flophouse

flophouses (plural)
flop-house (alternative)

From flop + house, originally hobo slang, presumably from slang flop (“lie down to sleep”).

In one of [Cincinnati’s] slum districts stands the Silver Moon, a “flop house” (i.e., a house where the occupants are “flopped” out of their hanging bunks by letting down the ropes).

We even visited some drunken seamen in a flophouse on Mission Street that she knew; they offered us whisky.

1957, Jack Kerouac, On the Road, Viking Press, →OCLC:

He was born out back of a twopenny flophouse in what the wags called “The Holy Land” […].

1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 34:

(US, slang) A cheap hotel or boarding house where many people sleep in large rooms.


grift

American criminal underworld slang, 1906 (noun), 1915 (verb), alteration of graft (“corruption, illicit profit through corrupt means, bribe, one's occupation”), alteration perhaps influenced by similar sounding words, e.g. drift, etc., probably ultimately from Middle Dutch graft (“digging, ditch, canal, trench”) (modern Dutch gracht), related to Dutch graven (“to dig”), English grave (“to dig”).

der

Hey, what's the grift? What are you trying to pull?

‘Sounds like he’s trying to stretch out his grift for as long as possible,’ Gentle said. ‘Taking as much from his followers as he can before it falls apart.’

2022, Paul McAuley, Beyond the Burn Line, Gollancz, page 172:

(US, slang) A confidence game or swindle.


grift

en-verb

grift (third-person singular simple present grifts, present participle grifting, simple past and past participle grifted)

grifts (present singular third-person)
grifting (participle present)
grifted (participle past)
grifted (past)

(transitive, US, slang) To obtain illegally, as by con game.

svindle

to obtain (money) illegally, as by con game

(intransitive, US, slang) To obtain money illegally.

(intransitive, US, slang) To obtain money immorally or through deceitful means.


grifter

From grift + -er; or probably an alteration of grafter (“a corrupt person, one who accepts bribes”), which is essentially a doublet of the same word. Originally circus slang, gradually widened in sense. First attested in 1906.

We're all grifters. So we sell each other out for a nickel.

That was the train the drunks and the sinners rode—the gambling men and the grifters, the big-time spenders, the skirt-chasers, and all the jolly crew.

1958, Robert Bloch, That Hell-Bound Train:

From the small-time grifters like Anna Sorokin, who adopted the last name Delvey to masquerade in downtown New York circles as a European heiress for four years before she was convicted of second-degree grand larceny in 2019, […] all impostors come equipped with a tall tale and a look to match.

2020 November 12, Megan O’Grady, “How ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ Foretold Our Era of Grifting”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(informal, originally Canada, US) A con artist; someone who pulls confidence games; a swindler, scammer, huckster, hustler, and/or charlatan.


gumshoe

"Who's this gumshoe guy from the bush league tailin' us?"

1920, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 20, in The Big-Town Round-Up:


Harlem sunset

Used in Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely (1940), suggesting the red colour of a sunset.

One time there was five smokes carved Harlem sunsets on each other down on East Eighty-four.

1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, A. A. Knopf, page 14:

This wasn't some punk carving Harlem sunsets on a drugstore attendant. This was a professional job.

1976, Frank Ormsby, “War Memorial”, in Seamus Heaney, editor, Soundings, volume 3, page 15:

The blade had been inches from showing Moe a Harlem sunset. A longer knife, or an extra twist, and Moe would've bled to death before the meat wagon arrived.

2004 February 1, Desdemona, “{ASSM} Rough Cut: Chap 1 by Desdmona (crime drama)”, in alt.sex.stories.moderated (Usenet):

2006, Richard E. Sall, Straightjacket, p. 38,
We had some mean turf wars with rival Latino and Italian gangs, and I've still got the scars to prove it: one under my left eye from some Romano's chain, and one just to the right of my right shoulder blade from some bitch who tried to give me a Harlem sunset –yup, that can happen in Detroit, too.

(US, noir, rare) A fatal wound caused by a knife fight.


wooden kimono

A variation of earlier criminal slang such as wooden coat.

"And you're just about ready to give up the ghost and call for a wooden kimono."

1935, Capt. Billy's Whiz-Bang Winter Annual, back cover

I expected the man to show up any minute with his tape measure to outfit me with a wooden kimono.

1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Not too Far Tangent”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 1 (1899–1923: A Nothin’ but a Child), page 19:

"The wooden kimono was all ready to drop in San Francisco Bay, but now he's mumbling something all about the one that got away."

1976, Tom Waits, Small Change, Asylum Records, 1976, Track #10


vig

en-noun

vig (countable and uncountable, plural vigs)

Clipping of vigorish, from Yiddish וויגריש (vigrish), from Russian вы́игрыш (výigryš, “winnings”).

1973, Martin Scorsese, Mardik Martin (screenplay), Mean Streets, quoted in 2009, Ellis Cashmore, Martin Scorsese's America, page 118,
“You charged a guy from the neighborhood $1800 vig?” he asks incredulously (“vig” is short for vigorish, meaning a rate of interest from a loan from an illegal moneylender).

The guy was probably professional muscle, a leg breaker who collects vig for a loan shark. (Vig is a mob term for interest on loans to a loan shark.)

2005, F. P. Lione, The Crossroads (Midtown Blue Book; 2), page 100:

"Look, I know I owe you and I know I'm late but I'm good for it. I am. In fact I'll pay you triple what I owe. Triple! Plus the missing vigs, but I need some help first."

2009, Davinia Bostick, The Match, →ISBN, page 91:

(US slang, crime) Synonym of vigorish (“interest from a loan, as from a loan shark”)


take a powder

en-verb

take a powder (third-person singular simple present takes a powder, present participle taking a powder, simple past took a powder, past participle taken a powder)

takes a powder (present singular third-person)
taking a powder (participle present)
took a powder (past)
taken a powder (participle past)

Macdonald spoke slowly, bitterly. "The kidnapping is one too many for me, Costello. I don't want any part of it. I'm takin' a powder from this toy mob. I took a chance that bright boy might side me."

1933, Raymond Chandler, “Blackmailers Don't Shoot”, in Collected Stories, Everyman's Library, published 2002, page 20:

First Mrs Hitchcock packed up and took a powder, and there was hell to pay.

1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “They Found the Body in a Ditch”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 2 (1923–1928: Chicago, Chicago), page 66:

Our idea was that once the storm had subsided we'd take a powder one night with our dough. . . We'd take our stuff and give ourselves a change of air. . . move to a different neighborhood.

1971, Louis-Ferdinand D. Celine, Death on the Installment Plan, page 446:

"Mr. Tilton said you told him you would take a powder." "Take a powder?" said Henry. "I once heard a man from Nevada tell me he would take a powder, meaning he was leaving town."

1979, Dan McCall, Beecher: A Novel, page 162:

But when you suffer losses, Uncle Sam may take a powder.

2000, Barbara Weltman, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business, page 271:

Go on, now. Scram. Take a powder. And don't come back till people on the street start wishing you a good afternoon.

2004, Robert Hough, Hogie Wyckoff, The Final Confession of Mabel Stark, page 418:

(idiomatic, US, colloquial) To leave without saying goodbye; leave quietly, run away; scram; depart without taking leave or notifying anyone, often with a connotation of avoiding something unpleasant or shirking responsibility.


shamus

Said to be from the Irish name Séamus, on account of many American police officers being of Irish descent.

“That's what you're here for. Didn't your aunt tell you? She wants you to follow Wilbert Cream and Phyllis about everywhere and see that he doesn't get a chance of proposing.”
“You mean that I'm to be a sort of private eye or shamus, tailing them up? I don't like it,” I said dubiously.

1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IV:

(US, slang) A private detective; originally, a policeman or police detective.


Nevada gas

The first gas chamber was used in Nevada, USA on February 8, 1924.

In the front seat it had a tank of Nevada gas, cyanide, which the guy driving could turn into the back part without getting it himself.

1935, Raymond Chandler, Nevada Gas, The Library of America, page 166:

(US, slang) Hydrogen cyanide, used in the gas chamber.


particle board

en-noun

particle board (countable and uncountable, plural particle boards)

particle boards (plural)
particle-board (alternative)

(US, Canada, Australia) a structural material manufactured from wood particles (such as chips and shavings) by pressing, and binding through resin


homer

The first baseman hit a homer to lead off the ninth.

The Mets got that four-run cushion in the seventh when George Foster stepped in as a pinch-hitter and hit a two-run homer for the 5-1 final.

1983 June 27, Kevin Dupont, “METS GAIN SPLIT; STAUB TIES MARK”, in The New York Times:

Fast forward to Chase's base. Where Chase hit a homer, first at bat. Becca thrived off being sexy, having sex, watching sex.

“So you hit a homer, huh?” she asked, confused by his misery.
Colm nodded. “Best sex I've had in a long time. Maybe ever.”

(US, colloquial) Synonym of home run (“sexual intercourse”)

Each of the pigeon fanciers released a homer at the same time.

Joe is such a homer that he would never boo the Hometown Hobos, even if they are in last place in the league.

(US, sports) A person who is extremely devoted to a favorite team.


homer

en-verb

homer (third-person singular simple present homers, present participle homering, simple past and past participle homered)

homers (present singular third-person)
homering (participle present)
homered (participle past)
homered (past)

The Sultan of Swat homered 714 times.

(US, baseball) To hit a homer; to hit a home run.


procession

procession (third-person singular simple present processions, present participle processioning, simple past and past participle processioned)

processions (present singular third-person)
processioning (participle present)
processioned (participle past)
processioned (past)

From Middle English processioun, borrowed from Old French pourciession, from Latin prōcessiō (“a marching forward, an advance, in Late Latin a religious procession”), from prōcēdere, past participle prōcessus (“to move forward, advance, proceed”); see proceed.

der

To procession the lands of such persons as desire it.

1856, Alexander Mansfield Burrill, A Law Dictionary and Glossary, PROCESSIONING:

(transitive, law, US, North Carolina, Tennessee) To ascertain, mark, and establish the boundary lines of (lands).

North Carolina; Tennessee; North Carolina; Tennessee


slider

From slide + -er.
The meaning "small hamburger" was originally used to describe onion-steamed small burgers at White Castle restaurants, formerly spelt "Slyder".
Regarding the senses about control devices or widgets: physical sliders (potentiometers serving as rheostats) predate virtual ones (elements in graphical user interfaces), and the virtual ones are so named because their concept is the abstraction of the physical ones; if more explanation on that topic is needed, it is available in the Wikipedia articles on skeuomorphs, icons, and the desktop metaphor.

(US, dialect) The northern red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris, syn. Pseudemys rugosa).


curveball

Life has thrown him a few curveballs.

The season’s first episode, “Bart Gets an F,” got the highest ratings in its history, but “Treehouse of Horror” was the real curveball: a genre-busting effort that proudly punched above the show’s expectations.

2015 March 10, David Sims, “Without Sam Simon, 'The Simpsons' Wouldn't Be What It Is Today”, in The Atlantic:

There are two curveball nominations, one perhaps a popularity bid and the other a credibility bid. The popular one is Bieber’s Purpose.

2016 December 6, Spencer Kornhaber, “The Culture Wars in the Grammy Album Nominations”, in The Atlantic:

But from time to time, June throws up a curveball, in the shape of unusual and hard to predict meteorological events.

2017 June 13, Stephen Moss, “June likes to throw a curveball now and again”, in The Guardian:

And I think that’s an example of where faced with a seemingly intractable political reality, technology produces a solution that is a total curveball and not that imaginable a few decades ago.

2021 June 11, Ezra Klein, “Sam Altman on the A.I. Revolution, Trillionaires and the Future of Political Power” (32:37 from the start), in The Ezra Klein Show (podcast), spoken by Sam Altman:

(by extension, chiefly US) An unexpected turn of events initiated by an opponent or chance; an exception or outlier.


rinky-dink

en-noun

rinky-dink (countable and uncountable, plural rinky-dinks)

/ˈɹɪŋ.kɪ.dɪŋk/

/ˈɹɪŋkiˌdɪŋk/

Origin unknown; possibly a variant of rickety (“of an object: not strong or sturdy; of a person: feeble in the joints, tottering”), reduplicated with a change of the initial consonant. The noun is attested earlier than the adjective.

But when we start getting really into the "rinky-dinks" of this thing is when we get over here in the columns.

1958, Proceedings of Progress in Measurement of Management Conference, October 31 – November 1, 1957, New York City, New York, N.Y.: Society for the Advancement of Management, →OCLC, page 84:

It was during this interval between wars that Dan Fahey, for the words "solve this problem", used the expression "unscramble this rinky-dink." This became usual lingo in the 306th. Starting in late June of 1950, there were lots of "rinky-dinks to be unscrambled.[…]"

1970, Ford E. Young, To the Regiment: The History of the 306th Cavalry Regiment and the 306th Armored Cavalry Group, Washington, D.C.: National Capitol Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 96:

The candor with which [Gerald] Ford constructed and presented his admittedly depressing Budget deprived the press of one of its favorite pastimes, namely, searching out the "rinky-dinks" in the document. In the past, such "rinky-dinks" existed partly in highly unrealistic assumptions concerning Congressional action requested by the incumbent President, or by the donning of rose-colored glasses in making economic assumptions.

1975 February 5, Charls E[dward] Walker, quoting Charls E. Walker’s Washington Economic Report (volume 3, number 3), “Revenues [Supplemental Material]”, in Macroeconomic Issues and the Fiscal Year 1976 Budget: Seminars: Committee on the Budget, United States Senate, Ninety-fourth Congress, First Session […], volume I, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, published May 1975, →OCLC, page 211:

Soon afterward, the federal government, in effect, outlawed the rinky-dinks by adopting minimum-strength standards.

1980, Mechanix Illustrated, volume 76, Greenwich, Conn.: Modern Mechanix Publishing Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 112:

(countable) Something that is not up to acceptable standards; something regarded as being of low quality.

kelvoton

something that is not up to acceptable standards; something regarded as being of low quality

The [King] Oliver band had a new kind of beat, a real jazz beat instead of the ragtime rinky-dink.

1947, Bud Freeman, “Louis Armstrong, a Reminiscence”, in Ralph de Toledano, editor, Frontiers of Jazz, 3rd edition, Gretna, New Orleans, La.: Pelican Publishing Company, published 1994, →ISBN, page 119:

Devon on the run, then. No longer playing rinky-dink in fag clubs, pumping the organ in skidroad missions, humping ivories for small change and beer.

1990, D[onald] M[urray] Fraser, “In the Aftermath”, in Bryan Carson, editor, Ignorant Armies, Vancouver, B.C.: Pulp Press Book Publishers, →ISBN, page 98:

In his symphony, the form of the notes is the form of the moment, and the form of the moment is strings (lustre), horn (sheen), oboe (edge), harp (light) and glockenspiel (a touch of the rinky-dink).

2013, John Kefala Kerr, Thimio’s House, Ropley, Hampshire: Perfect Edge, John Hunt Publishing, →ISBN:

(uncountable, music) Alternative form of rinky-tink (“a tinkling, tinny style of music; honky-tonk”)


rinky-dink

/ˈɹɪŋ.kɪ.dɪŋk/

/ˈɹɪŋkiˌdɪŋk/

That rinky-dink shelf is likely to collapse if you fill it with books.

It was a rinky-dink way to run a war.

2007, Walter J. Boyne, The Yom Kippur War: And the Airlift Strike That Saved Israel, →ISBN:

We'd put on little rinky-dink shows.

2012, Thomas Guzman-Sanchez, Underground Dance Masters: Final History of a Forgotten Era, →ISBN:

The more obscure and rinky-dink the country, the more anally retentive the officialdom, and Kiribati was about as obscure and rinky-dink as it got.

2014, Jason Lewis, The Seed Buried Deep, →ISBN:

It's a rinky-dink operation that owns a rinky-dink mine in Papua New Guinea.

2017, Dennis Lehane, Since We Fell, →ISBN:

Of poor quality; amateurish, shoddy, small-time.

Old-fashioned, tired; also, shabby, worn-out.

As I child, I learned to play on that old pump organ and so had my father. This piano was very special. It had an extra floor pedal which gave the piano a rinky-dink sound like no other.

2007, Johnny Stark, “Another New Beginning”, in From Poverty to Silvered Wings of Flight, Bloomington, Ind.: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 55:

The loud rinky-dink music and the wafting blue cigar smoke made the scene a dime novel cover.

2013, Conn Hamlett, John Lee Johnson and the Gunslingers, →ISBN, page 13:

But Humphrey Bogart's Philip Marlowe has no sax sound tagging along behind him, and when love interest Lauren Bacall makes her entrance at a swanky nightspot, a rinky-dink piano accompanies her sway; there's not a sax in sight (or sound).

2017, Kenneth LaFave, Experiencing Film Music: A Listener's Companion, →ISBN, page 32:

(music) Alternative form of rinky-tink (“tinkling and tinny”)


earnest money

earnest money (countable and uncountable, plural earnest moneys)

earnest moneys (plural)
earnest-money (alternative)

(chiefly US) Money paid as a deposit to show intent to buy or to reserve an item to be purchased; especially, money accompanying an offer to buy real estate.


flatcar

flatcars (plural)
flat car (alternative)

(rail transport, US) A railroad freight car without sides and roof.


backhoe

Meronym: front-end loader

The backhoe is only one type of heavy equipment for rent.[…]I heard about a couple of tool-rental outfits near Chicago that were doing a brisk business renting backhoes and other heavy equipment to homeowners

1967 June, Charles E. Rhine, “How to Rent a Backhoe”, in Popular Science, page 149:

I'll recommend a good way to calculate backhoe production rates. Then we'll look at the two backhoes you'll be using, the wheeled backhoe and the tracked backhoe.

1987, Dave Roberts, Pipe and Excavation Contracting, page 173:

2010, Robert Day, Foundation Engineering Handbook, 2nd edition, page 2.49,
Backhoe pits and trenches are an economical means of performing subsurface exploration. The backhoe can quickly excavate the trench that can then be used to observe and test the in situ soil (see Fig. 2.29).

en:tractor with digger and loader components

(chiefly US, Canada, Australia) A multi-purpose tractor with a front-mounted loading bucket and a rear-mounted digging bucket. The tractor combines a front-end loader/loader (component) and an excavator/digger (component).


catcher

(chiefly US, colloquial) The bottom partner in a homosexual relationship or sexual encounter between two men.


asswipe

asswipe (countable and uncountable, plural asswipes)

Bahuvrihi compound of ass + wipe. First use appears c. 1947 in the writings of Mari Sandoz.

He is such an asswipe!

...they have been exchanging insults in writing: "dickhead," "dillweed," "fuzzbutt," "dorkwad," "asswipe," and so forth.

1996, Timothy Jay, What to Do When Your Students Talk Dirty, page 207:

(Canada, US, informal, mildly vulgar, offensive or derogatory) An annoying, contemptible, or worthless person.

I rapidly expended my own and everyone else’s supply of tiny C-ration rolls of asswipe and was reduced to wiping my nasty behind with leaves and grass.

1976, Micheal Clodfelter, The Pawns of Dishonor, Branden Press, →ISBN, page 249:

“[…] Into your packs you put your toilet articles, mess kits, extra socks, and skivvies and longjohns if you have them. If you have a roll of asswipe, put that in, too. […]”

1983, Nicholas Proffitt, Gardens of Stone, Carroll & Graf, →ISBN, page 317:

I doubt a dime would buy a single square of asswipe in this city, […]

2008, Joseph Heywood, Death Roe: A Woods Cop Mystery, Globe Pequot, page 252

(Canada, US, informal, mildly vulgar, uncountable) Toilet paper.

paskapaperi

Something used to wipe one's anus after defecation


From the Selective Service Classification code.

(US, military) A military draftee rejected for being physically unfit.


HUAC

w:House Un-American Activities Committee

(US, historical) Acronym of House Un-American Activities Committee.


coroner

From Middle English coroner, from Old French curuner, from Medieval Latin custōs placitōrum corōnae (“guardian of the crown's pleas”). The function was originally to protect royal properties.

der

(Canada, US, medicine) A medical doctor who performs autopsies and determines time and cause of death from a scientific standpoint.


Named after section 187 of the California Penal Code, which defines the offense of murder.

(US) Police code for murder, in the State of California.

A code one-eight-seven on Jefferson one-four-eight-nine. Corner store—7-Eleven." A 187 was a homicide, Jefferson, the other side of town. ...

1992, Ian Slater, WW III: Warshot, page 148:

[…] and Snoop Dogg blatantly rapped about doing "187 on an undercover cop" on [….]

2003, Mark Anthony Neal, Songs in the Key of Black Life: A Rhythm and Blues Nation, page 164:

Paco came across a wall that, in the large block letters of local Hispanic gang graffiti, spelled out “187 Domingo.” This was the ultimate threat for Paco [….]

2004, Malcolm W. Klein, Gang Cop: The Words and Ways of Officer Paco Domingo, page 131:

Perp at this address is a possible One-eight-seven P. Request a unit respond Code Three." The RTO came back immediately and put out the call division-wide.

2004, Stephen J. Cannell, Vertical Coffin, page 256:

Respond to a one-eight-seven at nine-eight-six Cove Road North," the dispatcher continued in her heavy southern drawl. "10-4... En route.[….]

2004, Cash Pawley, Pray for Death, page 21:


bagman

The accused are only the latest in a string of alleged bagmen, vote-riggers and ward-heelers charged with wrongdoing.

2006 September 15, James Graff, “In France, a Vintage Chirac Scandal is Uncorked”, in Time:

(US, Australia, New Zealand, informal) A person who collects, transports, or distributes illicit money, especially for the purpose of bribery, extortion, or the making of other improper payments.

[…] in a locked metal suitcase carried on the President's travels by a warrant officer irreverently known as "the bagman."

1968, Newsweek, volume 72, numbers 10-18, page 28:

The bagman clutching the nuclear football like an undertaker at a wedding. Cameras flashed and clicked, recording the scene. 'Good morning, Mr President,' they chorused.

(US, politics, slang) An officer assigned to travel with the president and carry the "nuclear football".


sneaker

Related to how quiet the shoes are. sneak + -er

(US, Atlantic Canada, Australia, New Zealand) An athletic shoe with a soft, rubber sole. A trainer.


highball

Japanese: ハイボール, ハイ

From high + ball, of the same railroad origins as lowball.

A white ball hauled up to the crossbar indicated that the track was clear; a black ball, run up half way, meant stop. This was the origin of the use of the word "highball" to indicate a clear line ahead, which is still used in U.S.A. railway practice.

1946 November and December, “Notes and News: The American Highball”, in Railway Magazine, page 382:

(rail transport, US) An all clear or full speed ahead signal.


highball

en-verb

highball (third-person singular simple present highballs, present participle highballing, simple past and past participle highballed)

highballs (present singular third-person)
highballing (participle present)
highballed (participle past)
highballed (past)

Booster-equipped 628 highballs west at Glen Lake, Minn., back in 1947.

1959, Steam's Finest Hour, edited by David P. Morgan, Kalmbach Publishing Co. (photo caption)

The water-level route, the whistle and the loud staccato exhaust of this great engine recalled most vividly memories of the New York Central Hudsons highballing along the Hudson River between Harmon and Albany!

1960 October, P. Ransome-Wallis, “Modern motive power of the German Federal Railway: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 613:

(US, slang, possibly dated) To move quickly; to hightail.


kindergarten

en-noun

kindergarten (plural kindergartens or (obsolete) kindergärten)

kindergartens (plural)
kindergärten (obsolete plural)
kindergarden (alternative)

/ˈkɪndəɹˌɡɑːɹt(ə)n/

/ˈkɪndəɹˌɡɑːɹd(ə)n/

[ˈkʰɪn(d)əɹˌɡɑːɹt̬(ə)n]

[ˈkʰɪɾ̃əɹˌɡɑːɹʔn̩]

Unadapted borrowing from German Kindergarten (“kindergarten”, literally “garden of children”), coined by German pedagogue Friedrich Fröbel (early 19th century).

ubor

(Canada, US, Australia) An educational institution for young children, usually between ages 4 and 6; nursery school.

esikoulu

year of education before compulsory education

Kindergarten

but the latter is not seen as a school, rather as a form of day care

(Canada, US, Australia) The elementary school grade before first grade.

børnehaveklasse

the elementary school grade before first grade


SAW

squad automatic weapon
squad automatic weapon

section automatic weapon
section automatic weapon

(military, US) A squad automatic weapon or section automatic weapon, a kind of light machine gun.


nickel and dime

From the names of two US coins of small value.

I bought my new ride from some nickel and dime used-car salesman.

Don't waste your time with that; their operations are nickel and dime.

(US, idiomatic, colloquial) Small time; operating on a small scale; involving small amounts of money; petty or cheap.


nickel and dime

en-verb

nickel and dime (third-person singular simple present nickel and dimes or nickels and dimes, present participle nickel and diming or nickeling and diming or nickelling and diming, simple past and past participle nickel and dimed or nickeled and dimed or nickelled and dimed)

nickel and dimes (present singular third-person)
nickels and dimes (present singular third-person)
nickel and diming (participle present)
nickeling and diming (participle present)
nickelling and diming (participle present)
nickel and dimed (participle past)
nickel and dimed (past)
nickeled and dimed (participle past)
nickeled and dimed (past)
nickelled and dimed (participle past)
nickelled and dimed (past)

I got nickel and dimed to death by the phone company's sneaky extra charges.

It seems like a great offer, but they will just nickel and dime you until you've spent more than retail anyway.

Even as resort fees are under fire, the nickel-and-diming of travelers that airlines have adopted is seeping into hotel operations. Things that used to be complimentary, such as early check-in or late check-out, now often carry associated fees.

2023 October 11, Elaine Glusac, “‘Spending Money to Get Nothing’: The Latest on Resort Fees”, in The New York Times:

(US, idiomatic, colloquial) To charge, or be charged, several unexpected small amounts of money, often in the form of fees, taxes, or related expenses to a venture, which when taken as a whole add up to a significant unexpected cost.

(US, idiomatic, colloquial, figuratively) To wear down in small increments; to quibble or obsess endlessly with (someone) over trifles.


nickel and dime

en-noun

nickel and dime (plural nickel and dimes)

After retail stores where “everything costs a nickel or a dime”

(US and Canada) A retail store selling inexpensive items, especially one in which all items have a price near a nickel (US five cents) or a dime (US ten cents)


welfare

welfare (usually uncountable, plural welfares)

From Middle English welefare, probably from the Old English phrase wel faran (“to fare well, get along successfully, prosper”) (cognate with Middle Dutch welvare (“welfare”), Middle Low German wolvare (“welfare”), Middle High German wolvar, wolfar (“welfare”)). Equivalent to well + fare. Compare also West Frisian wolfeart, Dutch welvaart, German Wohlfahrt, Old Norse velferð (whence Swedish välfärd (“welfare”)). The first recorded use in the sense of "social concern for the well-being of children, the unemployed, etc." is from 1904 and in the sense of "organized effort to provide for maintenance of members of a group" from 1918.

(uncountable, chiefly US) Various forms of financial aid provided by the government to those who are in need of it.


anymore

non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

/ˌæ.niˈmɔːɹ/

He doesn't live here anymore.

(especially US) Alternative form of any more.


mouse pad

(US, Australia, computing) A pad with surface used to enhance the movement of a computer mouse.


bullpen

(US, military slang) A military prison or its enclosing stockade.


double play

double plays (plural)
double-play (alternative)

Our double play special tonight is scallops & crab.

(US, colloquial) Achieving two results from one action.


wheelhouse

wheelhouses (plural)
wheel house (alternative)
wheel-house (alternative)

From wheel + house. Sense 3 (“(baseball) a pitch location which is favourable to the hitter”) references the fact that a vessel is controlled from its wheelhouse (sense 1.2), and sense 4 (“a person’s area of authority or expertise”) is a figurative use of sense 3.

The pitch was right in his wheelhouse, and he hit a grand slam.

The ball was up in my wheelhouse, and I got round on it, got the meat of that Ritchie Ashburn bottle bat solidly on the ball. I'll never in my life hit a ball any better.

1997, Bryan L. Jones, “Baseball”, in Mark Twain Made Me Do It & Other Plains Adventures, Lincoln, Neb., London: University of Nebraska Press, →ISBN, page 74:

The next pitch was close to my wheelhouse so I just let 'er rip. I got ahold of it and shot it to left field on the line.

2007, Alan Schwarz, “Ken Griffey Jr.: On Going Deep with His Father”, in Once upon a Game: Baseball’s Greatest Memories, Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, page 60, column 1:

Here is the ball, in my wheelhouse. I slide my hips out of the way, put myself in place to hit the coldie of a lifetime.

2009, Andre Agassi, Open: An Autobiography (A Borzoi Book), New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →ISBN, page 215:

(Canada, US, baseball, by extension from sense 1.2) A pitch location which is favourable to the hitter.

Horse viruses are in Pat’s wheelhouse.

Turning out terrific subordinates was not in her wheelhouse. [...] But she did so, mostly by force of will and with a number of false starts and midcourse corrections, and went on to become an icon in her industry.

2009, Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, Marty Linsky, “Broaden Your Bandwith: Discover Your Tolerances”, in The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World, Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, →ISBN, part 4 (See Yourself as a System), page 207:

I watched as Vic digested the information. His career was built on analyzing intel and making tactical decisions, and this was right in his wheelhouse.

2013, Mark L. Donald, with Scott Mactavish, “Battle of Khand Pass”, in Battle Ready: Memoir of a SEAL Warrior Medic, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, page 162:

If an app is entertaining, and especially if it contains age-appropriate humor, that increases its appeal. You just need to keep the learning in a Digitod's [i.e., a digital toddler's] wheelhouse (for you non-baseball fans, that's his prime area of ability).

2013 April 4, Patti Wollman Summers, Ann DeSollar-Hale, Heather Ibrahim-Leathers, “Anatomy of an App”, in Toddlers on Technology: A Parents’ Guide, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 23:

Similarly, it has been beyond the scope of health care providers or other Intermediaries to address well-being. These concerns and measures are simply not in their wheelhouses and not high on their priority lists.

2015, Dwight McNeill, “Knowing Me”, in Amy Neidlinger, editor, Using Person-centered Health Analytics to Live Longer: Leveraging Engagement, Behavior Change, and Technology for a Healthy Life, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, →ISBN, part II (Building the Toolkit for Person-centered Health Analytics), page 172:

What the film rarely does is challenge or interrogate the fan culture to which it plays uncritical tribute. Wade and his friends, including a trigger-happy cyborgian alpha nerd whose offline identity the film handles more tastefully than the book did, are possessive gatekeepers, viciously protective of their pop-culture wheelhouse.

2018 March 26, A. A. Dowd, “Steven Spielberg Finds Fun, and maybe even a Soul, in the Pandering Pastiche of Ready Player One”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2018-05-31:

“Here,” she said, “if we’re thinking about E.P.A. regulating greenhouse gases, well, there’s a match between the regulation and the agency’s wheelhouse, right?”

2022 February 28, Adam Liptak, quoting Amy Coney Barrett, “Supreme Court Considers Limiting E.P.A.’s Ability to Address Climate Change”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(Canada, US, figuratively) A person's area of authority or expertise.

Ever since I started taking antipsychotics, managing my mental health has been a whole different wheelhouse.

(Canada, US, figuratively) A set of skills necessitated by a situation.


sociable

From Middle French sociable, from Latin sociābilis.

At the church sociables he used to hop around among them, chipping and chirping like a dicky-bird picking up seed; and he was a great hand to play the piano, and sing saddish, sweetish songs to them.

1903, George Horace Lorimer, Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to his Son, page 46:

(US) An informal party or church meeting for purposes of socializing.


Hoosier

Uncertain. See Wikipedia's article on the subject for theories. Popularized by the 1830 John Finley poem “The Hoosier’s Nest”.

(US, historical) A kind of cupboard or dresser with shelves, drawers, etc.; a kitchenet.


batty rider

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

(Jamaica, US, Canada, British) extremely short shorts worn by women, so as to expose part of the buttocks


first base

first base (countable and uncountable, plural first bases)

I got to first base with Danny, and hope to get him naked this weekend.

Every time I got to the part about her out with Stradlater in that damn Ed Banky's car, it almost drove me crazy. I knew she wouldn’t let him get to first base with her, but it drove me crazy anyway.

1951, J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 104:

(singular only, US, colloquial) Kissing, regarded as the first phase of a sexual relationship.


second base

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

How about this? French kissing. Seven minutes in heaven, culminating in second base.

2011 November 3, “The Isolation Permutation”, in The Big Bang Theory, season 5, episode 8, spoken by Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik):

Cambridge University Press
w:Cambridge University Press

(singular only, US, colloquial) Touching a partner under his or her clothes, without having sex.


Thanksgiving

/θæŋksˈɡɪvɪŋ/

/ˈθæŋksɡɪvɪŋ/

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

A proprialization from the common noun thanksgiving; by surface analysis, thanks + giving.

It is at present impossible to determine when the General Court will adjourn, none of the great business having as yet been attended to, so as to be completed, but there seems to be a general determination to be at home at Thanksgiving. I hope it will be possible.

1788, Theodore Sedgwick to his wife, 9 November, in The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections 1788–1790, vol. 1, ed. Merrill Jensen and Robert A. Becker, University of Wisconsin Press, 1976, pages 513–514

Across the harsh, salty smells that blew in gusts from the half-uncovered mud-flats of the river, my memory of old Thanksgivings at home called up most rich and tender savors of roast goose till an appetite of huge anticipation began to riot beneath my waistcoat.

1898 November 19, Charles G[eorge] D[ouglas] Roberts, “The Bewitchment of Lieutenant Hanworthy”, in The Saturday Evening Post, volume 171, number 21, Philadelphia, Pa.: The Curtis Publishing Company, page 321, column 1:

This is church! They spent their Thanksgivings and Christmases with us to bring some normalcy to our lives. They bore the cold winter nights sleeping in tents, showering and bathing whenever and wherever possible. They rolled up their sleeves, gutted houses, cleaned yards, and poured out their hearts; they had compassion on us. By joining forces with the National Guard and city officials, the church and government walked hand and hand with common goals—rebuilding lives and revitalizing our cities.

2010, Sebastian Myladiyil, Blown Together: The Trials and Miracles of Katrina, Mobile, Ala.: Evergreen Press, →ISBN, page 200:

Our Thanksgivings are always nice and quiet. Dad cleans, Mom cooks, and I set the table. We sit down, talk about how grateful we are for good health and family, and eat.

2012, T. R. Burns [pseudonym; Tricia Rayburn], The Bad Apple (Merits of Mischief; 1), New York, N.Y.: Aladdin, →ISBN, page 209:

(Canada, US) Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada, and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.

(Canada, US) The long weekend which includes Thanksgiving Day; Thanksgiving weekend.


Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day (plural Thanksgiving Days)

Advent Sunday

Christian religious day at the end of November

(US) A holiday, originally to give thanks to God and to commemorate the feast held by the Pilgrim colonists, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November.


calorific

en-adj

calorific (comparative more calorific, superlative most calorific)

more calorific (comparative)
most calorific (superlative)

From French calorifique or Latin calorificus, from calor + -i- + -ficus.

(US, of food) High in calories and thus likely fattening.


FUSF

(US) Initialism of Federal Universal Service Fund.


black and white

en-noun

black and white (plural black and whites)

The police car sense reflects a traditional livery scheme for such cars.

[T]he news bunny ran up to him, saying, "Officer, did you have trouble catching up with Batman? Was it an exciting chase?" The surfer cop struck a semi-heroic pose for the camera and said, "Weak sauce." Then he quickly walked Batman to the black-and-white, where he was put into the backseat.

2006, Joseph Wambaugh, Hollywood Station […], New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 237:

(US, slang, law enforcement) A police patrol car.

Them punk motherfuckers in black and white ain't the only motherfuckers I gots to fight.

1992, “A Nigga Witta Gun”, in The Chronic, performed by Dr. Dre, Death Row Records:

(US, slang, by extension) The police, a police officer or the clothing they wear.


cayuse

Named after the Cayuse tribe of the Pacific Northwest. However, the etymology of this tribe name is unknown; it may be an exonym, and may in fact come from Spanish caballo (“horse”), which is the source of the word for horse in many Native American languages of western North America.


dinger

"He had a red wool sock on his dinger. That's all."

1994, Max Evans, Bluefeather Fellini in the Sacred Realm, University Press of Colorado, published 1994, →ISBN, page 131:

‘Say, does that sock in the jaw hurt any more? It was a dinger.’

1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 21:

Casy said, “See how good the corn come along until the dust got up. Been a dinger of a crop.”

1939, John Steinbeck, chapter 4, in The Grapes of Wrath, Penguin, published 1951, page 28:

“I won’t lie to you. She been in trouble the last couple years, but she got herself wrapped up in a real dinger this time.”

1998, Earl Emerson, chapter 1, in Catfish Café, New York: Ballantine, page 3:

(US, slang) Something outstanding or exceptional, a humdinger.


CPM

CPM (countable and uncountable, plural CPMs)

certified property manager
certified property manager#English

(US) Initialism of certified property manager.


Palookaville

From palooka (“a stupid or oafish person”) + -ville. Popularized in On the Waterfront (1954).

suffix

But what holds it is the working-class poetry of Derek Ahonen’s script, with the “broken down dreams” and a “gutter full of empty stomachs” of a hard-boiled era of soulful stiffs and dreamers going nowhere. It’s the speeded-up sound of a return trip to Palookaville.

2010 March 15, Jason Zinoman, “Dreams Die Hard, Even in Palookaville”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Ram’s descent plays out against a backdrop of New York as Palookaville, full of free-floating hostility and natives who spout movie-bred clichés.

2012 September 7, Rachel Saltz, “Living in a Material World”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(US) An imaginary town, the natural home of the mediocre and incompetent.


palooka

H. L. Mencken
Ham Fisher
Joe Palooka
The American Language

Used in the US since the 1920s, originally primarily of boxers. Popularized by Jack Conway of Variety, who also popularized baloney and bimbo. Further popularized by Ham Fisher in his comic strip Joe Palooka about a boxer (published in newspapers since 1930, particularly popular in 1940s).

unk

Used

(US slang) A stupid, oafish or clumsy person.

But [Jack] Dempsey against some palooka who had been press agented into greatness and into the form of a Dempsey menace — that would pack any outdoor arena.

Butch: Lookin' at somethin', friend?
Vincent: I ain't your friend, palooka.

1994, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction:

(US, boxing, bridge, etc) Someone incompetent or untalented.


curses

Fisherman: '1 PLAY COIN FOR 100 GOLD, A BOUNTIFUL TRADE, IF I'D BE SO BOLD!' / Shovel Knight: 'NOT NOW' / FISHERMAN: 'CURSES! THE THOUGHT OF THIS BURDEN UPSETS ME, BUT THAT'S WHAT A LIFE OF ADVENTURING GETS ME!'

2014, Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope, Nintendo 3DS, level/area: Armor Outpost:

(UK, dated or humorous in the US) Expression of annoyance or frustration.


pulse dialing

(US, telephony) A system of telephone dialing in which each digit is transmitted as the equivalent number of pulses.


touch-tone dialing

(US, telephony) A system of telephone dialing in which each digit is transmitted as a tone or combination of tones of specific pitch.


Norse

Partly from Dutch Noorsch (now Noors (“Norwegian”)), from noordsch (“northern; nordic”); and partly from Danish norsk (“Norwegian”). Both equivalent to north + -ish. Doublet of Norsk.

(US printing, rare, dated) A size of type between Saxon and excelsior, 2+¹⁄₂-point type.


Red Sox

From red and sox (slang form of socks) - the footwear worn by the members of the team.

(US, baseball) The Boston Red Sox, an American baseball team.


back door

backdoor (alternative)
back-door (alternative)

He has a nasty back door slider.

(US, baseball) The path of a pitch which starts outside and then slides over the plate.


shinny

shinny (canonical)
shinny hockey (canonical)

(US, anthropology) A hockey-like game played by American Indians.


puta

Mastrosimone's (antiheroine?) Marjorie lets in a man who quickly drops the small talk, slams her to the floor, and almost smothers her with a pillow as he commands her to say "thank you," "I love you," and "I am your puta."

1988 February 12, Lawrence Bommer, “Extremeties/Talking With . . .”, in Chicago Reader:

And we told you, man, we have not seen your puta sister.

2005, Eric Bogosian, Wasted Beauty, page 63:

(vulgar, chiefly US Hispanic) A prostitute, whore, slut, bitch, etc.


amicus curiae

amici curiae (plural)
amica curiae (alternative)

From Latin, amīcus (“friend”) + cūriae (“of the court”), genitive singular of cūria (“court”).

BANNATYNE v BANNATYNE (COMMISSION FOR GENDER EQUALITY, AS AMICUS CURIAE) 2003 (2) SA 363 (CC) "The Court admitted as amicus curiae the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) which lodged empirical data on the state of the maintenance system in South Africa and its effect on the rights of women and children in seeking effective relief pursuant to the Maintenance Act (the Act)."

MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS v FOURIE (DOCTORS FOR LIFE INTERNATIONAL AND OTHERS, AMICI CURIAE)LESBIAN AND GAY EQUALITY PROJECT AND OTHERS v MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC): "Prior to the hearing, applications were made by Doctors For Life International and its legal representative Mr John Smyth, to be admitted as amici curiae.

(law, US) A person or entity who has been allowed by the court to plead or make submissions but who is not directly involved in the action.


EIN

Employer Identification Number
w:Employer Identification Number

(US, taxation) Initialism of Employer Identification Number.


mixer

→ Dutch: mixer

→ French: mixer

→ Polish: mikser

→ Romanian: mixer

desc

→ Russian: ми́ксер (míkser), ми́кшер (míkšer)

→ Turkish: mikser, mixer

To encourage those IRL meetings, Thursday hosts events in London and New York, the two cities where it is up and running; the mixer at Hair of the Dog was its eighth in this city and drew a crowd of about 450.

2022 January 27, Becky Hughes, “The Hot New Thing in Dating? Actually Going on Dates.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(US) A dance or other social event meant to foster new acquaintances, as at the beginning of a school year.


zip code

zip codes (plural)
zipcode (alternative)
ZIP Code (alternative)
ZIP code (alternative)
Zip Code (alternative)
Zip code (alternative)

United States Postal Service
ZIP Code
Zone Improvement Plan

From ZIP Code, a trademark of the United States Postal Service, from ZIP (“Zone Improvement Plan”), introduced 1963.

90210 was a television show popular in the 1990s about a group of high school students and their families who all lived in the zip code 90210 in Beverly Hills, California, an affluent suburb of Los Angeles.

2009, Judy Root Aulette, Judith G. Wittner, Kristin Blakely, Gendered Worlds, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 351:

(US) A postal code, especially for addresses served by the US Postal Service, consisting of a five- or nine-figure number.

For example, the foreign zip code H24 JZL is most certainly not a number.

1990, Alan Simpson, Paul Lichtman, The First Book of Lotus 1-2-3, H.W. Sams & Company, →ISBN:

Carrying the package to the stairs inside, I noticed it was addressed to Mom and me with a European zip code and stamp.

2011, Jaime Reed, Burning Emerald, Kensington Publishing Corp., →ISBN, page 46:


touchous

en-adj

touchous (comparative more touchous, superlative most touchous)

more touchous (comparative)
most touchous (superlative)

He said Atticus was still touchous about us and the Radleys and it wouldn't do to push him any.

1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa., New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:

(rare, US, regional, chiefly Southern) Touchy; overly sensitive.


ossified

ossified (comparative more ossified, superlative most ossified)

more ossified (comparative)
most ossified (superlative)

At Wanda's house, two nights before the wedding, she, Jenny, and two other girls were doing shots with beer chasers while Tom and I and another guy watched as they all got ossified.


slaw

en-noun

slaw (countable and uncountable, plural slaws)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-slaw.wav

Borrowed (around 1861) from Dutch sla, shortened from salade (“salad, lettuce”).

Barbecue is always served with slaw in North Carolina and always has been.

1996, Jerry Bledsoe, “Slaw Crazy”, in Lee Harrison Child, editor, Close to Home: Revelations and Reminiscences by North Carolina Authors, page 66:

My boss, whose daughter was a working chef, told me that I made the best slaws that she had ever tasted. The secret is that slaws deserve as much care in their preparation as any other good meal.

2002, Alex Haas, Everyday Low Carb Cooking, page 73:

Slaws go well with grilled lean protein items and sandwiches.

2010, Judy Doherty, Salad Secrets: 100 of the Most Creative, Healthful Recipes, page 103:


rincón

(US, Southwestern US) A meadow on the south-facing upper slopes of a mountain.

(US, Southwestern US) An abandoned meander.

(US, Southwestern US) An interior corner; a nook; hence, an angular recess or hollow bend in a mountain, river, cliff, etc.


jaywalk

en-verb

jaywalk (third-person singular simple present jaywalks, present participle jaywalking, simple past and past participle jaywalked)

jaywalks (present singular third-person)
jaywalking (participle present)
jaywalked (participle past)
jaywalked (past)
J walk (alternative)
J-walk (alternative)

Back-formation of jaywalker. Analyzable as jay (“a stupid person”) + walk.

(chiefly US, law, automotive, transitive, intransitive) To behave as a jaywalker; to violate pedestrian traffic regulations by crossing a street away from a designated crossing or to walk in the part of the street intended for vehicles rather than on the sidewalk.

eine Straße an verbotener Stelle überqueren

atravessar no meio da rua

literally: to cross in the middle of the street

переходи́ть доро́гу в неполо́женном ме́сте

but see oförsiktig fotgängare and vårdslös fotgängare.


jury panel

(US) A group of people from which a certain number are selected to sit on a jury.


zing

Zing! The joke had rebounded back on the one who started it. "Ouch!" Mama Jane winced ruefully. We all dissolved in laughter at the good-natured repartee.

2002, Chellie Campbell, The Wealthy Spirit, Sourcebooks, →ISBN, →OL, page 162:

(US, slang) Used to acknowledge a witty comeback, a zinger.


zinger

The pitcher threw a real zinger and struck him out.

On the first pitch from Kline, Lofton hits a zinger of a single into right field that J.D. Drew picks up on one bounce, and if he makes a good throw he has a chance to throw David Bell out at home plate.

2008, Joseph Sutton, (Please provide the book title or journal name), →ISBN:

(informal) A very rapidly moving object, especially one that is thrown.

I wasn't looking to make friends; there had been too much animosity between us in the past, and maybe the guy had a zinger waiting on me.

2007, Larry Groves, Seasons in Time, →ISBN, page 112:

You might think it's almost worthwhile calling them and restarting the argument just to get that final zinger in. Why do you think of something good to say when it's too late?

2012, Adam Fraser, The Third Space, →ISBN, page 124:

Boris Johnson is the most compelling personality in “Chums.” The shambolic style, the self-deprecating humor, the gift for zingers—it was all there in university, as was the elitist’s ambivalent approach to achievement.

2022 May 14, David Segal, “An Outsider Takes an Inside Look at the Oxford ‘Chums’ Who Run the U.K.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(informal) A surprising or unusually pointed, humorous and impressive insult or insulting quip.

I was still reeling from the zinger of seeing my ex on a date with my best friend.

(informal) An event that when experienced leaves the witness dazed, either physically or metaphorically.

They'd have to come up with a zinger for their Christmas windows to compete with that competitor's laughing Santa Claus and Stefan had that zinger in his proposal submitted to the President of the company.

2006, Olivia Hillis Wimbrow, My Beloved Bohemian, →ISBN, page 130:

Think about all the scientists—and all the microscopes and lab equipment and testing—that may come up with zero instead of a zinger.

2006, Cathy Pickens, Done Gone Wrong, →ISBN:

(informal) An outstanding, energetic and surprising thing or person.

Gonna eat bran muffins till they close this bakery down
I ain't been nothing but hungry since my baby ain't around
I'm gonna mix red zinger with my ginseng tea
I'm probably gonna gain about 20 pounds.

1990, Tracy Drach (lyrics and music), “Columbia Street Bakery Blues”, in Another Door:

Here, have a strawberry zinger and don't tell Mom and Dad that we had candy in the bedroom.

2013, Paula Harrison, Rescue Princesses #5: The Snow Jewel, →ISBN:

“Want some—” he saluted her with one of Julia's delicate white cups and a wry arch of eyebrow, sipped and made a face “—lemon zinger tea?” At times like this she wished she was as outgoing as Nikki or gorgeous like Bailey or even a little wild and easy with men like Valery. But she was none of those things. She was plain Carrie, the librarian, wishing she could say something snappy and clever. “If you don't like lemon zinger, pick a different kind."

2016, Linda Goodnight, The Rain Sparrow, →ISBN:

A piece of food or drink that is tart and stimulating.


CLEC

local exchange carrier
local exchange carrier#English

(US, telecommunications) Initialism of competitive local exchange carrier.


ILEC

(US, telecommunications) Initialism of incumbent local exchange carrier.


FEC

Federal Election Commission
w:Federal Election Commission

(US) Initialism of Federal Election Commission.


NGA

National Governors Association
w:National Governors Association

(US) Initialism of National Governors Association.

(military, US) Initialism of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.


BRAC

w:Base Realignment and Closure Commission

(military, US) Acronym of Base Realignment and Closure Commission.


VARO

(US government) Acronym of Veterans' Affairs Regional Office.


no contest

Calque of Latin nolō contendere (“I don't want to contest”).

cal

(US, law) A plea in a criminal case which means that the defendant admits no guilt but is no longer contesting the charges brought against him/her.

No contest clauses are valid in California and are favored by the public policies of discouraging litigation and giving effect to the settlor's expressed purposes.

2021, Susan F. French, A California Companion for the Course in Wills, Trusts, and Estates:

(US, law) A clause in a will that imposes a penalty of forfeiture against any beneficiary who challenges the will.


bussed

Originally, the bussed students were not integrated into the receiving schools, but were treated as separate administrative units.

1966, Hearings, Reports and Prints of the Senate Committee on Government Operations, page 1008:

Then I focus on the bussed students' school experience, highlighting their beliefs about the variability and malleability of school rules and procedures, their self-expression of critical attitudes and beliefs, and how suburban school staff promoted particular cultural skills and beliefs.

2015, Orlando Patterson, Ethan Fosse, The Cultural Matrix: Understanding Black Youth, page 399:

Many of the bussed students took public transportation so they could stay after school and work on the play.

2020, Paula Heariold-Kinney, The Delicate Dance: Living White Being Black, A Memoir, page 154:

Since it was though that the bussed students did not have the money to pay the fee, the policy was changed so that library privilege to take a book was withheld until the other book was returned, a better policy for all of the students, which I voiced in the teachers lunchroom when the subject of late library books surfaced.

2020, Rita Gilbert Greer, Teacher Journeys:

(more specifically, chiefly US) Involving desegregation through bussing from the inner city to the suburbs.


swat

en-verb

swat (third-person singular simple present swats, present participle swatting, simple past and past participle swatted)

swats (present singular third-person)
swatting (participle present)
swatted (participle past)
swatted (past)

The conspiracy, as alleged, began in November 2002, and has resulted in hundreds of harassing and swatting calls being made, both nationally and internationally, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses and the disruption hundreds of victims’ lives.

2007 November 30, ““Swatters” Plead Guilty to Conspiracy”, in Federal Bureau of Investigation Dallas Field Division, archived from the original on 2007-12-26:

“You've just been swatted.” “What?” Sophia asked. “A spoofed call to police, claiming an emergency, to get a SWAT response,” Evelyn said. Realizing why the SWAT officer had noticed the controller, she guessed, […]

2017, Elizabeth Heiter, Stalked, MIRA, →ISBN:

“Gonna need the instagram account … or i will continue to swat and harass you and your family,” Mr. Sonderman or one of his co-conspirators wrote in March 2020, according to court documents.

2021 July 24, Maria Cramer, “A Grandfather Died in ‘Swatting’ Over His Twitter Handle, Officials Say”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(US, slang, transitive) To illegitimately provoke a SWAT assault upon (someone).


hemophilia

en-noun

hemophilia (countable and uncountable, plural hemophilias)

From international scientific vocabulary, reflecting New Latin combining forms: hemo- + -philia; more at haemophilia.

classical compound
international scientific vocabulary


crocked

en-adj

crocked (comparative more crocked, superlative most crocked)

more crocked (comparative)
most crocked (superlative)

(informal, Canada, US) drunk (of a person)


pantyhose

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

pantie hose (alternative)
pantie-hose (alternative)
pantihose (alternative)
panty hose (alternative)
panty-hose (alternative)

(Canada, US) Thin nylon tights worn over the legs, usually tan in color.


cozy

cozy (comparative cozier, superlative coziest)

cozier (comparative)
coziest (superlative)


cozy

en-verb

cozy (third-person singular simple present cozies, present participle cozying, simple past and past participle cozied)

cozies (present singular third-person)
cozying (participle present)
cozied (participle past)
cozied (past)


punch out

punch out (third-person singular simple present punches out, present participle punching out, simple past and past participle punched out)

punches out (present singular third-person)
punching out (participle present)
punched out (participle past)
punched out (past)

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

I'm going to punch out a bit early today.

(intransitive, US) To leave a workplace by punching a timecard.


geezer

From guiser. Compare also German Low German Kieser (“an obstinate person; brute; savage”).

cog

You are a silly young geezer.

1922, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 19, in Right Ho, Jeeves:

See the hoverboard-riding geezer? This close to payin' a G for a shot of my cousin Calvin's molars.

2023, Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia, directed by Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane, spoken by Nathan (Simon Manyonda):

(informal, chiefly UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, dated in the US) A male person.

In the right-hand division lay the two old geezers, as Sandy styled the landlord and his wife.

The technical term for a female geezer is "old broad," but this is irrelevant, as nobody in Hollywood makes films about women over 55.

2000 August 25, Moira McDonald, “Outtakes”, in Seattle Times, retrieved 2008-09-06:

Why Geezer? Why would a fine arts gallery choose a name that conjures images of a grumpy old guy sitting on the front porch hollering, “get off my lawn”?

2014, The Geezer Gallery, (Please provide the book title or journal name), retrieved 2014-01-31:

(informal, chiefly Canada, US, sometimes mildly derogatory) An old person, usually a male, typically a cranky old man.

striček

used by children to address unfamiliar male adults


suspense

en-noun

suspense (usually uncountable, plural suspenses)

suspenses (plural)
suspence (alternative)

From Middle English suspense, suspence, from Anglo-Norman suspens (as in en suspens) and Old French suspens, from Latin suspēnsus.

She sent us that assignment with a suspense of noon tomorrow.


goon

→ Portuguese: guna

Alice the Goon
Peter Sellers
Popeye
Spike Milligan
The Goon Show

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeǵʰ-
Proto-Indo-European *-ōm
Proto-Indo-European *dʰéǵʰōm
Proto-Indo-European *-ō
Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ
Proto-Germanic *gumô
Proto-West Germanic *gumō
Old English guma
Middle English gone?
English gooney
English goon
Shortened from gooney, from obsolete gony (“simpleton”), used circa 1580, of unknown origin. Perhaps a familiar term derived from Middle English gone, a variant of gome (“man, person”). Gony was applied by sailors to the albatross and similar big, clumsy birds (circa 1839). The term goon first carried the meaning "stupid person" (circa 1921). Compare Scots goni, guni (“a bogey, bugbear, hobgoblin”), dialectal Swedish gonnar (“elves, goblins”, plural).
* Sense 1 ("hired thug"; circa 1938) is largely influenced by the comic strip character Alice the Goon from the Popeye series.
* Sense 3 ("fool") was reinforced by the popular radio program, The Goon Show, starring Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers.
* Sense 5 ("guard") was influenced by both sense 1 and sense 3, though not by The Goon Show reference, which arose about 10 years after WWII.

unk

unknown

cog

(US, informal) A hired & paid person who is assigned to terrorize & kill opponents.


Canuck

Canucks (plural)
canuck (alternative)
Canack (alternative)
Cannack (alternative)
Canuc (alternative)
canuc (alternative)
Canuk (alternative)
Conuck (alternative)
Cunnuck (alternative)
Kanuck (alternative)
Kanuk (alternative)
K'nuck (alternative)

American Dialect Society
Greenwood Publishing Group
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Leiden University
University of Alabama Press

Origin uncertain, often hypothesized to derive from the name or speech of an early Canadian minority, later broadened to denote all Canadians:
* Since 1975, many scholars have come to think the name is from Hawaiian kanaka (“man”), a self-appellation of indentured colonial canoemen and Hawaiian sailors working off the Pacific Northwest, Arctic, and New England coasts, from French canaque (“indigenous Melanesian inhabitant of New Caledonia, Kanak”); or, more likely, American whalers’ pidgin, then re-interpreted as Can(adian) + a suffix. (More below on that [specific] putative suffix.) Compare English Kanak and German Kanake.
* Some dictionaries suggest it is derived from the first syllable of Canada, or its etymon Laurentian kanata (“village”), or a related word kanuchsa meaning “villager” in either Laurentian or another Iroquoian language; with the second syllable connected to Inuktitut inuk (“man; person”), from Chinook (“Aboriginal people of the U.S. Pacific Northwest”), or another First-Nation language ending like -oc, -uc, or -uq.
* Fanciful and unlikely suggestions include German genug von Canada (literally “enough of Canada”) (allegedly uttered by German mercenaries during the American War of Independence), French quelle canule (“what a bore”) (allegedly uttered by the French during a siege of Quebec), or the surname Connaught /ˈkɑ.nəxt/ (supposedly a French-Canadian nickname for the Irish).

noncog

French Canadian
French Canadian#Adjective

(Canada, US, informal, sometimes derogatory) A Canadian person; specifically (archaic), a French Canadian person; a pea-souper; also (obsolete) a Canadian person of other non-English descent.

(ice hockey) A member of the Vancouver Canucks professional ice hockey team belonging to the National Hockey League.

Canucksin pelaaja

(skiing) Chiefly as Crazy Canuck: a member of the Canadian alpine ski team.

Canadians are somewhat jealous of the Americans; that they are secretly manœuvering, not exactly with the inoffensive good humor of a much respected yeoman of England, […] but rather after the inordinate example of Ahab of old, so pithily recorded by the sacred historian. Jonathan distinguishes a Dutch or French Canadian, by the term Kanuk.

[1835, [Henry Cook Todd], Notes upon Canada and the United States of America: In the Year MDCCCXXXV […], Toronto, Ont.: […] W[illiam] J[oseph] Coates, […], →OCLC, paragraph 263, page 92:

We saw a few partridges: we also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him, who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck:' a (Canadian).

1849, James E[dward] Alexander, chapter XV, in L’Acadie; or, Seven Years’ Explorations in British America. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 272–273:

It is a pity these Canadian militiamen spoilt the good work they had done by never-failing bluster. But for pure and unadulterated brag I will back the lower-class Canuck against the world. The Yankee is a very sucking dove compared to his northern neighbour.

1889, John G[eorge] Donkin, chapter XIII, in Trooper and Redskin in the Far North-West: Recollections of Life in the North-West Mounted Police, Canada, 1884–1888, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington […], →OCLC, page 148:

[T]he Canucks were ready with bats, hands, feet and heads, to outplay the locals at all points. They did it to a nicety. It is wonderful to contemplate the quality of ball speiled by the Canucks when their lungs are filled with Rochester air.

1895 August 26, “Sports of field and track: Toronto 14, Rochester 11—first game”, in Democrat and Chronicle, volume 63, number 238, Rochester, N.Y.: Rochester Printing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 11, column 1:

He's got a Canuck a-workin' for him, and I'd livser trust a wolf 'n one o' them pea-soupers.

1898, Rowland E[vans] Robinson, “Forebodings of Storm”, in A Hero of Ticonderoga, Burlington, Vt.: Hobart J[oseph] Shanley & Co., →OCLC, page 140:

The new-comers were a couple of farmers from Minnesota, genuine Americans from birth; wise men, with a keg of good water in their waggon. "And don't you want to be Americans any longer?" I asked. "No," said they most emphatically, "we're Canucks now."

1907 May, Howard Angus Kennedy, “The Dry Patch”, in New Canada and the New Canadians, 2nd edition, London: Horace Marshall & Son, published October 1907, →OCLC, page 192:

One person who realizes that the Canadian troops in England have healthy appetites is Corp. J. R. Johnstone, chief butcher of a unit. He and his 16 assistants drag from huge refrigerators eight tons of meat per day for the hungry Canucks; and every other day when rationing is less severe the butchers carve up 16 tons of lamb, beef and pork.

1940 August 9, “Troops pack it away”, in Toronto Daily Star, Toronto, Ont.: The Toronto Star Limited, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 18, column 7:

The Scottish skip [Alex F. Torrance] missed a wide open takeout in the fifth leaving the Canucks another single.

1964 March 19, Larry Wood, “Dagg stays unbeaten: Scotch Cup winner decided tonight”, in Richard L[ouis] Sanburn, editor, The Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alta.: The Southam Company, →ISSN, page 18, column 5:

[Jack] Kerouac's writings reveal that, although celebrated as an iconic American, he thought of himself as first and foremost Canadian. In La Vie est d'Hommage, he writes, "I am French Canadian. When I am angry, I often swear in French; when I dream, I often dream in French." He went on to say that "all my knowledge comes from my being French Canadian.” But as a Canuck in the United States, he felt patronized. He needed to hide his true self. Even with his friends in New York, with Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs, he was "a completely different man. We have to live in English, it's impossible to live in French. This is the secret thought of the Canuck in America."

2016 June 12, Richard Stursberg, “The Secret Canadian Life of Jack Kerouac: Reading Kerouac’s Lost French Writings Reveals the Travails of a Canuck in America”, in Maclean’s, Toronto, Ont.: Maclean-Hunter Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-06-04:

I'll sit here and blow till he comes round with his old go-cart, and then I'll hang on to the tail of it, and try legs with that little Kanuck of his.

1860, J[osiah] G[ilbert] Holland, “Miss Gilbert Visits the Sky, and Little Venus Takes up Her Permanent Residence there”, in Miss Gilbert’s Career: An American Story, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner, […]; London: Sampson Low, Son & Co., →OCLC, page 29:

Forty years ago the States south of the French part of Canada procured a large number of horses from that country. These were popularly called "Canucks," and were distinguished from the horses of the country by strongly marked characteristics. […] The Canuck was thoroughly a Norman horse in all respects except size, though having more strength in proportion to size and more spirit, […] Canucks in general had excessive knee action, and were natural trotters or pacers, were not built for galloping, and not inclined to take that gait; […]

1892 January 26, “The ‘Canuck’ horse”, in The Boston Weekly Globe, volume XX, number 4, Boston, Mass.: Globe Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 6, column 4:

(US, obsolete) A Canadian horse or pony.

A thing from Canada.
A Canadian horse or pony.


toboggan

toboggans (plural)
tobogin (alternative)
toboggin (alternative)

/təˈbɑːɡ.ən/

The noun is attested since 1829, the verb since 1846. Both derive from French tabaganne, which derives from an Algonquian word, probably Mi'kmaq tepaqan or Abenaki dabôgan, influenced by similar words in other Eastern Canadian Algonquian languages. The sense of "hat" is recorded since 1929 and is short for toboggan cap (1928), a cap suitable for wearing while tobogganing.

The old toboggan has been laid aside, and sleighs or waggons dash along the streets.

1847, Abraham Gesner, New Brunswick; with Notes for Emigrants: Comprehending the Early History, an Account of the Indians, Settlement, Topography, Statistics, Commerce, Timber, Manufactures, Agriculture, Fisheries, Geology, Natural History, Social and Political State, Immigrants, and Contemplated Railways of that Province:

These animals are harnessed by a padded collar to a light flat sleigh, of skins stretched across a frame of thin wood, called a toboggan.

1889, John G. Donkin, Trooper and Redskin in the Far North-west: Recollections of Life in the North-west Mounted Police:

The steer dog next to the sleigh prevents this by immediately leading off at a sixty-degree angle from the direction the others are going, thereby compensating for the sidewise stress and keeping the toboggan in the clear until the bend has been passed.

(Canada, US) A similar sled of wood, pulled by dogs, possibly with steel runners, made to transport cargo.


squawk

en-verb

squawk (third-person singular simple present squawks, present participle squawking, simple past and past participle squawked)

squawks (present singular third-person)
squawking (participle present)
squawked (participle past)
squawked (past)
squawk (infinitive)

First attested in 1821. Unknown, but probably of imitative origin (compare dialectal Italian squacco (“small-crested heron”)).

(US, slang, dated) To back out in a mean way.


RESPA

(US, law) Acronym of Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.


galvanize

galvanize (third-person singular simple present galvanizes, present participle galvanizing, simple past and past participle galvanized)

galvanizes (present singular third-person)
galvanizing (participle present)
galvanized (participle past)
galvanized (past)
galvanise (alternative)

From French galvaniser, from galvanisme, named after Italian physiologist Luigi Aloisio Galvani (1737–1798). By surface analysis, galvano- + -ize.

named-after

Reenactors called this “galvanizing,” the Civil War term for soldiers who switched sides during the conflict.

1998, Tony Horwitz, Confederates in the Attic, 1st Vintage Departures edition, Vintage Books, →ISBN, page 10:

(historical, US) To switch sides between Union and Confederate in the American Civil War.


suppress

en-verb

suppress (third-person singular simple present suppresses, present participle suppressing, simple past and past participle suppressed)

suppresses (present singular third-person)
suppressing (participle present)
suppressed (participle past)
suppressed (past)

From Latin suppressus, perfect passive participle of supprimō (“press down or under”), from sub (“under”) + premō (“press”).

(US, law) To forbid the use of evidence at trial because it is improper or was improperly obtained.


chalk up

chalk up (third-person singular simple present chalks up, present participle chalking up, simple past and past participle chalked up)

chalks up (present singular third-person)
chalking up (participle present)
chalked up (participle past)
chalked up (past)

Probably from the fact that many problems were figured out using chalk on a chalk board.

I know we lost, but can we chalk it up as a win?

(US, slang) To attribute to something, often tangentially.


lede

A deliberate misspelling of lead, originally used in instructions given to printers to indicate which paragraphs constitute the lede, intended to avoid confusion with the word lead which may actually appear in the text of an article. Compare dek (“subhead”) (modified from deck) and hed (“headline”) (from head).

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-lede.wav

Readers usually see the lead picture and read its caption first, before reading the lede of the article, so the article lede should not be a repetition of the caption.

1979, J. W. Click, Russell N. Baird, Magazine Editing and Production, 2nd edition, Dubuque, Iowa: W[illiam] C. Brown, →ISBN, page 90:

"How can Mr. On-line Guy learn to be a journalist if he didn't go through what I went through?" they [newspaper journalists] ask. "I needed the city editor to tell me how to write a graceful sentence, and I was a year into the job before I could craft a decent lede?"

1999, Mike Godwin, “Who’s a Journalist?—II: Welcome the New Journalists on the Internet”, in Robert H. Giles, Robert W. Snyder, editors, What’s Next?: Problems & Prospects of Journalism, New Brunswick, N.J., London: Transaction Publishers, published 2001, →ISBN, page 46:

I was thrilled to be in possession of this nugget, which could probably take over the lede of my story. This essentially and truly implicated one of the most respected homicide detectives in Boston, all based on my initial tip.

2007 February, Brian McGrory, chapter 40, in Strangled, New York, N.Y.: Atria Books, →ISBN, page 314:

The lede (as we spell it) story in today's NYT [The New York Times] is all about their new poll showing that [John] McCain is hurting himself, not [Barack] Obama, with the attacks. […] If something's the lede in the NYT, it tends to get discussed on cable TV all day, etc.

2008 October 15, Michael Tomasky, “Michael Tomasky’s Blog: This Morning’s Stuff You Need to Know”, in The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, archived from the original on 2016-03-06:

Like all forms of writing, there's no hard and fast rule about what makes a great lede. A good lede changes depending on the story you're writing. […] Ledes vary wildly, but you'll start to notice patterns and, more importantly, what kinds of ledes you like and feel are effective.

2018, Branden Salas, “Reporting for Print Media”, in Basic Concept of Journalism, Waltham Abbey, Essex: Ed-Tech Press, published 2020, →ISBN, page 253:

Here are some different types of ledes: […] · Scenario ledes use narrative elements to describe a place of particular importance to the story. / · Narrative ledes begin at a chronological beginning. […] · First-person anecdotal ledes begin with a relevant anecdote that involves the writer. Service and celebrity pieces often begin with first-person ledes.

2019, Naveed Saleh, “Narrative: Beginnings, Middles, and Ends”, in The Writer’s Guide to Self-editing: Essential Tips for Online and Print Publishing, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, part VII (Global Considerations), page 225:

(chiefly US, journalism) The introductory paragraph or paragraphs of a newspaper, or a news or other type of article; the lead or lead-in.

լիդ

introductory paragraph or paragraphs of a newspaper or other news article


parking lot

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

Should we park in that parking lot, or in the garage up the street?

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

1970, Joni Mitchell (lyrics and music), “Big Yellow Taxi”:

(Canada, US, Philippines, Malaysia) An open area, generally paved, where automobiles may be left when not in use.

parkeerplek

The 101 was a parking lot again today.

(US, figuratively, humorous) A road blocked by stop-start traffic.

America believed it had smashed Israel’s greatest enemy and turned Iraq into a parking lot, so now Israel could take risks it had never been able to take before.

1992 April 15, Dore Gold, “The U.S.-Israel Relationship: Mounting Misperceptions in Washington”, in Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs:

I was one of the people understanding the need to turn Afghanistan into a parking lot on the way to finding Bin Laden and bringing him to justice.

2005, John Grevstad, Red State, Blue State: Defending the Liberal Jesus and Blue State Morality from Red State Religion and Hypocrisy, →ISBN, page 182:

Eager for “round two,” a member of Israel’s regional council adjoining Gaza exhorted the military that next time they should “flatten Gaza into a parking lot, destroy them.”

2018, Norman G. Finkelstein, Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom, →ISBN, page 56:

(US, figuratively) A place in a state of complete destruction, especially one achieved through military means.


NCSA

(US, computing) Initialism of National Center for Supercomputing Applications.


rug

Uncertain; probably of North Germanic origin; perhaps inherited via Middle English *rugge (suggested by Middle English ruggy (“hairy, shaggy, bristly”) and rugged (“hairy, shaggy, rugged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“shagginess, tuft”), from Proto-Germanic *rawwō (“long wool”), probably related to *rūhaz (“rough”), related to English rag and rough.
Cognate with dialectal Norwegian rugga (“coarse coverlet”), Swedish rugg (“rough entangled hair”), related to English rag and rough. Compare also Old English rȳhe (“rug, rough covering, blanket”).

cog

We're the motherfuckers be fightin' when the rugs [black prisoners] start wasting people around here.

1980, John Irwin, Prisons in Turmoil, page 212:

(US, slang, ethnic slur) Short for rughead.


momma's boy

momma's boys (plural)
mama's boy (alternative)
mamma's boy (alternative)
mummy's boy (alternative)

(chiefly US) Alternative spelling of mama's boy


TDDRA

(US, law) Initialism of Telephone Disclosure and Dispute Resolution Act.


-burger

Rebracketing of hamburger, as if it were ham + burger.

-burger

suffix used to make names for hamburger-like dishes

Let's start with Harden's 60-burger against Atlanta: His 24 shot attempts were the fewest ever in a 60-point game in NBA history.

2019 December 3, Kirk Goldsberry, James Harden is the greatest scorer of this NBA era, ESPN:

(US, sports) Used to emphasise a high number of points scored by a player or team.


stingray

The device mimics a cell phone tower and gets the phone to connect to it. […] Once a signal is found, the stingray measures its strength and can provide a general location on the map.

2014, Catherine Nolan, Ashley M. Wilson, JD, The Audacity to Spy: How Government, Business, and Hackers Rob Us of Privacy, Technics Publications, →ISBN, page 74:

(US law enforcement) A device that simulates a cell tower, used to intercept cell phone communications.


feeder

From Middle English feedere, federe, fedare, equivalent to feed + -er.

(US, law) A judge whose law clerks are often selected to become clerks for the Supreme Court.


roadkill

en-noun

roadkill (usually uncountable, plural roadkills)

roadkills (plural)
road kill (alternative)

(chiefly US, automotive) The killing of an animal by a road vehicle.

The van was heading straight for her and travelling faster and faster by the second. Zoe had to do something or she would be roadkill.

2012, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Ratburger, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:

(chiefly US, automotive) The animal or animals so killed.


/ˌwʌnəʊˈwʌn/

From 1 + 0 + 1, from the method of numbering courses in United States colleges, the initial or introductory course commonly being numbered “101”; for example, “Biology 101”.

Geology 101 tells us that you can’t build a reservoir on sandstone.

My dog flunked out of Crate Training 101.

I went to NYU myself, I was a philo-major there, too. I took all the abstract philosophy courses in college, like truth and beauty, advanced truth and beauty, intermediate truth, introduction to God, Death 101.

1964 March (date recorded), “Private Life”, in Woody Allen (CP 518), spoken by Woody Allen, New York, N.Y.: Colpix Records, published July 1964, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2025-01-17:

Since this is a series that emphasizes Social Relevance 101—a basic course on TV these days—the hood in that episode is just a good ghetto boy who has been led astray, and the cop is good old Paddy on the beat.

1972 November 6, Gerald Clarke, “Show Business: Viewpoints: The Rookies. ABC. Monday, 8–9 p.m. E.S.T.”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2011-01-29:

Companies sell directories, databases, reports, translation services, automatic translation software—and guidebooks for doing business away from home, which, in some cases, look much like simplified textbooks for Anthropology 101.

2003, Daniel Dor, “When Relativism Becomes a Marketing Strategy: Globalization, Knowledge and the World Language System”, in Andrea Krizsán, Violetta Zentai, editors, Reshaping Globalization: Multilateral Dialogues and New Policy Initiatives (CPS Books), Budapest, Hungary; New York, N.Y.: Central European University Press, →ISBN, →ISSN, part I (Production of Global Knowledge), page 66:

Ugh! Crash and burn! Next year, I’m taking flirting 101! I am so not good at this!

2003 June 22, Holly Henderson, Liz Tigelaar, “Ski Trip”, in Totally Spies!, season 2, episode 21, spoken by Samantha (“Sam”) (Jennifer Hale), Montreal, Que.: Marathon Media, via Teletoon, →OCLC:

A Class in Nation-Building 101 [title] As the President tries to develop a new strategy in Afghanistan, I wonder if this is the real lesson that we've learned in Afghanistan so far: that nation-building, like charity, probably begins at home.

2009 November 1, Bob Schieffer, “Face the Nation: A Class in Nation-building 101”, in CBS News, archived from the original on 2025-01-24:

I'm taking a fascinating class all about the Hollywood Freeway. It's called 101: 101.

2017 September 12, Norm Macdonald Live, season 3, episode 11, spoken by Norm Macdonald:

However much you work out, but especially if it's a lot, learning correct form and focusing on keeping your body safe is 101—not just while exercising, but also how you move around day to day.

2023 March 20, Rebecca Gillam, Bridie Wilkins, “Alexandra Daddario and Her PT on How She Built Her Baywatch Bod + Her 10 Regular Workout Rules”, in Liz Plosser, editor, Women’s Health, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Magazine Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-21:

(Canada, US, alone or postpositive, chiefly humorous) Of a fact, subject, etc.: basic, beginner-level, elementary.

úvodní

of a fact, subject, etc.: basic, beginner-level, elementary — see also basic, elementary


letting

Another letting is announced to occur, probably on the 23rd of February, and at both of these lettings, contracts aggregating more than two million dollars are to be awarded.

1937 February 6, Walker Wood, “Capitol Activities”, in Woodville Republican, page 1:

(US, dated) The award of a public contract


garrison

/ˈɡæɹ.ɪ.sən/

/ˈɡæɹ.ɪ.sən/

/ˈɡɛɹ.ə.sən/

From Middle English garisoun, garysoun, from Old French garison, guarison, from guarir + -ison, ultimately of Germanic origin; thus a doublet of warison. Compare guard, ward; the modern meaning is influenced by (now obsolete) garnison.

(US, military, U.S. Space Force) A military unit, nominally headed by a colonel, equivalent to a USAF support wing, or an army regiment.


AVP

(US, Navy) Initialism of Auxiliary Voler Provisions. - a seaplane tender that launches and retrieves seaplanes


AT

AT (countable and uncountable, plural ATs)

(US, Navy) Initialism of auxiliary tugboat.

anaerobic threshold
anaerobic threshold#English

(US, sports) Initialism of anaerobic threshold.


faded

en-adj

faded (comparative more faded, superlative most faded)

more faded (comparative)
most faded (superlative)

As I'm walking through the festival entrance, a man casually vomits before continuing on, unfazed. ¶ Twenty-year-old me thinks, "Dope. That guy knows how to get faded like a champ!" ¶ Thirty-year-old me thinks, "I'm concerned for the boy's health and the general sanitation of this festival. Where are the comment cards located?!"

2015 June 10, Farley Katz, “Music Festivals in Your Thirties”, in The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2017-08-14:


rushing

rushing (comparative more rushing, superlative most rushing)

more rushing (comparative)
most rushing (superlative)

“I have been in Chicago.”
“Yes, I’ll bet you have,” Bocage mused.
“But it is too rushing for my nerves,” Stockbridge continued.

1897, Opie Read, “The Greek God Barber”, in Odd Folks, New York: F. Tennyson Neely, page 45:

There are a few months in the winter when business on the farm is less rushing than during other times […]

1917, Marion G. Kirkpatrick, chapter 13, in The Rural School from Within, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, page 141:

In the places where “hard licker” was still to be had patrons were lined in front of the bar in a double rank and the trade in bottled goods was as rushing as the bar patronage.

1921, George Wesley Davis, chapter 18, in Sketches of Butte, Boston: Cornhill, page 166:

Over two hundred and fifty customers invaded the Book Exchange Monday and Tuesday as its portals swung open to those who were to receive cash payment for books sold. So rushing was the business yesterday that $500 which the executive had on hand was paid out long before the proposed closing time.

1932 October 26, “Book Exchange Will Continue Payments”, in The McGill Daily, volume 22, number 19, page 4:

Janie was astonished to see the money Jody had spent for the land come back to him so fast. Ten new families bought lots and moved to town in six weeks. It all looked too big and rushing for her to keep track of.

1937, Zora Neale Hurston, chapter 5, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, University of Illinois Press, published 1978, page 66:

(Canada, US, dated) Full of activity, busy.


steamer

From steam tug, rhyming slang for mug (“a gullible or easily cheated person; a stupid or contemptible person”).

(US, slang) a gambler who increases a wager after losing.


chop suey

en-noun

chop suey (countable and uncountable, plural chop sueys)

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

From Cantonese 雜碎／杂碎 (zaap⁶ seoi³, “mixed and broken”).

(US, Philippines) A stir-fried vegetable dish, served with pieces of beef or pork in a semi-thick sauce, and often soy sauce.


Federal Reserve

the Federal Reserve (canonical)
Fed (alternative)

(US, economics) The Federal Reserve System.

(US, economics) The Federal Reserve Board.


beer parlor

Observational study of alcohol consumption in natural settings: The Vancouver beer parlor.

1994, Clement Vonnie V, Research and Intervention: Preventing Substance Abuse in Higher Education:

You go to the beer parlor, you know everybody.

1998, Antonio Azuela, Emilio Duhau, Evictions and the Right to Housing:

At UBC Canada, the student center also houses an auditorium and a beer parlor for students called the Pit, as well as a bowling alley on the lower ground floor.

2006, Ashok Malhotra, Fundamentals of Excellence in Technical and other Universities:

(chiefly Canada, US) Alternative spelling of beer parlour


sycamore maple

Acer pseudoplatanus
Acer pseudoplatanus#Translingual

(chiefly US) The British and European sycamore tree, Acer pseudoplatanus.


faithfully

en-adv

faithfully (comparative more faithfully, superlative most faithfully)

more faithfully (comparative)
most faithfully (superlative)

From Middle English feithfulli, equivalent to faithful + -ly.

(US) A conventional formula for ending a letter, used when the salutation addresses the person for whom the letter is intended using an honorific.


railroad car

(US) Any railway vehicle or rolling stock.

vagão

both cargo and passenger car in Brazilian Portuguese; cargo


blooper

Upon close tickler coupling, the detector tube will oscillate, in which condition the tuning of DX will be faciliated. At such times the amount of energy radiated from the antenna is negligible, and does not interfere with reception or neighboring devices. This Roberts set is, therefore, not a "blooper."

1925 March, Zeh Bouck, “A Great Two-tube Receiver: Complete Instructions for Building a Compact and Efficient Radio Receiving Set which Gives Wonderfully Satisfactory Results”, in Boys’ Life: The Magazine for All Boys, volume XV, number 3, [Irving, Tx.]: Boy Scouts of America, →OCLC, page 51, column 2:

(US, dated) A radio which interferes with other radios, causing them to bloop (squeal loudly).

vinguttaja

(US, military, slang) The Vietnam-era M79 grenade launcher (due to its distinctive report).


mightily

mightily (comparative more mightily, superlative most mightily)

more mightily (comparative)
most mightily (superlative)

He sounded mightily proud of himself.


jake

en-noun

jake (countable and uncountable, plural jakes)

The spring turkey woods are occupied by roaming bands of jakes — year-old males with strong mating urges but inferior body size.

1998, Jerome B Robinson, In the Turkey Woods:

It is possible that the governments have found the cause of the poisoned “jake” in their investigations into the Jamaica ginger deaths throughout the South and Southwest.

1930, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, Administration of Federal Food and Drugs Act: Hearings..., page 1854:

(US, slang, uncountable) Jamaica ginger.


deductible

(US, insurance) An amount of expenses that must be paid out of pocket before an insurer will pay further expenses.


Katrina

Is coronavirus Donald Trump’s Katrina?

2020 March 8, Chris Cillizza, “Is coronavirus Donald Trump’s Katrina?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 2020-03-09:

(US, metonymically) A large-scale disaster, especially one with negative political consequences.


submariner

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

/sʌbˈmæɹɪnə/

/sʌbˈmæɹɪnɚ/

Jones was a submariner and could often confuse a batter with his unorthodox delivery.

(US, baseball) A pitcher that throws with an underhand motion.


superbug

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

(US) An invasive insect, Bemisia tabaci, that is a major pest of vegetable crops, both directly and as a virus vector.


three-peat

en-verb

three-peat (third-person singular simple present three-peats, present participle three-peating, simple past and past participle three-peated)

three-peats (present singular third-person)
three-peating (participle present)
three-peated (participle past)
three-peated (past)
threepeat (alternative)

(US, slang) To win something three times consecutively.


three-peat

three-peats (plural)
threepeat (alternative)


tone dialing

(US, telephony) A system of telephone dialing in which each digit is transmitted as a burst of a single audio frequency.


'tude

en-noun

'tude (countable and uncountable, plural 'tudes)

Hey. No reason for you to cop a ’tude on me just because she dumped you.

(slang, US) Attitude, especially one of arrogance or hostility; swagger.


eminent domain

Translation of the Latin term dominium ēminēns “supreme ownership”.

The city council used eminent domain to make me sell my store.

(law, US, Philippines) The right of a government over the private property within its jurisdiction. Usually invoked to compel land owners to sell their property in preparation for a major construction project such as a freeway.

հանրային գերակա շահ

government's right to expropriate private land

expropriation pour cause d’utilité publique


milquetoast

en-adj

milquetoast (comparative more milquetoast, superlative most milquetoast)

more milquetoast (comparative)
most milquetoast (superlative)
milktoast (alternative)

Named after Caspar Milquetoast, a character from the comic strip The Timid Soul, created by American cartoonist Harold Tucker Webster (1885–1952) and first published in 1924; the character was named after the American dish milk toast (“a food consisting of toasted bread in warm milk”).

The truth is that we are cursed with a "milquetoast" Government operating under "milquetoast" policies. Fear has become a national policy.

1951 July 29, Donald W[illiam] Nicholson, quoting Joseph W[illiam] Martin Jr., “Extension of Remarks of Donald W. Nicholson of Massachusetts in the House of Representatives”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 82d Congress, First Session: Appendix (United States House of Representatives), volume 97, part 14, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, published 31 July 1951, →ISSN, →OCLC, page A4814, column 1:

If Bach had any guts, he wouldn't take that. He's too much of a Milquetoast guy.

1961, Edward C[hristie] Banfield, “The Mythology of Influence”, in Political Influence, Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press of Glencoe, →OCLC; republished New Brunswick, N.J., London: Transaction Publishers, 2003 (2009 printing), →ISBN, page 302:

I should have listened to my mother when she told me to stay out of journalism because of idiot milquetoast jerk reporters like you!

1994, William G. Lycan, “Fiction and Essence”, in Modality and Meaning, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, →ISBN, section 4 (The Modal Properties of Fictional Individuals), page 115:

[Al] Lettieri turns [Sally] Struthers on and she strokes his big gun and waves it (and her big tits) in his face and flaunts her partiality for the tough thug Lettieri over her milquetoast husband.

2001, Barry Gifford, “The Getaway”, in Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir, revised edition, Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, →ISBN, page 68:

Like that well-meaning mom, parents employ Milquetoast speech whenever they whine, complain, plead, entreat, entice, bribe, and explain themselves persuasively.

2007, John Rosemond, “Command, Compel, Confirm”, in Mary McNeil, editor, Parenting by the Book: Biblical Wisdom for Raising Your Child, New York, N.Y.: Howard Books, →ISBN, part 3 (Discipline), page 239:

Ricky [Nelson] was the perfect commodity: an artist who did not upset milktoast America. He was Elvis [Presley] without grease, without swinging hips.

2008, Gerard DeGroot, “Meet the New Boss”, in The 60s Unplugged: A Kaleidoscopic History of a Disorderly Decade, London: Macmillan, →ISBN; paperback edition, London: Pan Books, 2009, →ISBN, page 393:

And if Dick Leonard didn't appreciate Patrick's incisive criticism—if it inspired a streak of vindictiveness in his usually milquetoast boss and Dick ended up making his assistant's life miserable?

2016, Christopher Kelly, The Pink Bus, Mapple Shade, N.J.: Lethe Press, →ISBN, page 80:

Moreover, "Eva" boasts little style beyond what its biggest star is able to bring to the table. Viewers hoping for more of the milquetoast elegance that [Benoît] Jacquot previously brought to the likes of "Farewell, My Queen" and "Diary of a Chambermaid" will be disappointed.

2018 February 18, David Ehrlich, “‘Eva’ Review: Not Even Isabelle Huppert Playing an Irritated Prostitute Can Save this Limp Melodrama”, in IndieWire, archived from the original on 2019-04-16:

(originally US, informal, derogatory) Meek, timid; lacking character or effectiveness.


milquetoast

milquetoasts (plural)
milktoast (alternative)
Milquetoast (alternative)

The Milquetoasts of this world seldom wake up in time to get tough effectively, Mr. [Harold Tucker] Webster fears. [...] Webster considers him a worthy citizen—of the kind that had better begin to show a little more spunk before it is too late.

1939 October 21, Alexandra Kropotkin, “To the Ladies”, in Fulton Oursler, editor, Liberty, volume 16, number 42, New York, N.Y.: Liberty Publishing, →OCLC, page 51, column 1:

The Milquetoasts of this world are the victims of the steamrollers. I used to be numbered among the Milquetoasts and was periodically used or flattened! I came to realize, however, that even though Christians are to be humble and cooperative, they also are accountable to God to use their time wisely, to do what He wants them to do, and to stand up for what is right and biblical.

1988, Muriel Larson, Me and My Pet Peeves, Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman Press, →ISBN, page 79:

That scientists favored international control of the atom made conservatives even more mistrustful. J[ohn] Parnell Thomas rued the surrender of control to such "a group of milktoasts."

1990, Richard M. Fried, “Two Eras, and Some Victims”, in Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN; paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 1991, →ISBN:

Of the thirteen films he [Douglas Fairbanks] made independently, the most noteworthy was WILD AND WOOLLY (1917), a melodramatic story about an Eastern milquetoast who becomes a frontier hero.

1990, Frank Manchel, “A Representative Period of American Film (1913–1919)”, in Film Study: An Analytical Bibliography, volume 2, Rutherford, Madison, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press; London; Toronto, Ont.: Associated University Presses, →ISBN, page 1400:

[Clare Boothe Luce] was no woman to be married to a milquetoast, and Henry R[obinson] Luce, cofounder and colorful, forceful honcho of the nascent Time empire, was anything but that.

1996, Louis Baldwin, “Clare Boothe Luce: Powerful Politician (1903–1987)”, in Women of Strength: Biographies of 106 who have Excelled in Traditional Male Fields, A.D. 61 to the Present, Jefferson, N.C., London: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 42:

Initially, our heroine hooks up with some milktoast of a guy with lots of money and little personality. Then he comes along—a man she can't push over, a man her wealth and social position can't influence.

2004, Elizabeth A. Ford, Deborah C. Mitchell, “The Ladder of Class”, in The Makeover in Movies: Before and After in Hollywood Films, 1941–2002, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 91:

(originally US, informal, derogatory) A person of meek or timid disposition; a person who lacks character or effectiveness.

мәмәй

person of meek or timid disposition; person who lacks character or effectiveness


chrome

en-noun

chrome (usually uncountable, plural chromes)

Disrespect my nigga Boss and I'm flashin' the chrome

2012, “Ali Bomaye”, in Jesus Piece, performed by The Game:

I ain't trippin' long 'cause I can reach the chrome / Heat your home like Southern California Gas, police pass

2013, “Hive”, in Doris, performed by Earl Sweatshirt: