In the early 16th century, the word bully was a term of endearment, probably stemming from Dutch boel, meaning “lover.” Shakespeare used bully to mean “a fine fellow” or “good chap.” When President Theodore Roosevelt referred to the presidency as a...
According to a centuries-old superstition, saying rabbit, rabbit as soon as you wake up on the first day of every month will supposedly ensure good luck. Variants of this phrase include white rabbit, or white rabbit, white rabbit, or simply rabbits...
A listener who grew up in Ukraine recalls that her family always referred to chicken drumsticks by a name that translates as Bush’s legs. This jocular term refers to an agreement between U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail...
Los Anchorage n.— «That was in the early 1900s when Seward was the main supply port for miners in the Hope/Sunrise district of the Kenai and where a still-hoped-for Alaska railroad would start. Seward was a boom town, and Anchorage was, well...
Eastlos n.— «RUBIN: I’m like, “Oh, a Latino kid from Eastlos going to New York.” SANCHEZ: Eastlos? RUBIN: Yeah, East Los Angeles, going to New York.» —“Profile: Problems at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, where virtually all of the...
pumpkin lily n.— «Such snide remarks as “eastern pumpkin lily” and “four-eyed dude” and less printable ones kept him in fighting trim.» —“Teddy Roosevelt Nation’s Youngest President” by Victor W. Zierke Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisc.) Nov. 29, 1958...
