Greetings, wanderers, and welcome home. This past weekend on A Way with Words we wrestled with "commentate," "tie me over" vs. "tide me over," long words, and "biweekly" vs. "semiweekly." We also...
This week’s Slang This! contestant, a comic-book illustrator from Providence, R.I., tries to guess the meaning of the expressions “hat-catcher” and “to go shucks.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “What Do Hat-Catcher and to Go...
bust on someone v. phr.— «Swist approached the officers and asked what they were doing. They told him they were investigating a case and Swist became argumentative. He asked why the cops were busting on him.…Swist then walked away and entered the...
sausage boom n.— «Containment booms, which prevent oil from floating free on the surface, and sausage booms, which are stuffed with absorbent material to soak oil from the water, are being used around the ship, and near shore.» —“Oil spill total...
whale n.— «A whale is a mound of snow allowed to settle on a trail to be moved where it’s needed later.» —“On the slopes—Ski areas have a whale of a time despite record warmth” by Mike Szostak Providence Journal (Rhode Island) Jan. 6, 2000...
Starvation Corner n.— «What Cafeteria III table serves as both a Starvation Corner and a Lonely Hearts Club during third lunch?» —“Teen Scene” by Susanne Shaw, Douglas Johnson Newport Mercury and Weekly News (Rhode Island) Oct. 4, 1963. (source:...