ninth island n.— «Joel and Melodi Kekauoha began hearing the term “ninth island” when their flight from Honolulu descended over the Nevada desert toward the lights of the Las Vegas Strip. They learned the meaning later that morning, when they...
angel n.— «In hospital parlance, those killed in action are known as angels. In last weekend’s suicide bombing, the dead and wounded came to the hospital. “We took care of angels and wounded on that one,” said Commander Lach Noyes, a Navy surgeon...
anaspora n.— «A professor in Hawaii, however, had given it the old college try. He terms it “anaspora.” “The stem for ‘diaspora’ is speirein, meaning to scatter, and the prefix dia means apart. An antonym for ‘diaspora’ might take the form of...
gorilla dust n.— «When two male gorillas confront each other, they’re too canny most of the time to actually fight, so they resort to the tried-and-true political tactic of intimidation. Both scurry about in a frenzy, grimacing menacingly, beating...
ha la n.— «ha la—alexis p. and linda y.—boston, ma—1993—an expression for surprise. hawaiian pidgin for oh my gosh or no way! me: my cell phone bill was $200 this month. them: ha laaaa!» —“i want to have a word with you” by Souris Me, We Aug. 24...
Beach Boy surfing n.— «This is a relatively new form of surfing, a Laird Hamilton creation. It has not officially been given a name but is currently referred to as “Beach Boy Surfing” though “oar surfing” and “oar hoar” are gaining popularity. It...