Remember when no one ever thought about adding the suffix “-gate” to a word to indicate a scandal? Now there’s Troopergate, Travelgate, Monicagate, Cameragate, Sandwichgate, and of course, the mother of all gates, Watergate. Grant...
leverite n. (also leaverite) a worthless stone or rock, especially one mistaken as being valuable. Editorial Note: Paul Dickson writes in Family Words (1998, p. 79), “Heaverite, according to Raymond J. Nelson of Cody, Wyoming, is a rock that...
sheetrockero n. a person who hangs drywall, also known as gypsum board or sheet rock. Also sheetroquero. Editorial Note: The book Learning Construction Spanglish includes the Spanglish verb shiroquear, meaning to “to hang drywall or...
mocktini n. a non-alcoholic drink made to look like a martini. Editorial Note: A mocktini is a kind of mocktail, a much more common term. The “-tini” suffix, indicating a drink similar to a martini, exists in a variety of words such as...
viewshed n. the landscape or topography visible from a geographic point, especially that having aesthetic value. Etymological Note: This term is directly related to watershed ‘an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different...
–bagger suffix a fire alarm. Editorial Note: Usually constructed as one-bagger, two-bagger, three-bagger, etc., the number representing the severity of the fire, as in a four-alarm fire. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)