Jean in Thetford, Vermont, remembers using the term cherry bump to refer to that moment when part of a backyard swingset leaves the ground for a moment, then lands with a thump. Another term for it is cherry bomb, which can also be used for a...
The fabric called denim originated in the town of Nimes, France, hence the name. The fabric known as jean, originally from Genoa, Italy, was popular long before Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis and teamed up in 1873 to make durable work trousers using...
Someone should write a love letter to a new book called Letters of Note. It’s a splendid collection of all kinds of correspondence through the ages: Elvis Presley fans writing to the president, children making suggestions to famous...
bum bra n.— «I noticed the denim was pulling across the top of the back of my legs. Dang, I thought, too tight. Then the clerk pointed at the taut fabric and said, “That’s the bum bra.”… It’s a dynamic trio of jean...
mom jean n.— «Avoid at all cost, what is known as the “mom jean,” that pancake flat butt that comes from high-waisted but tapered-leg jeans. Timmins recommends a full-leg trouser style, which is more forgiving and not as tight...
jorts n.pl.— «I’d be fine if I can be assured that what’s being mocked are unsightly variations of jean shorts (I refuse to be drawn in by the taunting and refer to them as “jorts.”).» —“I don’t mind being the butt of a...