HoJo's

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-HoJo's.wav

"Often on the highway, weary and wary, we spurn the unknown and cheerfully drive on for the promise of a Howard Johnson's and its familiar dèja vu. HoJo's has a warmly reassuring predictability."

1970 August 12, Gael Greene, Time Magazine, page 12:

"The genius of Hojo's , of course , lies in its conscious pastiche of everything that is cozy and traditional - church spires , town halls , and cottages — to perform a thoroughly modern function."

1973, Stephen A. Kurtz, Wasteland: Building the American Dream, page 23:

"In the 1950s and '60s, the restaurant chain affectionately known as HoJo's was a can't-miss attraction for baby boomer kids being carted around in the car by their Greatest Generation parents. Howard Johnson’s was a pioneer of the nationwide roadside restaurant, replicating from coast-to-coast everything from its signature orange roof, cupola, the Simple Simon and the Pieman plaques, and its limited-menu food items. Howard Johnson's presaged the success of McDonald's doing the same thing."

2018, Bob Niest, “Whatever Happened to Howard Johnson's Restaurants?”, in Kiplinger:

(US, slang) Howard Johnson's (the chain of fast food restaurants).


SOUTHCOM

(US, military) Acronym of Southern Command.


USSOUTHCOM

(US, military) Acronym of United States Southern Command.


card catalog

(especially US) Alternative spelling of card catalogue


Scotch collops

From Scotch (“of Scotland”) + collop (“slice of meat”). Attested from the 17th century.

compound

Some like the Scotch collops made thus: put the collops into the ragoo, and stew them for five minutes.

1824, Mary Holland, The Complete Economical Cook, and Frugal Housewife, page 72:

SCOTCH COLLOPS OF VEAL. They may be made of the nice parts of the rack, or cut from the fillet, rub a little salt and pepper on them, and fry them a light brown; have a rich gravy seasoned with wine, and any kind of catsup you choose, with a few cloves of garlic, and some pounded mace, thicken it.

1860, Mary Randolph, The Virginia Housewife, or, Methodical Cook, page 36:

scotch-collops, scotched-collops, scotcht-scollops, s. pl. A dish consisting of beef cut up into small pieces, beaten and done in a stew-pan with butter and some salt, pepper, and a finely-sliced onion.

[1894, Robert Hunter, John A. Williams, S.J. Heritage, editors, The American Encyclopedic Dictionary, page 3584:

(chiefly US) Pieces of beef or veal cut thin or minced, beaten flat, and stewed.


shipentine

(US, archaic, nautical) A four-masted barque (sailing vessel with a certain rigging arrangement).


insurance carrier

en-noun

insurance carrier (plural insurance carriers)

insurance company
insurance company#English


stop-work

stop-works (plural)
stopwork (alternative)
stop work (alternative)

From stop (“to cease; to cause to cease”, verb) + work (noun). Attested from the 20th century.

compound

a stop-work order.

The Bureau of Reclamation of the Department of Interior has appealed to the War Production Board for reconsideration of the stop-work order of December 12, 1942, on the Newton project, Cache County, Utah

1944, United States Congress, Interior Department Appropriation Bill for 1944, page 781:

[Mayor Mark] Morial issued a stop-work order to suspend the razing of the building

2000 May 27, Coleman Warner, “Morial halts razing of building that contained funeral home”, in Times-Picayune, New Orleans, page B3:

The stop-work order, Saxon said, was an attempt to "pretty much get this resolved, to get it done." Decatur officials have said the main issue in the dispute is safety, primarily making the county comply with its stricter fire safety codes.

2002 December 17, Karen Hill, “Courthouse evades stop-work order”, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, page D7:

The inquest into the death of Michael Welsh at the Mount Lyell mine in 2014 heard the mine manager, Jared DeRoss, had made the stop work order during the management meeting held daily at 7:15am.

2018 April 23, Edith Bevin, “Mount Lyell mine stop-work order not acted on before fatal mud rush, inquest told”, in ABC Premium News, Sydney:

(usually attributive) A temporary cessation of work.

(chiefly Canada, US) Causing work to cease temporarily for administrative reasons such as safety concerns or legal action.


Koolickle

Now that we're all up to speed on the history of hacked sweet and sours, let's get to the heart of the matter: how do you eat a Koolickle if you don't live in the Delta south? Easy, you make one. It requires absolutely no pickling skills, just a gallon of dill pickles, a pound of sugar and two packets of Kool-Aid (the flavor is up to you).

2014 May 29, Julie R. Thomson, “You Can Thank The South For Koolickles (Pickles In A Kool-Aid Bath)”, in HuffPost, archived from the original on 2023-06-06:

This peculiar snack was inspired by the quintessential (okay, maybe only to a few people) Southern treat "Koolickles," or Kool-Aid pickles.

2018 July 16, Isami McCowan, “You Can Get Fruit-Flavored Pickles In Snack Packs On Amazon For The Ultimate Summer Treat”, in Bustle, archived from the original on 2021-01-18:

(US) A pickled cucumber soaked in Kool-Aid.


FEIE

foreign earned income exclusion
w:foreign earned income exclusion

(US, taxation) Initialism of foreign earned income exclusion.


opticalman

(US, military, historical) A member of the navy who specialized in the use of optical tools.


Skutnik

The name is thought to derive from Romanian scuti (“to absolve”); compare Romanian Scutelnici. The common noun comes from Martin Leonard Skutnik III, a guest at the 1982 State of the Union address; see quotations below.

When CNN’s Jeff Greenfield assured the crowd, “I haven't planted a skutnik here,” I stopped him: I had heard of a sputnik, the Russian word for the first Soviet satellite, but what was a skutnik? […] In 1995, the columnist William F. Buckley was one of the first to use the name as an eponym: “President Clinton was awash with Skutniks.”

2001 July 8, William Safire, “On Language”, in New York Times Magazine, The Way We Live Now, page 15:

The likes of Shea got added by the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan, who started what came to be called the Lenny Skutnik Moment, where an everyday person is plucked from the populace and placed in the first lady’s gallery. Martin L. Skutnik earned a seat in the gallery on Jan. 13, 1982, when, on the way home from work at the Congressional Budget Office, he jumped into the freezing Potomac River to save Priscilla Tirado, a passenger on an Air Florida plane that had crashed just after take-off.

[2003 January 28, Susan Campbell, “The Real State of the Union”, in Hartford Courant, page D2:

Since that time, people recognized by the president during the State of the Union address have been known by insiders as “Lenny Skutniks.” As in: “Who are the Lenny Skutniks tonight?” There's even an online quiz that invites you to guess who will be tonight's Lenny Skutniks (the list had not yet been revealed Monday). Skutnik, it seems, is a brand name.

2006 January 31, Richard Halicks, “STATE OF THE UNION: In the gallery tonight...”, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, page A1:

Lenny Skutnik moments have been called “human props”, “gimmicks”, “practiced stagecraft”, but the virulence of the criticism from a president’s political opponents only serves to prove the effectiveness of the strategy.

2011, Stephen Frantzich, Honored Guests: Citizen Heroes and the State of the Union, →ISBN, page 22:

Ever since then, almost every State of the Union address has featured one or more “Skutniks,” or Americans who somehow embody everyday heroism, stoicism, victimhood, or identity politics.

2018 January 29, Nick Gillespie, “All the President’s Human Props”, in Reason.com:

Among Parson’s Skutniks this week were Mayor Lyda Krewson and the other mayors of Missouri’s four largest cities. They sat in the audience while the Republican governor talked about doing something about inner-city violence, but refused to outline any specific gun proposals.

2020 January 17, Tony Messenger, “Missouri has a Medicaid crisis involving 100,000 children, and Parson ignores it”, in St. Louis Post-Dispatch, page A2:

(US, jargon, politics, media) A guest at the State of the Union address or a similar political event.


The Kingfish

After George "Kingfish" Stevens, character from American radio sitcom Amos 'n' Andy

(US, historical) byname of Huey Pierce Long


sneaker sock

(US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) A short sock that covers the foot and beyond that not essentially more than the ankle.


t-rav

The toasted ravioli you are probably thinking about right now most likely came from Louisa. Whether it's the Super Bowl party t-ravs grabbed hot out of the oven at kickoff or the sober-you-up fried pasta you got at the bar last week, it all starts at the 1918 Switzer Avenue factory in Jennings.

2021 August 27, Victor Stefanescu, “T-Rav Nation: How the St. Louis Favorite Gets Made”, in Riverfront Times:

(US, informal) Clipping of toasted ravioli.


teameo

(US, slang, dated) A teamster (one who drives animals).


theah

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(US, historical, colloquial) Pronunciation spelling of there, representing African-American Vernacular English.


wheah

(US, historical, colloquial) Pronunciation spelling of where, representing African-American Vernacular English.


SCLC

w:Southern Christian Leadership Conference

(US) Initialism of Southern Christian Leadership Conference.


ream out

en-verb

ream out (third-person singular simple present reams out, present participle reaming out, simple past and past participle reamed out)

reams out (present singular third-person)
reaming out (participle present)
reamed out (participle past)
reamed out (past)

My boss reamed me out after I left the safe door open again.

(US, vulgar, slang) To lecture, scold, reprimand, or rebuke, especially in an angry tone of voice.


swim diaper

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-swim diaper.wav

(Canada, US) A swimsuit incorporating a thick moisture-absorbent layer and a tight seal to protect the water from leaking out, eliminating the need for a diaper within the swimsuit.


DINB

From deposit insurance + national bank. Coined in 1933 with the passing of the 1933 Banking Act.

deposit insurance national bank
w:Deposit insurance national bank

(banking, US) Initialism of deposit insurance national bank.


zod

A phonetic contraction of the phrase "he's odd".

Zod: n. something really weird or totally monstrous; worse than a nerd, a yuck out. "Like I just got my hair streaked, OK, and like Brian throws me in the pool, and like the chlorine turns my hair like totally green, I mean I look like such a zod!"

[1982, Mary Corey, Victoria Westermark, “zod”, in Fer Shur! How to Be a Valley Girl-Totally!, Toronto, O.N. […]: Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 38:

Like, you know, this guy at the dance was like soooo foxy mondo!! Like totally awesome. He could have been like a model for like GQ, for sure! He was premo[,] definitely not a zod.

1983, “Candidly Gannon”, in Lance, volume 32, Erie, P.A.: Gannon University, page 121:

Besides, I wouldn't have to wear those nerdy elastic bands to keep on my glasses. They're for dweebs and zods.

1989, J.G. Maxon, Progeny, New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, →ISBN, page 33:

Then she said, "Like, what turnip truck did you just fall off of? I was talking about the designer, you zod."

1991, Darcy Jahns, Duanne Jahns, How I Survived My Summer Vacation, Richmond Hill, O.N.: Scholastic Canada, →ISBN, page 41:

Before you know it, they're off to junior high. At this point, you start to kind of remember things from the times when you were there, especially the mean girl stuff. Totally bogus and totally never changed. See, there are always going to be totally lame zods, and then those zods have children.

2008, Laura Ross, The Valley Girl Turns 40, New York, N.Y., Bloomington, I.N.: iUniverse, →ISBN, page 110:

(US, slang, dated) A loser; a contemptible or uncool person.


ash-hopper

There was an ash-hopper by the fence, and an iron pot, for soft-soap-boiling, near it.

1873, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], Charles Dudley Warner, chapter I, in The Gilded Age: A Tale of To-day, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, published 1874, →OCLC, page 18:

(US, historical) A cask filled with ash used to produce lye, which would be leached out by water (especially rainwater).


summerite

This bag has an overlapping flap which buttons up, and is possibly intended for those summerites who will visit out of the way places.

1896 July 9, The American Stationer, page 61:

“Well, Joe, how d’ you feel about hitting the trail, and getting away from these darn soft summerites and these women and all?”

1922, Sinclair Lewis, chapter 25, in Babbitt, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, page 298:

There existed a mild division between the Niagara locals and the summerites, but it disappeared this day.

1980, Robert Lewis Taylor, chapter 17, in Niagara,, New York: Putnam, page 128:

(US, dated) A summer vacationer; a person visiting a place during the summer (as opposed to one who lives there throughout the year).


Polish fire drill

en-noun

Polish fire drill (plural Polish fire drills)

Chinese fire drill
Chinese fire drill#English

(US, derogatory) Synonym of Chinese fire drill (“a silly, pointless exercise”)


butt rider

Don't know why they allow those sausage jockeys in a high-class school like this one. They should ship them off to Oklahoma or Alabama where they know how to deal with butt riders like him.

(Canada, US, slang, derogatory) A homosexual male.


Oregon Trail Generation

the Oregon Trail Generation (canonical)
Oregon Trail generation (alternative)

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Coined with reference to the educational computer game The Oregon Trail (1985) that members of the generation frequently played as children.

Now our teacher candidates are almost 100% members of the Oregon Trail Generation. They answer email on their iPhones and play computer games on their cell phones when they are bored.

2009, Rhonda Christensen, “Forward”, in Digital Simulations for Improving Education: Learning Through Artificial Teaching Environments, page xix:

"I'm thirty-four. I claim Oregon Trail generation."
"What?" Ellery laughed outright. "There is no Oregon Trail generation."

2018, Kathleen Brooks, Saving Shadows, unnumbered page:

Unlike the millennial generation that followed us— the “digital natives” who can never remember a time before computers—the Oregon Trail Generation grew up on the cusp of changes that transformed modern life.

2021, Melanie C. Ross, Evangelical Worship: An American Mosaic, page 18:

(US) A transitional microgeneration born from the mid-to-late 1970s to the early-to-mid 1980s, characterized by its pre-Internet childhood and online adolescence and early adulthood.


jumbo mortgage

(US) A mortgage loan that may have high credit quality, but is for an amount higher than conventional conforming loan limits.


big mo

the big mo (canonical)
Big Mo (alternative)

Clipping of big momentum. Famously used by George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) during his quest for the Republican nomination to run for president of the United States in 1980.

The "Maury" show is, to quote a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, this season's "biggest success story" in syndicated daytime television. The show's ratings are up some 19 percent since last year, and it now occasionally outpoints the popular "Rosie O'Donnell Show" in the same time slot here in New York. This "daytime yakker" has got the "big mo," they say.

2000 July 16, Jeff Macgregor, “Saving the World, One Sexy Teen at a Time”, in The New York Times:

"The Big Mo is behind the McCain-Lieberman bill, and the next steps by the White House are still murky," said Representative Jane Harman of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, who attended the White House meeting.

2004 September 9, Elisabeth Bumiller, Philip Shenon, “Bush Now Backs Budget Powers in New Spy Post”, in The New York Times:

(chiefly US, informal) Large-scale momentum.


powersports

(US, Canada) The class of all powersports.

motorsports

a class of competition sports involving vehicles with engines or motors


Dixie Alley

→ French: Dixie Alley

→ Spanish: Dixie Alley

Blend of Dixie + Tornado Alley. Coined by American meteorologist Allen Pearson in 1971. Modelled after Tornado Alley. From being in Dixie (“U.S. South”) with a concentration of tornado strikes.

coin

(US, meteorology) A region of the Gulf of Mexico coast United States which experiences a large number of tornado occurrences.


HAF

w:en:Headquarters, United States Air Force

(US, military, aviation) Abbreviation of Headquarters, Air Force. (United States Air Force Headquarters) The general staff bureau of the United States Air Force


ruffneck

(colloquial, chiefly US) Alternative form of roughneck (“rowdy person”)


BORG

BORGs (plural)
Borg (alternative)
borg (alternative)

(US) Acronym of blackout rage gallon (“A cheap cocktail made for college partying, typically brightly colored and made with a full bottle of hard liquor (fifth to 750mL to 1L to 1qt), 2L to 2qt of water, water flavoring (such as Kool-Aid, Hawaiian Tropic, Mio Energy Drops), and caffeine drink powder, mixed in a gallon plastic milk jug, with electrolyte drink making the remainder of the gallon”).


loserest

Team captains took money on the side, so even the loserest ball player could pitch an inning.

2007, Chuck Palahniuk, Rant: The Oral History of Buster Casey, page 52:

(US, sports) Synonym of losingest (“losing the most games, votes, etc.”)


hot poop

Then the Seventh moved to Fort Ord and practiced—although without full equipment—amphibious landings. The hot poop of the rumor mongers became, “Southwest Pacific for us, fellows.” But when the convoy sailed from San Francisco on April twenty-fourth, the ships turned north.

1947, Murray Morgan, Bridge To Russia: Those Amazing Aleutians, New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, page 161:

Maybe Colonel Fang's going to give us the hot poop regarding this midnight mission.

1986, United States. Air Force. Military Airlift Command, The MAC Flyer, volume 33, page 22:

(US, military, slang) The latest news or gossip.


Jewish flag

Sense 2 alludes to the stereotype of Jews as money-grubbing.

Four Jewish flags I blow, four lovely bucks.

1921, Adventure, volume 28, numbers 1-3, page 129:


flap one's lips

en-verb

flap one's lips (third-person singular simple present flaps one's lips, present participle flapping one's lips, simple past and past participle flapped one's lips)

flaps one's lips (present singular third-person)
flapping one's lips (participle present)
flapped one's lips (participle past)
flapped one's lips (past)

(US, colloquial) Synonym of flap one's gums (“talk without effect”)


moonlight school

en-noun

moonlight school (plural moonlight schools)

(US, historical) A night school for illiterate adults in the early 20th century, originally in Kentucky and later in other US states.


interior Mexican

/ɪnˌtɪəɹɪə ˈmɛksɪk(ə)n/

Tony likes eating at interior Mexican restaurants because they put white cheese on their tacos, and not yellow cheese.

New Mexican merchants, along with interior Mexican merchants, combined to achieve economic dominance of the trade by the early 1840s, and the New Mexican sphere of trading expanded to tributaries throughout the Great American Desert.

2000, David A. Sandoval, “Gnats, Goods, and Greasers: Mexican Merchants on the Santa Fe Trail”, in Manuel G. Gonzales, Cynthia M. Gonzales, editors, En Aquel Entonces [In Years Gone By]: Readings in Mexican-American History, Bloomington, Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana University Press, →ISBN, part I (Genesis of a People: 1598–1846), page 23:

It [a particular restaurant] received a glowing review in this paper four years ago, but sadly, it's been all but forgotten. With a menu that features true interior Mexican cuisine, as soon as I saw that sopas are a main course rather than an afterthought, I knew the writing was on the wall.

2008 October 8, “Pozole party”, in San Antonio Current, San Antonio, Tex.: San Antonio Current Ltd. Partnership; Euclid Media Group, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-05-26:

You can walk into most "authentic" or "interior" Mexican restaurants in Texas today and order conchita pibil—steamed pork (which, in southern Mexico, is cooked underground in banana leaves) with spiced sauce in a tortilla.

2009, Marvin C. Bendele, “Barbacoa? The Curious Case of a Word”, in Elizabeth S. D. Engelhardt et al., Republic of Barbecue: Stories beyond the Brisket, Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 89, column 1:

El Alma has definitely earned a regular spot in my Interior Mexican restaurant rotation; I suggest you add it to yours.

2011 November 4, Virginia B. Wood, “Restaurant Review: El Chile collaborates with a well-seasoned chef”, in The Austin Chronicle, Austin, Tex.: Austin Chronicle Corp., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-02-05:

It wasn't until the 1980s, however, that an earnest movement to serve what some called "interior Mexican" food emerged—in other words, Mexican food that hadn't yet penetrated the American market.

2012, Gustavo Arellano, “When Did Mexicans Start Making Food for Mexicans?”, in Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, New York, N.Y., London: Scribner, →ISBN, page 163:

We also love their cochinita pibil ($11.99), Los Pinos' most traditional Interior Mexican dish. The pork comes out fork-tender with a powerful achiote and garlic kick.

2013 July 19, Wes Marshall, “Restaurant Review: Have your lake and eat there too”, in The Austin Chronicle, Austin, Tex.: Austin Chronicle Corp., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-09-15:

Texans go out to a "Mexican restaurant" for "Mexican food," although we know perfectly well that what we want is Tex-Mex, not authentic "Mexican food" as it would be found in Mexico. When Texans want that, they seek a place serving "interior Mexican food" or "Mex-Mex."

2016 November, Sylvia Casares, with Dotty Griffith, “Salsas, Appetizers, and Snacks”, in The Enchilada Queen Cookbook: Enchiladas, Fajitas, Tamales, and More Classic Recipes from Texas-Mexico Border Kitchens, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Griffith, St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, page 83, column 1:

Fonda San Miguel Restaurant in Austin is a local icon serving interior Mexican food. Over forty years ago, when the restaurant first opened, many Austinites were not familiar with the complex dishes of interior Mexican cuisine. […] There is a large herb and vegetable garden on the restaurant grounds that provides the kitchen not only with many herbs unique to interior Mexican cuisine but also with unique vegetables.

2017, Terry Thompson-Anderson, “Meat Lover’s Breakfast and Brunch Dishes”, in Breakfast in Texas: Recipes for Elegant Brunches, Down-home Classics & Local Favorites, Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 139:

The supposed authenticity of interior Mexican cuisine has acquired a degree of prestige the hybrid form of Tex-Mex never achieved, even after some forms of Mexican cooking made their way into the US American mainstream.

2021, Russell Cobb, “American Counterpoints: Barbacoa and Barbecue beyond Nation”, in Rocío del Aguila, Vanesa Miseres, editors, Food Studies in Latin American Literature: Perspectives on the Gastronarrative, Fayetteville, Ark.: University of Arkansas Press, →ISBN, part IV (Latin American Food Writing: Between History and Aesthetics), page 222:

(US, chiefly Austin, Texas) Especially of cuisine: of or pertaining to the country Mexico itself, in contrast to Tex-Mex (“a mix of Texan and Mexican”).

aidosti meksikolainen

especially of cuisine: of or pertaining to the country Mexico itself, in contrast to Tex-Mex


installment plan

installment plan (plural installment plans)


NYSD

w:en:United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

(US, law) Initialism of New York Southern District.; the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.


drag-ass

We've fiddle-farted along behind that drag-ass outfit and eaten their dust all day. We've not been dancin' or to a picture show.

(US, slang, derogatory) Tiresome; annoying.


doctor's note

(US) A note from a doctor certifying the patient is ill, and therefore unable to go to work, school, etc.


balloon juice

Extended from synonymous hot air, gas. Attested in both senses from the 19th century.

The senate was inflated with a superior grade of wind, oratory, and balloon juice yesterday. This unusual condition was brought about by heated discussion of the Coulson-Gandy contest case.

1895 February 1, “Day of Droll Discussion”, in The Guthrie Daily Leader, Guthrie, Oklahoma, page 1:

All this underscores that the hyperactive posturing from Bryan and others on the dump is so much balloon juice. They’ll say anything to hoodwink voters into believing the dump isn’t inevitable, when all signs point otherwise.

1992 December 22, “So much balloon juice: Hushing up dissent in the House”, in Las Vegas Review-Journal, page 8B:

Iacocca’s book is filled with managerial balloon juice. “The only way you can motivate people is to communicate with them.” […] He exhibits general ignorance of business fundamentals.

2007, P. J. O'Rourke, Give War a Chance, page 144:

(informal, chiefly US) Empty or exaggerated talk lacking in substance, boasting, chatter, nonsense.


Heebie

The man said, “I'll take one of them Heebies, not two.” So, I went back with them.

2004, Philo Bregstein, Johanna Katherina Barends, Remembering Jewish Amsterdam, page 224:

We'd see the boys outside in their yarmulkes, and we'd laugh and call them the “little Heebies.” One time an older Jewish woman came along with us to lunch. Chris didn't know she was Jewish, and started in on the “Heebies,” […]

2014, Crissy Shreve, BMom: Lovely Weeds, page 166:

(slang, US, derogatory, ethnic slur) Alternative form of Hebe (“a Jew”)


butt-ton

butt-tons (plural)
butt ton (alternative)

I have a butt-ton of work to do today.

(Canada, US, mildly vulgar, slang) A large amount.


cyber transport systems

cyber transport systems pl (plural only)

(US, military, electronics) Synonym of computer networking


cyber transport system

cyber transport system (plural cyber transport systems)

(US, military, electronics) Synonym of computer network


side-view mirror

side-view mirror (plural side-view mirrors)

Coordinate term: rear-view mirror


cyber transport

(US, military, electronics) Synonym of networked (“computer networked”); pertaining to computer networks and computer networking


pay-for

The government is debating whether to include various pay-fors in order to fund the new infrastructure bill.

The bill is instead paid for by a jumble of pay-fors, including $40 billion from the Federal Reserve surplus account, which acts as a cushion to help the Fed take potential losses.

2015 December 1, Jason Plautz, “After Years of Waiting, Congress Finally Has Its Long-Term Transportation Bill”, in The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-02-01:

Why is it, she [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] retorts, that these questions arise only in connection with useful ideas, not wasteful ideas? Where were the 'pay-fors' for [George] Bush's $5 trillion wars and tax cuts, or for last year's $2 trillion tax giveaway to billionaires?

2019 January 16, Robert Hockett, “The Green New Deal: How We Will Pay For It Isn't 'A Thing' - And Inflation Isn't Either”, in Forbes, New York, N.Y.: Forbes Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-06:

With the passage of a deficit-financed $1.9 trillion relief bill just hours away, Democrats in Congress may soon pivot to new agenda items, including President Biden's Build Back Better plan for infrastructure and other critical investments. And those lawmakers will inevitably face intense pressure from fiscal moderates to include tax "pay fors" in spending legislation.

2021 March 10, Chye-Ching Huang, “How Biden Funds His Next Bill: Shrink the $7.5 Trillion Tax Gap”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-16:

"Other industries were probably better prepared to fend off being a pay-for," said Ed Mills, Washington policy analyst at Raymond James. "This is the first time they've really been on the menu."

2021 August 9, Victoria Guida, “Washington wakes up to crypto influence amid infrastructure fight”, in Politico, archived from the original on 2022-12-09:

(US, politics) Something which is used to pay for a bill, such as an increase in taxes.


weakie

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-weakie.wav

Although the weakie has no chopping teeth comparable to those of a bluefish, he boasts a pair of extremely sharp canines in his upper jaw.

1959, Henry Lyman, Frank Woolner, The Complete Book of Weakfishing, New York, N.Y.: A. S. Barnes and Company, page 44:


weakie

That was as far as Macauley would go. He wanted to set his shoulders and bunch his fists and let the words fly at O' Neill: You can spot the stranger that comes on a visit and mark him down; you can swagger the streets at shearing-time and reap a harvest; but don't lump me in with the weakies and the yellow-bellies busting their cheques over a good time; the curs and the possums who get silly-drunk and fall in fear to your authority.

1955, D'Arcy Niland, The Shiralee, Sydney, N.S.W.: Angus & Robertson; The Book Society, pages 53–54:

(originally US, now chiefly Australia, slang) A weak, unreliable or mediocre person or thing; a weakling.


drop the hammer

en-verb

drop the hammer (third-person singular simple present drops the hammer, present participle dropping the hammer, simple past and past participle dropped the hammer)

drops the hammer (present singular third-person)
dropping the hammer (participle present)
dropped the hammer (participle past)
dropped the hammer (past)

Naturally, the Frat Boy and the Toadmeister decided to hold a contest to see who could “drop the hammer” with Pippi first.

2008 [2001], Toby Young, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo, →ISBN, page 76:

(originally US, informal) To take action.


comp time

(US, labour law, human resources) The act of an employer granting an employee paid time off instead of overtime pay in compensation for additional hours of work.

labour law; human resources; labour law; human resources


loot rail

The idea held great promise. […] So citizens said yes. But that was a year ago, before inner-city troubles arrived on the boxy white train with a blue stripe, before light rail became known as "loot rail."

1994, U.S. News & World Report, volume 117, page 18:

[…] has launched the anti-“loot rail” movement as it has named itself as a play on “light rail,” but such fears are unwarranted and most thieves have access to automobiles.

2004, James A. Kushner, The Post-Automobile City, page 52:

(US, slang, derogatory) The light rail system of Baltimore, regarded as a means for inner-city criminals to visit other districts to commit robbery.


KMAG

(US, military, slang) Abbreviation of kiss my ass guys/goodbye.


country damage

(US) Damage caused to cotton before it is shipped, due to poor storage etc.


creekology

(US) The practice of prospecting for oil along creeks.


JWICS

(US, military, espionage) Acronym of Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System.


Sillicus

From silly + -cus, jokingly modelled after Latin names ending in -us.

No, Sillicus, farmers do not include chickens when speaking of their crops, or of their coups.

1890, The Harvard Lampoon, Vol. 21, page 39:

Hoax—Does Sillicus know anything about music?
Joax—No; he doesn't know the difference between a string orchestra and a rubber band.

Sillicus—Do you think we shall know each other in the hereafter?
Cynicus—I hope so. Few of us really know each other here.

1906, Thomas A. Brown, Thomas Joseph Carey, The New Pun Book:

Sillicus: There is honor among thieves.
Cynicus: Nonsense! Thieves are just as bad as other people.

(dated, humorous, 1890s – early 20th century US) An archetypal character in the setting of a joke, typically portraited as naive and somewhat dull-witted.


morning report

(Canada, US, medicine) A teaching round, based on clinical cases, for medical resident physicians.

(US, military, historical) A document produced every morning for every basic unit of the United States army, detailing personnel changes for the previous day.


personnelman

It was a labor-intensive job for some of the personnelmen to enter the data into the computer system, but the payoff came in terms of retrieval.

1996, Paul Stillwell, Battleship Missouri: An Illustrated History, Annapolis, M.D.: Naval Institute Press, →ISBN, page 293:

The personnelman knew the books, having studied them for seventeen years. He knew the yeoman's job as well, to the everlasting dismay of Huff, who would prefer to take the day off — every day.

1999, Jim R. Lane, Duty: A Novel, Bridge Works Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 14:

"Well, you're off to a good start," one of the personnelmen commented, as I stood there in front of his desk.

2005, Rebecca Anne Freeman, Lost at Sea: An Enlisted Woman's Journey, Coral Springs, F.L.: Llumina Press, →ISBN, page 18:

As a veteran U.S. Navy personnelman, I personally discharged quite a few "gay" service members who simply were unable to adapt to military life or were ready to leave.

2023 May 5, Kwame Anthony Appiah, quoting Ember, “A Banana Peel Has Made Me Question My Marriage. Who's Right?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-06:

United States Navy
United States Navy#Proper noun

(US) Someone (of any gender) serving in the United States Navy.


First Republic

法蘭西第一共和國 /法兰西第一共和国

political regime of France since 1792-1804

First Republic Bank
w:First Republic Bank

(historical, US banking) Ellipsis of First Republic Bank. (1985–2023)


cheese fries

(Canada, US) French fries covered or cooked in cheese (especially when grated or melted) or cheese sauce and sometimes loaded with other ingredients.


rap back

(US) A notification that someone who previously passed a fingerprinting or background check has since been arrested or otherwise done something that may have or would have changed the results of the earlier check.


Governor Winthrop desk

en-noun

Governor Winthrop desk (plural Governor Winthrop desks)

Named after John Winthrop, 17th-century governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Winthrop died in 1647, before this kind of desk was invented (in the 18th century), but his name was attached to these desks by the Winthrop Furniture Co. of Boston, Massachusetts, who offered their "Gov. Winthrop" desk in 1924, during the colonial revival period.

(US) A bureau; a piece of writing furniture with a lid that closes at an angle and opens up as a writing surface.


BNDD

w:Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs

(US, historical) Initialism of Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.


FEPA

Family Entertainment Protection Act
w:Family Entertainment Protection Act

(US, historical) Initialism of Family Entertainment Protection Act.


GNMA

w:Government National Mortgage Association

(US) Initialism of Government National Mortgage Association.


Hooperating

(US, broadcasting, historical) A radio or television audience rating determined by the C. E. Hooper Company during the Golden Age of Radio.


alpha-dog

en-verb

alpha-dog (third-person singular simple present alpha-dogs, present participle alpha-dogging, simple past and past participle alpha-dogged)

alpha-dogs (present singular third-person)
alpha-dogging (participle present)
alpha-dogged (participle past)
alpha-dogged (past)

At the left was Mr. Trump, the volatile presence who alpha-dogged a season of Republican debates. Now he grimaced, squinted, nodded, pursed his lips, sniffed, huffed and interrupted, becoming, over the night, an agitated man in a box.

2016 September 27, James Poniewozik, “How the Split Screen Framed Trump and Clinton”, in The New York Times:

Stormy boasts that she has “grown balls”. Given her “alpha-dogging” of Trump and her jokes about his furry sporran, who knows whether this is more than a metaphor?

2018 October 22, Peter Conrad, “Full Disclosure by Stormy Daniels review – duck, Donald…”, in The Guardian:

Harper Spiller (Aubrey Plaza): And I don't know, I guess, I just don't want him rubbing off on you. You know, and I don't like the way he alpha-dogs you.
Ethan Spiller (Will Sharpe): He doesn't alpha-dog me. I mean, he kind of used to, I guess, but it's different now.

2022 November 6, Mike White, “Italian Dream”, in Mike White, director, The White Lotus, season 2, episode 2, via HBO:

(informal, chiefly US) To behave like an alpha dog; to behave in a crassly dominant manner, especially at the expense of another male.


Four Hundred

(US) A list of the people in New York fashionable society during the Gilded Age.


indict a ham sandwich

indict a ham sandwich (third-person singular simple present indicts a ham sandwich, present participle indicting a ham sandwich, simple past and past participle indicted a ham sandwich)

indicts a ham sandwich (present singular third-person)
indicting a ham sandwich (participle present)
indicted a ham sandwich (participle past)
indicted a ham sandwich (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-indict a ham sandwich.wav

That one-sided arrangement often leads defense lawyers to minimize indictments and argue that prosecutors could persuade jurors to “indict a ham sandwich,” a proverbial phrase that former Vice President Mike Pence used on CNN Thursday night.

2023 March 31, Maria Cramer, “Here’s how indictments work in the United States’ legal system”, in The New York Times:

When asked in an interview Thursday with ABC13 if she was worried about being indicted herself, Hidalgo responded "I don't know how far this is going to go and it's very easy if you present one-sided facts to a grand jury. Everybody knows that a grand jury can indict a ham sandwich if that's all they see."

2022 April 14, Ariana Garcia, “Harris Co. Judge Lina Hidalgo on staff indictments: 'A grand jury can indict a ham sandwich”, in Chron:

(chiefly US, law, hyperbolic) To charge (someone) with a crime with ease, despite the innocence of the accused party, a lack of evidence to secure an indictment, etc.


PINS

(US) Acronym of person in need of supervision (“a juvenile not currently living with a parent or guardian”).


一階

From 一(いち) (ichi, “one”) + 階(かい) (kai, “floor”).


FPBP

(US) Initialism of Family Planning Benefit Program.


saloonatic

(US, archaic, informal, derogatory) A person who drinks alcohol in saloons.


Twin Tiers

(US) Those counties that lie on the New York-Pennsylvania border on either side of the 42nd parallel north.


FAM

“I ultimately decided to leave (retire) because I was denied the ability to leverage my experience for the good of the FAMs and I realize that I was part of a system which was putting the emotional well-being of FAMs at risk,” Kathleen Christian, who resigned last year as a clinical psychologist with the federal air marshals, said on Nov. 17 in a scathing email to several marshals.

2018 April 25, Ron Nixon, “Scandals and Investigations, but Few Arrests, for Air Marshals Program”, in The New York Times:

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of federal air marshal.


dodgasted

"Do you think I'm going to stand here on one foot all night like a dodgasted cigar store Indian?"

1912 Dec, Modern Electrics, page 913, column 2:


dodgast

"Dodgast you!" he bellowed. "I've missed my supper, I've missed the opry, and I'm missing my sleep!"


chop mill

chop mills (plural)
chop-mill (alternative)
chopmill (alternative)

Mr. Stetzle sighed. "Gee, I wish I could get in on something like that. Running a chopmill is a mighty slow way to get rich."

(US) A mill in which grain is coarsely ground as feed for livestock.


enough already

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-enough already.wav

From enough + already.
Calque of Yiddish גענוג שוין (genug shoyn).

calque

(chiefly US) Exclamation telling someone to stop.


askhole

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-askhole.wav

An askhole is someone who asks for advice but never applies these tips for the changes they seek.

2021, Derek DeCosta, The Moonlight King:

You might say, I'm going to be an askhole and tell you about my dilemma, and I say that I want your opinion, but don't expect me to actually go with your recommendation. Askhole conversations can be draining and unfulfilling […]

2023, Charlotte Fox Weber, Tell Me What You Want, page 272:

A person who asks for advice but refuses to follow it.


Taco Tuesday

TACO TUESDAY / Stop in on Taco Tuesday (tomorrow) / You'll get 3 Tacos for $1 plus a FREE COKE

1973 August 20, Rapid City Journal, number 29107 (advertisement), Rapid City, S.D.: Rapid City Journal Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 9:

On a family activity level, endearingly familiar regular activities or rituals, such as the popcorn always made by Dad on Sunday evenings, the dog's exasperating persistence in waking everyone up early on Saturdays by licking their face. Taco Tuesday or Spaghetti Wednesday, build vital memories of family living and set off our family from others, making our parents and brothers and sisters especially beloved.

1997, Your Child's World: The Specific Approach to Daily Problems, Lake Bluff, I.L.: The United Educators, Inc., →ISBN, page 177:

"Do you think I could be a field agent?" Henry asked. "You know, go hunt down clues, like you?" / "Sure," I said, wondering where this came from. "Don't you like being the tech guy?" / "Of course I do." Henry was quiet for a moment. "But tech guys don't get invited for Taco Tuesdays with the president and her daughter."

2013, F. T. Bradley, Double Vision: Code Name 711, New York, N.Y.: Harper, →ISBN, page 98:

The home gym is built out, Netflix and Hulu have been trawled to their depths, and Paralympic champion Oksana Masters is nostalgic for Taco Tuesdays at restaurants near her seasonal base in Illinois. Most of all, she is missing the rush of competition, the buzz at the core of her identity since she first sat in a rowing boat as a teenager.

2020 July 9, Tom Dart, “'I was lucky to make it out the orphanage': Oksana Masters' extraordinary journey”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-04-10:

We are deeply devoted to Taco Tuesdays at our house. People wake up, remember it's Taco Tuesday and jump out of bed with enthusiasm.

2021 August 22, Kim Severson, “What to Cook This Week”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-01-05:

(US) A custom of going out to eat tacos or other Mexican food on Tuesday nights.


notiony

en-adj

notiony (comparative more notiony, superlative most notiony)

more notiony (comparative)
most notiony (superlative)

The other man did the same, and having furnished them with a light the captain hesitatingly said: "If it's all the same to you, gentlemen, we'll move off a bit furder; my little gal is mighty notiony about tobacco."

1887, Emily Huntington Miller, Thorn-apples, page 113:

(US, regional) Having certain notions; opinionated.


E/I

(US, television) Abbreviation of educational and/or instructional.


FLOT

(US, military) forward line of own troops, front line


FLET

(US, military) forward line of enemy troops, front line


get a word in

en-verb

get a word in (third-person singular simple present gets a word in, present participle getting a word in, simple past got a word in, past participle (UK) got a word in or (US) gotten a word in)

gets a word in (present singular third-person)
getting a word in (participle present)
got a word in (past)
got a word in (UK participle past)
gotten a word in (US participle past)

Don't know. Even if I wanted to know, couldn't get a word in with Lashawn long enough to ask. Woman talks a blue streak.

2005, Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain, spoken by Randall Malone (David Harbour):

get a word in edgewise
get a word in edgewise#English

(US, usually in the negative) Ellipsis of get a word in edgewise.


red-assed

en-adj

red-assed (comparative more red-assed, superlative most red-assed)

more red-assed (comparative)
most red-assed (superlative)

It went all the way up to a colonel circling somewhere overhead in a C&C Huey, who got red-assed all over again.

2010, John L. Parker, Again to Carthage, page 29:


coniacker

coniackers (plural)
koniacker (alternative)
koneyacker (alternative)

From Cogniac Street, a location in Dunham, Quebec close to the United States-Canada border from which a significant amount of counterfeiting took place in the 18th century and early 19th century.

Among the notables we were shown [was] Biebusch, the coniacker, who was sent up from St. Louis about three months ago for ten years for the making and shoving of the queer.

1880, “Penitentiary Points — The "Ledger Man" Interviews the Penitentiary Notables”, in Mexico Weekly Ledger, retrieved 2023-05-30, page 3:

Twenty-eight men cover this entire country hunting out counterfeits and counterfeiters, devising intricate schemes to catch the coniacker red handed in his infamous work.

1891, “The Government Secret Service”, in Orange County Observer, sourced from Pittsburg Dispatch, retrieved 2023-05-30, page 1:

"I sold my stock [...] and received in payment five counterfeit one-thousand-dollar-bills!" "What! You insolent man! You dare to tell me to my face that you recognize in me a coniacker or shover of the queer?"

1899, Frank Cowan, The Millionaire: A Novel, page 191:

(chiefly US, dated) A counterfeiter, a dealer in counterfeit money.


cogniac

[T]here are sixteen wholesale dealers [...] to whom they sell, at a regular per centage, their imported Cogniac; [...]

1823, William A. Coffey, Inside Out, Or, An Interior View of the New-York State Prison: Together with Biographical Sketches of the Lives of Several of the Convicts, page 108:

[N]ext morning the conspirators met at the yellow cottage, where having settled the business of the day, by giving out the cogniac, and receiving her portion of the good money, the honorable corps adjourned to attend to matters of more importance [...].

1838, Ann Baker Carson, The Memoirs of the Celebrated and Beautiful Mrs. Ann Carson, page 138:

[T]he parties going there to buy the "stuff" when a new and good thing was out, at the rate of 8, 10, 15, or 20 dollars good money, for 100 cogniac, according to the quality.

1852, “The Counterfeitr's [sic] Reward”, in Jeffersonian Republican, retrieved 2023-05-30, page 1:

(chiefly US, dated, slang) Counterfeit money.


RVer

recreational vehicle
recreational vehicle

(Canada, US) A recreational vehicle enthusiast.


quad meet

(US, sports) A competition between four teams.


gradoo

gradu (alternative)
gradeau (alternative)
gradoux (alternative)

I sped out the back door, and bumped into MEME FRENKEL, who was collecting the garbage, or as she put it, "gathering the gradoo."

1951 May 25, Jinx Paterson, “LIFE Discovers”, in Tammy Howl, volume 25, number 5, Gulf Park College for Women, page 16:

Everything was wet, dirty, and full of gradoo.

1957 September 25, “Western Society Recounts Adventures 'Midst Fog, Sleeping Bags, Mosquitoes”, in THE AGNES SCOTT NEWS, volume 43, number 1, Agnes Scott College, page 3:

Were I to tell you that things have been in a mess since early July, I don’t think it would be an over statement. ... What with all the gradoo of late, I’ve not had time to give serious thought to my usual happy copy.

1960 August 11, P. D., “East Side”, in The Petal paper, Petal, Miss., page 1:

And the individual nest areas pull out for each cleaning — I just scrape the "gradoo" into a waste barrel and that's it!

1987, American Pigeon Journal, volume 76, page 42:

(US, colloquial) garbage; crud, gunk; mess; filth, dirt

gradoux is the foundation of most of my dishes -- giving a rich, deep, and complex flavor to them.

(Can we date this quote?), “making gradoux”, in CAJUN CAROLINA:

Redfish Florentine ... Redfish fillet stuffed with our own green gradoo, baked golden brown and topped with Hollandaise sauce.

(Can we date this quote?), “Entrees”, in Kathryn's Steaks, Ridgeland, MS:

(US, colloquial, cooking) caramelized matter which sticks to a pan or pot after most of the cooked matter has been removed; a sauce made from this


ten-footer

(US, historical) A small backyard shoemaker's shop, typically having an area of 10 by 10 feet, built in the 18th or 19th century in New England.


Ren faire

Ren faires (plural)
ren faire (alternative)
Ren Faire (alternative)

She opened my door and came in, sitting on the edge of the bed in a flurry of velvet. Loose black cotton pants and a flowing purple top with those wide sleeves and a low-cut, lacy neck. On most, the getup would scream Ren-faire escapee, but Sunny's small waist and curvaceous top pulled it off.

2008, Caitlin Kittredge, Night Life (Nocturne City; 1), New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Paperbacks, →ISBN, page 19:

Just a year ago, I'd had a normal life as a blacksmith in Seattle, one of the coolest cities on the planet. I was shoeing horses and making swords for the local ren faires.

2013, J. A. Pitts, Forged in Fire, New York, N.Y.: Tor Books, →ISBN, page 16:

I would've gone to the Ren faire even if I hadn't been on assignment. I'm always looking for interesting off-campus adventures, and what could be more off-campus than a field in the middle of Connecticut where patrons can step into the middle of the 16th century?

2019 September 13, Brittany Menjivar, “All's Faire: Reckoning with the Renaissance”, in Yale Daily News, archived from the original on 2023-01-26:

Wilmington resident Sarah Bucic is a Ren Faire fan that's happy she won't have to leave the state to enjoy quality performances.

2022 October 19, Andre Lamar, “Beyond giant turkey legs, here's what to expect at new Delaware Renaissance Faire”, in The News Journal, Wilmington, D.E.: Gannett Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-05:

Renaissance faire
Renaissance faire#English

(chiefly US, informal) Clipping of Renaissance faire.


Bo Derek

Named after American actress Bo Derek (born 1956), who starred in the romantic comedy film 10 in 1979. The bonds reached maturity in 2010.

If you're looking for a sexy investment opportunity, you might consider buying a Bo Derek.
Nearly everybody knows the actress, the perfect “10” of the movies, but not too many people are familiar with the other “Bo Derek,” which; believe it or not, is a long-term U.S. Treasury bond that has had a siren appeal for sophisticated investors.

1981 May 18, Jack Egan, “Investing in a Perfect ‘10’”, in New York, volume 14, number 20, →ISSN, page 8:

“I wanted to ask you about those Telephone Bo Dereks,” he goes on. (Bo Dereks: bonds that mature in 2010.)
“I refuse, absolutely refuse, to talk business at dinner,” she warns, waggling her finger at him and realizing (a beat too late) that she has just escalated the evening onto a personal level.

1991, Linda Gray Sexton, Private Acts, Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 189:

(US, slang, finance) A 30-year Treasury bond issued by the United States federal government in 1980.


clutch disc

(US) A spinning disc at the end of the driveshaft that is squeezed against the engine flywheel when the clutch is engaged, so that friction from the surface causes the engine and the transmission to turn at the same speed; clutch plate.


unpurliteness

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(US, regional) Pronunciation spelling of unpoliteness.


canawler

(US, regional) Alternative form of canaller (“a person living or working along a canal”)


(US, military, nautical, journalism) Abbreviation of journalist, petty officer, first class. A journalist of the U.S. Navy holding the rating of first class petty officer, the highest class of regular petty officer.


AMPTP

The use of AI in the production of film and television – either to write scripts, generate actors’ likenesses, or cut corners in paying creative work, has been a major point of contention in negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and Sag and the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

2023 July 26, Adrian Horton, “Netflix lists AI job worth $900,000 amid twin Hollywood strikes”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

w:Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers

(US) Initialism of Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.


re-Mirandize

en-verb

re-Mirandize (third-person singular simple present re-Mirandizes, present participle re-Mirandizing, simple past and past participle re-Mirandized)

re-Mirandizes (present singular third-person)
re-Mirandizing (participle present)
re-Mirandized (participle past)
re-Mirandized (past)

(transitive, US, law enforcement) To Mirandize again.


Chapter 11

Chapter 11 bankruptcy
w:Chapter 11 bankruptcy

(finance, US) Short for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.


Chinese homer

Chinese home run
Chinese home run#English

(US, baseball, slang) Synonym of Chinese home run


A-ration

(US, military) A military ration consisting of fresh, refrigerated, or frozen foods.


TARP

Troubled Asset Relief Program
w:Troubled Asset Relief Program

(US, finance) Acronym of Troubled Asset Relief Program.


for the longest time

There's a habit I developed at the Monkey Inn that I had for the longest time: singing side to side, away from the audience.

2015, John Fogerty, Fortunate Son, New York: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 141:


heat storm

(US) An extended heat wave, defined as high temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit over a large area for three consecutive days.


squinch owl

“I heard a squinch owl that night.” T.P. said.

1929, William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury:


French telephone

en-noun

French telephone (plural French telephones)

In the early 20th century, telephones with handsets were not common in the United States. Many American soldiers encountered them in France during World War I.

An act prohibiting telephone corporations of this Commonwealth from imposing, for the use of hand telephones commonly called 'French telephones,' a charge in excess of fifteen cents per month […]

1933, Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Senate, Journal (part 1, page 281)

Rotary dials also were used on the so-called "French" telephones introduced in Europe at first and then the United States in the late 1920s.

1999, Rudi Voti, The Facts On File Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Society, page 1012:

(US, telephony, dated) A telephone with a handset.


creemee

creemee (countable and uncountable, plural creemees)

(US, Vermont) A cold soft-served ice cream dessert, commonly maple syrup flavored.


John A. Grindle

As close as John A. Grindle ever comes to being handsome is in the spring when he wears his courting colors. His lower fins become a vivid paint green, and a dark spot, or ocellus, on his tail is bordered with brilliant yellow-orange.

2011, John Madson, Up on the River: People and Wildlife of the Upper Mississippi, page 115:

(US, Virginia) Alternative form of Johnny Grindle (“the bowfin”)


blue discharge

(US, military, historical) A form of administrative military discharge formerly issued by the United States, neither honorable nor dishonorable.


blue ticket

(US, military, historical) Synonym of blue discharge


ass-kicker

(Canada, US, slang) Someone or something that kicks ass.


all over the lot

All over the place
all over the place#English


harasshole

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-harasshole.wav

The blonde touched Max's arm. "It's all right . . . he can't fire me, 'cause I quit. . . . I'm tired of workin' for this sexual-harasshole." "Good call," Original Cindy said. Max shrugged and put the guy down. He was leaning over the counter, red-faced, choking, when the three women strolled out onto the street together.

2002 November 5, Max Allan Collins, Dark Angel: Before the Dawn, volume 1, Random House Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 100:

It was just one of those moments where you're a harasshole because you can be. Because even though I was a swollen, sullen, man-hating self-loather, I knew I was still hotter than anything a smelly hippie could hope to have.

2013 May 31, John Vorhaus, The Texas Twist, Prospect Park Books, →ISBN, page 168:

I have a trove, including such treasures as sadlarious, disastrophe, cumulolingus, and the very much needed harasshole, which describes a guy – you know the guy – the one with the authority hard-on who always gives you such grief.

2013 October 2, John Vorhaus, Comedy Writing 4 Life, Bafflegab Books, →ISBN:

Screen Grabs. If a harasshole comes at you via text message or social media, screen grab everything for your records, ensuring that the phone number or social media handle is in frame.

2021 April 6, Adrienne Lawrence, Staying in the Game: The Playbook for Beating Workplace Sexual Harassment, Penguin, →ISBN, page 126:

(slang, derogatory, Canada, US) An objectionable harassing person.


dike up

en-verb

dike up (third-person singular simple present dikes up, present participle diking up, simple past and past participle diked up)

dikes up (present singular third-person)
diking up (participle present)
diked up (participle past)
diked up (past)


devil's fingers

en-noun

devil's fingers pl (normally plural, singular devil's finger)

I removed the underside of the crab called its apron. I opened it up and removed the gills or “devil’s fingers.” And I removed its eyes and mouth.

1992 June 21, Rob Kasper, “To cut, or not to cut, the mustard”, in The Sun, Baltimore, Maryland, page 1G:

Next, remove the apron from the underside of the crab. Finally, Curtis says, you’ll need to lift up each side of the shell and remove the gills or the “devil’s fingers.”

2001 June 6, Patricia Talorico, “Just forget that it’s a whole crab; take a bite and enjoy that flavor”, in The News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware, page D1:

Once the shell is off, the crab’s gills or lungs, variously called “devil’s fingers” or “dead men” are exposed. These are gray-white, feathery-looking parts that are inedible and must be scraped off and thrown away.

2007 August 3, John Geiser, “Take rusties over jimmies when hunting for good-eatin’ crabs”, in Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, New Jersey:

(informal, US) The gills of various species of crabs.


certain person

The heading of the relevant section of the criminal code; e.g.:
* 2020 Arkansas Code § 5-73-103 "Possession of firearms by certain persons"
* NJ Rev Stat § 2C:39-7 (2019) "Certain persons not to have weapons or ammunition"

What is a “Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons″ Offense in New Jersey? Chamlin Uliano & Walsh
A Certain Persons Offense is considered a Fourth Degree Crime, punishable by a maximum term of 18 months in New Jersey State Prison if the defendant satisfies any of the criteria for a “certain person” and is found in possession of any of the above weapons other than a firearm.

Julio Cesar Salas, 20, of Fort Smith is facing two counts of felony breaking and entering, theft of property, theft of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a certain person, one count of felony possession of a controlled substance, as well as three counts of misdemeanor theft of property, and one count of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and fleeing.

2017 April 17, Two Arrested On Suspicion Of Breaking Into Many Cars, One Wanted:

(US, criminal law, informal) [in relation to a specific action] a person who is a member of a specific class for whom the action constitutes a crime; typically the action is possession of a weapon and the class is convicted felons


kippered beef

(US) A cured dried beef product resembling jerky.


store-boughten

(archaic or regional, West Country, Cornwall, Canada, US) store-bought; shop-bought


storefront church

storefront church (plural storefront churches)

(Canada, US) A church housed in a storefront or strip mall building that formerly had a commercial purpose.


flag lot

From the lot's resemblance to a flag hoisted on a flagpole.

(US) An allotment of land at the rear of another property, with a long, narrow strip of land connecting it to the roadway.


knee-high by the Fourth of July

En-us-knee-high by the Fourth of July.ogg

(US, agriculture) If a corn crop has grown knee-high by American Independence Day (July 4th), it is on track for a bountiful harvest.


tear-ass

en-verb

tear-ass (third-person singular simple present tear-asses, present participle tear-assing, simple past and past participle tear-assed)

tear-asses (present singular third-person)
tear-assing (participle present)
tear-assed (participle past)
tear-assed (past)

Kittenplan tells Ingersoll to write his congressman about it and over LaMont Chu’s pleas for reasoned discussion takes several more theoretically valuable warheads out of the industrial-solvent bucket and gets truly serious about hitting Ingersoll, moving steadily east across Nigeria and Chad, causing Ingersoll to run due north across the courts’ map at impressive speed, abandoning IRLIBSYR’s ammo-bucket and tear-assing up through Siberia crying Foul.

1996, David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest […], Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 339:

If this were New York City, we'd have jumped in a cab and tear-assed down the Grand Central Parkway straight to JFK. But there aren't a lot of high-speed getaway options in Venice. A gondola would have been romantic but not too smart.

2011, James Patterson, Marshall Karp, Kill Me if You Can: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 237:

Here is how Jack Reacher and Susan Turner deal with their problems: Run run run run run. The first half of the film is overstuffed with shots of Cruise and Smulders tear-assing over field and dale, karate chopping the air in front of them with each stride so you can tell they're military.

2016 October 19, Matthew Dessem, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back”, in Slate, archived from the original on 2023-07-11:

(US, informal, vulgar) To move extremely quickly; to rush.


tear ass

tear ass (third-person singular simple present tears ass, present participle tearing ass, simple past tore ass, past participle torn ass)

tears ass (present singular third-person)
tearing ass (participle present)
tore ass (past)
torn ass (participle past)

Someone's jumped bail and she thinks he might have torn ass to east Kentucky. Raylan agrees to track him down for a decent chunk of pocket money.

2013 January 9, Patrick Cooper, “JUSTIFIED Episode Recap: "Hole in the Wall"”, in Collider, archived from the original on 2020-09-29:

I didn't get to drive the Air, but I did get to pleasure of being Rawlinson's passenger as he tore ass down the Las Vegas strip.

2017 January 9, Andrew J. Hawkins, “Riding with Lucid Motors, the 1,000-horsepower electric car built to beat Tesla”, in The Verge, archived from the original on 2023-05-28:

We pulled into a filling station, he jumped out, gassed up, jumped back in, and tore ass out of the station and made a bad U-turn in front of traffic. He worried me a little. What if he'd left the pump hose in the tank? What then?

2017 March 5, Alec Wilkinson, quoting Ry Cooder, “Jack White's Infinite Imagination”, in The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-04-04:

Sure, that could just be a coincidence rather than Toretto wannabes tearing ass out of the theater parking lot. But the researchers found no similar correlation with releases for the new Hunger Games movies which don't glorify fast driving; they also found that the increases didn't occur at the same time in the previous year when no Fast movie had been released so it's not like it's a seasonal trend.

2018 January 31, Jesse Hicks, “'Fast and the Furious' Movies Linked to People Driving Recklessly”, in VICE, archived from the original on 2023-05-16:

(US, informal, vulgar) To move extremely quickly; to haul ass.


Federale

Federales (plural)
federale (alternative)

Back-formation from Mexican Spanish federales, from federal.

(informal, US, slang) A member of the Mexican Federal Police.


say that

(US, slang) Used to express enthusiasm, encouragement, or agreement with the speaker.


diaperbutt

I pat his butt and say "hey there, silly big diaperbutt. Whatcha doing big padded diaperbutt?" He laughs and turns around and starts to touch my face and we play momma/baby games.

1994 July 19, Wendy, “Help. He's teething and I'm tired!”, in misc.kids (Usenet):

"But better to call him something economic than to take to calling him Booger or Diaperbutt." David chuckled. "I like you, Jane," he said. "You know, I think I like you more now than I ever did."

2012, Pamela Morsi, Doing Good, Oliver-Heber Books, →ISBN:

[…] motioning to the little diaperbutt making her way across the wide lawn. Jess ran over and scooped her up, again, and settled her on her hip.

2018 August 24, Kimberly Diede, Tangled Beginnings: A Whispering Pines Novel, →ISBN:

(Canada, US, colloquial, endearing) One who wears a diaper; a baby.


NSWDG

w:Naval Special Warfare Development Group

(US military) Initialism of Naval Special Warfare Development Group.


EOW

Police Officer Thomas Frederick (Tom) Ballman, Kirkwood Police Department, MO, EOW: Thursday, February 7, 2008, Cause of Death: Gunfire.

2009 February 25, “Peace Officers Killed Last Year in the Line of Duty”, in Congressional Record (Bound Edition), volume 155, number 5, U.S. Government Publishing Office, page 5581:

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of end of watch.


captive nation

Almost from the moment the Soviet empire swallowed the captive nations, the fight against it began.

1989 November 21, A[braham] M[ichael] Rosenthal, “ON MY MIND; Helping the Revolution”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2017-12-19:

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump claimed that "socialism is dying" and described Cuba as a "captive nation." But Cuban officials framed voting yes to the constitution as a matter of patriotism.

2019 February 25, Euan McKirdy, “Cubans overwhelmingly vote in favor of new constitution”, in CNN, archived from the original on 2022-10-12:

When the moment struck in the late 1980s as the Soviet Union started to collapse, nonviolent resistance to Communist rule forced the Soviets out, freeing the captive nations without a shot fired.

2021 June 24, Henry Olsen, “Opinion: The U.S. can’t save Hong Kong. But it must keep the spirit of freedom alive.”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-07-18:

(US, politics, chiefly historical) A country under the control of a Communist regime (especially the Soviet Union).


Because the schools in the T14 have been so stable as a group over the years, playing "musical chairs" amongst themselves but rarely dropping out of that band, the rankings weren't telling applicants much about those schools, other than that they were consistently strong institutions.

2022 November 19, David Lat, “Why Six Top-Ranked Law Schools Left U.S. News in the Dust This Week”, in Slate, archived from the original on 2023-05-31:

The article cites a study that found graduates from the T14 to have higher salaries and more "prestigious careers" — on average. Yes, the law schools in the T14 are excellent, but there is no magic to the number 14, and the U.S. News algorithm includes as much "noise" as "signal."

2022 December 2, Matthew Diller, quotee, “Letters: When Law Schools Snub the Rankings”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-25:

(US, informal) The set of fourteen law schools, which frequently take the top fourteen spots in the yearly U.S. News & World Report ranking: the Columbia Law School, Cornell Law School, Duke University School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Harvard Law School, New York University School of Law, Northwestern University School of Law, Stanford Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, University of Chicago Law School, University of Michigan Law School, University of Pennsylvania Law School, University of Virginia School of Law, and the Yale Law School.


target letter

Prosecutors use target letters to inform subjects of criminal investigations that they could be charged with crimes.

2023 July 14, Ben Protess, Maggie Haberman, Alan Feuer, “Trump Employee Warned of Charges in Classified Documents Case”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-07-19:

(US) An official letter from the United States Department of Justice informing someone that they are being investigated and may be charged with a crime.


dollar-store

Once, I thought I saw her, but it was only another girl, with an East German guy, in the same dollar-store dress she’d worn for my camera.

1995, Pico Iyer, Cuba and the Night, page 34:

Weave tracks askew, postpregnancy bellies pushing dollar-store seams, they look a hot mess.

2005, Ayana D. Byrd, Akiba Solomon, Naked: Black Women Bare All about Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts, page 95:

We may cost a buck from the box but we don’t put out dollar store journalism.

2012 October 31, Rose DiManno, “Star introduces digital subscription because it costs big bucks to put out a decent paper”, in Toronto Star:

pound-shop

(US, Canada, attributive) Synonym of pound-shop: used to denote that something is low-quality or an inferior copy.


Secy.

1882, United States. Army. Corps of Engineers, Chehalis River, Washington: Letter from the Secy. of War: Letter from the Secretary of War Transmitting Report from the Chief of Engineers on Lewis River, Wash., Covering Navigation, Flood Control, Power Development and Irrigation...:

O. M. Odell, Pres.; H. W. Chapman, Secy. Jersey City Traffic Club. Warren Gordon, Pres.;

1922, Traffic World and Traffic Bulletin, page 1442:

Memo., R. S. McNamara, Secy. of Def. to E. M. Zuckert, SAF, Feb. 23, 1962, subj.: The Air Force Manned Military Space Program.

1998, The Hypersonic Revolution: From Max Valier to Project PRIME, 1924-1967, page 314:

(chiefly US, India) Abbreviation of Secretary.


Old Home Week

(US) Originally in New England, a week when people who had grown up in a village, town or city were invited to come back and visit; now a more general local historical event with parades, school reunions, etc.


shopwork

(US) Work done in a workshop, such as woodwork or metalwork.


FCIC

Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
w:Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission

(US, historical) Initialism of Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.

Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
w:Federal Crop Insurance Corporation

(US) Initialism of Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.


general quarters

(military, US) A maximum alert level issued on a warship for all personal to prepare for immediate combat; the state of a warship at maximum combat readiness


straight shirttail

en-noun

straight shirttail (plural straight shirttails)

straight shirttails (plural)
straight shirt-tail (alternative)
straight shirt tail (alternative)

Alluding to shirttails, which were formerly commonly worn by gentlemen. When someone would break into a run, they would rise into the air; hence, one might make "straight shirttails" when moving so fast that the shirttails become horizontal.

The other boat closed with them. They had seen the seal basking on a low rock, but he was wary, and as soon as they came in sight, he flounced off the rock into the water, and made 'straight shirt-tails,' as the Yankees say, Allan taking a snap shot at him just ere he did so; but whether he had struck, grazed, or merely frightened the seal he could hardly tell.

1860 September, Francis Francis, “The Experiences of Sydney Godolphin Yahoo, Esq.”, in Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, page 400:

An' he made the funniest noise, tryin' to git his breath; kind of a 'w-e-e-k'—like a fat hog choked on an apple. Then he took a straight shirttail fer the open air; an' gittin' outside, he leaned up ag'inst the wall an' commenced to cry.

1901, James Ball Naylor, Ralph Marlowe: A Novel, Akron, O.H. […]: Saalfield Publishing, page 59:

The chairman had difficulty preserving order. One man said of their guest from Missouri: "I'll advise him to make a straight shirt tail for Missouri."

1977, Reef Waldrep, Macomb and Its Methodists, page 79:

(US, dated) A very hurried journey or movement, especially in return to a previous location; a dash.


FFELP

Federal Family Education Loan Program
w:Federal Family Education Loan Program

(US, historical, 1965–2010) Initialism of Federal Family Education Loan Program.


Farmer Mac

(US, finance, informal) Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation


high-daddy

(US, regional) Synonym of highboy (“type of furniture”)


LCSW

(professional title, US) Initialism of licensed clinical social worker.


belt highway

(US) beltway; a freeway that encircles a city


get one's fuck on

en-verb

get one's fuck on (third-person singular simple present gets one's fuck on, present participle getting one's fuck on, simple past got one's fuck on, past participle gotten one's fuck on or got one's fuck on)

gets one's fuck on (present singular third-person)
getting one's fuck on (participle present)
got one's fuck on (past)
gotten one's fuck on (participle past)
got one's fuck on (participle past)

I used to see him, in The Tunnel, with fuckers at dawn
Whisper in my ear he wanna get his fuck on

1996, Lil' Kim (lyrics and music), “Not Tonight”:

(vulgar, slang, idiomatic, US) to have sex


ferrididdle

Glenn rushed back to her only to find that a ferrididdle had run across the bed and in its fright had leaped upon her head.

1975, James Gay Jones, Appalachian Ghost Stories, and Other Tales, page 78:


essence peddler

en-noun

essence peddler (plural essence peddlers)


drugola

Some six months after the firing of Clive Davis and the excessive media coverage of drugola the issue was quietly laid to rest.

2020, R. Serge Denisoff, Solid Gold: Popular Record Industry:

(US) A bribe, in the form of recreational drugs, given to a disk jockey to play a record.


two-forty

Referring to the sport of trotting (harness racing), in which running a mile in two minutes and forty seconds was considered a very fast pace in 19th-century America.

(US, slang, obsolete) A very fast speed.


model house

(US) A house which is decorated and often built for the purpose of demonstrating what the to-be-built houses in a development might be like.


purple three-awn grass

purple three-awn grass (usually uncountable, plural purple three-awn grasses)


Mexican feathergrass

Mexican feathergrass (usually uncountable, plural Mexican feathergrasses)

Mexican feathergrasses (plural)
Mexican feather grass (alternative)


Mexican feather grass

Mexican feather grass (usually uncountable, plural Mexican feather grasses)

Mexican feathergrass
Mexican feathergrass#English

(US) Alternative spelling of Mexican feathergrass


Shaw's agave

Named for Henry Shaw (1800–1889), the founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden.


ronnameter

The observable universe is about one ronnameter in diameter.

An electron’s mass is about one rontogram, Jupiter weighs two quettagrams and the diameter of the observable universe is one ronnameter.

2022 November 23, Katrina Krämer, “SI units get new prefixes for huge and tiny numbers”, in Chemistry World:


pajama day

(Canada, US) A day when people wear their pajamas to school or work, for fun or fundraising.


Old Bourbon

old+Bourbon. From being the territory of the former county of Bourbon, in the Province of Virginia

(US, dated, 19th century) A region of Kentucky, United States


murdelize

en-verb

murdelize (third-person singular simple present murdelizes, present participle murdelizing, simple past and past participle murdelized)

murdelizes (present singular third-person)
murdelizing (participle present)
murdelized (participle past)
murdelized (past)
mertilize (alternative)
murdalize (alternative)

(US, slang, figuratively) To defeat soundly; to trounce.


world's fair

(chiefly US) An international exposition (type of public exhibition).


starve the beast

starve the beast (third-person singular simple present starves the beast, present participle starving the beast, simple past and past participle starved the beast)

starves the beast (present singular third-person)
starving the beast (participle present)
starved the beast (participle past)
starved the beast (past)

Bruce Bartlett
Ronald Reagan
The Independent Review

According to Bruce Bartlett, the second sense was first used by an anonymous Reagan staffer in “We didn’t starve the beast. It’s still eating quite well—by feeding off future generations.”

(US) To progressively weaken or destroy a dangerous or powerful entity through attrition.


512th note

(music, US, rare) A note played for 1/512 of the duration of a whole note.


1024th note

[…] handles precise time distinctions (to a 1024th note). Many error correction and detection features are included in the program.

1970, Association for Computing Machinery, Proceedings of the National Conference (volume 25, page 330)

[…] 1024th notes in the first line of the "Thoreau" movement, an indication to the performer to play as fast as he can. (1024th notes are exceptionally rare in the musical literature.)

1979, Kenneth Ralph Gartner, The Expansion of Pianism Since 1945, page 42:

[…] 1024th notes, atonality, and unbarred sections.

1979, Harry Raphael Garvin, James M. Heath, The Arts and Their Interrelations, page 125:

(music, US, rare) A note played for 1/1024 of the duration of a whole note.


sidewalk artist

en-noun

sidewalk artist (plural sidewalk artists)

(Canada, US) Synonym of pavement artist (“one who draws on the pavement”)


single crochet

(US) the most common stitch in crochet, used to create two-dimensional surfaces; achieved by pulling the thread through the next loop, then pulling the thread through both of the loops on the hook


laugh one's ass off

en-verb

laugh one's ass off (third-person singular simple present laughs one's ass off, present participle laughing one's ass off, simple past and past participle laughed one's ass off)

laughs one's ass off (present singular third-person)
laughing one's ass off (participle present)
laughed one's ass off (participle past)
laughed one's ass off (past)
laugh one's arse off (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-laugh one's ass off.wav

laugh one's head off
laugh one's head off#English

(US, vulgar) Synonym of laugh one's head off (“laugh uproariously”)


16th note

(music, US) Abbreviation of sixteenth note.


pharmic

(US, slang, archaic) Of or relating to pharmacy, especially as a subject of study.


pharmic

(US, slang, archaic) A student studying pharmacy.


sand cookie

Perhaps a calque of French sablé (“shortbread”) from sable (“sand”), because of the texture of the crumbs; cf. also Norwegian sandkake.

1945, Adrian Wilson, letter dated 31 March, 1945, in Joyce Lancaster Wilson (ed.), Two Against the Tide: A Conscientious Objector in World War II: Selected Letters, Austin, TX: W. Thomas Taylor, p. 132,
Some of the wives poured and served up civilized cookies such as I haven’t had for months. ([Your] sand cookies are out of this world, therefore excluded.)

her breath sugary from fingerfuls of molasses or sand-cookie crumbs

1987, Toni Morrison, Beloved, New York: Knopf, page 121:

(US) Name given to various types of shortbread.

(US) Any echinoderm of the order Clypeasteroida.

A boy and a girl were playing in a large sandbox near my window. The little girl, who was singing, was very busy making sand cookies.

1959, Frances R. Horwich, chapter 11, in The Magic of Bringing Up Your Child, New York: McGraw-Hill, page 250:

Make sand cookies at the beach. All you need is a set of plastic cookie cutters and presses. These can provide hours of amusement at the beach for toddlers […]

2000, Barbara Rowley, chapter 6, in Baby Days, New York: Hyperion, page 197:

(US) A mass of sand shaped to resemble a cookie by a child playing, similar to a mud pie.


roachless

There is no end of the headings you can devise using “roach” in each, thus: The roach dies. Doom of roaches. Roaches no more. No roaches left. The end of roaches. Who has roaches. Roachless houses. Not one roach. Roaches will go. No roach escapes.

1900 September 10, “Tell It in the Headline”, in American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record, volume XXXVII, number 5 (whole 457), New York, N.Y., Chicago, Ill., page 143, column 1:

Since introducing HARRIS ROACH TABLETS many testimonials have been received by boosters who have tried the successful method of ridding your home of roaches. For a ROACHLESS HOUSE try “HARRIS ROACH TABLETS.”

1942 August 7, “Harris Roach Tablets Sure Death to Roaches”, in Tampa Morning Tribune, 49th year, number 219, Tampa, Fla., page nine:

Hence most of us, learning for the first time of DDT as a new miracle insect killer, think rather of summer days free of flies and summer evenings without mosquitoes, roachless houses and flealess dogs, than of a world without malaria or typhus.

1946, James Cornelius Leary, William I. Fishbein, Lawrence Cecil Salter, DDT and the Insect Problem, New York, N.Y., London: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., page 70:

For me, in the roachless home of those Nashville suburbs, it was irrelevant that in the past twenty years cockroaches have been identified as a leading cause of asthma, but for a boy growing up in a housing project, they may be why he has the disease, and they are almost certainly a contributing factor to the onset of his attacks.

1999, Richard Schweid, The Cockroach Papers: A Compendium of History and Lore, New York, N.Y., London: Four Walls Eight Windows, →ISBN, page 108:


swamp angel

On the 17th, the Parrot ^([sic]) "swamp angels" were moved to a position nearer Coosawhatchie bridge, […]

1873, Henry Hall, James Hall, Cayuga in the Field, page 218:

The two story brick house lay in ruins but had been fortified with Parrot rifles or 'swamp angels' that spewed forth their eight inch shot and shell at the Union lines, one thousand yards due east of it.

2009, S. A. Carter, The Dark Side of the Mountain, page 372:

(US, military, slang, historical) A Parrott rifle.


bedroom state

[…]business executives from New York and Philadelphia make New Jersey a bedroom state.

1963, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic in Narcotics: Part 1, U.S. Government Printing Office, page 327:

(US) A U.S. state from which many residents commute across state lines to work in neighboring states with large cities.


8th note

(music, US) Abbreviation of eighth note.


rat cheese

(US, colloquial, sometimes derogatory) Synonym of American cheese


double crochet

(US) a crochet stitch achieved by: yarn over, push through next loop, yarn over and pull back through, yarn over and pull through two loops, then yarn over and pull through the remaining two loops


light bill

So called because electricity was once used mainly for lighting; see 1940 citation below.

People who have been connected to utility electric lines have used them almost entirely for lights, because of the expense. […] But now with plenty of power, calling their monthly statement a light bill is, I believe, wrong psychology. Too many come in and remark about the amount of their light bill even though they may use 50 to 100 kilowatt-hours.

1940, C. A. Winder (Director, Division of Engineering and Operations), quoted in: United States. Rural Electrification Administration, Rural Electrification News: A Summary of Rural Electrification Activities (page 26)

(US, chiefly dated) An electricity bill.


FTO

field training officer
field training officer#English

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of field training officer.

(US) Initialism of foreign terrorist organisation.


scarlet bugler

scarlet buglers (plural)
scarlet buglar (alternative)

(US) A plant of species Penstemon centranthifolius.


scarlet buglar

(US) Alternative spelling of scarlet bugler.


royal penstemon

en-noun

royal penstemon (plural royal penstemons)


CFII

(US, aviation) certificated (or certified, informally) flight instructor, instrument (a CFI with an instrument rating, qualified to give instrument flight rules training)


honor killer

(US) Alternative spelling of honour killer


MEI

(US, aviation) multiengine instructor (a CFI qualified to give training in multiengine aircraft)


start in

en-verb

start in (third-person singular simple present starts in, present participle starting in, simple past and past participle started in)

starts in (present singular third-person)
starting in (participle present)
started in (participle past)
started in (past)

When she starts in about her teas, she just won't stop for hours!

(chiefly US, informal) To begin (to do something); to get started.


Anatolian Shepherd

en-noun

Anatolian Shepherd (plural Anatolian Shepherds)

(US) Any dog descended from regional Turkish livestock guardian dogs, particularly the Kangal Shepherd Dog but also the Akbash.


lawn jart

Blend of lawn dart + jart, a brand of lawn dart.


plebeskin

(US, slang, military, dated) Any of various clothing items (blouse, overcoat or trousers) issued to a new cadet at a military academy.


green girl

Several decades ago […] , cadets would pack picnics and their "green girls" in typewriter cases for a private dinner with a favorite female friend.

2007, Maureen Oehler DuRant, Peter E. Carroll, West Point (page 92)

(US, military, slang) The green sleeping-blanket issued to cadets at a military academy.


IOCT

(US, military) Initialism of indoor obstacle course test.


Cullum number

Introduced by brevet Major General George W. Cullum in the mid-19th century.

(US, military) A reference and identification number assigned to each West Point graduate.


check plus

(education, Canada, US) A grade indicating work that is more than satisfactory.


check minus

(education, Canada, US) A grade indicating work that is acceptable, but could be better.


bogus-maker

bogus-makers (plural)
bogusmaker (alternative)

(US, dialect, archaic) A counterfeiter (of money).


bodewash

Borrowed from Canadian French bois de vache (literally “cow wood”).

bor+

Bodewash. (Fr. bois de vache.) Dried cow-dung, used for fuel on the treeless plains of the Far West.

[1877, John Russell Bartlett, Dictionary of Americanisms […], 4th edition, page 56:

We therefore gathered a quantity of dry buffalo dung [bois de vache or “bodewash”] with which we made shift to keep the mosquitoes away; our provisions required no cooking.

1897, Elliott Coues, Alexander Henry, New Light on the Early History of the Greater Northwest: The Manuscript Journals of Alexander Henry […], volume 1, pages 305–6:

But the apostle is done now. His press-teege is mashed flatter’n a bodewash chip.

1925 October 20, William Byron Mowery, “St. Gabriel Zsbyski”, in Adventure, volume 25, number 2, page 174:

Bodewash warmed many an early Manitoba settler.

1998, Canadian Geographic, volume 118, page 29:

(US, Canada, dialect, archaic) Dried buffalo or cow dung, sometimes used as fuel by pioneers.


later, skater

(slang, Canada, US) Goodbye, see you later.


miho

(US, slang) A term of endearment; dear, darling, my heart.


Blue Goose

From blue + goose, in reference to its blue desk adorned with the seal of the president of the United States; the bald eagle displayed prominently on the seal is sometimes affectionately referred to as a goose for comedic effect.

(US) A large, armored lectern used by the president of the United States on formal occasions.


nyjer seed

Pronunciation respelling of Niger seed, to avoid a supposed resemblance between Niger and nigger. Compare usage notes at niggardly.

[…] you could easily keep a jar of nyjer seed on your work desk indoors.

2004, Fern Marshall Bradley, Projects for the Birder's Garden, page 107:

I usually put nyjer seeds in the feeder. These look like black rice. I mix some sunflower seeds in there, too.

2015, Shalini Saxena, A Bird Watcher's Guide to Goldfinches:


helispot

(US) A designated location near a fire where it is safe for firefighters' helicopters to land and take off.


R-Day

Coordinate term: A-Day

(US, military) Reception Day at West Point, when new cadets arrive at the academy.


A-Day

Coordinate term: R-Day

(US, military) Acceptance Day at West Point, when cadets complete their basic training.


technical sergeant

en-noun

technical sergeant (plural technical sergeants)

(US) Various current and former ranks. See Wikipedia for details.


douchetuber

douchetubers (plural)
DoucheTuber (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-douchetuber.wav

From douchebag + YouTuber, ostensibly popularised by American YouTuber and streamer MoistCr1TiKaL in the late 2010s.

GUYS!! I'm so pumped for you to see me be a douchetuber in #internetfamousmovie!!

That's why children are so retarded these days. They have no house training and try to repeat everything that a DoucheTuber does. They should ban everyone under the age of 20 from the internet unless it's for school.

2021 May 31, Thunderbolt, Short Stories By Thunderbolt, Writers Republic, →ISBN, unnumbered page:

Faze fell off when they pivoted everything to Paul brothers-esque douchetuber content in the content house rather than actually being a gaming org.

2023 September 8, JabbityJibbity, Twitter:

(Canada, US, Internet slang, vulgar, often humorous, now ironic) A YouTuber who is arrogant, rude or obnoxious; a douchebag, especially one who flaunts their wealth, carries out pranks in poor taste, or engages in fraudulent activities.


grand theft

(US) The criminal act of stealing an amount higher than a limit deemed by statute, therefore carrying more severe penalties than a simple theft.


DFPS

w:Texas Department of Family and Protective Services

(US) Initialism of (Texas) Department of Family and Protective Services.


honor name

(US) A child's given name that is the name of another person, such as an ancestor, and bestowed in honor of that person.


smashboard

(Canada, US, rail transport, historical) A pivoted board that could be operated to swing into position across the track, for use as a signal.


snake dance

(US) A kind of parade involving school students.


subway-surface

(rail transport, US) Streetcar lines whose sections in the city center operate in tunnels like subway lines; typically built to speed up streetcar service by bypassing congested streets, as provision for future conversion to rapid transit, or both.

prémétro

streetcar line or network with a rapid transit-style city center tunnel


Snick

Despite differences in race and social background, they and hundreds of other Snicks joined together to commit themselves to defeating the powerful, often sadistic racism that had denied southern blacks equality with whites since the end of the Civil War a century earlier.

2013, Michael V. Uschan, “Life as a Snick”, in James Foreman and SNCC, Greenhaven Publishing LLC, →ISBN, page 72:


bull-fuck

From its supposed resemblance to the fuck (“semen”) of a bull.

[…] the jury was out for only three hours, including a one-hour intermission for lunch (chitlins and poke sallat? winnies and coke? hot plates with bull-fuck gravy?), and their verdict was Guilty.

1984, John B. Sanford, The Winters of that Country: Tales of the Man Made Seasons, David R. Godine Publisher, →ISBN, page 237:

[...] gravy, which the kids call bull-fuck, and they take half shares of yours when you refuse it. At mid-day, a trusty brings sowbelly and grits, more bull-fuck, and they split that too. In the afternoon , you're taken before a[…]

1985, John Sanford, John B. Sanford, Scenes from the Life of an American Jew: The color of the air:

[He pointed] at a bowl of flour gravy, and he said, 'Pass the bull-fuck.' He was still there at that table, you saw, still hearing the same paralyzing phrase: it was an abomination still scrawled on his mind. 'Pass the bull-fuck,' Lynn said again[…]

1987, John B. Sanford, Scenes from the Life of an American Jew, page 20:

"Huntanpeck, make a bullfuck," Sergeant Lotumi told me one day. [He demonstrated how to make it.] He took the wire beater tool from me and stirred the stew as he poured in the mixture. Shortly the results became apparent. I watched the stew become thicker. The sergeant looked at me and smiled and said to me, "Soldier, that is what's known as a bullfuck!” I laughed[…]

1991 10, Arthur Robert Killingbeck, U. S. Army Privates, Sergeants, Fire and Smoke, →ISBN, pages 40-41:

(rare, US, Canada, vulgar, colloquial) Thick, creamy white gravy or stew.


diaper pin

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-diaper pin.wav

(Canada, US) A type of safety pin traditionally used to fasten a reusable cloth diaper.


flycop

From fly (“quick-witted”) + cop (“police officer”).

com

(US, Canada, slang, obsolete) A clever police officer with plenty of experience.


Schrödinger's douchebag

en-noun

Schrödinger's douchebag (plural Schrödinger's douchebags)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Schrödinger's douchebag.wav

"Schrödinger’s douchebag" [i]s someone who makes an unacceptable remark and then waits to see the reaction before declaring retrospectively whether they meant it for real or were "just joking".

2016 August 27, Mark Thompson, “From Trump to Brexit rhetoric: how today's politicians have got away with words”, in The Guardian, retrieved 2023-09-24:

Schrodinger's douchebag refers to someone who tests what they say before taking responsibility for what they've said.

2019 August 14, Gyles Brandreth, Have You Eaten Grandma?: Or, the Life-Saving Importance of Correct Punctuation, Grammar, and Good English, →ISBN, retrieved 2023-09-24, page 218:

Vivek Ramaswamy is an American politician capturing conservative and immigrant hearts but stuck in a high school persona: a Schrodinger's douchebag.

2023 September 18, Neil Mahto, “Vivek Ramaswamy has no platform”, in The Johns Hopkins News-Letter, retrieved 2023-09-24:

(Canada, US, slang, derogatory, vulgar) A person who makes offensive or inflammatory remarks and characterizes these statements as either sincere or joking based on the reactions of others.


LMFT

(professional title, mental health, US) Initialism of licensed marriage and family therapist.

professional title; mental health; professional title; mental health


hot-sheet motel

hot-sheet motel (plural hot-sheet motels)

Because of the need to frequently change the sheets in the rooms.

(US) A motel that rents rooms by the hour, normally used for sexual liaisons.


tenement house

(US) A building subdivided into tenements.


Dimes Square

Blend of Dimes + Times Square, after the Dimes restaurant located at the intersection of Canal Street and Division Street.

(US, informal) A microneighborhood of Manhattan, roughly located between Chinatown and the Lower East Side neighborhoods of New York City.


three stars

(ice hockey, US, Canada) The three best players in a game as chosen by a third party.


prairie banana

At this annual Albany festival visitors can enjoy treats from the pawpaw fruit, including “prairie banana” ice cream.

2015, Gabrielle Balkan, The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!, Wide Eyed Editions, →ISBN, page 72:

If you’ve ever sampled an American custard apple, a prairie banana or a hillbilly mango, then you’ve eaten a pawpaw.

2023 September 29, Molly Fitzpatrick, “He’s the Pawpaw King of Brooklyn. (What’s a Pawpaw?)”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Asimina triloba
Asimina triloba#Translingual

(US, colloquial) A pawpaw (Asimina triloba).


hillbilly mango

hillbilly mango (plural hillbilly mangoes or hillbilly mangos)

hillbilly mangoes (plural)
hillbilly mangos (plural)


bandango

bandango (plural bandangoes or bandangos)


flag on the play

Flag on the play, I thought we were going to the mall on Sunday?

(informal, slang, US, uncommon) Used to indicate a problem or issue.


split bathroom

(Canada, US) A bathroom having a separate lockable subroom that typically contains the bath and toilet.


PDCO

Planetary Defense Coordination Office
w:Planetary Defense Coordination Office

(US) Initialism of Planetary Defense Coordination Office.


assholed

(vulgar, slang, automotive, uncommon) Rear-ended by another vehicle on the road.


NYSP

New York State Police
w:en:New York State Police

(US, law enforcement) Abbreviation of New York State Police.


as nervous as a witch

en-adj

(as) nervous as a witch (not comparable)

The nerves often get clogged up, or choked up, both inside and outside: they get clogged up by humours settling on them, [...] and you become as nervous as a witch. Then again, the nervous fluid. what used to be called the animal spirits, or the marrow of the nerve, get thick and clogged; and all obstruction in it must be forced out.

1871, Donald Kennedy, Kennedy on diseases of the skin, page 94:

[…] "a pinch always makes me start up as nervous as a witch, and I never could talk sense during an electric storm. I feel nervous now just to think of it."

2021 November 5, Henry Pettit, A Twentieth Century Idealist, Good Press:

(US, especially Northeastern US) Very nervous or restless.


common mallow

en-noun

common mallow (countable and uncountable, plural common mallows)

Any of locally common species of mallow plants:

(US) Australian hollyhock, native hollyhock (Malva neglecta)


red lives matter

Coined in analogy to black lives matter; the color red is often associated with indigenous or Native American peoples.

police brutality
police brutality#English

(politics, US, uncommon) A rallying call and statement of protest, concerning police brutality and racially motivated violence against Native American people.


maybeso

Maybeso the old man bad not died of his terrible wounds; maybeso prowling Injuns had killed him—or white-fanged wolves.

2013, Stanley Vestal, Jim Bridger - Mountain Man:


no-no boy

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-no-no boy.wav

This renunciation required answering "no" to the last two questions in a questionnaire.

(US, historical, World War II, slang) A Japanese man who refused to renounce the Japanese emperor and to serve in the United States armed forces.

Internment of Japanese Americans#Loyalty_questions_and_segregation