A listener in Bonifay, Florida, says when she was young and asked her mother what she was doing, her mother would respond “I’m stacking greased bb’s with boxing gloves on.” This nonsensical phrase is part of a long tradition...
A bartender wonders about the origin of the term jockey box. In his world, a jockey box is a metal container for ice. However, in some parts of the western U.S., a jockey box is the glove compartment of a car, and much earlier, the term referred to...
A Wyoming native asks about the origin of her father’s term of approbation, good leather. Grant thinks it might be from baseball, where good leather means “good fielding with a leather ball in a leather glove.” This is part of a...
You have a pair of gloves, and there are two of them; you have a pair of shoes, and there are two; a pair of socks, and there’s one for each foot, right? So why do we have a pair of jeans when it’s only one item? This is part of a...
snivel gear n. a soldier’s equipment or clothing perceived as providing comfort beyond that which is strictly necessary, such as a poncho, a sweater, gloves, a sleeping bag, etc. Editorial Note: The first cite is a nonce usage unrelated to the term...
deglove v. to force off or peel back skin from a part of the body, especially a limb or appendage, as if removing a glove, sleeve, or mask. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)