spange v.— «Along the way, she bums a nickel here, a quarter there. The kids call it “spanging”—begging spare change. It is how they buy food and coffee and cigarettes without selling themselves or drugs.…She tries to...
Afghanistanism n.— «For years, Americans went about their daily lives under the false impression that faraway places like Afghanistan didn’t matter. Newspapers even had a term for news stories that were irrelevant to local readers:...
rag horn n.— «“The first time we saw it we were about 400 or 500 yards away, and we saw it up on this ridge with a bunch of cows. And we said “Oh, he’s just a rag horn’” Ralph said, referring to the term for a bull with small...
sharrow n.— «Caught between the need for a continuous bike lane and the demands of drivers, Portland transportation engineers finally came up with a solution. Next month, the city will fill the gaps in the network with new shared-lane...
ranch butler n.— «Traditional ranchers are finding themselves priced out of business, while a whole new cottage industry is emerging of managers who jokingly call themselves “ranch butler,” “ranch ambassador,” or simply...
ranch ambassador n.— «Traditional ranchers are finding themselves priced out of business, while a whole new cottage industry is emerging of managers who jokingly call themselves “ranch butler,” “ranch ambassador,” or simply...