Zerbert is another name for making a sputtering raspberry on a child’s belly. Chris from Rockwell, Texas, wants to know whether Bill Cosby coined the word, a question that comes up at home with a three-year-old and a six-year-old and plenty of...
fitting the flaps n.— «Lip Synchronisation, known in America as “fitting the flaps,” is a means of ensuring that the sound of the words being spoken matched the lip movements of the onscreen speaker.» —“Lost in Translation” Schoolgirl Milky...
Kent in Dallas grew up calling the groove between the nose and upper lip a berber, a childhood coinage that even a makeup-counter consultant briefly adopted. The standard anatomical word is philtrum, also called the infranasal depression. It comes...
Hello, guys and dolls--it's another newsletter from A Way with Words. We aired an episode this past weekend in which we talked about the footwear known as "go-aheads," what part of the body is "possible," aptronyms (when a...
toke n.— «Groups of UAW members were stationed at several points along the busy road, including directly across from the new casino, a gaming site that some dealers said would be costing them tips—or as they call them tokes—in coming months. “About...
lip-licker’s dermatitis n.— «When you lick your lips, the temporary moisture evaporates, leaving the lips further dehydrated. Too much moisture around the lips can sometimes lead to what’s commonly called lip-licker’s dermatitis—a rash that...