You may remember the call we had from Tony in Encinitas, California. He was curious about the term for an unusual hazing ritual.
Ralph Kramden n.— «In truth this get-up was pretty much the unvarying male uniform last summer also, but this year an unexpected element has been added to the look, and that is a burgeoning potbelly one might term the Ralph Kramden.» —“It’s Hip to...
riffed adj.—Gloss: Laid off via a reduction in force (RIF). «TUSD rehires 88% of riffed teachers […] Last spring TUSD gave pink slips to 562 teachers. This summer it rehired 498 of them.» —“TUSD rehires 88% of riffed teachers” KVOA-TV (Tucson...
barbecue summer n.— «After the spring bounce, summer has been a washout for investors. Those of us who were hoping for a barbecue summer on the bourses have been left staring glumly at cloudy skies.» —“After the summer washout, investors’ eyes turn...
desert cooler n.— Note: Wikipedia has a decent entry for this type of air conditioner. Collins is the only mainstream dictionary publisher to include the term, but does so with an outdated definition: “a cooling device in which air is driven by an...
Like mushrooms in fallen leaves, new words keep popping up overnight. Also, is there an English word that means “the in-laws of your son or daughter“? And what does it mean when someone says, “Well, that was odder than Dick’s hatband!”?