coolie n.— «Apprentices have been at work for more than an hour now, doing “coolies,” a term for unskilled labor such as Barnies” groundskeeping chores. With sweat rolling down foreheads, they work diligently, even if...
gork v.— «Q: You used some interesting phrases and words in the story—”yawning hulk,” which I think is just a beautifully descriptive phrase, and you invented the word “gorked,” as in “gorked out on pills...
blue-state tax n.— «Democratic leaders in Congress are vowing to make the alternative minimum tax a centerpiece of next year’s budget debate, saying the levy threatens to unfairly increase tax bills for millions of middle-class families...
trigger list n.— «So Barney did some digging and found out he was on something called a trigger list. It’s a list compiled by the credit bureaus, in this case, of people applying for home loans. “The credit bureaus are sort of...
frogging v.— «Experienced knitters, they will go to a thrift store and look for a sweater that is past its prime and unravel the yarn to make something new. The practice is known as “frogging,” from the words “rip it, rip it...
lap-banding n.— «Mary wants to have an out-patient procedure called lap-banding, in which an inflatable silicone band is inserted in her stomach, limiting her food intake.» —“Identical Twins” by Lori Campbell Daily...