Loretta in Shreveport, Louisiana, wants to know what lexical and dialectal clues linguists look for when guessing where someone is from. She also wonders: Do people with long careers in the military or who grew up in a military family have a...
Hannah from Shreveport, Louisiana, is curious about Cooter Brown, a name she’s often heard applied to someone behaving mischievously. Cooter Brown shows up in several expressions, including drunk as Cooter Brown, high as Cooter Brown, and fast...
shock and hee-haw n.— «The surge really has accomplished a reduction in the violence, and things are safer. But convoys are still being hit by the IEDs and the vehicle-borne IEDs. They’re even putting explosive devices under satchels on...
joint n.— Note: The Historical Dictionary of American Slang dates this use of “joint” meaning “a carnival booth or concession” to 1894. «Dodson joined the Louisiana fair Wednesday.…Before working the games...
wooly-booger n.— «Rep. Robert Barton, R-Bossier City, introducing his bill to exempt Shreveport-area riverboat casinos from Coast Guard inspections. “I’m not bringing you a wooly-booger.”» —“Baton Rouge Report News And...
rent-a-rock n.— «Officer Christian Hicks says right now there’s no evidence of a carjacking, but there is evidence Shelley’s so-called friend turned the SUV into what’s called a rent-a-rock. That’s where someone loans someone else a...