What’s the origin of the phrase a country mile? Vida from Rochester, New York, says her husband often uses it, as in “go about a country mile and then make a left.” The expression goes back at least 300 years in the United Kingdom and has long meant...
ten-tenths adj.—Gloss: All, all-out, or completely. «Racers often rate their effort in terms of tenths, with nine-tenths being an agressive race pace and ten-tenths a banzai lap.» —“Ultimate!! Racing!! Machines!!” by...
roller n.— «I reined in the speedy pace and tried to find a rhythm over the first three miles, where we encountered “rollers”—in running parlance, those are mellow hills with ups and downs that wake up your legs, but aren’t so...
ring game n.— «Dances were often held at ranch houses, but many Baptists opposed dancing to music. Still wanting to dance, Bill and his friends solved this dilemma by participating in what was known as “ring games.” As in...
optempo adj.— «“Optempo,” as soldiers refer to the pace of military life, is fast; poetry helps cadets inured to racing from one activity to another uncover those intricate details perceptible only at slower speeds.» —“In the Valley...
ganas n.— «“It’s an immigrant community that has a lot of ganas—a lot of desire to move ahead,” Professor Smith said of Mexicans in New York. The trouble, he added, is that the economic, social and community support needed to get ahead...
