blue canary n.— «I’ve got to admit I was only a little surprised by the fact that the cops ran in the building without gear, common sense, etc. Have you ever seen cops approach the scene of a possible Haz-Mat incident? They’re not called...
heckler’s veto n.— «The late Harry Kalven Jr. of the University of Chicago Law School invented the phrase “heckler’s veto” to characterize Mr. Taffel’s position. One taking that position says to the would-be demonstrator: You...
fanon n.— «Writers and readers maintain a strict distinction between “canon,” the original works as Rowling wrote them, and “fanon,” the embellished, alternative retelling by fans. (In canon, Draco Malfoy is evil;...
ivy cap n.— «Both the newsboy and the flat cap, or ivy cap as it’s known in America, are also popular among women.» —“Hats back as rappers copy cool cats of jazz” by Harry Mount Telegraph (U.K.) Nov. 17...
Rupert n.— «Don’t the ranks refer to officers behind their backs as “Ruperts”?» —“‘I don’t treat Harry like dirt’” by Nigel Farndale in Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Telegraph (U.K.) Oct...
loop n.— «“The film was banned in over 23 states and yes it was controversial…there were the ‘white coat’ films before this and they always had this pretense,” by which Reems means the so-called white-coat with a doctor narrating...