ladybug taint n.— «There’s even a name for it—“ladybug taint.” The smell, which connotes green bell peppers or roasted peanuts, is produced by ladybugs as a defense mechanism. The chemicals they release, in a class of compounds called...
butter and egg racket n.— «He followed it by a six-city survey quoting records, officials and personal observations of the butter and egg racket. The game is a lottery played by low-income groups.…Bets are made on the butter and egg...
bus-left other.— «Billy looked up to see the taillights of the school bus disappear. This was one child who was left behind. “Momma, I done got bus left,” Billy lamented.» —“Don’t Leave Me Behind, Mr. Bush” by...
fideo n.— «Mention fideo and you’ll likely get a happy sigh about the “yellow box”—and the mother, grandmother, aunt or uncle who makes this lesser-known staple best. Yet fideo is essentially the Spanish word for vermicelli, a...
cooperatition n.— «Carole Bruce, the chairwoman of the Greensboro chamber, suggested coining a new word—”cooperatition”—to describe the current status of regionalism in the Triad. “We come together to celebrate our...
strohlem n.— «The 18th-century kitchen has a strohlem ceiling that is among the best preserved that team members have seen. Strohlem is the German word for straw and mud, Thomas said. Wooden boards were wrapped in wet straw, then packed...