Two familiar terms that have inspired lots of bogus etymologies are “dead ringer” and “spitting image.” “Dead ringer” probably comes from horse racing, where a ringer is a horse that may look like other horses in a race but is actually from a higher...
Washing Machine Charlie n.— «By the time he was 19, McNerney was the platoon sergeant of a mortar unit assigned to HQ Company in the jungles of Saipan, fighting Japanese soldiers and dodging Japanese bombs. One day, in early July 1944, McNerney...
bute n.— «The biggest problem confronting the industry is its addiction to performance-enhancing drugs. In the early 1960s, phenylbutazone—bute in racetrack parlance—seemed like a miraculous antidote to lameness in tired horses.» —“View From The...
put a building to sleep v. phr.— «Most of the savings come from smarter use of the district’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems controlled by a new $2 million proprietary system called Automated Logic, said Larry Wilson, the...
old settler n.— «Opening tonight in Warner Robins is “The Old Settler,” a love story set in Harlem in the 1940s. “Old Settler” is said to be a pejorative term for an aging unmarried woman.» —“Midstate’s calendar offers variety of cultural...
fish fog n.— «Medical researchers are just beginning to explore such mercury exposure in adults, which can leave some people struggling through life in a disorienting “fish fog.”» —“Power plants are focus of drive to cut mercury” by Larry...
