More than a century ago, the Springfield Republican newspaper in Massachusetts proposed a new word for that twitterpated time in an adolescent’s life when one discovers the joys of flirtation: being all girled up. The Republican is also the...
Welcome to another newsletter from "A Way with Words"! In our latest episode, we talked about bird names, "like a duck on a June bug," overuse of the word "like," the expression of disbelief "Good night, nurse...
colony collapse disorder n.— «That is why experts are concerned about an unexpected die-out of a large portion of the bee population this winter. According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, beekeepers in 24 states—including Ohio—have reported...
manopause n.— «Now middle-aged men have begun to admit they, too, can experience hormonal shifts that affect many aspects of their lives such as sexual function and drive, muscle and bone strength, mood, mental acumen and energy. Some call it male...
who laid the rail adv. phr.— «They always had a celebration every year when I was a kid. And us kids looked forward to that. For we could shoot fire crackers till who laid the rail.» —in University of Illinois at Springfield Oral History...
dash-boarded adj.— «“Getting dash-boarded (thrown over the front of the bull) is also dangerous,” Davis says. “The worst is when you get stepped on.”» —“Cowboys must prepare for ride of their lives” by Ofelia Casillas State Journal...