yellow cab

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

Shōko Ieda
Universal Studios
Yellow Cab (novel)
Yellow cab
Yellow cab (stereotype)

Originally selected owing to yellow's high visibility and common in horsedrawn form in Paris and London in the 1800s and New York in the 1880s. Now chiefly associated with the yellow automotive taxicabs popularized around New York by the Yellow Taxicab Co. In reference to sexually available Asian women, a calque of Japanese イエローキャブ (ierō kyabu), from English yellow cab and popularized by Shōko Ieda's 1991 novel by that name, from its female characters' supposed "yellow" skin and the notion they provided "rides" to the general public.

(chiefly US) A yellow taxi, particularly officially licensed taxis in New York City and certain other jurisdictions.


fetch up

en-verb

fetch up (third-person singular simple present fetches up, present participle fetching up, simple past and past participle fetched up)

fetches up (present singular third-person)
fetching up (participle present)
fetched up (participle past)
fetched up (past)

(colloquial, US, archaic) To suddenly stop.


sausage gravy

(US) A traditional Southern breakfast dish, usually served with biscuits, made from pork sausage fat, milk, and seasonings.


sawmill gravy

(US) A traditional Southern gravy, usually served with biscuits, made from milk or cream with meat drippings and flour.


moving sidewalk

en-noun

moving sidewalk (plural moving sidewalks)


mug off

en-verb

mug off (third-person singular simple present mugs off, present participle mugging off, simple past and past participle mugged off)

mugs off (present singular third-person)
mugging off (participle present)
mugged off (participle past)
mugged off (past)

(US, slang, transitive) To verbally abuse or insult (someone).


extemp

(US, informal) extemporaneous speaking; a competitive event in schools and colleges in which students speak persuasively or informatively about current events and politics


extemper

(US, informal) One who takes part in extemp.


head

that and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee

Implying that a dollar is the cost for the coffee, leaving the other item worthless.

So you can name all the Chinese provinces? That and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee.

(chiefly US) A comment used to imply that either previously stated information, an ability, or an item, are of no value.

that and a token will get you on the subway

that and twenty-five cents will get you a cup of coffee


witticize

en-verb

witticize (third-person singular simple present witticizes, present participle witticizing, simple past and past participle witticized)

witticizes (present singular third-person)
witticizing (participle present)
witticized (participle past)
witticized (past)

US and Oxford British English standard spelling of witticise.


quiz bowl

en-noun

quiz bowl (countable and uncountable, plural quiz bowls)

(US) A competitive game of answering trivia questions, often played by school and college students.


skintern

"We were talking about this at dinner the other night, about how some interns show up in some of the skimpiest clothing," a female press secretary said. "One of the boys called them skinterns, which I thought was hilarious."

2005 June 22, “The bad rap of Capitol Hill interns”, in The Hill:

They're known as “skinterns.” Those who think "belly shirts" are career wear. If the devil wears Prada, the skinterns wear nada.

2006 July 5, “Showing off a bit of skin”, in The Washington Times:

Though “skinterns” do provide ample entertainment and a welcome distraction for many young staffers, the situation actually points to a disturbing reality lurking behind the heavy gilded doors of the Capitol: by appearing scantily-clad in their attire, women self-designate themselves into inferior roles and open themselves up to objectification.

2009 September 28, Shayna Murphy, “Scantily-clad interns give working girls a bad name”, in The Daily Collegian, University of Massachusetts Amherst:

Meanwhile, the barely there selection of a skintern might actually cause potential donors on the street to take a second look, and, possibly even open their wallets -- just hopefully not in expectation of sexual favors.

2010 July 15, Annie Werner, “Where the 'Skinterns' Should Work”, in Village Voice:

(US, slang) A female intern who wears very revealing clothing in an office setting where more conservative attire is the norm.


have one's head up one's ass

en-verb

have one's head up one's ass (third-person singular simple present has one's head up one's ass, present participle having one's head up one's ass, simple past and past participle had one's head up one's ass)

has one's head up one's ass (present singular third-person)
having one's head up one's ass (participle present)
had one's head up one's ass (participle past)
had one's head up one's ass (past)

(slang, derogatory, Canada, US, vulgar) To be oblivious to the real state of things, from either stupidity or stubbornness.

olla pää perseessä (subject in adessive)

think the sun shines out of someone's arse


tight as a duck's ass

(US, slang, vulgar) Extremely tight (in various senses: secure, stingy, etc.).


FAETUPAC

The US Navy loves acronyms, and sometimes creates lip-curlers like FAETUPAC – Fleet Airborne Electronics Training Unit Pacific, our host for the day.

1962, unknown author, Flight International, volume 82, IPC Transport Press Limited, page 523:

As the testing continued throughout 1947 and 1948, the operational use of TBM-3Ws was accomplished through the Fleet Aviation Electronic Training Units (Atlantic-FAETULANT and Pacific-FAETUPAC).

2002, Edwin Leigh Armistead, AWACS and Hawkeyes: The Complete History of Airborne Early Warning Aircraft, MBI Publishing Company, chapter 1 “The Development of Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft”, page 13

(US, military) Acronym of Fleet Airborne Electronics Training Unit (Pacific) Squadron.


slop shoot

slop shoots (plural)
slop chute (alternative)
slop-shoot (alternative)
slopshoot (alternative)

Meet me at the slopshoot
On the old Wangpoo
Bring along your dipnet
There's enough for two.
We'll have mashed potatoes
And some Navy stew
Meet me at the slopshoot

1955, FAETUPAC Songbook, song 37 “Meet Me at the Slopshoot” (scan)

The combined club system. I know years ago when I first came in the Marine Corps, I could go down to the slop shoot—that is what we referred to them as in those days; buy a drink for 10 cents; staff sergeants, 15 cents; officers, 20 cents.

1981, testimony of Sergeant Major Crawford, Military Construction Appropriations for 1982: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, First Session, page 443

Ernie Yost: We were in a forty knot gale. The ship was like a roller coaster, up one wave, down the next, and me and Wade were leaning over the railing puking, like we had spent the weekend liberty at the slop shoot.

2004, November 23, Roger Director, NCIS, season 2, episode 7 “Call of Silence”

“I have an announcement to make. After tonight’s dance, there will be free beer for all Marines in the slop-shoot.” The slop-shoot is a Marine nickname for the enlisted men’s club. … Some of the Marines had convinced a few of the gals to head to the slop-shoot with them. I hung around for a half hour until the tug of the 3.2 beer dragged me in the direction of the slop-shoot. Off I went.

2011, John Hornung, Private 1543868, chapter “November 10. We are Going to Celebrate!”

We would get a one-page typed reply, and we would go to the slop-shoot and editorialize over several cans of beer.

2012, Thomas L. Little, A Lonesome Warrior, chapter 7 “Liberty Call”

(US, military) A drinking establishment for US Marines.


Christmas graduate

en-noun

Christmas graduate (plural Christmas graduates)

(US, idiomatic, humorous) A freshman who drops out of college at the end of the first semester.


discretion is the better part of valor

discretion is the better part of valour#English

(US) Alternative spelling of discretion is the better part of valour


Sucker

(US, slang, dated, archaic) A native or denizen of Illinois.


cole slaw

cole slaw (usually uncountable, plural cole slaws)

Ron offers a choice of ribs, ham, sausage links or beef — all smoked — along with “bayou” beans, cole slaw, corn bread and yams.

1969 December 12, Harry Craft, “Dining Out and Inns: Provincial American Cuisine Enlivens Miracle Mile Menu”, in Daily Independent-Journal, volume 109, number 227, San Rafael, Calif., page 20, column 1:


douchery

But I'm definitely not a sucker across the board: I do not find Lance Armstrong inspirational—yes, I know he won the tour de France like a hundred times with only one ball, but he also divorced his wife who stood by him through the cancer ordeal, broke up with Sheryl Crow, and seems to have topped off his douchery by allegedly screwing an Olsen twin.

2009, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, It's Not Me, It's You: Subjective Recollections from a Terminally Optimistic, Chronically Sarcastic and Occasionally Inebriated Woman, Simon Spotlight Entertainment, →ISBN, page 1:

Ever the gentleman, he takes her to bed, then asks if she needs a taxi. Like, as soon as the act is complete. His douchery really does know no bounds.

2011 August 11, Scott Stinson, “Recaps: Jersey Shore, Season 4, Episode 2”, in National Post:

Aidan was making kissy faces at me, and I wanted to punch him. This wasn't cool. Flirting was one thing. But this wasn't flirting ... it was just douchery.

2012, Elisa Ludwig, Pretty Crooked, HarperCollins, →ISBN:

“Okay,” I say. “I get it. I'm king douchelord and you trust me but you don't. You don't know me well enough to know how deep the douchery goes.”

2016, Jennifer Niven, Holding Up the Universe, Penguin Random House, →ISBN:

(US, slang, vulgar, humorous) Behaviour that is rude, obnoxious, ignorant, or foolish.


cootie catcher

(informal, US) A form of origami with hidden fortunes, activities, etc. written on the folds, and used mainly in children's games, where a person is asked to choose a fold to open.

quatre sabaters

origami shape with hidden messages in the folds


bossman

bossmen (plural)
boss man (alternative)
boss-man (alternative)

You should watch what you say, bossman.

I don’t know what to tell you, bossman.

Used as a term of address for an unfamiliar, possibly distrusted man: bud, buddy, friend.

You really showed them, bossman. What’s your name?

Used as a term of address for a man who appears courageous: boss.


smearcase

Borrowed from Pennsylvania German Schmierkaes.

schmierkase (alternative)
smear-case (alternative)
smear case (alternative)

GERMAN CLUB SANDWICH: Thin slices of pumpernickel, rye, and white bread are used for this sandwich. Rub half a pound of smearcase until smooth, add three tablespoonfuls of thick cream and two of melted butter; season with pepper and salt. Spread some of this cheese mixture on a buttered slice of pumpernickel bread, followed by a slice of rye covered with cheese, covered with a slice of buttered white bread. Garnish with slice of pickle.

1909, Eva Greene Fuller, The Up-To-Date Sandwich Book: 400 Ways to Make a Sandwich, page 108:

(US, Texas, Pennsylvania, especially Pennsylvania Dutch English) Cottage cheese.


pedaheh

A mondegreen of Ukrainian пироги (pyrohy).

(Canada, US) A type of Ukrainian dumpling, similar to Polish pierogi. Traditionally called pyrohy or varenyky.


spieler

spielers (plural)
shpieler (alternative)
speiler (alternative)

From German Spieler (“player, gambler”) or from spiel.

(Canada, US, broadcasting, informal) A radio or television announcer.


corporosity

How's your corporosity today?

(US, slang, dated) One's body; hence, one's state of health.


douche boat

Douche boats destroyed two bunkers and accumulated 30 minutes of water time.

2005, William B. Fulton, Mobile Riverine Force: America's Mobile Riverine Force Vietnam, Turner Publishing, →ISBN, page 42:

Other river craft, “dubbed “douche boats,” were equipped with high-pressure water jets that could disintegrate enemy positions, including cement bunkers. The “douche boat” also performed an originally unanticipated support function: its water jets easily gouged out wet docks to expedite on-the-scene repairs for damaged river craft.

2006, Andrew Wiest, Rolling Thunder in a Gentle Land: The Vietnam War Revisited, Osprey Publishing, →ISBN:

"Douche boats" had two water cannons that operated at 3,000lb per square inch, and were fed by centrifugal pumps powered by a General Motors 12V-71 diesel engine, pumping 1,000 gallons (3,785 liters) per minute through each cannon - over four tons of water a minute.

2006, Gordon Rottman, Vietnam Riverine Craft 1962-75, Osprey Publishing, →ISBN, page 33:

(US, Vietnam War, slang) A river craft outfitted with a high-pressure water cannon capable of destroying enemy encampments.


RFS

Coordinate term: HIRMS

Russian Federation Ship
Russian Federation Ship#English

(nautical, military, US, unofficial, exonym) Initialism of Russian Federation Ship. (a commissioned warship of the Russian navy.)


upperclasswoman

From upper + class + woman, after upperclassman.


spring forward, fall back

/ˌspɹɪŋ ˈfɔːwəd ˌfɔːl ˈbæk/

/ˌspɹɪŋ ˈfɔɹwəɹd ˌfɔl ˈbæk/

A pun on spring (“(noun) season of the year in temperate regions in which plants spring from the ground and into bloom and dormant animals spring to life; (verb) to move or burst forth”) and fall (“(noun) season of the year in temperate regions when the leaves typically fall from the trees; (verb) to move to a lower position under the effect of gravity”).

[I]f we have to standardize on one time period, it would seem eminently logical to settle on daylight time for the convenience of the greatest number of people. Besides, under such a system, we would once and for all abolish the trivial "Spring forward, fall back."

1971 October 28, Craig Hosmer, “Fiddling around with ‘God’s Time’”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 92d Congress, First Session (United States House of Representatives), volume 117, part 29, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 38086, column 3:

I think it is important to remember the great push for year-round daylight saving time came as a result of the energy crisis of 1973. It was alleged this action would result in home heating, gasoline, and electricity savings and as a result the Congress got into the spring-forward, fall-back business of daylight saving time. Today, some 3 years later, we find no evidence of energy savings in the home, no effect on gasoline consumption, and that savings on electricity are not conclusive.

1976 June 9, Keith G[eorge] Sebelius, “Statement of Hon. Keith G. Sebelius, a Representative in Congress from the State of Kansas”, in Daylight Savings Time Act of 1976: Hearings before the Subcommittee on Transportation and Commerce of the [Committee] on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, Ninety-fourth Congress, Second Session on H.R. 13089, H.R. 13090 (and All Similar Bills), Bills to Amend the Uniform Time Act of 1966 to Change the Period of Observance of Daylight Savings Time: And S. 2931, a Bill to Provide for Daylight Saving Time on a Seven-month Basis, and to Require the Federal Communications Commission to Permit Certain Daytime Broadcast Stations to Operate before Local Sunrise […] (Serial No. 94-109), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 80:

The first Federal legislation on the matter was enacted during World War I with the passage of the Standard Time Act on March 19, 1918. […] To conserve fuel and aid the war effort, the act also provided that the standard time of each zone would be advanced one hour for seven months of the year, beginning in early spring and ending in the fall. Thus developed the slogan still used today: "Spring forward; fall back."

1981 April, Philip R. Smith, “Daylight Saving? Well, It’s about … Time”, in Denise M. Gower, editor, DFSC Chronicle, Alexandria, Va.: Defense Fuel Supply Center, Defense Supply Agency, United States Department of Defense, →OCLC, page 27:

Twice a year, in April and October, most people change their clocks by one hour. Almost everyone forgets if the time needs to move forward or move backward. If you use the simple mnemonic, "Spring forward, fall back," you won't have to find out the hard way that you forgot to change your clock. This timely mnemonic links the season with the action of the same time: In the spring, the time springs forward by an hour. In the fall, time falls back by an hour.

2002, John B. Arden, “Tricking Yourself into Remembering”, in Improving Your Memory for Dummies (For Dummies), Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley Publishing, →ISBN, part III (Preserving Your Memory):

I asked to speak to my mother again, and said, ‘Is it tonight we have to change the clocks?’ / She said that it was. / I asked if it was forwards or backwards; I can never remember which. / She said, ‘It’s easy: spring forward, fall back.’ / I said, ‘But do the clocks go backwards or forwards?’ / She said again, ‘Spring forward, fall back.’

2004, Sue Townsend, “Saturday March 29th [2003]”, in Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction, London: Michael Joseph, →ISBN, page 324:

Many areas of the world observe Daylight saving time. On a specified day in spring of each year, many people set their clocks forward by one hour. Then in the fall they set them back, leading to the clever saying, “spring forward, fall back.”

2011, Darrell Young, “Setup Menu”, in Mastering the Nikon D7000, Santa Barbara, Calif.: Rocky Nook; NikoniansPress, →ISBN, page 244:

This practice of taking the clock time forward during spring and backward during fall is known as daylight saving (DST). It is also implied by the popular notion Spring Forward, Fall Back, referring to the advancement of the clock during spring and the going back in time in fall. […] Since 2007, in the USA, the DST starts on the 2nd Sunday of March. On that day, the clocks are moved one hour forward at 2 a.m. local standard time. This means that 2 a.m., the clocks are manipulated to read 3 a.m. local daylight time. Again, DST ends on the 1st Sunday of November, when clocks are moved backward by one hour at 2 a.m. local daylight time. So, at 2 a.m., the clocks are changed to read 1 a.m. local standard time.

2023, Eklas Hossain, “Energy without the Sun”, in The Sun, Energy, and Climate Change, Cham, Zug, Switzerland: Springer Nature, →DOI, →ISBN, page 215:

daylight saving time
daylight saving time#English

(US, mnemonic) Used to recall how clocks, watches, and other chronometers are adjusted for daylight saving time: local time goes forward in the spring (usually by one hour), and back in fall (autumn).

kelloja siirretään kesää kohti

used to recall how clocks, etc., are adjusted for daylight saving time


yellow state

(US, idiomatic) A state of the United States where the Libertarian Party is influential.


andele

From Spanish ándale (“hurry! come on! let's go!”).

bor

What's wrong with you Miguel? Is that all the juice you can get out of this engine? I thought you were supposed to be the best driver in the unit! My old crippled grandmother can drive faster than you, and she only has one leg. Andele! Andele!

2006, Joseph McLaughlin, Trail of Death, page 413:

(US, slang) hurry up; come on; get a move on


SLUFF

(slang, US, Air Force) Acronym of Short Little Ugly Fat Fellow (or Fucker); US Airforce nickname for the A-7 bomber.


squatchy

en-adj

squatchy (comparative more squatchy, superlative most squatchy)

more squatchy (comparative)
most squatchy (superlative)

Locations are said to feel 'squatchy', meaning they are ideal habitats for Bigfoot to live.

2019, Robin James Smith, Sara Delamont, The Lost Ethnographies:

(US, regional, colloquial) Characteristic of the sasquatch.


shitty-ass

shitty-ass (comparative more shitty-ass, superlative most shitty-ass)

more shitty-ass (comparative)
most shitty-ass (superlative)

I was working a shitty-ass job in fast food.

That's some shitty-ass poetry!

(US, slang, vulgar) Very bad; worthless.


pony car

From the segment-defining introduction of the Ford Mustang muscle car, whose front grille badge featured a mustang (a type of horse).

(US, automotive) An affordable, compact, highly styled car with a sporty or performance-oriented image.


disgrossting

/dɪsˈkɹəʊstɪŋ/

/dɪsˈɡɹəʊstɪŋ/

(slang, Canada, US, uncommon) gross and disgusting


premmie

(slang, US, Australia) An infant who is born prematurely.


managed care

Much of the projected savings would come from enlisting Medicaid recipients in "managed care" programs instead of the current open-ended system.

1984 February 5, Richard A. Knox, “Full-scale Medicaid Overhaul Proposed”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 2013-11-28:

State lawmakers today are expected to approve landmark legislation designed to protect the 5 million Pennsylvanians enrolled in managed care health plans.

1998 June 9, Frank Reeves, “Managed care users could get new protection”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, retrieved 2013-11-28:

A managed care system makes it possible to enroll more people and improve care, yet also keep costs under control.

2011 January 9, Courtney Burke, “Room for Debate: Getting Rates Under Control”, in New York Times, retrieved 2013-11-28:

(US, medicine, healthcare) Medical services which are planned, directed, and controlled—especially by a health insurance company—in a manner designed to maximize the efficiency of the delivery and financing of health care.

管理式醫療護理 /管理式医疗护理

medical services which are designed to maximise the efficiency of health care

optimaalinen hoito (descriptive translation)


thirteener

thirteeners (plural)
Thirteener (alternative)

From thirteen + -er (suffix denoting people characterized by something, or people or things to which certain measurements or numbers apply).

maan viimeinen kortti

(card games, especially bridge) last playing card of a suit left after the other twelve have been played

oner · twoer · fiver · sixer · Sevener · niner · tenner · elevener · twelver · fourteener · fifteener · sixteener · hundreder · thousander · twenty-five-thousander

There are six summits in Colorado above thirteen thousand feet named "Grizzly." Four of them are in the highest two hundred summits. This one was once rated a Fourteener, but new surveys demoted it so that it is now the highest Thirteener.

1992, Mike Garratt, Bob Martin, “Grizzly Peak (13,988 feet), Garfield Peak (13,780 feet)”, in Colorado’s High Thirteeners (A Climbing & Hiking Guide), 3rd edition, Boulder, Colo.: Johnson Books, →ISBN, page 38:

Few who venture into this region know that the area is a superb place to go after thirteener ski descents.

2020, Ben Conners, Brian Miller, “Cronin Peak—Northeast Face”, in Climbing and Skiing Colorado’s Mountains: Over 50 Select Ski Descents, 2nd edition, Lanham, Md.: Falcon Guides, Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 169:

(US, climbing) A mountain rising to more than 13,000 feet (about 4,000 metres) but less than 14,000 feet above mean sea level.

kolmetoista tuhatta korkea vuori

mountain rising to more than 13,000 feet but less than 14,000 feet above mean sea level


braggadocious

en-adj

braggadocious (comparative more braggadocious, superlative most braggadocious)

more braggadocious (comparative)
most braggadocious (superlative)

/ˌbɹæ.ɡəˈdəʊ.ʃəs/

He talked in a braggadocious manner about his job, but […] I am not sure how successful he actually was.

2017, Stuart Lewis, When Walls Become Bridges: A Journey of Discovery to Heal and Conquer Hatred, [Toronto]: Stuart Lewis, →ISBN, page 34:

Exhibiting braggadocio; characterized by empty boasts.


kps

(US, measurement) Initialism of kilometers per second. or Initialism of klicks per second.


chomo

From a corrupted blend of chi(ld) + mo(lester).

Fuckers never see the light of day. Nevada Fucking Prisneyland, O.G.! Homos, snitches, Chomos, straight-up J-Cats, and children all P.C.'d up together, scandalous shit, dawg!

2003, Jimmy Lerner, You Got Nothing Coming: Notes from a Prison Fish, page 77:

The child molesters (chomos, they are called) were a peculiar group. Some hobbled about with canes or walkers from the beatings they had received from some other prisoners because of their perceived moral degeneracy […]

2012, Conrad Black, A Matter of Principle, page 451:

Charlie shifted in his chair and inhaled the fresh, evening air. “See, child molesters—they call them chomos—have it the roughest in prison. Even the worst, most sadistic convicts have no respect for pedophiles. […]

2013, Landon Parham, First Night of Summer, page 300:


cottage cheese ass

en-noun

cottage cheese ass (plural cottage cheese asses)

cottage cheese asses (plural)
cottage cheese arse (alternative)
cottage-cheese ass (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-cottage cheese ass.wav

(Canada, US, slang, vulgar) Buttocks of visible cellulite.


cobblestone ice

(US) Lumps of ice mixed with sand and salt accumulated on highways


Decoration Day

So called from the practice of decorating the military graves with flowers.

When Carney heard they were renaming Decoration Day and moving it from May 30th to the last Monday in May, he hadn’t seen the point.

2023, Colson Whitehead, Crook Manifesto, Fleet, page 16:


round in

en-verb

round in (third-person singular simple present rounds in, present participle rounding in, simple past and past participle rounded in)

rounds in (present singular third-person)
rounding in (participle present)
rounded in (participle past)
rounded in (past)

(US, dated) To round up (cattle) by riding around them.


vigilance committee

en-noun

vigilance committee (plural vigilance committees)

(US, historical) A group of private citizens who administered justice where they considered governmental structures to be inadequate.


revenue cutter

(historical, US) An armed government vessel employed to enforce revenue laws, especially charging tariffs on imports and preventing smuggling, etc.


wild leek

A. tricoccum

ramp, ramps, spring onion, ramson, wood leek, wild garlic

Allium tricoccum
Allium tricoccum#Translingual

(US) A perennial wild onion native to eastern North America, Allium tricoccum, with a cluster of ovoid bulbs and large oblong elliptical leaves.


sprunt up

en-verb

sprunt up (third-person singular simple present sprunts up, present participle sprunting up, simple past and past participle sprunted up)

sprunts up (present singular third-person)
sprunting up (participle present)
sprunted up (participle past)
sprunted up (past)

(US, dialect, intransitive) To draw oneself up suddenly, as in anger or defiance; to bristle up.


bounty jumper

(US, slang, historical) One who, during the latter part of the Civil War, enlisted in the United States service, and deserted as soon as possible after receiving the bounty.


(military, US) Abbreviation of command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance.


elevator shaft

You know when winter comes to visit these big cities and / the wind starts howling through the elevator shafts

1979, The Boomtown Rats (lyrics and music), “Wind Chill Factor (Minus Zero)”, in The Fine Art of Surfacing:

Any visitor to New York over the past few years will have witnessed this curious new breed of pencil-thin tower. Poking up above the Manhattan skyline like etiolated beanpoles, they seem to defy the laws of both gravity and commercial sense. They stand like naked elevator shafts awaiting their floors, raw extrusions of capital piled up until it hits the clouds.

2019 June 1, Oliver Wainwright, “Super-tall, super-skinny, super-expensive: the ‘pencil towers’ of New York’s super-rich”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-10-05:


Belgian endive

en-noun

Belgian endive (countable and uncountable, plural Belgian endives)

Cichorium intybus
Cichorium intybus#Translingual

(Canada, US) Common chicory, Cichorium intybus, grown without sunlight to produce pale leaves.


stump it

en-verb

stump it (third-person singular simple present stumps it, present participle stumping it, simple past and past participle stumped it)

stumps it (present singular third-person)
stumping it (participle present)
stumped it (participle past)
stumped it (past)

(slang, US, dated) To make electioneering speeches.


bagholder

bagholders (plural)
bag holder (alternative)

Blend of bag + shareholder, referring to the phrase "leave someone holding the bag".

(US, finance, slang) An investor left holding on to worthless financial assets (esp. worthless stock shares).


sight draft

I will draw a sight draft on my grandfather, I said. A what? A sight draft. He has to pay or I go to jail.

1929, Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms, Folio Society, published 2008, page 80:

(US) A draft to be paid on presentation.


whorehound

‘Don't worry about me. I don't drink and I don't run around. I'm no boozer and whorehound. I know what's good for me.’

1929, Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms, Folio Society, published 2008, page 122:

(US, vulgar, slang) Someone who often has sex with prostitutes.


cork off

cork off (third-person singular simple present corks off, present participle corking off, simple past and past participle corked off)

corks off (present singular third-person)
corking off (participle present)
corked off (participle past)
corked off (past)

‘I'm going to sleep on the major's bed,’ Bonello said. ‘I'm going to sleep where the old man corks off.’

1929, Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms, Folio Society, published 2008, page 183:


monkey meat

‘You'd better get some sleep,’ I said. ‘We can eat cheese and monkey-meat.’

1929, Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms, Folio Society, published 2008, page 184:


Murder, Inc.

(US, dated) Organized crime groups responsible for killings in the 1930s and 1940s.

(US, slang, derogatory, US politics) The Central Intelligence Agency.


War on Women

(US, politics, US politics, derogatory) Political efforts and initiatives to reduce women's rights, especially their reproductive rights.


variety meat

en-noun

variety meat (countable and uncountable, plural variety meats)


reserve bank

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

(US) A regional bank operating under and implementing the policies of the Federal Reserve.


board of supervisors

board of supervisors (plural boards of supervisors)

(US) The elected governing body of a county in certain states, which often has executive as well as legislative powers


field sobriety test

field sobriety test (plural field sobriety tests)

(US) A series of physical tasks, such as walking a straight line, used by police to determine whether a person is under the influence of alcohol.


oilionaire

(US, informal) One who has made a large amount of money in the oil business.


Arkie

United States of America
United States of America

(US, informal) A native or resident of the state of Arkansas in the United States of America.


afterwhile

[…] as soon as the man called the track they hurried fast, so they got two seats and turned them to face each other, and afterwhile the train pulled out […]

1957, James Agee, A Death in the Family, New York: McDowell, Obolensky, Part 2, p. 242:


Buccos

(US, baseball) nickname of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.


G-men

(US, American football) A nickname of the New York Giants football team.


angledog

(dialects, chiefly US, New England, dated) An earthworm.


Joe Frogger

Named after Joseph Brown (1750–1834), the keeper of Black Joe’s Tavern in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The cookies were invented by Brown’s wife, Lucretia Thomas Brown (1772–1857), who worked at the tavern.
There are many different stories about how the cookies came to be called Froggers. According to some sources, they were named for the froglike shape the batter would form when it hit the hot iron skillet. According to others, they were named for the frogs in the nearby mill pond. The name may be a misspelling or a play on “Joe Floggers”, which were a kind of pancake, also used as a ship’s provision.

(US) A large cookie flavoured with molasses and rum.


yellow boy

yellow boy (countable and uncountable, plural yellow boys)

(countable, US, slang, historical) Synonym of goldback (“kind of gold certificate”)


plugola

plugola (usually uncountable, plural plugolas)

Both radio and television management must be watchful for instances of staff payola and plugola.

2006, Susan Tyler Eastman, Douglas A. Ferguson, Robert A. Klein, editors, Media Promotion and Marketing for Broadcasting, Cable, and the Internet, page 22:

Portland's TV stations regularly employ plugola in news programming as a way of promoting parent network programming […].

2007, Carey L Higgins, Gerald Sussman, edited by Gibson & Lowes, Urban Communication: Production, Text, Context, page 151:

It’s unclear just how widespread such “plugola” schemes are now. But an FCC report, published in June, cited a 2010 Pew survey in which 24 percent of local TV news executives reported “a blurring of lines between advertising and news.”

2012 January 4, Paul Farhi, The Washington Post:

(informal, chiefly US) Undeclared or illicit publicity or product promotion, especially on radio or television.


rag out

en-verb

rag out (third-person singular simple present rags out, present participle ragging out, simple past and past participle ragged out)

rags out (present singular third-person)
ragging out (participle present)
ragged out (participle past)
ragged out (past)


beaver eater

beaver eaters (plural)
beaver-eater (alternative)

...we baled up our peltry, and on the 23d of May left Lac la Mort, with four small birch canoes richly laden with the skins of beavers, otters, martens, minx, loup serviers, beaver eaters, foxes, bears, &c.

1791, John Long, Voyages and Travels (2006 reprint), page 132:

This animal, which is known in Canada by the name of Carcajou, and the Beaver Eater, is of a clumsy appearance, about a foot and a half high ...

1819, D. B. Warden, A statistical, political, and historical account of the United States of North America, volume I, pages 200–201:


bedside table

(UK, US, Australia) Synonym of nightstand


throwout

en-noun

throwout (countable and uncountable, plural throwouts)

From throw out, in the sense of having been thrown out of society.

Alternatively, the throwout rule, adopted by only a few states, eliminates or “throws out” sales from the denominator of the apportionment factor when sales are not taxable in the destination state.

2005, LeAnn Luna, “Throwback rules, multistate corporations”, in Joseph J. Cordes, Robert D. Ebel, Jane G. Gravelle, editors, The Encyclopedia of Taxation & Tax Policy (Second Edition), The Urban Institute Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 436:

The effect of the throwback rule is to distribute income according to sales in the origin state. The effect of the throwout rule is to distribute income according to the taxpayer’s overall activities as measured by the other apportionment factors.

2006, Joann Martens-Weiner, chapter 4, in Company Tax Reform in the European Union: Guidance from the United States and Canada on Implementing Formulary Apportionment in the EU, Springer Science+Business Media, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, page 53:

The throwout rule would have the effect of attributing the receipts concerned to the Member States in proportion to the other sales, which is not supported by the logic of the sales factor as those other Member States have not contributed to the profits associated with those gross receipts.

2009, Stefan Mayer, chapter 4, in Formulary Apportionment for the Internal Market (Doctoral Series; 17), IBFD, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 220:

(US, accounting) A practice to avoid untaxed nowhere income by instead assuming the untaxed transaction is taxed in the originating state in a notional proportion to other taxable transactions.


tarnal

(US, slang, euphemistic) damned (as an intensifier)


melonhead

(US) One of a group of legendary beings, known in parts of Michigan, Ohio, and Connecticut, and generally described as small humanoids with bulbous heads who occasionally emerge from hiding-places to attack people.

Uncle Gene turned toward Dad. "Let the melonhead laugh. We'll show him, won't we, pard?"

1992, P. J. Peterson, Liars, New York, N.Y. […]: Scholastic Inc., published 1994, →ISBN, page 162:

The picture showed the group, a gurning, multichinned James looking like a melonhead in the foreground, dressed in formal evening-wear and cummerbunds. How the fuck had they got hold of those pictures? The boys looked like a cabaret band. It was bad. It was very bad.

1999, Kevin Sampson, Powder: An Everyday Story of Rock 'N' Roll Folk, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 477:

Of course you should you melonhead. Why are you being so obtuse. You are just making my whole point.

2005 April 21, Lee Harris, “Shefield and the Fan”, in alt.sports.baseball.bos-redsox (Usenet):

(Australia, US, informal, derogatory) A fool or idiot.


Spicanese

Outdoor signs were always displayed in English. Now it's English & Spicanese.

2002 October 27, XtremePrejudice, “Re: Harlow's Obsessed with me. Somebody help the pathetic ass!”, in alt.alien.visitors (Usenet):

The problem is not only a poorly secured border,but how people accomodate^([sic]) these vile cocksuckers!"Press 1 for English..press 2 for Spicanese"..

2006 March 26, The Yiddish Yoddler, “On this Immigration thing.....”, in alt.politics (Usenet):

Department stores English and Spicanese signs hanging from the ceiling.

2008 March 8, Hybrid Angel, “Re: Nasa footage of UFOs in our orbit”, in alt.fan.cropcircles (Usenet):

(US, slang, derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) The Spanish language.


river runner

river runners (plural)
river-runner (alternative)

There are many ways to go down a whitewater river. . . . If you paddle a play boat, you will play. If you paddle a more stable river runner, you may play a little less or a little differently.

2008, Gregory Shea, Robert E. Gunther, Your Job Survival Guide: A Manual for Thriving in Change, →ISBN, page 76:

[C]heck out the Jackson Kayak Zen—it’s a full-on river runner but will still surf and flat spin nicely.

2012 July 11, Dustin Urban, “Jackson Fun Runner Review”, in dustinurban.com, retrieved 2014-01-19:

(chiefly US) A raft, kayak, or similar watercraft used especially for traveling with the current of a river in a swift manner.

Books like WHITEWATER RAFTING by William McGinnis, go into great, and very necessary, detail to explain all of the hazards which the river runner may have to face and the proper procedures which should be followed to negotiate each of these.

1980, Don Hubbard, The Complete Book of Inflatable Boats, →ISBN, page 164:

"It's fabulous, spectacular, a little scary and sometimes a lot scary," John Williams, a Moab river runner for 30 years, said of the Cataract spring flood.

1998 March 11, Christopher Smith, “Moab's Natives Struggle With an Overabundance of Wildlife”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-01-09:

A Missouri man is being charged with second-degree murder after shooting a man from a float group that he claims to have found on his property. . . . Loretta Dart, the victim's wife, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that her husband was trying to prevent an altercation between Crocker and one of the river-runners.

2013 July 23, Adam Roy, “Missouri Man Shoots River Runner”, in Outside Online, retrieved 2014-01-09:

(chiefly US) A person who uses such a watercraft.

In 1919, C.P. built a true work of art, a 26-foot mahogany river runner, with a stepped hull and an aft cockpit

1997 Feb, Michael Verdon, “All-time-Classic”, in Motorboating & Sailing, volume 179, number 2, page 101:

The boat, a flat-bottomed river-runner with a forty-horse jet, slides off Mac's trailer, onto crumbling shelf ice and into the river, green, translucent.

1999, Ken Marsh, Breakfast at Trout's Place: The Seasons of an Alaska Flyfisher, →ISBN, page 16:

The river runner was a broad flat boat, capable of holding a lot of cargo.

2009, Michelle Mythe, Aura Sight, →ISBN, page 150:

(chiefly US) A recreational or commercial boat used for regular operation on a riverway.

[I]t was Captain Tod Halsey who had the responsibility of the whole thing. If the great marble shaft couldn't be dragged up the face of the bluff, the squint-eyed old river runner would be the loser.

1940 Oct., A. Capwell Wyckoff, "River Bank Position," Boys' Life, p. 12 (Google preview)

(chiefly US) A person who is an experienced worker or traveler on a riverway.


spiedie

From Italian spiedo (“spit (skewer)”) or spiedini (“cubes or balls of meat cooked on a skewer”).

(US) A submarine sandwich local to Greater Binghamton in the Southern Tier of New York State, containing grilled marinated cubes of meat.


sportsplex

(US) A complex offering sporting facilities.


tode

Possibly related to Low German todden (“to drag”).


dumbassery

Speaking of savages, Bruce Cowell and his pack of jock-wannabes, who'd been kicked off every school team because of attitude problems and/or the use of illegal substances, were right on schedule for their weekly feats of dumbassery.

2008, Sara Zarr, Story of a Girl, →ISBN:

Wikileaks has always had a healthy sense of self-importance—one that seems, at least in part, well-deserved. But there's something uniquely hubristic about accusing a major newspaper (and former collaborator) of "gross negligence or malice" over the release of 251,000 unredacted top-secret cables—when the fault lies with the website itself. [see title]

2011 August 31, Max Read, “Wikileaks Freaks Out at Newspaper Over Its Own Dumbassery”, in Gawker:

“Honestly god bless the olive oil war, this is exactly the kind of ludicrous startup-brain-worms low-stakes drama that the world needs more of right now,” tweeted Helen Rosner, a New Yorker staff writer who covers food. “No villains, no victims, just top notch public ego dumbassery.”

2023 April 28, Madison Malone Kircher, Anna Grace Lee, “This Week’s Tiniest Social Media Drama Is About Olive Oil”, in The New York Times:

(slang, vulgar, Canada, US) Immature, foolish behavior; behavior typical of a dumbass.


special education advocate

special education advocate (plural special education advocates)

(US) A professional, other than an attorney, who provides advice and representation regarding children with educational disabilities.


Porkopolis

From pork + -o- + -polis; it was once the country's chief hog-packing center.


parrot and monkey time

parrot and monkey time (plural not attested)

First appears c. 1882 in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Obsolete since c. 1920.

The esteemed Presbyterians of South Carolina have been having a real parrot and monkey time over evolution, with the result that after a year of charge and counter charge, the evolutionary wing of the society is ahead[…]

If he is inclined to be frisky, however, and they both take it into their heads to run there is generally a parrot and monkey time of it[…]

1894, Sheldon Jackson, Report on Introduction of Domesticated Reindeer into Alaska:


basic pay

(US, military) The monthly pay granted to members of the active-duty military, determined by pay grade.


Chilean sea bass

Chilean sea bass (plural Chilean sea bass)

Patagonian toothfish
Patagonian toothfish

Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides#Translingual

(US, Canada) Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides)


Philly fade

(US, informal) A hairstyle where the sides are faded at the temples.


wedding band

wearing a wedding band


rantankerous

en-adj

rantankerous (comparative more rantankerous, superlative most rantankerous)

more rantankerous (comparative)
most rantankerous (superlative)

(US, dialect, dated) argumentative; quarrelsome; cantankerous


rat-trap cheese

en-noun

rat-trap cheese (countable and uncountable, plural rat-trap cheeses)

So called because it might be used in baiting a trap.

Having spent twice as much money as I had intended during the first month in New York, I tried to live even more frugally than I had earlier in the year. I still ate rye bread and rat-trap cheese in my room, but less of it[…]

1951, Erskine Caldwell, Call it Experience: The Years of Learning how to Write, page 112:

(US, informal) Inexpensive unexceptional cheese.


supplemental jurisdiction

subject-matter jurisdiction
subject-matter jurisdiction

(US, law) The authority of United States federal courts to hear additional claims substantially related to an original claim, even though the court would lack the subject-matter jurisdiction to hear the additional claims independently.


K Street

From the alphabetic naming of streets when the road grid of Washington was laid down.
* (politics): After K Street in Washington, D.C.

(US, politics, by restriction) The section of K Street, D.C., USA, where political lobbyists have their offices.


buttcheck

buttchecks (plural)
butt-check (alternative)
butt check (alternative)

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

(US, snowboarding) The act of putting one's behind down to check a fall, while staying sliding along the snow on the snowboard.


buttcheck

en-verb

buttcheck (third-person singular simple present buttchecks, present participle buttchecking, simple past and past participle buttchecked)

buttchecks (present singular third-person)
buttchecking (participle present)
buttchecked (participle past)
buttchecked (past)
butt-check (alternative)
butt check (alternative)

(US, snowboarding) To put one's behind down to check a fall, while staying sliding along the snow on the snowboard.


front bum

[…] you had still started to notice a few changes, a metabolic slowdown that left you wondering whether, on top of being alone for the rest of your life, you were also going to end up with one of those stomachs that could only be described as a “front bum.”

2016, Marissa Stapley, Mating for Life: A Novel, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 122:

(Canada, US, slang) A bipartite mass of abdominal fat.


hang one's hat

hang one's hat (third-person singular simple present hangs one's hat, present participle hanging one's hat, simple past and past participle hung one's hat)

hangs one's hat (present singular third-person)
hanging one's hat (participle present)
hung one's hat (participle past)
hung one's hat (past)

But all my ex’s live in Texas
And that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee

1987 April, Sanger and Linda Shafer (authors), George Strait (singer), “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”, MCA Records

“Where does Hobart hang his hat?” Slocum asked.
“His spread's up north, east of the Chugwater, and maybe north some.”

2003, Jake Logan, chapter 10, in Slocum and the Undertakers, →ISBN:

(chiefly US, idiomatic) To reside; to call a place home.


anaconda mortgage

en-noun

anaconda mortgage (plural anaconda mortgages)

An allusion to being trapped in crushing coils of a large constrictor snake, such as anaconda, suggesting the crushing burden of such debt.

[I]t was not given to the prophet Isaiah even, to look down the vista of time for 2,500 years and read the Statutes of Arkansas. Under them every man who executes an anaconda mortgage is considered to plant and eat not; for them the heavens might as well be brass and the earth iron.

1889, W. Scott Morgan, History of the Wheel and Alliance and the Impending Revolution, page 59:

Furthermore, the merchants soon discovered the Anaconda mortgage, which forced the owner to back up his crop lien with everything he owned — land, money, and personal property.

1988, Michael Schwartz, Radical Protest and Social Structure: The Southern Farmers' Alliance and Cotton Tenancy, 1880-1890, →ISBN, page 59:

In 1883 Alabama established the "Anaconda" mortgage, which "gave the landlord the right to take not only his tenant's crop . . . but also his furniture, household goods, and personal effects," again with primacy over merchant claims.

1997, Edward Countryman, Americans: A Collision of Histories, →ISBN, page 226:

(chiefly southern US, idiomatic, dated, law, finance) A loan arrangement in which all of the money borrowed from a lender, for whatever purpose, is secured by one's home, land, and other property.


kick at the can

kick at the can (plural kicks at the can)

kicks at the can (plural)
kick at the cat (alternative)

"We're now in a situation where you get just one kick at the can," Mr. Elderfield said.

2005 June 17, Carol Vogel, “The Modern Buys 'Rebus'”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-02-13:

He figured that Canadian political leaders got only two kicks at the can, and he'd now had both of his.

2011, Paul Litt, Elusive Destiny: The Political Vocation of John Napier Turner, →ISBN, page 389:

How many companies get the chance to flail around for 6 years and then get a second kick at the can?

2012 January 20, Eric Jackson, “In Defense of Jerry Yang”, in Forbes, retrieved 2014-02-13:

(chiefly US and Canada, idiomatic) An attempt or an opportunity.


kick at the can

en-verb

kick at the can (third-person singular simple present kicks at the can, present participle kicking at the can, simple past and past participle kicked at the can)

kicks at the can (present singular third-person)
kicking at the can (participle present)
kicked at the can (participle past)
kicked at the can (past)
kick at the cat (alternative)

(chiefly US and Canada, idiomatic) To make an attempt; to try.


single jack

(US) A short-handled sledgehammer used with one hand, with a head weighing 3-4 pounds and two flat faces.


double jack

(US) A long-handled sledgehammer used with both hands


substitute teacher

en-noun

substitute teacher (plural substitute teachers)

(Canada, US, India, Ireland) A supply teacher.


pleasure center

pleasure center (plural pleasure centers)

pleasure centers (plural)
pleasure centre (alternative)

A region of the brain which creates feelings of pleasure.


PGS

prompt global strike
prompt global strike#English

(US, military) Initialism of prompt global strike.


biscuit shooter

biscuit shooter (plural biscuit shooters)

Oh, wise biscuit-shooter what slung ham an' eggs / At th' puncher straight out o' th' west. / She was perty an' sweet an' was trim on her pegs.

1920, "The Ballad of Locoed Lem", Ballads of the West by William Earl Harvey

(US, slang) A waiter, waitress, or cook.


stump detective

stump detective (plural stump detectives)

(Canada, US, derogatory) A forestry official charged with measuring waste in logging operations.


uff da

From Norwegian, brought to the US by Scandinavian settlers.

(US, Upper Midwestern US) Expressing surprise, dismay, relief, exhaustion, or a sudden shock to the senses.


back forty

From back + forty, meaning “back side of a farm”. In the Homestead Acts (1860s–), farmers were granted a quarter section; a section was nominally 1 square mile containing 640 acres, a quarter section was 160 acres, and the quarter section was itself subdivided into four quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres each: two front forty and two back forty. Compare north forty, back of beyond, backcountry, and backwater.

They couldn't contact the farmer right away because he was out plowing the back forty

(US, idiomatic) The most remote or inaccessible part of any place.


Arkansawyer

From Arkansaw (older spelling of Arkansas) + -yer.

suffix

older spelling of <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">Arkansas</i>

One opponent accused him of being "to the left of Hubert Humphrey," which was a hard thing to say about an Arkansawyer in 1970.

2003 March 9, Roy Reed, "Another Guy From Arkansas" (Book review of The Best Lawyer in a One-Lawyer Town: A Memoir by Dale Bumpers), New York Times (retrieved 25 Feb 2014)

The words Arkansan, Arkansawyer and Arkie are in common use. Each term has its partisans and its detractors.

2007 Dec. 26, "Sizing up Arkansan vs. Arkansawyer," The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (reposted at Arkansas Online) (retrieved 25 Feb 2014)

(US) A native or resident of the state of Arkansas in the United States of America.


ISNA

Islamic Society of North America
w:Islamic Society of North America

(US) Acronym of Islamic Society of North America.


ace boon coon

Soon David and "Scottster" are "ace boon coons," as my mother used to say, golfing together and making plans for joint ventures in computer programming.

1999, Kristal Brent Zook, Color by Fox, page 31:

Roslyn "SugarBay" Mcintosh, thanks for your prayers, and to my ace boon-coons Willona Carrington and Charron Williams — thanks for being there through thick and thin.

1999, Karu F. Daniels, Brandy: An Intimate Look, page 7:

(US, originally African-American Vernacular, slang) A close friend.


window washer

window washers (plural)
window-washer (alternative)

(US) A window cleaner; a person who cleans windows for a living.


screw anchor

(US) A fixing that allows screws to be fitted into masonry walls; called a wall plug in UK English.


carry the mail

en-verb

carry the mail (third-person singular simple present carries the mail, present participle carrying the mail, simple past and past participle carried the mail)

carries the mail (present singular third-person)
carrying the mail (participle present)
carried the mail (participle past)
carried the mail (past)

"My objective was to carry the mail for the President, working with the Congress, forging that new bill."

1986 January 8, Keith Schneider, “Agriculture Chief to Quit: Reagan Hails Block Tenure”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-03-05:

To say the Pittsburgh Penguins are a top-heavy club is an understatement. . . . The club is therefore completely reliant on Crosby and Co. to carry the mail up front.

2011 April 12, Kent Wilson, “Sidney Crosby's historic season”, in ESPN.com, retrieved 2014-03-05:

The coaches will say, "We have two starters at running back," but the guy who'll carry the mail is DeMarco Murray.

2012 June 28, “Dallas Cowboys”, in Sports Illustrated, retrieved 2014-03-05:

(chiefly US, idiomatic) To work diligently; to serve as the principal performer of a demanding task or set of tasks.


get one's ya-yas out

get one's ya-yas out (third-person singular simple present gets one's ya-yas out, present participle getting one's ya-yas out, simple past got one's ya-yas out, past participle gotten one's ya-yas out)

gets one's ya-yas out (present singular third-person)
getting one's ya-yas out (participle present)
got one's ya-yas out (past)
gotten one's ya-yas out (participle past)

Popularized by Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!': The Rolling Stones in Concert, an 1970 live album by English rock band the Rolling Stones.

[…] Feist still gets her ya-yas out as part of atmospheric-rock collective Broken Social Scene, and just a few years ago she could be found rapping in Spanish through a sock puppet […]

2005, Vanity Fair, numbers 537-539, page 110:

Maybe she was just getting her ya-yas out, running for the sheer joy of being in a physical body.

2009, Rachel Toor, The Pig and I, page 14:

Pounding with a toy hammer or banging on a toy drum, punching a pillow, pounding on play clay, running around outdoors, and swinging on a swing can also help him get his ya-yas out.

2012, Heidi Murkoff, What to Expect: The Second Year:

(US, slang) To behave in a wild and carefree manner, so as to use up excess energy or exuberance.

Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert


keeping room

keeping rooms (plural)
keeping-room (alternative)

The keeping room became less utilitarian as kitchens, storage area, and bedrooms were added onto homes.

1998, Lisa Skolnik, ADL: American Country, page 31:

The keeping room, with its large, open-hearth fireplace, served as her kitchen and main living area.

2004, Carla Neggers, Night Scents, page 10:

The keeping room, where most of the cooking and living was once done, has five doors: one on either side of the fireplace, opening into each of the front parlors, one to a borning room on the west, one to a weaving room on the east, and one to a summer kitchen in back.

2006, Blue Balliett, Nantucket Ghosts, page 17:

Taking to her bed is Baby Suggs's act of surrender; the keeping room becomes her final enclosure—she only leaves it after her death.

2011, Annette R. Federico, Gilbert and Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic After Thirty Years:

(dated, dialect, UK, US, New England) The main room of a house.


BDS

Bush Derangement Syndrome
w:Bush Derangement Syndrome

(US, politics, slang, derogatory) Initialism of Bush Derangement Syndrome.


humoredly

en-adv

humoredly (comparative more humoredly, superlative most humoredly)

more humoredly (comparative)
most humoredly (superlative)


asslifter

From ass + lifter. Presumably from sujud, the deep bow done as part of the Muslim salat (daily prayers), which involves kneeling and lowering the upper body so that the hands, forehead, and nose touch the floor.

Just because Putin is against Al Qaeda doesn't mean he doesn't support Islamic terrorist...Like any Islamic leader he is against anything that threatens his regime, like most Islamic leaders he is anti-American, like most Islamic he panders to Islamic terrorist.
>
If it walks like a^([sic]) asslifter, talks like a asslifter, it is a MooSlime.

2006 May 17, Anonymous Infidel - The Koran Flusher, “Re: "Comrade Wolf" And The Mullahs”, in soc.culture.arabic (Usenet):

Are you an asslifter or just a "Useful Infidel"?

2006 September 5, Al Nakba, “Re: Hezbollah Targets U.S. Aid To Israel”, in alt.terrorism.world-trade-center (Usenet):

hussein obama is a closet asslifter, thus this is no surprise..

2009 April 11, william hubbard, “Re: B. HUSSEIN OBAMA WANTS TO GIVE $2 BILLION TO PAKISTAN”, in soc.culture.indian (Usenet):


bad humor

en-noun

bad humor (countable and uncountable, plural bad humors)


good humor

good humor (countable and uncountable, plural good humors)

No one could have helped being won by his smile and the truly royal manner in which he saluted the crowd in passing when he was in good humor [translating bonne humeur].

1866, Édouard [René de] Laboulaye, “King Bizarre and Prince Charming; or, The Art of Governing Men. A Tale of All Nations.”, in Mary L[ouise] Booth, transl., Laboulaye’s Fairy Book. Fairy Tales of All Nations., New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], section I (King Bizarre and Prince Charming), pages 164–165:


whichaway

Did you see whichaway they went?

(US, dialect) which way; in which direction.


fireteam

My fireteams are spread thin. We can't hold out forever.

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Miranda Keyes (Justis Bolding), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Crow's Nest:

(US, military) A small unit of infantry.


Sexgate

(chiefly US) Any sex-related public scandal, especially the Monica Lewinsky scandal.


snitz

en-verb

snitz (third-person singular simple present snitzes, present participle snitzing, simple past and past participle snitzed)

snitzes (present singular third-person)
snitzing (participle present)
snitzed (participle past)
snitzed (past)

We snitzed and canned 56 quarts of pears by two o'clock.

2007, Harry W. Rutt, Back porch memories, page 82:

Children look forward to apple snitzing, a festive fall event when neighbors gather to make apple cider at a community press.

2009, Linda Egenes, Visits with the Amish: Impressions of the Plain Life, page 72:


pajamaed

Through the half-open kitchen door the light showed Bailey’s pajamaed legs dangling from the covered bathtub.

1969, Maya Angelou, chapter 26, in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →LCCN, page 199:


vinal

Introduced as a generic term by the Federal Trade Commission.


egg cream

en-noun

egg cream (countable and uncountable, plural egg creams)

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

Various speculative theories, since the drink contains neither eggs nor cream. See Egg cream in Wikipedia.

(US, New York) A drink consisting of milk and soda water with vanilla or chocolate syrup.


antirent

en-adj

antirent (comparative more antirent, superlative most antirent)

more antirent (comparative)
most antirent (superlative)

(US, historical) Opposing the collection of outstanding rents in upstate New York during the early 19th century after the death of Stephen Van Rensselaer III.


antirentism

(US, historical) The beliefs of the antirenters.


Cooter Brown

“Yes, sir,” said Private Barton, “it looks like trouble has got a tail-holt on us with a downhill drag. I sometimes feel like going and gittin’ drunk as Cooter Brown”.

1941 November 16, Harold Martin, “Dreams and Dust”, in The Atlanta Constitution, page 9:

I’m talkin’ about Admiral Porter, General Quimby, and Ulysses S-hole-fukkin Grant hissef, and he was drunker’n Cooter Brown a large part of the time.

2008, John Pritchard, The Yazoo Blues, →ISBN, page 54:

In order to avoid military draft, Cooter Brown started drinking excessively every day until the war ended. […] According to this version of the story, the phrase originated from those days, as Cooter Brown’s continuous state of intoxication became legendary.

2018 April 26, Nikola Budanovic, “The Origin of the Phrase ‘Drunk as Cooter Brown’ Dates Back from the American Civil War and Refers to a Heavy Drinker Who Escaped Being Drafted Due to His Continuous Intoxication”, in War History Online:


split the sheets

en-verb

split the sheets (third-person singular simple present splits the sheets, present participle splitting the sheets, simple past and past participle split the sheets)

splits the sheets (present singular third-person)
splitting the sheets (participle present)
split the sheets (participle past)
split the sheets (past)


mommy brain

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

Together, this leads a new mom to have “mommy brain” where she's happy but easily distracted and unfocussed.

2010, Maryanne Fisher, Victoria Costello, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Chemistry Of Love, Alpha, →ISBN:

Whatever method of warming you use, always shake the bottle well and check the temperature every time before serving by shaking a few drops onto your wrist—you may have performed the same ritual a hundred times, but "mommy brain" can strike and cause you to make a mistake at any time.

2010, Erica Wells, Lorraine Regel, The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms: Things You Need to Know (That No One Ever Tells You), Wiley, →ISBN:

Mommy brain can cause you to do things like forget parts of the English language and being forced to watch your vocabulary dwindle, telling the same stories week after week like it's still news […] and lose your car keys twenty three times a day.

2011, Karen Savage, Instructions Not Included: The Adventures of New Motherhood, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 71:

(informal, Canada, US) A state in which a new mother is forgetful, absent-minded, or easily distracted.


cut up shines

cut up shines (third-person singular simple present cuts up shines, present participle cutting up shines, simple past and past participle cut up shines)

cuts up shines (present singular third-person)
cutting up shines (participle present)
cut up shines (participle past)
cut up shines (past)


stuck like Chuck

Like the lady said, she could have gotten in the truck and driven away. Left us here, stuck like Chuck, out here on this ledge.

2006, Geri Guillaume, Her Brother's Keeper, page 126:

Our big Lab, Gracie Burns, will start barking to alert us that he is stuck like Chuck.

2013, Lorelei Branam, A Little Bit of Ivey:

(US, slang) stuck; immobilized or unable to proceed


self-rising flour

en-noun

self-rising flour (usually uncountable, plural self-rising flours)

self-raising flour
self-raising flour#English

(US, cooking) Alternative form of self-raising flour


jump one's bail

en-verb

jump one's bail (third-person singular simple present jumps one's bail, present participle jumping one's bail, simple past and past participle jumped one's bail)

jumps one's bail (present singular third-person)
jumping one's bail (participle present)
jumped one's bail (participle past)
jumped one's bail (past)
jump bail (alternative)

(US, slang) To abscond while at liberty under bail bonds.


BuNo

(US) Abbreviation of bureau number: a serial number for aircraft assigned by the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics


scotched collops

Reanalysis of earlier Scotch collops from Scotch (“of Scotland”) to scotched (“that has been cut”). The dish was labeled variously during the 18th and 19th centuries as Scotch collops, scorched collops, or scotched collops, among others. The latter form is first attested from the 18th century, with Scotch collops from the 17th.

Scotch collops (alternative)
scotcht collops (alternative)

What signifie Scotcht-Collops to a Feast?
Or you can make whip'd Cream! Pray what Relief
Will that be to a Saylor who wants Beef?

1708, William King, “The Art of Cookery”, in All Poetry, retrieved 2023-02-15:

438. Scotch-Collops.^*―Cut small slices of equal thickness out of the fillet[…]^*This properly means scotched, or scored collops, though the word has come to be understood as above.

[1829, Margaret Dods, The Cook and Housewife’s Manual, page 285:

Scotched Collops. In cookery books and on bills of fare we are constantly meeting with this term, spelt ‘Scots collops’ or ‘Scotch collops.’ The dish, however, has not a Scottish origin. The collops, or slices of flesh, before being cooked are ‘scotched,’ which means, according to Worcester, that they are ‘cut with shallow incisions, or in a slight manner.’

[1882, Eliezer Edwards, Words, facts, and phrases; a dictionary of curious, quaint, and out-of-the-way matters, page 501:

cakes and ales those may still have who can command them, but down with the roast-beef of Old England! be scotched collops anathema maranatha, and Irish stew accounted an unclean thing!

1899, Herbert Maxwell, “Our obligations to wild animals”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume 166, page 232:

Like scaloppine, scotched collops must not be overcooked or they will take on a texture not unlike dried buffalo.

1995, Damon Fowler, Classical Southern Cooking, page 183:

You will also be served oysters and scotched collops and quails and chickens, as well as biscuits and tarts and various sweetmeats.

2017, Graham Masterton, The Coven, page 157:

(now chiefly US) A dish made of pieces of beef or veal cut thin or minced, beaten flat, and stewed with onion and other condiments.


triggerwoman

Again, Union men arrested not just the triggerwoman, but the men in the house as well, holding them equally accountable for the actions of anyone in the household.

2011, Judkin Browning, Shifting Loyalties: The Union Occupation of Eastern North Carolina, page 75:


per centum

On all dividends which do not exceed six per centum per annum, eight per centum; on dividends exceeding six per centum and not exceeding seven per centum, a tax of nine per centum...

1861, Laws of Pennsylvania of the Session of 1861, page 511:

1887, Henry Beatty, A New Method of Computing Interest from Four Per Centum to Twelve Per Centum:

Firearms, twenty-five per centum

1891–1892, Special Consular Reports, Volume VII, page 787


cuss out

cuss out (third-person singular simple present cusses out, present participle cussing out, simple past and past participle cussed out)

cusses out (present singular third-person)
cussing out (participle present)
cussed out (participle past)
cussed out (past)

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

[A]fter winning a berth on the U.S. Davis Cup team, he was dropped from the competition for the ungentlemanly way in which he cussed out a ball boy.

1969 January 3, “Tennis: That Special Feeling”, in Time, retrieved 2014-04-19:

"[H]e was cussing me out just like he had before. Calling me every filthy name in the book."

1972, Stuart Hunter Palmer, The Violent Society, →ISBN, page 46:

When you're traveling Michigan roads and cussing out the potholes, MDOT wants you to know that THEY know that pothole patches don't last.

2014 April 16, Diane E Coston, “MDOT Addressing Pot Hole Myth with RealityCheck”, in WHTC.com, retrieved 2014-04-19:

In April of 2009, however, the disease was found to suddenly no longer be appearing in newly-hatched chickens, and, upon review, it was discovered that Dr. Wildcat had modified 6002 without authorization, removing the disease from the genome. She's detained and questioned by Muller, and, even though she tries to lie that she didn't do anything, they have footage of her ascending the tree on her own. Muller tells her that she can't just take it upon herself to decide what's best, as who knows what would've happened if she had made a mistake. She proceeds to cuss him out, and he gives her a choice, telling her that if she apologizes now, he'll put in a good word for her with the O5 Council, which might spare her. She's silent for a moment, but does end up apologizing.

2021 August 16, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-6002 - All Creatures Great and Small” (19:06 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the original on 2023-01-10:

(chiefly US, informal, transitive) To berate (someone or something) using profane language; to swear at (someone or something), especially at length.


weeniehead

(colloquial, derogatory, rare, Canada, US) A stupid, useless, or mean person.


Cabo

(US) Abbreviation of Cabo San Lucas. (Cabo is a resort community in Mexico)


fuck that noise

[…] And it's please and thank you and you gotta call the old man 'master.'”
“Fuck that noise!”

1977, Jake Logan, White Hell, Playboy Press, page 46:

“If you mean the Provincial Mental Hospital – yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about.”
“Fuck that noise. My Earl's not going anywhere near that place.”

1989, Guy Vanderhaeghe, Homesick, Emblem Editions, published 1999, →ISBN:

'You should always return calls as a courtesy.'
'Fuck that noise.'

2012, Cordelia Strube, Milosz, Coach House Books, →ISBN:

(US, Canada, slang, vulgar) Used to express rejection of or objection to something.


kick ass and take names

kick ass and take names (third-person singular simple present kicks ass and takes names, present participle kicking ass and taking names, simple past kicked ass and took names, past participle kicked ass and taken names)

kicks ass and takes names (present singular third-person)
kicking ass and taking names (participle present)
kicked ass and took names (past)
kicked ass and taken names (participle past)

We kick ass and take names and call muster.

1987, Pat Conroy, The Lords of Discipline, page 394:

Hell, I thought, if I were wearing that star, I'd kick ass and take names and have this place turned upside down in a week.

1990, David H. Hackworth, Julie Sherman, About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior, page 217:

“Fitz,” Assistant Director Roy McKinnon said the day he summoned me to his office at headquarters in Washington in late 1980, “we need an Irishman to go to Boston to kick ass and take names.”

2012, Robert Fitzpatrick, Betrayal, page 17:

(idiomatic, US, Canada, vulgar, colloquial) To beat someone in a competition, fight, or other situation.


Loving

en-proper noun

Loving (countable and uncountable, plural Lovings)

(US, law, sexuality, US politics, informal, uncountable) Ellipsis of Loving v. Virginia. A 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized interacial marriage under the Equal Protection and Due Process; and reaffirmed the existence of a right to privacy under due process following the 14th Amendment.


jects

A few days later, Pharoah, now eleven, told a friend: "I worry about dying, dying at a young age, while you're little. I'll be thinking about I want to get out of the jects. […]

1991, Alex Kotlowitz, There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America, Anchor Books, published 1992, →ISBN, page 264:

Monie grew up in the music industry, not in the jects.

2006 December 28, TJ Xenos [username], “Re: Monie Love gets fired for making Young Jeezy sound like a tard...”, in rec.music.hip-hop (Usenet):

"Whattaya expect? We in the 'jects, baby, a project for rejects," Jasmine sneers.

2010, Carol Taylor, The Ex Chronicles, New York N.Y.: Plume, →ISBN, page 200:

Olander grew up around the “jects,” but wasn't born there; he actually lived about two blocks away in a three-story house with his mother and younger siblings.

2011, Garrett S. King, Something to Live For, Xlibris, →ISBN, page 116:

(US, slang) A multi-story low-income housing development; projects.


cash boy

(US, dated or historical, informal) In large retail stores, a male messenger who carried the money received by the salesman from customers to a cashier, and returned with the change.


combination car

en-noun

combination car (plural combination cars)

w:Webster's Dictionary#Webster's New International Dictionary 1909

(US, rail transport) A railroad car containing two or more compartments used for different purposes, transporting passengers and freight.


cigarette boat

cigarette boats (plural)
cigarette-boat (alternative)

(Canada, US) A small fast boat with a planing hull used to smuggle cigarettes to avoid taxation.


spruce beer

spruce beer (countable and uncountable, plural spruce beers)

German Sprossenbier. Sprosse (“sprout, shoot”) was changed into spruce because the beer came from Prussia, or because it was made from the sprouts of the spruce.

(Canada, US) A kind of beer which is flavored with parts of the spruce tree.

(Canada, US) A spruce-flavored soft drink.


find the latchstring out

en-verb

find the latchstring out (third-person singular simple present finds the latchstring out, present participle finding the latchstring out, simple past and past participle found the latchstring out)

finds the latchstring out (present singular third-person)
finding the latchstring out (participle present)
found the latchstring out (participle past)
found the latchstring out (past)

Intrusion is prevented by drawing in the latchstring.

(US, informal) To meet with hospitality; to be welcome.


donut patrol

From the stereotype of police officers snacking on donuts.


houseraising

(US) The setting up of the frame of a house.


Roman wormwood

(US) A type of ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia.


MOH

(military, US) Initialism of Medal of Honor.


Indian file

Attested since the 18th century, as Native Americans traversed woods in this way.

In about an hour they returned very much intoxicated, singing their dead war songs, and every warrior naked, painted black from head to foot: as they approached the house in Indian file, each one repeated the following words […]

1791, Voyages And Travels Of An Indian Interpreter And Trader, page 69:


whip the cat

whip the cat (third-person singular simple present whips the cat, present participle whipping the cat, simple past and past participle whipped the cat)

whips the cat (present singular third-person)
whipping the cat (participle present)
whipped the cat (participle past)
whipped the cat (past)

Originally from reference to a prank played on country bumpkins, in which they were encouraged to show their strength by whipping a cat that was harnessed to a load that was too heavy for it. This led to the sense of attempting to get more than can be provided, and by extension, to practice extreme parsimony. From there, it possibly evolved to the other senses, which tend to reflect the connotations of poverty and/or uselessness.

The practice of "whipping the cat,” though gradually disappearing, is not altogether abandoned by the tailors in this district.

1835, John Donald Carrick, The Laird of Logan; Or, Wit of the West, page 166:

I "whipped the cat" three months on the barrens — then I engaged to work for a merchant in Rome.

1925, Benedict Fitzpatrick, Joseph Fulford Folsom, Edwin P. Conklin, The municipalities of Essex county, New Jersey, 1666-1924, page 84:

When apprentices and lately indentured servants began to “whip the cat,” the shoemakers among them went from house to house making and repairing shoes.

1965, Richardson Little Wright, Hawkers and Walkers in Early America, page 100:

My family has been dressmakers for the Logans since the days my great-great-great-granny whipped the cat for them in the 1800s.

2016, Sorchia DuBois, Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones:

(US, dialect, dated, idiomatic) To go from house to house working by the day, as itinerant tailors and carpenters do.


policy shop

1856, New York (State) Legislature: Senate, Documents of the Senate of the State of New York, Volume 2, page 212,
In lottery and policy shops do they not generally stick up an exchange sign, and hold out “stationery sold here,” so that persons who did not understand it would suppose they sold stationery?

The policy-shops draw from the people, especially the poor and ignorant, hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.

1873, Timothy Shay Arthur, Cast Adrift, page 232:

1901, New York (State) Legislature: Assembly, Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York, Volume 28, page 2031,
Policy is open, but policy, of course — it is harder to get into policy shops than it is into any other sort of gambling, […] .

In New York and Philadelphia, the number of policy shops during this time period ranged from 600 to 1,000, with numerous outlets in other major cities.

1999, Don Liddick, The Mob's Daily Number: Organized crime and the numbers gambling industry, page 26:

(obsolete or historical, US) A gambling place where punters could bet on the numbers which would be drawn in lotteries.


gunloon

From gun + loon (“crazy or deranged person”).

Of course, to a gunloon, freedom is _defined_ by gun ownership.

1996 July 1, rafe b., “Re: Rpt on San Jose City Council Mtg 6/18 PM”, in talk.politics.libertarian (Usenet):

Allowing pilots to carry guns is so insane and stupid that only a gunloon would support it.

2003 September 20, Siva, “Re: Pilot to passengers - I'm armed & drunk”, in alt.politics (Usenet):

The problem is that these NRA gunloons don't believe that they also have the *duty* to own them *responsibly.*

2010 December 3, Fred, “Re: Thrill Killer -- NRA buttfuck rightards on National Geographic”, in alt.atheism (Usenet):

(US, slang, derogatory) A person obsessed with owning guns; a zealous supporter of the right to bear arms.


salt bottom

(US) A flat piece of ground covered with saline efflorescences.


straw bail

(US, slang) Worthless bail, as given by irresponsible persons.


straw bid

(US, slang) A worthless bid; a bid for a contract which the bidder is unable or unwilling to fulfill.


jack rafter

(US) Any secondary roof timber, such as the common rafters resting on purlins in a trussed roof; also, one of the pieces simulating extended rafters, used under the eaves in some styles of building.


spike team

(US, dated) Three horses, or a horse and a yoke of oxen, harnessed together, a horse leading the oxen or the span.


steak bomb

(US) A hot submarine sandwich with steak, salami, provolone cheese, and vegetables.


booby hut

January 5 1835, letter to Charles Matthew
I induced him on Wednesday to accompany Mrs. Eliot and myself in a "Booby Hut," (for such is called a covered sleigh)

(US, dialect, dated) A carriage body put upon sleigh runners.


LOVEINT

Parody of SIGINT, HUMINT, etc., suggesting "love intelligence".

(US, humorous) The use of government espionage tools or techniques to investigate one's love interests.


socket pole

(US) A pole armed with iron fixed on by means of a socket, and used to propel boats, etc.


short-tailed weasel

en-noun

short-tailed weasel (plural short-tailed weasels)

Mustela erminea
Mustela erminea#Translingual

(US) The stoat or ermine (Mustela erminea).


mainstreeting

When fog over the British Columbia interior caused the Liberal leader to abort a campaign trip last week and repair to a shopping mall in downtown Vancouver for some "mainstreeting" among the shoppers, John C. Turner stole the show.

1988 November 12, John F. Burns, “Reporter's Notebook: A Legend Campaigns In Canada”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-05-22:

Practising in Northfield what his staff calls "mainstreeting"—pottering past shops talking to passers-by—he ducks into an artist's supply shop.

2008 June 19, David Usborne, “Al Franken's time: Can a comedian conquer the US senate?”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 2014-05-22:

Horwath opted for mainstreeting rather than new policy announcements Tuesday. She visited a mall food court, where she glad-handed and chatted with patrons.

2014 May 13, Colin Perkel, “Horwath blasts Liberals on auto insurance”, in Hamilton Spectator, Canada, retrieved 2014-05-22:

(chiefly Canada and US, informal, of a politician or celebrity) Greeting and interacting with people in a public place.


oppo research

And anyway, after all he had discovered, he’d grown deeply concerned by the prospect of a Trump presidency. So he found Democratic donors whose checks would keep his oppo research going strong.

2017, Howard Blum, “How ex-spy Christopher Steele compiled his explosive Trump-Russia dossier”, in Vanity Fair:

(US, politics, informal) Research into one's opponent's family, friends, and past, which aims to uncover activities or interests which embarrass or discredit them.


blue light

blue light (countable and uncountable, plural blue lights)

The “Blue-Light Elder” knows ’em well; / Says he, “That’s Banks — he’s fond of shell; / Lord save his soul! We’ll give him” — well, / that’s “Stonewall Jackson’s Way.”

1862, John Williamson Palmer, Stonewall Jackson's Way

(US, colloquial, now historical) A New England federalist, who opposed the Anglo-American War of 1812; (loosely), a federalist.


wicked pissah

A combination of two regionalisms: wicked + pissah.

The Red Sox World Series run in 2004 was wicked pissah!

(US, New England, slang) Superlative in excellence or goodness; extremely good; very awesome, outstanding


on like Donkey Kong

From the Nintendo video game gorilla-like character Donkey Kong, which is used in the phrase because of the character’s stereotypical strength and for the near-rhyme between on and Kong; likely influenced by the earlier construction in like Flynn.

It's on like Donkey Kong / You wanted that fast buck / Now I gotta light that ass up

1992 November 17, “Now I Gotta Wet ’Cha”, in The Predator, performed by Ice Cube:

If those four white police don't get hung, it's on again. It's on like Donkey Kong!

1993 February 16, John Wilder, “Gangs put L.A. on edge”, in USA Today:

Got it going on like Donkey Kong, and whoo-wee, shut my mouth, slap your grandma, there oughta be a law.

2005 October 3, Dallas Davidson, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson (lyrics and music), “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”, in Songs About Me, performed by Trace Adkins:

It's going to be "on like Donkey Kong" when Food Network Star and local restaurant owner Guy Fieri comes to the 2007 California State Fair!

2007 August 1, “Food Network Star Guy Fieri to visit the 2007 State Fair!: Kids can vie for the chance to cook with Guy!”, in Business Wire, archived from the original on 2016-09-01:

I will politically haunt you for the biggest fumble in the history of San Francisco politics. It's on like Donkey Kong.

2011 January 4, Chris Daly, San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting

(chiefly US) An intensifier used in the same contexts as it's on, go on, and other expressions using the word on, but to express greater emphasis.


fish pound

the River St. Francis and its tributary Rivers and Streams should at all seasons remain open and unencumbered by fish pounds, so that Salmon may be left unmolested at and in ascending to their spawning places

1841, The Provincial Statutes of Canada:

(US, Canada, dialect) A net attached to stakes, for catching fish; a weir.


get a pair

en-verb

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

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

(chiefly US, colloquial, idiomatic, somewhat vulgar) Synonym of grow a pair


play hob with

play hob with (third-person singular simple present plays hob with, present participle playing hob with, simple past and past participle played hob with)

plays hob with (present singular third-person)
playing hob with (participle present)
played hob with (participle past)
played hob with (past)

From Middle English Hob (a diminutive of Robin, from Old French [Term?], a diminutive of Robert) in its connection with Robin Goodfellow and (subsequently) the devil. Compare hobgoblin.

They say it's playing hob with the fellers in these here parts.

The revolutionists who are playing hob with our generation are really masters of the obsolete.

1940, D.A. Lord, Our Lady in the Modern World, iii. 141:

It'll play hob with my sleep schedule but I suppose it can't be helped. Please let the house elves know that if I ask for an early breakfast at, say, three A.M. tomorrow morning, I'm to receive it.

2010, Eliezer Yudkowsky, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, §62:

(idiomatic, dated UK, rustic US) mess with, cause trouble for


you're good

(colloquial, chiefly Canada, US) It's OK; it's not a big deal.


mulligan car

(US, slang, obsolete) a cantina wagon located on a wagon or railcar at a lumber camp


ice-cream suit

(US) A pale-colored lightweight suit for men.


slock

(US prison slang) An improvised weapon consisting of a padlock placed in a sock, common in prison environments.


slock

slock (third-person singular simple present slocks, present participle slocking, simple past and past participle slocked)

slocks (present singular third-person)
slocking (participle present)
slocked (participle past)
slocked (past)

(US prison slang) To strike with a slock.


desrick

Originally an Appalachian and North Carolinian dialectal term.

The camp building has a few notable quirks: […] a door cut straight from the wall, a wide sliding barn door between porch and dining room, outbuildings that look like Appalachian desricks, […]

2009, Derek Brereton, Campsteading, →ISBN:


blue falcon

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

From the same initial letters as "buddy-fucker."

We had a term in the military for a soldier who was not a good Battle Buddy. He was a "Blue Falcon." That rather odd name is an attempt to clean up a much more graphic term. The initials for Blue Falcon, "BF", were originally the first letters of a term I'll refrain from printing here. Let's just say that the "B" stood for "Buddy" and the "F" stood for a classic word of profanity. A BF was someone who screwed his buddies. We just called them Blue Falcons.

2013, Jeff Rose, Soldier of Finance: Take Charge of Your Money and Invest in Your Future, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, →ISBN, page 26:

To them, he's a Blue Falcon, a derogatory euphemism for "buddy-fucker." Blue Falcons are great soldiers when the commander's watching. But they'll screw you in a heartbeat when nobody else is around.

2007, David Axe, Army 101: Inside ROTC in a Time of War, Univ of South Carolina Press, page 31:

(US, military, euphemistic) A supposed comrade whose actions harm his friends, often but not always, for his own benefit.


funeral potatoes

Commonly served as a side dish at traditional after-funeral dinners.

(US) A casserole of hash browns or cubed potatoes, cheese, and onions, in a creamy soup or sauce.


butt floss

"A woman doesn't put on butt floss and hooker heels to attend a garden party," Briggs said.

2004, JoAnn Ross, Out of the Blue, Pocket Books, →ISBN, page 369:

I saw a flash of her white panties—real panties, not butt floss like Cheyenne wore […]

2013, Elana K. Arnold, Burning, Delacorte Press, →ISBN:

“That butt floss,” he snapped. “Why the fuck are you wearing a thong to work at a daycare? Are you seeing him again?”

2013, Joanna Wylde, Reaper's Property, Ellora's Cave, →ISBN, page 83:

(Canada, US, slang, derogatory) A pair of thong underpants or a swimsuit in the same style.


freedom march

Thought the mayor of the city refused to participate, the governor of the state remembered a "previous engagement," newspaper editorials chided that it was "unnecessary" and cloudy skies threatened a downpour, a Freedom March in Cleveland was a success.

1963 Aug. 1, "25,000 in Cleveland March; Mayor Stays Away," Jet, p. 6 (Google preview)

Brazil has never lynched a Negro, suffered a race riot, had a sit-in protest or hosted a freedom march.

1965 Sept., Ezra Bell Thompson, "Does Amalgamation Work in Brazil?", Ebony, p. 33 (Google preview)

Mr. Nelson covered the Selma-to-Montgomery freedom marches, including Bloody Sunday, on March 7, 1965, when 600 marchers were attacked with billy clubs and tear gas.

2009 October 21, Dennis Hevesi, “Jack Nelson, Journalist, Dies at 80”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-06-12:

(chiefly US, politics, public policy) A protest rally by people parading in public streets in opposition to racism and in support of civil rights, especially on behalf of African Americans and especially during the 1960s.


cracker-ass

en-adj

cracker-ass (comparative more cracker-ass, superlative most cracker-ass)

more cracker-ass (comparative)
most cracker-ass (superlative)

(US, slang, derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) Of or relating to white people.


trash for brains

(Canada, US, derogatory, informal) A stupid person.


Pope Day

From the effigy of the pope typically burnt during the celebrations.

Gunpowder Treason Day
Gunpowder Treason Day#English

(US, historical) Synonym of Gunpowder Treason Day (now Guy Fawkes Day).


Pope Night

Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night#English

(US, historical) Synonym of Guy Fawkes Night.


excenter

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

(US, geometry) The center of an excircle.


rawhider

From rawhide + -er, from their use of the material.


Canadian bacon

From Canadian + bacon; so named because the product was first imported to the United States from Canada.

(US) Bacon made only from the loin, with no belly meat, and sold in lean medallions.


Obama phone

Obama phones (plural)
Obama Phone (alternative)
Obamaphone (alternative)

Coined during the Obama administration, which conservatives believed was giving minorities free Lifeline Program phones.

Here's Emmett's mother touting the virtues of her "Obama phone"

2012 September 29, [Tor] Sir Gregory Hall, Esq., “Emmett's "Obama phone"”, in alt.usenet.kooks (Usenet):

Outside / brown & broken teeth / gasp out brainless twaddle. / into their Obama phones.

2013, Steve De France, Because I Can’t Whistle, Xlibris, page 102:

“[…]. Get yourself one of those Obama phones, Romeo,”

2014, Darlene Pollock, Logan Pollock, Invasive Species, Part I, Trafford Publishing, page 31:

(US) A cellphone provided as part of the United States Lifeline Program.


Sallie Mae

(US, finance, informal) SLM Corporation: a publicly traded corporation dealing with student loans.


chancre mechanic

en-noun

chancre mechanic (plural chancre mechanics)


douchebagness

(Canada, US, slang) The quality of being a douchebag.


corn oyster

(US) A fritter containing grated green Indian corn and butter, supposed to taste like oysters.


ass crack of dawn

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-ass crack of dawn.wav

From ass crack jocularly replacing crack in the (preexisting) noun phrase crack of dawn (= "break of dawn"); although ass crack (cleft, gap) and crack (break) are cognate, the jocularity nonetheless rests on the disjunction that is cognitively close to (albeit by some standards not technically) a pun.

(Canada, US, vulgar) An intensifier, used in the same contexts as crack of dawn, but more intense.


butt crack of dawn

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sapaa-butt crack of dawn.wav

By the same jocular replacement as examined at ass crack of dawn § Etymology.

(Canada, US, informal) An intensifier, used in the same contexts as crack of dawn, but more intense.


Native

Therefore, in 1885 Congress passed the Major Crimes Act whereby jurisdiction in the case of seven major crimes (the list of crimes was later expanded) occurring on Native lands was placed in the hands of federal courts.

2005, Native American Issues: A Reference Handbook, →ISBN, page 82:

Aboriginal to a colonized region, especially one colonized by English-speaking people. (Compare native, which is more general.)

(US, Canada) Indian: Native American or First Nation; of or relating to (North) American Indians.


Native

An aboriginal inhabitant of a colonized region, especially one colonized by English-speaking people. (Compare native, which is more general.)


crescent fresh

Because the moon is a crescent when it is fresh (new).


preferred provider

preferred provider (plural preferred providers)

(US) A healthcare provider who has agreed with an insurer or a third-party administrator to provide their clients with healthcare at reduced rates.


Maxwell Street Polish

Maxwell Street Polish (plural Maxwell Street Polishes)

Named after Chicago's Maxwell Street market.

(US) A grilled or fried length of Polish sausage topped with grilled onions and mustard, served on a bun.


farmer cheese

farmer cheese (countable and uncountable, plural farmer cheeses)

farmer cheeses (plural)
farmer's cheese (alternative)


hiya doin'

Conflation of "hiya" and "how are you doing". Evolution was probably "how are you doing" → "how're you doin'" → "how're ya doin'" → "howya doin'", at which point "howya" was replaced/confused/conflated with "hiya", resulting in "hiya doin'". Compare to the development of goodbye, howdy-do. Also, compare howzit, whatcha doin'.

Ah, hello there, Frank!

"Hiya doin'?"

"I'm doing well. Yourself?"

(US, colloquial) A greeting. Tends to warrant a reply.


Monkey Ward's

(US, slang) Montgomery Ward, an American retail enterprise.


mozzarella stick

mozzarella stick (plural mozzarella sticks)

(US) An elongated piece of battered or breaded mozzarella cheese.


beer cheese

(US) A cheese spread made with beer and seasonings.


phony-baloney

en-adj

phony-baloney (comparative more phony-baloney, superlative most phony-baloney)

more phony-baloney (comparative)
most phony-baloney (superlative)
phoney-baloney (alternative)


divoon

divoon (comparative more divoon, superlative most divoon)

more divoon (comparative)
most divoon (superlative)

Isn't that divoon! MIKE. Divoon. Divoon. GEORGE. Kid — I can't let you do this ! RITA. Oh, Georgie, you will let me go with you, won't you, doll baby? I can't live without you, you know that. And I just can wait to meet Aunt Jessie.

1957, George Axelrod, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?: A New Comedy in Three Acts, Samuel French, Inc., →ISBN, page 69:

Oh, no. Your split was divoon.

1978, Grease (DVD subtitles), Paramount Pictures, 0:22:40

It's divoon, simply divoon. And I have a budget all worked out. Even down to the opening night party. We'll hold it at Sardi's, naturally, and if we charge the actors just a teensy cover charge, we'll break even.

1987, John Bishop, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, Dramatists Play Service, Inc., →ISBN, page 17:

You look divoon, just divoon, Honey. There's a new one over there. She's assisting Miss Berk.” Dixie glanced at his wristwatch and squeaked “Oh, my God! Half hour to curtain. Oh, I just love show business. I'll return. Ta ta. Gotta pee.”

2012, Dale Bridges, Dreams Some Assembly Required ... the Beginning, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 129:


whip-smart

/ˈʍɪpˌsmɑːt/

Inversion of earlier smart as a whip (compare rock solid, from solid as a rock; snow-white, from white as snow; etc.). Possibly an allusion to how quickly the tip of a whip moves when the whip is cracked.

Seeing them here in town, smart in American-style uniforms, Peru's Army looks extremely well-trained, whip-smart.

1948, Ray Josephs, Latin America: Continent in Crisis, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →OCLC:

[Reed F.] Cutler, 350-pounder from Lewistown in the strip coalmining area, was a constant thorn in the Democratic side. A whip-smart parliamentarian, he effectively filled the role of "needler" as House Republican Leader.

1949, Don E. Chamberlain, “Illinois: The ‘New Look’”, in Robert S[haron] Allen, editor, Our Sovereign State, New York, N.Y.: The Vanguard Press; Toronto, Ont.: Copp Clark Company, →OCLC, page 208:

A big hug for the whipsmart, feisty Soho Teen team: Janine Agro, Meredith Barnes, Juliet Grames, Bronwen Hruska, and Rachel Kowal—what a fascinating journey, thank you so much for all your work to make it happen.

2014, Adele Griffin, “Acknowledgements”, in The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone, New York, N.Y.: Soho Teen, →ISBN:

Like Cabin In The Woods, it manages the extraordinary balancing act of delivering actual scares (more so than Cabin) while being a whip-smart critique of how scares are manufactured.

2017 October 27, Alex McLevy, “Making a Killing: The Brief Life and Bloody Death of the Post-Scream Slasher Revival”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2018-03-05:

The singer, real name Emma Grankvist, deals in whip-smart lyrics and striking melodies that offer a refreshing perspective on the world around her, all wrapped up in a package that’s brilliantly tough to pigeonhole.

2023 June 28, Nick Reilly, “Meet eee gee, the singer who refuses to put her music in one box”, in Rolling Stone UK:

(Canada, US, informal) Very intelligent.


chili size

(US) A hamburger served with chili con carne.


hearty as a buck

(US, simile) Extremely healthy; extremely lively, high-spirited, or active.


macaroni and cheese

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-macaroni and cheese.wav

(US, Canada) Alternative form of macaroni cheese


pecker mill

pecker (“a mechanical device moving in a pecking fashion”) + mill

Rice mills, called pecker, cog, and water mills... The first... so called, from the pestle's striking... in the manner of a wood pecker.

1802, J. Drayton, A view of South Carolina, as respects her natural and civil concerns, section 121:

The rice was then cut with the sickle and carried in on the head, then threshed with the flail, then milled and dressed, in some cases wholly by human labor, and in others by a rude machine, called a pecker mill.

1851, James Dunwoody Brownson De Bow, Robert Gibbes Barnwell, Edwin Bell, De Bow's New Orleans Monthly Review, volume 11, page 307:

the capacity of such a pecker mill was increased simply by mounting several in a row to be driven by a common shaft.

1991, Jeon Lee, The Historical Geography of Rice Culture in the American South:

By the 1780s two types of mills were used that utilized animal power, those being the pecker mill and the cog mill.

1995, C. Wayne Smith, Crop Production: Evolution, History, and Technology, page 241:

John Drayton claimed in the early 18oos that the most common device was this "pecker" mill run by livestock

1996, Joyce E. Chaplin, An Anxious Pursuit: Agricultural Innovation and Modernity in the Lower South, 1730-1815, page 253:

The first mechanical mills were harnessed to animals: the so-called pecker mill (named for the resemblance of the pestle when in action to the bill of a woodpecker) and the cog mill, a large horizontal cogwheel turned by oxen or horses.

2001, Judith Ann Carney, Black Rice: The African Origins of Rice Cultivation in the ..., page 128:

The pecker mill is likely the fulcrum device developed by Guerrard in 1691.

2003, Michael Trinkley, Debi Hacker, Sarah Fick, Liberty Hall: A Small Eighteenth Century Rice Plantation, page 30:

(US dialectal, historical) A kind of rice mill.