Jack in Spokane, Washington, wonders which phrase is correct when talking about improvising: play it by ear or play it by year? Although play it by ear is the original version and by far the most common one, play it by year sounds plausible enough...
Cindy in Spokane, Washington, says her father would bid his loved ones good-bye by saying tap ’er light. The phrase comes from miners’ slang of the early 1900s and is a gentle admonition to take care to avoid cave-ins or prematurely detonating...
put a nickel in someone v. phr.— «Bob comes in and said, “Who are you, what are doing here, where’s Linda?” and he just kept bantering me with all these questions, and I turned around and I said, “Who put a nickel in you...
alive day n.— «Staff Sgt. Joshua Olson of Spokane called it his “Alive Day,” the first anniversary of the day he lost his leg in Iraq.» —“Spokane soldier who lost leg in combat celebrates ‘Alive Day’” by...
fussy cut v.— «“Fussy cut” is quilters lingo for cutting out a small piece of fabric or an interesting design.» —“Pictures? Perfect Photo-transfer techniques allow you to incorporate the family into home decor” by...
Spokompton n.— «She used to refer to Spokane, where she lives, as “Spokompton” on bad days and “Spoke Vegas” on good ones. Now she simply refers to it as “Spokannabis.”» —“Kid...
