Tom in Indianapolis, Indiana, remembers hearing Irish pennant in the Marine Corps for a loose thread hanging from a uniform. The term belongs to the category of ethnophaulism, or ethnic slur, alongside expressions such as Irish screwdriver for...
A listener in Carmel, New York, remembers his father’s phrase knuckle down, screw bony tight, a challenge called out to someone particularly adept at playing marbles. The game of marbles, once wildly popular in the United States, is a rich...
Cut a chogi is Korean War-era military slang for moving fast, leaving quickly, or taking a shortcut, as Andre in Indianapolis heard from his father-in-law, such as cutting through a parking lot to get somewhere sooner. The form chogi likely comes...
The slang term woke, as in stay woke, arose among African Americans to refer to being aware of social injustice or racism and then doing something about it in one’s own life. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of ““Woke” Means...
Whitewater rafting has a rich tradition of jargon and slang that includes such terms as boulder garden, strainer, and drop pool. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Whitewater Rafting Words” You’re listening to A Way...
Door dwell, hoistway, and terminal landing are all terms from the jargon of elevator design and maintenance. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Language of Elevators” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show...