Skip, a sailing enthusiast from Gainesville, Florida, has been pondering radio protocols, such as the distress signal mayday!, and sécurité, which announces any of various warnings. There’s also pan-pan, repeated three times, a call that...
Hitler weather n.— Note: Discussed in American Speech vol. 21, no. 1 (Feb., 1946), pp. 76-77, and vol. 22, no. 1 (Feb., 1947), pp. 74-75. «Amid the brilliant sunshine which Germans call “Hitler weather”—they used to call it...
rifle shot n.— «Prodded by advocacy groups on both sides of the issue, members of Congress are considering various narrowly targeted proposals—”rifle shots,” in Washington parlance—to ease or tighten the limits on legal entry...