tocco
v.— «The nickname, pronounced like “taco,” is a combination of the words “took” and “hocked” and means taking something without permission—but not quite stealing. Sullivan said his father got the nickname by “toccoing” fruit from a local produce stand.» —“Same as he ever was, Justice Sullivan plans for retirement” by Matt Apuzzo in Hartford, Connecticut Boston Globe (Massachusetts) Apr. 12, 2006. (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...
Amid court-ordered busing in the 1970s, a middle-school teacher tried to distract her nervous students on the first day of class with this strange assignment: find a monarch caterpillar. The result? A memorable lesson in the miracle of metamorphosis...