Is the term “Oriental” offensive? Where do we get the phrase “not one iota”? Why do we tell someone to “take a gander”? And who coined the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?
Instead of crying “uncle,” an Indiana woman’s family cries calf-rope! She wonders if this expression of submission is unique to her family. This is part of a complete episode.
spider cleaning n.— «As high-rise buildings mushroom across the city, facade cleaners—the ones who dangle from ropes to give those glass houses the impeccable look—are finding more jobs and more challenges.…“If a person hangs from a...
lure knocker n.— «Every fisherman should also carry what is called a “lure knocker,” which is a device with a weight on the end and a short length of chain attached to a long rope. The device will hook onto your snagged lure...
belay slave n.— «The technical term for the climber who goes first is the “leader”; that’s the climber on the “sharp” end of the rope—the end you can hurt yourself on. The term for the climber who holds the rope...
sharp adj.— «The technical term for the climber who goes first is the “leader”; that’s the climber on the “sharp” end of the rope—the end you can hurt yourself on.» —“A Match Made in Canada” by...