here: We talked about words we read but didn't know, like "spanghew" and...
half-tour Harry n.— «They’ve got a difficult decision to make. But if he does come home, he’s only three months in to a sixth-month tour. There is that term for someone who doesn’t last his full time—‘half-tour Harry”—and if he does...
traying n.— «Some students, however, decide to head straight to Observatory Hill, adjacent to Elizabeth Waters Residence Hall, for sledding after the heavy snowfall. Thrifty individuals without sleds often use cafeteria trays to slide...