Tagship

Three Sheets to the Wind

If a tippler has one too many, he’s said to be “three sheets to the wind.” But why three? And why, of all things, sheets? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Three Sheets to the Wind” Martha, we’ve got an email here from David in...

plankowner

plankowner  n.— «All three were members of the commissioning crew—“plankowners,” in Navy parlance—who worked together on the ship’s surface-to-air missile systems.» —“Former crew members take part in Kitty Hawk’s final voyage” by Steve...

weeping tile

weeping tile  n.— «Key components to this portion of the project, besides the 6 x 6 lumber, are a perforated four-inch drain pipe (also referred to as weeping tile), course gravel, 10-inch galvanized spikes, a 1/4 inch ship auger and a five-pound...

Q-tip cruise

Q-tip cruise  n.—Gloss: a pleasure trip aboard a trip, taken mainly by senior citizens. Note: So named because they have white hair and resemble the white cotton ends of Q-tips. «It was in mid-September 2006, the final cruise of the season for the...

kit-bashing

kit-bashing  n.— «The term for buying a kit and replacing its materials is “kit-bashing.” Kerr said Dellaquila isn’t the only kit-basher in the society; that is, members who order a kit and then throw away much of the materials in favor of their own...

T-patcher

T-patcher  n.— «With lethal German 88mm artillery shells raining down, Panzer tanks attacked the 36th’s flanks. The T-patchers, as they were called (their insignia was a “T” on an arrowhead patch), literally engaged in “hand-to-tank” fighting on and...