Red-Letter Christian n.— «Because being evangelical is usually synonymous with being Republican in the popular mind, and calling ourselves “progressive” might be taken as a value judgment by those who do share our views, we decided not to...
sunflowers n.pl.— «I knew a 10 was often called “sunflowers” or “double nickels,” but “Venus and Mars” or “Tennessee Tottie?”» —“Deciphering the Language of Craps” by Linda...
saw off v. phr.— «Saw-off. To stop. Also to interupt, silence. “When we get this done, we’ll saw off for the day.” Noted in Tennessee but nowhere else. The expression likely is derived from the sense of completion that comes...
chippy adj.— «Speaking of Tennessee, things have gotten a touch shall we say “chippy” between your team and the Tennessee Titans, with whom there’s been a little bit of a verbal jousting going on this week.» —“Del Rio...
horn-honker n.— «On the lips of some Tennesseans, the name “horn-honker” is a slur. But to the thousands who descended on the state Capitol over several years to stop a state income tax, “horn-honker” is akin to...