Vanna White veto n. a form of line-item veto that permits an elected official to strike single letters in legislation. Editorial Note: This term is specific to Wisconsin, where this type of veto—also called a pick-a-letter veto and similar to the digit veto, which allowed the striking of single numerals—is no longer permitted by state law. Etymological Note: Vanna White is hostess for the game show “Wheel of Fortune,” where she is responsible for revealing letters on a large board at the direction of contestants. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Aubrey in Waco, Texas, says her mother used to warn the kids against contracting honkus of the bonkus, a fanciful name for a contagious disease. This colloquial term probably comes from the words bonk and konk, meaning “to hit” or...
Sara in Madison, Wisconsin, was reading an old edition of The Joy of Cooking and came across a recipe that described a cake’s ingredients as earrings for an elephant. She couldn’t discern whether the authors meant that was a good thing...