freedom of the bathroom n.— «According to prolific writer Isaac Asimov, when two people share two bathrooms, each has “freedom of the bathroom.” This freedom entails using the resource whenever, for however long, and for...
frozen chicken head n.— «Hard ski surfaces come in many forms, from “boilerplate” or “bulletproof” after a January thaw/freeze (Vermont natives like to say the snow “toightened up” after the thaw) to...
C.U.‘d adj.— «In reality, Flagg and Pierson had not been married but rather “joined in civil union”—”C.U.’d,” as it is sometimes called—in a legally binding rite the Vermont Legislature established in 2000...
pound n.— «Well, now the latest thing is called…knuckles, and this one looks like it’s going to be around for a while. I’ve heard a few people refer to it as a “pound” but whatever the case is, it’s gotten totally out of...
backfill n.— «I was mobilized to a stateside assignment at Fort Eustis in Virginia, where I would administer anesthesia at the McDonald Army Community Hospital. I was known as “backfill,” a term for identifying someone who...
‘kinning n.— «It’s fast approaching ‘kinning time. ‘Kinning, as in pumpkinning. The peculiar, age-old Springfield tradition of rolling Halloween pumpkins—preferably pilfered—down the steep downtown hills into the Square has...