A listener in Ypsilanti, Michigan, wonders how the Army vehicle called a jeep got its name. Answer: It was associated with Eugene the Jeep, a strange creature from the 1930s comic strip, Popeye. Lexicographers and etymologists find no evidence to...
flatfender n.— «Kevin Hawkins is well-known in wheeling circles as a builder and driver of Jeeps that work. His first flatfender was affectionately called the “Frog,” owing to its green paintand the way it would hop...
bag night n.— «Perhaps “bag nights” could use further clarification, since it’s a backpacker’s term that, even then, is subject to personal preferences. Henceforth (how’s that for sounding official?), here are my...
parent-flattering adj.— «One marketing firm has coined a term for such parent-driven kid fashion, an industry likely to hit $17.5 billion this year. It’s a facet of licensing called “parent-flattering,” according to the study...
Great to Be Alive Day n.— «Byers fractured his pelvis when a Jeep he was traveling in struck a mine. Two others in the Jeep were killed by the blast. “Every year since, I celebrate “It’s Great to be Alive Day’ on Feb. 5...
boondocking n.— «New Willys models provide a dual-purpose vehicle suitable for family or business use, as well as “boondocking.”» —“Formal Opening of the Lonnie Beyer Jeep Sales & Service” in advert...