A Kentuckian says he always described gunning a car’s engine to make the vehicle spin in a circle as cutting doughnuts or cutting donuts, but when visiting South Dakota, he heard the same thing described as spinning cookies. This pastime goes...
Malamute, kayak, and parka are just some of the words that have found their way into English from the language of indigenous people in northern climes. • In the 1970s, some scientists argued that two quarks should be called truth and beauty. • The...
cliff risk n.— «In the credit derivatives market, certain instruments are exposed to what is known as “cliff risk.” This ominous sounding phrase describes a situation where the last in a series of adverse developments obliterates the...
battle rattle n.— «At 0001 hrs today we started to wear our “battle rattle,” or as it’s more affectionately known, our crap.» —“Spinning up” by Oneguy in Iraq MREater (Boise, Idaho) Oct. 8...
startex n.— «We haven’t really had Startex yet. We seem to be easing into it, starting wearing our gear, etc. before the actual play begins.» —“Spinning up” by Oneguy in Iraq MREater (Boise, Idaho) Oct...
Jimmy Dean n.— «When we go through the breakfast chow line, we sign for breakfast, and also sing for a lunch meal. We have a choice of an MRE, or a “Jimmy Dean.” The JDs aren’t really made by JD anymore, although they used to...