polliwogging n.— «Iowa DNR fisheries technician Adam Thiese found the first Higgins eye within 30 minutes of the opening bell. Using a technique dubbed “polliwogging,” he slipped downstream on his knees, probing the bottom...
laborshed n.— «The first-ever Quad-Cities Graduate Inventory determined that 47,700 graduates are being produced annually within a 90-mile radius, which is considered the laborshed area for the Quad-Cities.» —“Illinois Q-C Chamber...
A caller is curious about the odd expression “to who laid the rail,” which is used to mean, among other things, “thoroughly, completely, excessively.” You can see Grant’s work on the term at the Double-Tongued...
Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words, public radio's lively language show! Next week's show will be brand new, but this past weekend's show was a juicy repeat in which we talked about the demise of the typewriter, surfing...
walking quorum n.— «“Walking” quorums, often called “roaming” quorums, are those times when members of a government body—a city council or school board, for instance—discuss public business outside of public meetings. It’s often in groups...
only meatball in the rice n.— «I didn’t want her to be the only meatball in the rice, but I didn’t want her to go to an all-black school and get up with some of this so-called ghetto stuff.» —“Felon makes new life as a...