orphan plane n.— «They’re owners of what the aviation industry calls “orphan” planes: There’s no warranty on their new aircraft and no factory to easily supply spare parts.» —“Plane owners grounded by manufacturer...
yoging n.— «Amey Mathews of Santa Cruz has been practicing yoga since 1994. She teaches it, too. In fact, Amey puts in lots of hours “yoging” (as she calls it), and it makes her very hungry.» —“Back Burner: This blogger...
Death of the Typewriter Ding! In this week’s episode, Mark Twain would be pleased. Reports that it’s the end of the line for the typewriter have been greatly exaggerated. Well, slightly anyway: it’s not the horseless carriage...
This week’s Slang This! contestant, a professor of medieval history at the University of Santa Cruz, tries to guess the meaning of the slang terms quizzam and snirt. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Quizzam and Snirt:...
In California, everybody gets a little crazy when those hot, dry winds called Santa Anas start blowing. A caller asks the origin of the name. Is it a translation of Spanish for “Satan’s wind”? By the way, here’s that list of...
Belsnickle n.— «“Belsnickle,” a word meaning “Good St. Nicholas,” is a term used for a figure of Santa Claus holding a tree or branch in his folded arms. Santa is usually not smiling on a belsnickle, and the branch was...