Quiz Guy Greg Pliska offers a colorful variation on his ever-popular “Odd Man Out” puzzle. In this series, for example, which one doesn’t belong: Imperial, Shasta, Kings, and Orange. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript...
streeter n.— «Elements like the Word Train appear at first glance quite un-Timesian, but at second, they provide a philosophical jolt—what is the Word Train, after all, but a variation on the classic “streeter,” that roundup of quotes...
strip-and-flip v. phr.— «Typically, in a buyout situation like this, the new owners follow some variation on what has come to be called the strip-and-flip script. They proceed to gin up profits at their new holding by any means necessary...
necklace light n.— «The lights on the bridge cables, in a colorful bit of shop talk, are called “necklace lights.” The phrase, or a variation of it, appears to have been around for a couple of decades (a caption on a 1981 New York Times...
BONCOB n.— «As those pseudo-silk purses now unravel, a new acronym has joined the financial argot: BONCOB, pronounced Bon-cob, according to debt traders. Translation (have the children leave the room now): “Bugger off, no chance of...
ambulance-chasing n. in science, doing research to achieve fame or to secure funding. Editorial Note: This is, of course, a variation on the “ambulance-chasing” most-often associated with lawyers. Both meanings might be generally defined...