Eric from Millbank, South Dakota, says his grandmother used the term duke’s mixture to denote “a hodgepodge,” such as ingredients in a stew. Duke’s mixture was originally the name of a cheap tobacco that was made from leftover odds and...
The dilemma continues over how to spell dilemma! Grant and Martha try to suss out the backstory of why some people spell that word with an “n.” A lot of them, it seems, went to Catholic school. Maybe that’s a clue? Plus, the saying...
social papers n.pl.— «A clarification is in order: real “social papers” are not boxed cards with your initial from your corner stationer. Social papers are made with hand-cut dies, a universe of fonts and stock in shades like creamy ecru...
taspo n.— «The Tobacco Institute of Japan and other organizations have announced plans to introduce ID cards for cigarette vending machines in 2008 in a bid to bar underage purchases. Under the system, ID cards embedded with integrated...
worm dirt n. chewing tobacco. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
heroic dose n.— «An ounce in twenty-four hours, and a drachm at a dose, are heroic prescriptions, and not to be generally imitated.…In cases wherein the physician might be tempted to overstep nature with these heroic doses of...