The handy German neologism Impfneid literally means “vaccine envy.” It’s one of many German words coined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neid in German means “envy” and Impf, meaning “vaccine,” derives from the horticultural metaphor of grafting part...
Wayne from Wayland, Massachusetts, says a co-worker was fond of the saying One hand washes the other and both hands wash the face. The saying suggests that working together, two can accomplish what one can’t. It can also connote the idea of One good...
A boodler is someone involved in bribery, graft, or political corruption. The word likely traces to Dutch boedel, meaning property; English boodle has carried that property-and-money sense, while boodler points to the person doing the corrupt...
vulture fund n.— «The government says it is still recovering from a devastating war and faces a new problem: Western investors, sensing a chance to rake in millions, are suing to recover old debts that they bought for pennies on the dollar. Such...
Oh, yes, it’s time for another podcast, this one featuring a slang quiz on the word “phonemarking.” Transcript of “Phonemarking (minicast)” Welcome to the summer edition of Slang This, the language quiz from A Way with Words. Our family tends to...
ganbuler n.— «In recent years, corrupt officials have gambled away billions in the casinos of Macau, and Beijing is trying to stop this as part of a broader crackdown on graft in China. Party officials gambling in Macau are known as “ganbulers,” a...
