Basement Betty n.— «It’s just not possible for the ma and pa shops to compete with the grocery stores selling cut flowers and the Basement Bettys undercutting the market, selling out of their homes.» —“Hannah Floral Branching...
soaping n.— «The guys stroll the streets in their Soap shoes, a brand of shoe that allows them to grind their way in a practice known as aggressive walking, or soaping. Their sneakers may not look different from anyone else’s, but their...
get up v. phr.— «It is this desire to get known, or “get up” all over town to become “all city” that motivates tagging, which is probably the most visible form of graffiti in the city of Grand Rapids...
suitcase university n.— «We’ve got a reputation of being a suitcase university because students go home in the weekend.» —“Colleges work to speed graduation” by Judy Putnam in Lansing Grand Rapids...
perfumed prince n.— «My friend says that Clark is “the last guy in the world you want to see in the White House.” He describes him as a “perfumed prince” who is so conceited he never admits he’s wrong and treats...
gank v.— «Hickman said he and Maurice Pointer planned to “gank”—the street term for rob—the undercover agent, posing as a customer, by selling him fake cocaine for $28,000 on April 8 on the MSU campus in East Lansing...