arson dog n.— «Their job is accelerant-detection canine, better known as an arson dog. The Labrador retrievers are trained to sniff out accelerants such as gasoline, kerosene or lighter fluid at a scene when arson is suspected...
ankling n.— «Jon Goldman, who has headed the Irvine-based company since The Collective and Backbone Entertainment merged almost three years ago, is “ankling,” as we say in Variety parlance. That means he’s not quitting in the...
Hello, you have A Way with Words! This past weekend's show covered a lot of ground, including new political language like "glass pockets" and "horseracism," and whether there is a relationship between "caucus" and...
A caller wants to settle a friendly argument: Is something not worth debating called a moot point or a mute point? Here’s the scene from the Friends episode that Grant mentions, in which Joey misunderstands the term as moo point. This is part...
waste-face n.— «Dubbing it a “true lounge,” Head says Soho 7 is for the crowd that has matured past the waste-face Water Street scene and is looking for a nicer space to sip a drink.» —“Soho 7 a fashionable new addition...
jump-out n.— «Finding winners at meetings restricted to horses from certain zones is hard yakka. Horses that haven’t been to the races for months. Horses that are racing out of their grades and over unsuitable distances. Horses that have...