An Indianapolis woman vaguely remembers that there was a term for the Mohawk Indians who worked on the high beams and girders of some of this country’s most famous construction projects. The word she wants: skywalkers. High Steel is the documentary...
OMG, text messaging! It’s destroying the English language, corrupting young minds, turning us into illiterates. It’s probably shrinking the ozone layer, too. Or is it? In his new book, Txting: The Gr8 Db8, David Crystal offers a different...
If you’ve flown from Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport recently, you may have noticed an odd but official-looking sign that reads: “RECOMBOBULATION AREA.” A caller from Madison was discombobulated to see it, then started wondering about the...
gutbomb n.— «In Canada, the decidedly lower-class poutine generally came to the table as fries drenched in gravy, minus any such exotica as cheese curds. Here it’s apparently an in-joke hommage to the Canadian origins of co-owner Doug Washington...
starvation corner n.— «Dorothy Mitchell Fales gathered her entire family at her rectangular table, adding and removing leaves depending on which sons or grandchildren were in attendance. At our peak, we were fourteen. The children would sit by...
go code v. phr.— «Mr. Mitchell and other deputies responded to a 1:15 a.m. call for help from Leonard police regarding a disturbance in progress. Mr. Mitchell was “going code,” which is a word used to describe in a hurry, traveling on State Highway...
