How did the word gay go from meaning lighthearted to homosexual? Also, why are elementary schools sometimes called grammar schools? Plus, imeldific, gone pecan, random Scrabble words, and the difference between borrow and lend. And the etiquette of...
okada rider n.— «In the main square of Makeni, a couple of hours’ drive into the jungle from Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, young men sit around on their motorbikes, chatting, joking and swapping cigarettes. These are the town’s taxi...
two-centimetre n.— «“You don’t come here in a two-centimetre (slang for a micro-mini).”…It was here on Sunday that taxi drivers and hawkers joined forces to teach one young woman “a lesson.” Nwabisa Ngcukana, 25...
taxi queen n.— «Teenage girls are being used by unscrupulous taxi operators in Chatsworth as “scouts” to identify potential robbery targets. The girls—many of whom are addicted to drugs—are planted in taxis to identify passengers carrying...
taxicast n.— «Slightly more than half the taxis in New York City are now equipped with touch-screen video monitors.…News briefs, also known as taxicasts, are updated three times a day, but less time-sensitive features are changed...
accountant n.— «The taxi drivers are catching on fast too.…An “accountant” collects the fares, provides change and squares up the money angle of the trip. This frees the driver to do his job without endangering the lives of the...
