thumper
n.— «During his unsuccessful bid for the Illinois House this spring, Aaron Patterson brokered a heroin deal and talked of his need to acquire “thumpers,” street slang for guns, federal prosecutors alleged Friday.» —“Patterson virulently answers charges” by Matt O’Connor, David Heinzmann Chicago Tribune Aug. 7, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...