Ham-and-egger job, for a botched or below-standard effort, grew out of boxing slang. A ham-and-egger was a palooka: a low-rung fighter who filled out a card, took whatever small payday or meal came with it, and wasn’t expected to shine. The phrase...
It’s another A Way with Words newsletter! This past weekend’s episode was a rebroadcast, which we named “Pickles and Ice Cream.” English speakers use those two when they want to compare two things that don’t go well...
RevPAR n.— «Revenue per available room (RevPAR) in Vienna went down 27.5% during the first half of this year. The main issue was dramatic discounting with average room rate down almost 20%.» —“European chain hotels market...
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...
Zipcar capitalism n.— «While owning a home may be the American Dream, renting, at least for the moment, seems to be the new American theme. […] Some refer to it as “Zipcar Capitalism” in reference to the company that...
vampire bite n.— «The neck piercing is usually done off to one side of the neck and most commonly referred to as “vampire bites.” These are done with a surface bar and if done correctly, have a lower rate of rejection. When the piercing...
