wah-wah
n.— «Going into Wah-Wah, the pungent and poignant memoir from actor Richard E. Grant about coming of age in colonial Swaziland, you might assume that the title is a Bantu word. It’s of American coinage and refers to the huffy prattle (pip-pip!) Brits utter when they don’t want to say anything. It also refers to the prattlers themselves. Set in the tiny monarchy, an atoll surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique, Swaziland circa 1965 is awash in wah-wahs, many who cannot maintain propriety and family in this land of ocher hills and perpetual sun.» —“Colonial boy in the vastness of Africa” by Carrie Rickey Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania) May 26, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Rosalind from Montgomery, Alabama, says her mother used to scold her for acting like a starnadle fool. The more common version of this term is starnated fool, a term that appears particular to Black English, and appears in the work of such writers...
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...