two-percenter n.— «I’m fed up with what I call the “2-percenters’”.…This was a case of people coming and spoiling a great day. We have a handful of knuckleheads that come out here and disrupt things. We’re not going to take it, and we’re going to...
selling loads n.— «Cab rides in New Orleans aren’t even cheap, thanks to factors ranging from the high cost of cab leases to the unsavory practice of hotel employees “selling loads” to cabbies. “Just to get an airport load at a hotel, you’ve got to...
red seat n.— «Charlie Melancon’s victory in the bayou region of Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District proved that Democrats could win seats held by Republicans, or as he called them, “red seats.”» —“Democrats put best face on outcome of...
witches’ knickers n.pl.— «Alaskans call them “tundra ghosts” and “landfill snowbirds.” In China, they’re “white pollution.” South Africans have sarcastically dubbed them their “national flower.” Snagged in treetops in Ireland, they become “witches’...
woobie n.— «In the same way that each member of the family chose something that represented them, and placed it in Chip’s casket. Adam and Holly and their children chose Connor’s pacifier and Janie’s “woobie.”» —“Myers’ Family Comes Together To...
shut in n.— «As it stormed into the Gulf with fierce winds, oil and gas producers moved workers from offshore rigs and platforms located throughout the central and eastern Gulf. This caused a hiatus in production, known as a “shut-in” in industry...