Do Americans use the same sign language as the British? And what do Japanese people use instead of umm? Plus, why do we vote at polling places? What goes into file 13? All this, a word quiz, commode vs. toilet, saditty and bougie, and cute stuff...
You may remember the call we had from Tony in Encinitas, California. He was curious about the term for an unusual hazing ritual.
cat-claw n.— «Part of our loot included a a short wrecking bar known to carpenters as a cat-claw. It’s pretty rusted after lying out in the weather all those months.» —“Curious trash along the highway” by Carl...
trash ‘n’ cash n.— «It is feared that short-sellers—investors who use falling share prices to make money—were deliberately spooking the market in order to profit from plunging stocks in a practice called trash ‘n’ cash...
pay to throw v. phr.— «The most successful curbside programs give residents who recycle a reward—lower garbage rates. With three garbage cans, for example, you pay full fare. With one can of trash and one of recycling, you pay less. Both...
trashout n.— «Professionals in the insurance and lending industry are bracing themselves for all manner of similar situations, as homeowners either trash or simply leave their trash lying around their houses, often taking off without even...