A New York caller is incensed by the verb incent and a California listener is puzzled when his Southern relatives observe that his new baby is fixing to tune up whenever she’s about to start crying. This is part of a complete episode.
start-me-up n.— «Start-Me-Ups—these are youngsters starting out and on the way up: most are single and childless and in the 18 to 29 year age group with a male and white-collar job bias—they like fun and parties.» —“The new black...
redshirt v.— «After the morning announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance, Andersen’s kindergartners sat down on a blue rug. Two, one boy and one girl, had been redshirted—the term, borrowed from sports, describes students held out for a...
SOD n.— «In December 1996, inspired in part by Mr. Randall’s well-publicized late fatherhood (his wife was 26 at the time), I wrote an article for The New York Times about men having children at a stage in life when their peers were...
pageant hair n.— «Biotech #1: He hired this blonde girl from Chicago… with pageant hair! Biotech #2: Ew. Pageant hair? Hello, this is New York City. We aren’t blonde, and we aren’t perky!» —“ Although We All Start Out That...
petrosexual n.— «With the former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg as its host, “Bullrun” is the television spinoff of the real-life road rally of the same name, in which entry fees run more than $17,000. Participants, who sometimes...