Washing Machine Charlie
n.— «By the time he was 19, McNerney was the platoon sergeant of a mortar unit assigned to HQ Company in the jungles of Saipan, fighting Japanese soldiers and dodging Japanese bombs. One day, in early July 1944, McNerney didn’t dodge quickly enough. Shrapnel dropped from a “Washing Machine Charlie” (military slang for a small Japanese bomber) ripped open his right knee, tearing through ligaments and cartilage.» —“Purple Heart? Getting wounded is only part of it” by Larry Welborn Orange County Register (California) Jan. 21, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be...
High school students in Alabama share some favorite slang terms. If someone tells you to touch grass, they’re telling you to get a reality check — but the last thing you’d actually want to touch is dog water! Also, the history of the word hangover...