How did the term Bohemian come to be associated with literary and artistic nonconformists who live outside mainstream society? In the early 19th century, the French term La bohème was applied to the Romani people, also known as the Roma, a...
In our Facebook group, listeners share ways to refer to someone who’s lived a half-century or more: 50-plus, member of the 600 Month Club, 29 plus shipping and handling, the 40th anniversary of my 30th birthday, and Jack Benny-plus. This is...
A Slang This! contestant guesses at the meaning of the slang terms faux po and pole tax. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Faux Po and Pole Tax” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Grant Barrett. And...
rent-a-quote n.— «Roy Keane has been labelled a “rent-a-quote” manager by former Ireland midfielder Eamon Dunphy. “I know Roy well and he hated all that manager-speak,” Dunphy said. “Now he holds these...
faux-po
n.— «“Faux-po” = A security guard, mall officer or a rent-a-cop.» —“Re: Slang words” by glitter_vertigo in San Francisco, California MakeupTalk Jan. 6, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
rent-a-cow attrib.— «Just last week, Governor Rose Mofford signed a bill aimed at stopping developers like Keating from using a “rent a cow” tax dodge.» —“Charles Keating: What A Political Animas” by Jana...