Dog chewing waspers, a Virginia expression Rona heard from her father in the Blue Ridge area, pictures someone chewing gum with their mouth open and plenty of teeth showing. Waspers means wasps, with related pronunciations such as warshpers heard in...
triggerlock n.— «Demarcus Coley, 29 years of age, of the 12000 block of Tech Ridge in Austin, Tx., charged with possession of a Schedule I narcotic with intent to distribute, criminal conspiracy, and Triggerlock. Triggerlock is a term for...
suitcase scientist n.— «Maryville resident Bill Cabage, a spokesman for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said ORNL’s frequent fliers are referred to as “suitcase scientists.” Those scientists with their carry-on luggage and laptops are...
omega block n.— «Northern California has been sitting under what meteorologists commonly refer to as an “omega” block—so named because of its distinctive shape—which features troughs of low pressure both to the west and east of a large...
rag horn n.— «“The first time we saw it we were about 400 or 500 yards away, and we saw it up on this ridge with a bunch of cows. And we said “Oh, he’s just a rag horn’” Ralph said, referring to the term for a bull with small...
toe-in n.— «Gunsauls decided a closer extraction was necessary. He lifted off again, approached the children’s location and balanced the front tips of the helicopter’s landing skids against the sloping hillside what pilots refer to as a...

