cougay n.— «The SNL skit below coined the word cougay to refer to an older gay man chasing younger gay men.…Another reason why I posted this blog about cougay (aka chicken hawk) is to beg the question “Am I a cougay?” I...
trad adj.— «He assured me that what he collects—and plays—is traditional, or “trad,” jazz. I told him I call it Dixieland. He called my terminology “unfortunate,” adding, “Eddie Condon hated the term Dixieland.” That should settle it...
How did serialized melodramas come to be called soap operas? The answer has to do with the suds-selling sponsors of old-time radio shows. This is part of a complete episode.
Howdy and happy new year! It's another newsletter from "A Way with Words." Last week there was no newsletter as we celebrated the new year by hauling our dictionaries out of the low-hanging winter sun. We wish they were...
CO2e n.— «The IPCC has crunched the numbers and says this means a tax of about $50 levied on every metric ton of GHGs, or carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e to use their terminology).» —“We Need a Global Carbon Tax” by Ralph...
How about the phrase “saddle my nag”? No, this phrase isn’t some obscure bit of jargon from world of finance. It’s an expression familiar to Aussie schoolchildren. Martha explains what it means. This is part of a complete...