Why is the word pound abbreviated lb.? A listener from Tijuana, Mexico, learns that the answer relates to his native Spanish as well as the Latin term for “weighing.” This is part of a complete episode.
Buenos! In this week’s archive edition, we consider alternatives to the word “retirement.” We also discuss “swan song,” “bike-shedding,” “tohubohu,” “criteria,” and how to pronounce...
complete knockdown n.— «Still, said J.D. Powers’ Dunne, Chinese carmakers might not encounter the same challenges penetrating the U.S. market from Tijuana that Honda and Toyota did in the 1980s when they had no local supplier base. These...
tortilla wall n.— «Alonzo cited the construction of a fence between Tijuana and San Diego, known in Mexico as “the tortilla wall.” It was completed in the 1990s and forced migrants into the sparsely populated and dangerous...
Tijuana chrome
n.— «Tijuana Chrome…Silver paint.» —“Re: What’s Wisconsin chrome (was C-5 crash)” by Bill Marrs Usenet: rec.crafts.metalworking Apr. 4, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
hillbilly chrome n. duct tape; metallic (aerosol) paint. Also Alabama chrome, Arkansas chrome, Georgia chrome, ghetto chrome, Mexican chrome, redneck chrome, Tijuana chrome, Wisconsin chrome. Editorial Note: Usually jocular and mildly derogatory...