good

en-adj

good (comparative better or (nonstandard, humorous) gooder, superlative best or (nonstandard, humorous) goodest)

better (comparative)
gooder (comparative humorous nonstandard)
best (superlative)
goodest (humorous nonstandard superlative)
goode (alternative)

bad

antonym(s) of “having positive attributes”

desc

Solombala English: гудъ (gud), гутъ (gut)

Inherited from Middle English good, from Old English gōd, from Proto-West Germanic *gōd, from Proto-Germanic *gōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to unite, be associated, suit”).
Cognate with Russian го́дный (gódnyj, “fit, well-suited, good for; (coll.) good”), год (god), "year", via "suitable time".
Related to gather and together, but not to god/God.
Eclipsed non-native Middle English bon, bone, boon, boun (“good”) borrowed from Old French bon (“good”), from Latin bonus (“good”).

cog

a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse

a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat

it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good

it's an ill wind that blows no one any good

let the door hit you where the good Lord split you

let the perfect be the enemy of the good

nobody ever went broke underestimating the good taste of the American people

nobody ever went broke underestimating the good taste of the American public

there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle

the road to hell is paved with good intentions

what's good for the goose is good for the gander

Would you like a glass of water? — I'm good.

[Are] you good? — Yeah, I'm fine.

Gimme another beer! — I think you're good.

(US) Satisfied or at ease; not requiring more.


pinky

From Dutch pinkje, diminutive of Dutch pink (“little finger”). Cognate with West Frisian pinke (“pinky”), dialectal English pink (“something small or tiny”), and perhaps to Old English pinca (“a point”). Compare also German Low German Pink (“penis”), English pintle (“penis”).

Everyday ^([sic]) as he passes them, the hookers wave at him with their pinkies and say, “Hi there, little boy!”

2003, Billoo Badhshah, The Unofficial Joke Book of Australia, page 126:

(US, Canada, Scotland, Australia, informal) The smallest finger or toe of a hand or foot.


duck

en-noun

duck (countable and uncountable, plural ducks or duck)

ducks (plural)
duck (plural)
ducke (alternative)

desctree

Sranan Tongo: doksi (from the plural)
→ Dutch: doks

From Middle English doke, ducke, dukke, dokke, douke, duke, from Old English duce, dūce (“duck”, literally “dipper, diver, ducker”), from Old English *dūcan (“to dip, dive, duck”), from Proto-West Germanic *dūkan, from Proto-Germanic *dūkaną (“to dive, bend down”). See verb above.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots duik, duke, dook (“duck”), Danish dukand, dykand (“sea-duck”), Swedish dykfågel (“a diver, diving bird, plungeon”), Dutch duiker (“diver, dipper, plunger”), German Low German Düker (“diver”), German Taucher (“diver, plunger”).
For the meaning development compare with Russian ныро́к (nyrók, “pochard”) connected with ныря́ть (nyrjátʹ, “to dive”).

cog

could eat the arse out of a low flying duck

could eat the crotch out of a low flying duck

could eat the crutch from a low flying duck

don't teach your grandmother how to milk ducks

The more passive males are subjected to physical violence. I was subjected to being what they call a punk or a duck, which is someone else's power trip, that's all.

1986 April 19, Michael Rathbone, “Tell Someone”, in Gay Community News, page 4:

(US, LGBTQ, prison slang) Synonym of bitch (“a man forced or coerced into a homosexual relationship, especially in prison”).


hack

Abbreviation of hackney (“an ordinary horse”), probably from place name Hackney.

On horse, on foot, in hacks and gilded chariots.

1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin, London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC:

The interurban wasn't running because of the holiday, and the hacks, if there were any, would have been clustered round the Post Tavern at the other end of town.

1993, TC Boyle, The Road to Wellville, Penguin, published 1994, page 227:

(now chiefly Canada, US, colloquial) A vehicle let for hire; originally, a hackney cab, now typically a taxicab.


jump

Brill Publishers
hydraulic jump
jump cut
jump discontinuity
jump instruction

From Middle English jumpen (“to walk quickly, run, jump”), probably of Middle Low German or North Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gumpōną ~ *gumbōną (“to hop, skip, bounce”), an iterative verb. The OED suggests an imitative origin. Related to jumble. In the sense “to propel oneself” it displaced leap partially and spring largely.
Cognates
Cognate with German Low German jumpen (“to jump”), archaic German gumpen (“to jump, hop, bounce”), dialectal German gampen (“to hop”), Alemannic German gumpe (“to leap, jump”), Walser dialect kumpu, Old Norse gopta (“to jump; make jump”) Danish gumpe (“to jolt”), Swedish gumpa (“to jump”), Danish gimpe (“to move up and down”), Middle English jumpren, jumbren (“to mix, jumble”).

onomatopoeic

imitative

قَفْزَة

instance of propelling oneself into the air — see also leap

My car won't start. Could you give me a jump?

(US, informal, automotive) Short for jump-start.


hole

→ Japanese: ホール (hōru)

→ Korean: 홀 (hol)

Sranan Tongo: olo

Inherited from Middle English hole, hol, from Old English hol (“orifice, hollow place, cavity”), from Proto-West Germanic *hol, from Proto-Germanic *hulą (“hollow space, cavity”), noun derivative of Proto-Germanic *hulaz (“hollow”), which is of uncertain ultimate origin. Related to hollow.

отвор

orifice (see anus etc. for specific body cavities)

know one's ass from a hole in the ground

know one's head from a hole in the ground

know the difference between one's ass and a hole in the ground

Jackson Hole

(Canada, US, historical) A mountain valley.


wood

He further stated that "I can't remember ever seeing a wood [white inmate] assault a nigger without being provoked".

1991, Mary E. Pelz, James W. Marquart and Terry Pelz, "Right-Wing Extremism in the Texas Prisons: The Rise and Fall of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas", The Prison Journal, Winter-Fall 1991

Other than shout-outs to fellow "woods," I found no references on their record to racism, and after getting to know the members, I think Woodpile's message is the opposite of what the L.A. Times construed it to be — they want to bring hardcore white guys to rap music, rather than alienating anyone of any race.

2009, Brendan Joel Kelly, “Pride vs. Power”, in The Phoenix New Times:

The only thing is, even though there are ways to remain neutral, to just be a wood and not get caught up in the white supremacist gang stuff, you do have to take a side if things get bad.

2011, Christian Workman, Black Boxed: Coming of Age Behind Prison Walls:

(US, sometimes offensive, chiefly prison slang, of a person) A peckerwood.


crew

From Middle English crue, from Old French creue (“an increase, recruit, military reinforcement”), the feminine past participle of creistre (“grow”), from Latin crescere (“to arise, grow”).

der

The University of Virginia belongs to the Atlantic Coast Conference and competes interscholastically in basketball, baseball, crew, cross country, fencing, football, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, polo, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, and wrestling.

1973, University of Virginia Undergraduate Record:

Two Andover classmates, Al Wilson and Al Lindley, both went out for crew in our freshman year at Yale.

1989, Benjamin Spock, Mary Morgan, Spock on Spock, →ISBN, page 71:

(sports, rowing, US, uncountable) The sport of competitive rowing.


project

→ Japanese: プロジェクト (purojekuto)

→ Korean: 프로젝트 (peurojekteu)

→ Scottish Gaelic: pròiseact

/ˈpɹɑˌd͡ʒɛkt/

From Latin prōiectus, perfect passive participle of prōiciō (“throw forth, extend; expel”).

Projects like Pruitt-Igoe were considered irreparably dangerous and demolished.

Experiments when needles and skin connect / No wonder where we live is called the projects

1996, “Stakes is High”, in Stakes Is High, performed by De La Soul:

Imagine rock up in them projects / Where them niggas pick your pockets

2012, “Money Trees”, in Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, performed by Kendrick Lamar ft. Jay Rock:

(usually in the plural, US) An urban, low-income housing building.

Sakho was seen as no-frills, whereas Maiga was a project who could develop into the next big thing.

2014 October 27, Gabriele Marcotti, “Ancelotti triumphs, van Gaal's progress, Dortmund disappoint, more”, in ESPN FC:

Elway acknowledged at the time that Lynch was a project who needed some seasoning but he expressed hope that Lynch might be a quick study. He wasn't.

2018 September 2, Arnie Melendrez Stapleton, “Broncos cut ties with 2016 first-round pick QB Lynch”, in WNYT:

diamond in the rough
diamond in the rough

(US, sports) A raw recruit who the team hopes will improve greatly with coaching; a long shot, diamond in the rough.


cream

en-noun

cream (countable and uncountable, plural creams)

creams (plural)
creme (alternative)
creyme (alternative)

→ Chinese: 忌廉, 淇淋 (qílín)

→ Hindi: क्रीम (krīm)

→ Indonesian: krim

→ Japanese: クリーム (kurīmu)

→ Korean: 크림 (keurim)

→ Swahili: krimu

→ Thai: ครีม (kriim)

→ Zulu: ukhilimu

From Middle English creime, creme, from Old French creme, cresme, blend of Late Latin chrisma (“ointment”) (from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα (khrîsma, “unguent”)), and Late Latin crāmum (“cream”), from Gaulish *crama (compare Welsh cramen (“scab, skin”), Breton crammen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krama- (compare Middle Irish screm (“surface, skin”), Dutch schram (“abrasion”), Lithuanian kramas (“scurf”)). Doublet of crema and crème. Displaced native Old English rēam (“cream”) (> modern ream).
Figurative sense of "most excellent element or part" appears from 1581. Verb meaning "to beat, thrash, wreck" is 1929, U.S. colloquial. The U.S. standard of identity is from 21 CFR 131.3(a).

der

You may have noticed that any time that filling is mentioned on Oreo packaging, it's called "creme." This is no typo. Technically, the creamy filling inside an Oreo is not cream at all: The recipe used actually contains no dairy; as such, the FDA prohibits Nabisco from labeling the product as "cream."

2018 February 13, Rebecca Firsker, "What's Really in Oreo Cream Filling? Well, for One Thing, Not Cream", MyRecipes

standards of identity
standard of identity

The butterfat/milkfat part of milk which rises to the top; this part when separated from the remainder.

(standards of identity, US) The liquid separated from milk, possibly with certain other milk products added, and with at least eighteen percent of it milkfat.


skim milk

en-noun

skim milk (countable and uncountable, plural skim milks)

skim milks (plural)
skimmed milk (alternative)

We like to drink skim milk instead so as to consume fewer calories.

(Canada, US, Australia) Non-fat milk; milk that has had the cream removed.


rat

en-verb

rat (third-person singular simple present rats, present participle ratting, simple past and past participle ratted)

rats (present singular third-person)
ratting (participle present)
ratted (participle past)
ratted (past)

From Middle English ratte, rat, rotte, from Old English rætt, from Proto-West Germanic *ratt, from Proto-Germanic *rattaz, *rattō (compare West Frisian rôt, Dutch rat), of uncertain origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁d- (“to scrape, scratch, gnaw”). However, the rat may have been unknown in Northern Europe in antiquity, and the Proto-Germanic word may have referred to a different animal; see *rattaz for more. Attestation of this family of words begins in the 12th century.
Some of the Germanic cognates show considerable consonant variation, e.g. Middle Low German ratte, radde; Middle High German rate, ratte, ratze. The irregularity may be symptomatic of a late dispersal of the word, although Kroonen accounts for it with a Proto-Germanic stem *raþō nom., *ruttaz gen., showing both ablaut and a Kluge's law alternation, with the variation arising from varying remodellings in the descendants. Kroonen states that this requires a Proto-Indo-European etymon in final *t and is incompatible with the usual derivation from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁d- (“to scrape, scratch, gnaw”).

der

In 1962, the higher a girl's hair was ratted the more available she was, it was simply understood.

2021, Rickie Lee Jones, Last Chance Texaco, Grove Press, published 2022, page 31:


gray

From Middle English gray, from Old English grǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic *grāu, from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁- (“to green, to grow”).
See also Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár); also Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ, “to see, to glance”), Russian зреть (zretʹ, “to watch, to look at”) (archaic), Lithuanian žeriù (“to shine”).

cog

(chiefly US, ufology) Synonym of grey alien

(US, two-up) A penny with a tail on both sides, used for cheating.


TLA

en-noun

TLA (countable and uncountable, plural TLAs)

(US, humorous, countable) Initialism of 3-letter agency: the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc.


hot tamale

"Isn't he the cutest thing?" she whispered to Evelyn. "Have you noticed? This place is absolutely crawling with gorgeous men. The ticket-taker, that Latin hot tamale […]"

After years of wearing her hair in braids and schlumping down Seventh Avenue all covered up in padded coats, sweaters, and undies, Wally reinvented herself as a hot tamale with a mane of wild ringlets and a Coca-Cola—shaped bod.

2010, Jenyne M. Raines, Beautylicious!: The Black Girl's Guide to the Fabulous Life, Crown, →ISBN, page 98:

(US, informal) A physically attractive person.

He' so funny; what a hot tamale he is!

(US, informal) A comical person or thing.


turtle

Modification of Middle English tortou, tortu, from Old French tortüe (under the influence of Middle English turtel, turtur (“turtledove”), see Etymology 2 below), from Medieval Latin tortuca (compare Spanish tortuga), the same source of tortoise (see there for more). Displaced native Old English byrdling.

(zoology, US, Canada) Any land or marine reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise.


tortoise

From Middle English tortuse, tortuce, tortuge, from Medieval Latin tortuca, of uncertain origin. May be from Late Latin tartarūcha, from tartarūchus, from Ancient Greek ταρταροῦχος (tartaroûkhos, “holder of Tartaros, Tartarus, the land of the dead in ancient stories”), because it used to be thought that tortoises and turtles came from the underworld and they were commonly paired with such infernal beasts; see Τάρταρος (Tártaros). Or, from Latin tortus (“twisted”). The French-looking Modern English spelling tortoise may be influenced by porpoise. Displaced native Old English byrdling.

der

Any of various land-dwelling reptiles, of the family Testudinidae (chiefly Canada, US) or the order Testudines (chiefly UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, India), whose body is enclosed in a shell (carapace plus plastron). The animal can withdraw its head and four legs partially into the shell, providing some protection from predators.


slate

en-noun

slate (countable and uncountable, plural slates)

From Middle English slate, slat, slatte, sclate, sclatte, from Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat), from Frankish *slaitan (“to split, break”), from Proto-Germanic *slaitijaną, causative of *slītaną (“to cut up, split”). Doublet of éclat.

Ice is one of a slate of young, idealistic candidates for Move Forward who have joined mainstream politics in the hope that this election allows Thailand to break the cycle of military coups […]

2023 May 8, Jonathan Head, “Thailand election: The young radicals shaking up politics”, in BBC News (World):

(countable, chiefly US) A list of affiliated candidates for an election.


slate

en-verb

slate (third-person singular simple present slates, present participle slating, simple past and past participle slated)

slates (present singular third-person)
slating (participle present)
slated (participle past)
slated (past)

From Middle English slatten, sclatten, from the noun (see above).

The election was slated for November 2nd.

The Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber branch had been slated to transfer from Northern into the East Midlands franchise, but this move is still awaiting a DfT decision.

2019 October, Tony Miles, Philip Sherratt, “EMR kicks off new era”, in Modern Railways, page 58:

The next version of our software is slated to be the best release ever.

(transitive, chiefly US) To anticipate or strongly expect.


moose

Borrowed from Japanese むすめ (“daughter”).

In military bases in the rear areas it was common for soldiers to have a moose.

2005, Rupert Nelson, Like the Rings of a Tree, page 279:

Even the lowest ranked serviceman, because of his salary, benefits, and status as an American occupationaire, could afford to “maintain a ‘Moose’ and still take care of his other obligations.”

2011, Michael Cullen Green, Black Yanks in the Pacific, page 75:

(US, military, slang) An Asian girl taken as a lover.


gun

gun (third-person singular simple present guns, present participle gunning, simple past and past participle gunned)

guns (present singular third-person)
gunning (participle present)
gunned (participle past)
gunned (past)

From Middle English gunne, gonne, possibly from Gunnhild, a female given name formerly used as a nickname for engines of war. The name is composed of the Norse elements gunnr and hildr, both meaning "battle".

[…] all inmates participated in such conduct, and […] "the inmates gunned only female staff, not the all-male security staff," he said.

2010, BNA's Employment Discrimination Report:

(ambitransitive, US, prison slang, of a male prisoner) Synonym of gun down (“to masturbate while making sustained eye contact with someone — typically a female prison officer — as a form of intimidation”).


boss

en-adj

boss (comparative bosser, superlative bossest)

bosser (comparative)
bossest (superlative)

From Dutch baas, from Middle Dutch baes (“master of a household, friend”), from Old Dutch *baso (“uncle, kinsman”), from Proto-West Germanic *baswō, from Proto-Germanic *baswô (“uncle”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *ba-, *bō- (“father, older male relative”), source also of the English terms babe, boy, bub, bully. Cognate with Middle Low German bās (“supervisor, foreman”), Old Frisian bas (“master”), hence Saterland Frisian Boas (“boss”), Old High German basa (“father's sister, cousin”), hence German Base (“aunt, cousin”). Originally a term of respect used to address an older relative. Later, in New Amsterdam, it began to mean a person in charge who is not a master. The representation of Dutch -aa- by English -o- is due to the older unrounded pronunciation of this letter, which is still used in North America and parts of Ireland, but was formerly found in some British accents as well. The video game sense is borrowed from Japanese ボス (bosu), in turn from English boss.

cog

That is a boss Zefron poster.

(slang, US, Canada, Liverpool) Of excellent quality, first-rate.


strawberry

en-noun

strawberry (countable and uncountable, plural strawberries)

→ Bengali: স্ট্রবেরি (sṭroberi)

→ Chichewa: sitiroberi

→ Gujarati: સ્ટ્રોબેરી (sṭroberī)

desc

→ Hindi: स्ट्रॉबेरी (sṭrŏberī)

→ Hindi: स्ट्रॉबेरी (sṭrŏberī)

→ Indonesian: stroberi

→ Kannada: ಸ್ಟ್ರಾಬೆರಿ (sṭrāberi)

→ Kashubian: stroberi (Canada, United States)

ໝາກສະຕໍເບີຣີ

→ Lao: ໝາກສະຕໍເບີຣີ (māk sa tǭ bœ̄ rī)

→ Lao: ໝາກສະຕໍເບີຣີ (māk sa tǭ bœ̄ rī)

→ Malay: strawberi

สตรอว์เบอร์รี

→ Thai: สตรอว์เบอร์รี (sà-dtrɔɔ-bəə-rîi)

/ˈstɹɔˌbɛɹi/

/ˈstɹɑˌbɛɹi/

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ster-
Proto-Indo-European *sterh₃-
Proto-Indo-European *strew-der.
Proto-Germanic *strawą
Proto-West Germanic *strau
Old English strēaw
Proto-Germanic *bazją
Proto-West Germanic *baʀi
Old English berġe
Old English strēawberġe
Middle English strawbery
English strawberry
From Middle English strawbery, strauberi, from Old English strēawberġe, corresponding to straw + berry.

barren strawberry

Potentilla sterilis or Waldsteinia fragarioides

Come home and see her mouth on the dopeman's dick / Strawberry, just look and you'll see her

1987, “Dope Man”, in N.W.A. and the Posse, performed by N.W.A:

[…] infamous in Los Angeles through media reports: the crack houses and "strawberries" (women who exchange sex for crack) […]

1992, Kathleen Boyle, Homeless crack cocaine abusers, page 40:

I'm makin mo' deals than a strawberry might
I'll lick your clit, if you suck my pipe

1995, B.G. Knocc Out & Dresta (lyrics and music), “Compton Hoe”, in Real Brothas:

The desperate addiction associated with the drug has made "strawberries" — prostitutes who work for crack — fixtures of the […]

1997, Peter Collier, David Horowitz, The Race Card, page 91:

(US, slang) A prostitute who exchanges sexual services for crack cocaine.


grape

en-noun

grape (countable and uncountable, plural grapes)

From Middle English grape, from Old French grape, grappe, crape (“cluster of fruit or flowers, bunch of grapes”), from graper, craper (“to pick grapes”, literally “to hook”), of Germanic origin, from Frankish *krappō (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *greb- (“hook”), *gremb- (“crooked, uneven”), from *ger- (“to turn, bend, twist”). Cognate with Middle Dutch krappe (“hook”), Old High German krapfo (“hook”) (whence German Krapfen (“Berliner doughnut”). Doublet of grappa. More at cramp.

mountain grape

Vitis rupestris; Berberis aquifolium, syn. Mahonia aquifolium

possum grape

Vitis vulpina; Vitis baileyana; Cissus spp.

racoon grape

Vitis labrusca et al.; Ampelopsis cordata

I was horrified to see three grapes standing by the aircraft with the hose still connected.

1998, Approach, volume 43, number 10, page 10:

(US, naval slang) A purple-shirted technician responsible for refueling aircraft.


handicapper

Most handicappers, young and old, face formidable economic obstacles which limittheir ability to satisfy their housing needs.

1990, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs. Subcommittee on Housing and Community Development, Manufactured housing construction and safety standards:


squid

Unknown. Perhaps a sailors' alteration of squirt.

(US, military, slang, mildly derogatory) A sailor in the Navy.


handily

en-adv

handily (comparative more handily, superlative most handily)

more handily (comparative)
most handily (superlative)

From handy + -ly. Compare Middle English hendily, hendiliche.

As the mysteries of valetism are not very recondite or difficult to be acquired by an intelligent person, Lockwood, after a little practice, performed his functions handily enough; […]

1854, Catherine Crowe, Linny Lockwood, page 237:

(chiefly US) In a handy manner; skillfully; conveniently.

He won the election handily.


whitewash

en-verb

whitewash (third-person singular simple present whitewashes, present participle whitewashing, simple past and past participle whitewashed)

whitewashes (present singular third-person)
whitewashing (participle present)
whitewashed (participle past)
whitewashed (past)

Received Pronunciation, wine–whine merger

General American, wine–whine merger, Canadian raising

(US, UK, slang) In various games, to defeat (an opponent) so that they fail to score, or to reach a certain point in the game; to skunk.


plaza

→ Thai: พลาซ่า (plaa-sâa)

Borrowed from Spanish plaza (“town-square or central place of gathering”), from Latin platea, from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa), clipping of πλατεῖα ὁδός (plateîa hodós, “broad way”). Doublet of piatza, piazza, and place.


handout

handouts (plural)
hand-out (alternative)

→ German: Handout

كُرَّاسَة

printed sheet given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use

ողորմություն

gift of money or material assistance to the needy or poor — see also freebie

hand-out

(racquets, real tennis, squash) player to whom a ball is served

(US, card games, archaic, rare) An act of dealing playing cards; a deal.


bucket

en-verb

bucket (third-person singular simple present buckets, present participle bucketing, simple past and past participle bucketed)

buckets (present singular third-person)
bucketing (participle present)
bucketed (participle past)
bucketed (past)

From Middle English buket, boket, partly from Old English bucc ("bucket, pitcher"; mod. dialectal buck), equivalent to bouk + -et; and partly from Anglo-Norman buket, buquet (“tub; pail”) (compare Norman boutchet, Norman bouquet), diminutive of Old French buc (“abdomen; object with a cavity”), from Vulgar Latin *būcus (compare Occitan and Catalan buc, Italian buco, buca (“hole, gap”)), from Frankish *būk (“belly, stomach”). Both the Old English and Frankish terms derive from Proto-Germanic *būkaz (“belly, stomach”). More at bouk.

gloss

"bucket, pitcher"; mod. dialectal <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">buck</i>

der

(transitive, UK, US, rowing) To make, or cause to make (the recovery), with a certain hurried or unskillful forward swing of the body.


ai

Contraction of aight (which itself is a contraction of all right).

Ai, let's go.


AC

ACs (plural)
a.c. (alternative)
A/C (alternative)
a/c (alternative)
A.C. (alternative)
a.c. (alternative)
ac (alternative)
A.C. (alternative)
A.C. (alternative)
A. C. (alternative)
a.c. (alternative)

(US, military) Initialism of Auxiliary Collier (a naval coal transport that travels with the fleet to provide coal for coal-powered warships).


bad

en-adj

bad (comparative badder or more bad, superlative baddest or most bad)

badder (comparative)
more bad (comparative)
baddest (superlative)
most bad (superlative)

From Middle English bad, badde (“wicked, evil, depraved”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a shortening of Old English bæddel (“hermaphrodite”) (for loss of -el compare Middle English muche from Old English myċel, and Middle English wenche from Old English wenċel), or at least related to it and/or to bǣ̆dan (“to defile”), compare Old High German pad (“hermaphrodite”).
Alternatively, perhaps a loan from Old Norse into Middle English, compare Norwegian bad (“effort, trouble, fear”, neuter noun), East Danish bad (“damage, destruction, fight”, neuter noun), from the Proto-Germanic noun *badą, whence also Proto-Germanic *badōną (“to frighten”), Old Saxon undarbadōn (“to frighten”), Norwegian Nynorsk bada (“to weigh down, press”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to bend, press, push, oppress”).

unk

uncertain

der

æ-tensing, New York City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Baltimore

You leave your girl around me; if she's bad she's gonna get stuck.

2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG:

(US, slang) Overly promiscuous, licentious.


WA

United States of America
United States of America

(US) Abbreviation of Washington: a state of the United States of America.


hammock

Swedish: hammock

Borrowed from Spanish hamaca, from Taíno *hamaka (compare Lokono hamaka, Wayuu jama'a), from Proto-Arawak *hamaka. Columbus, in the narrative of his first voyage, says: “A great many Indians in canoes came to the ship to-day for the purpose of bartering their cotton, and hamacas, or nets, in which they sleep.”

(US, archaic outside dialects) A piece of land thickly wooded, and usually covered with bushes and vines.


soak

en-verb

soak (third-person singular simple present soaks, present participle soaking, simple past and past participle soaked)

soaks (present singular third-person)
soaking (participle present)
soaked (participle past)
soaked (past)

From Middle English soken, from Old English socian (“to soak, steep”, literally “to cause to suck (up)”), from Proto-Germanic *sukōną (“to soak”), causative of Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck”). Cognate with Middle Dutch soken (“to cause to suck”). More at suck.

inh

It's a blackmail ring, and the district attorneys get a share of the loot. […] Well, they got him in the same kind of jam, and soaked him to the tune of three hundred and eighty-six thousand.

1928, Upton Sinclair, Boston, New York, N.Y.: Albert & Charles Boni, page 337:

Sure, if we own an aerospace contracting company, a five-thousand-acre sugar-beet farm, or a savings and loan with the president's son on the board of directors, we can soak Uncle Sucker for millions.

2015, P. J. O'Rourke, Thrown Under the Omnibus: A Reader:

I think you’re totally right that there is a big constituency, especially now that the party has been transformed, of Republican- and populist-leaning Republican voters who would be fine with some soaking the rich in the context of a bigger budget deal. […] Just maintaining the changes to the state and local tax deduction that was, I think, one of the genuinely populist victories of the first Trump term. And I should say, it soaked me, it soaked the upper middle class in blue states.

2025 January 31, Ross Douthat, “Steve Bannon on ‘Broligarchs’ vs. Populism”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(originally US slang, figurative, transitive) To overcharge or swindle out of a large amount of money.


AP

en-noun

AP (countable and uncountable, plural APs)

Coordinate term: IB

(countable, US, education) An Advanced Placement program.

(uncountable, US) Initialism of American plan.

(US, military) Abbreviation of Auxiliary Provisions (a naval transport).


AP

Coordinate term: IB

Joel is AP everything and he's applied to Harvard, so I guess his dad isn't taking any chances.

2010, Jennifer Egan, “Ask Me if I Care”, in A Visit from the Goon Squad:

(US, education) Initialism of Advanced Placement.

• APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098 — Space Available Mail, Nov. 26; Parcel Airlift Mail, Dec. 3; Priority Mail, Dec. 10; First Class Mail Letters and Cards, Dec.10 and Express Mail Military Service, Dec. 18.
• APO/FPO AA ZIP 340 — Space Available Mail, Nov. 26; Parcel Airlift Mail, Dec. 3; Priority Mail, Dec. 10; First Class Mail Letters and Cards, Dec. 10 and Express Mail Military Service, Dec. 18.
• APO/FPO AP ZIPs 962-966 — Space Available Mail, Nov. 26; Parcel Airlift Mail, Dec. 3; Priority Mail, Dec. 10; First Class Mail Letters and Cards, Dec. 10 and Express Mail Military Service, Dec. 18.

2010 October 29, Bill Shrum, “Shipping to soldiers for the holidays”, in Stuttgart (Arkansas) Daily Leader:

Armed Forces – Pacific
w:United States Armed Forces

(US, military) Initialism of Armed Forces – Pacific.


MA

MA (countable and uncountable, plural MAs)

(US, television) Initialism of mature audience, a television rating.

(US, military) Initialism of master-at-arms; also MAA.


MT

MT (countable and uncountable, plural MTs)

(US, engineering) Abbreviation of metric ton.


PB

PB (countable and uncountable, plural PBs)

(US, military, aviation) Initialism of patrol bomber.


PI

We're going back to the PI for a vacation this summer.

w:Insular Government of the Philippine Islands

(US, Philippines, historical, dated) Initialism of Philippine Islands.


RR

RR (countable and uncountable, plural RRs)

(US) Initialism of rural route used when addressing mail.


RS

(military, US) Initialism of recruiting station.


SP

SP (countable and uncountable, plural SPs)

SPs (plural)
S.P. (alternative)
S. P. (alternative)


bat

From Middle English bat, batte, from Old English batt (“bat, club, cudgel”), probably of Celtic origin, compare Old Breton bath (“club, cudgel”) and modern Breton bazh (“swagger stick”), ultimately from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰh₂- (“to strike, beat, pierce”), similar to the Gaulish source of Latin battuo (“I beat, pound”).

der

(US, slang, dated) A spree; a jollification; a binge, jag.


bat

en-verb

bat (third-person singular simple present bats, present participle batting, simple past and past participle batted)

bats (present singular third-person)
batting (participle present)
batted (participle past)
batted (past)


beat

en-adj

beat (comparative more beat, superlative most beat)

more beat (comparative)
most beat (superlative)

From Middle English bet (simple past of beten "to beat"), from Old English bēot (simple past of bēatan "to beat"). Middle English bet would regularly yield *beet; the modern form is influenced by the present stem and the past participle beaten. Pronunciations with /ɛ/ (from Middle English bette, alternative simple past of beten) are possibly analogous to read (/ɹɛd/), led, met, etc.

inh

simple past of <i class="Latn mention" lang="enm">beten</i> "to beat"

simple past of <i class="Latn mention" lang="ang">bēatan</i> "to beat"

After the long day, she was feeling completely beat.

I stayed in San Francisco a week and had the beatest time of my life. Marylou and I walked around for miles, looking for food-money.

1957, Jack Kerouac, chapter 10, in On the Road, Viking Press, →OCLC, part 2:


MB

(military, US) Initialism of marine barracks.


NB

(US, aviation) Initialism of NASA research bomber plane. (prefix code in designations)


NF

(US, pharmacology) Initialism of National Formulary, a book of public pharmacopeial standards.


NF

(US, aviation) Prefix code for NASA research fighter plane designations.


AG

en-noun

AG (countable and uncountable, plural AGs)

AGs (plural)
A.G. (alternative)
A. G. (alternative)
A-G (alternative)
A.-G. (alternative)
A.G. (alternative)
A. G. (alternative)
A-G (alternative)
A.-G. (alternative)
A.G. (alternative)
A. G. (alternative)
AG. (alternative)
Ag. (alternative)
Ag (alternative)
A.G. (alternative)
ag (alternative)

Cross-dressers in full bloom sang and danced beside Doms and AGs, butches and femmes joined arms with gay men and lesbians - all of them their own rainbow of Black, white, Latino, Asian.

2004, Penny Mickelbury, Darkness Descending, Kings Crossing Publishing, →ISBN, page 130:

But I still cannot pretend that transgender in general does not continue to fail me when it does not fulfill its promise of butch inclusion. It fails all butches, AGs/aggressives, and studs who find themselves facing the same issues of[…]

2010 January 8, Matt Bernstein Sycamore, Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity, Seal Press, →ISBN:

The opening club scene, in which AGs (aggressives/butches) flirt with femme performers is a compelling rush: you are right there.

2015 October 22, So Mayer, Political Animals: The New Feminist Cinema, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 141:

Our group had the attention of every stud, AG (aggressive girl), femme, and butch in the place. A stud sporting a Mohawk and lip ring approached us. Her eyes were as black as her skin.

Acknowledgements I want to first thank all of the butches, bois, studs, AGs, bulldaggers, punks and trans mens who have been part of my world for the last twenty-something years. Thank you for our collective vulnerability and always[…]

2019 March 12, Ana-Maurine Lara, Sum of Parts, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 85:

(US, LGBTQ, Black lesbian slang) An aggressive (a butch woman, especially a Black butch woman); an aggressive girl.


BS

BS (countable and uncountable, plural BSs)

BSs (plural)
B.S. (alternative)
B. S. (alternative)

Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science#English

(US) Abbreviation of Bachelor of Science.

Alternative form: B.S.

Still, he said, “I’m so tired of all this political correctness. It’s such B.S.”

2021 July 17, Jacob Bernstein, “Keith McNally Stirs the Pot”, in The New York Times:

(slang, euphemistic, chiefly Canada, US) Abbreviation of bullshit.


CH

CH (countable and uncountable, plural CHs)

cargo helicopter
cargo helicopter#English

(US, army, aviation) Initialism of cargo helicopter.


CL

CL (countable and uncountable, plural CLs)

(US, navy) Initialism of light cruiser, a type of warship


CM

Sense "commercial" is a borrowing from Japanese CM (CM, “commercial video ad”), from English commercial + message.

(US, astronautics) Initialism of Command Module (“Apollo Command Module”).


MC

(US military) Initialism of Marine Corps.


MX

LGM-118 Peacekeeper
w:LGM-118 Peacekeeper

(military, US, historical, weaponry) Initialism of Missile, Experimental (original project name of the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM).


NL

(US, Canada, baseball) Initialism of National League.


VC

VC (countable and uncountable, plural VCs)

→ Bengali: ভিসি (bhiśi)

(US, military, historical) Initialism of Victor Charlie (“Vietcong”).

very important person
very important person#English

(US, air force, aviation) Initialism of VIP cargo. Prefix code for very important persons transport aircraft.


YC

Combination of prefix C and prefix modifier Y

(US, military, aviation) prototype cargoplane (prefix)


talk

talk (countable and uncountable, plural talks)

From Middle English talk, talke (“conversation; discourse”), from the verb (see above).

Later, I made sure to have the talk with my son about being a black boy, […]

2012, Crystal McCrary, Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing Our World, →ISBN:

All the black parents I have ever spoken to have had “the talk” with their sons and daughters. “The talk” is a conversation about how to behave and not to behave with police.

2016, Jim Wallis, America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge, →ISBN:

Now, I was a black man in the South, and my folks had had “the talk” with me. No, not the one about the birds and bees. This one is about the black man and the police.

2016, Stuart Scott, Larry Platt, Every Day I Fight, →ISBN, page 36:

(preceded by the) A customary conversation by parent(s) or guardian(s) with their (often teenage) child about a reality of life; in particular:

(US) A customary conversation in which the parent(s) of a black child explain the racism and violence they may face, especially when interacting with police, and strategies to manage it.


eye

eye (plural eyes or (archaic or dialectal) eyen or (archaic) eyne)

eyes (plural)
eyen (archaic dialectal plural)
eyne (archaic plural)

Sranan Tongo: ai

From Middle English eye, eie, yë, eighe, eyghe, yȝe, eyȝe, from Old English ēage (“eye”), from Proto-West Germanic *augā, from Proto-Germanic *augô (“eye”) (compare Scots ee, West Frisian each, Dutch oog, German Auge, Danish øje, Norwegian Bokmål øye, Norwegian Nynorsk auga, Swedish öga), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃okʷ-, *h₃ekʷ- (“eye; to see”).
Other Indo-European cognates include Latin oculus (whence English oculus), Lithuanian akìs, Old Church Slavonic око (oko), Albanian sy, Ancient Greek ὄψ (óps, “(poetic) eye; face”) and ὄσσε (ósse, “eyes”), Armenian ակն (akn), Avestan 𐬀𐬱𐬌 (aši, “eyes”), Sanskrit अक्षि (ákṣi). Related to ogle.
The uncommon plural form eyen is from Middle English eyen, from Old English ēaġan, nominative and accusative plural of ēaġe (“eye”).

cog

an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind

better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick

better than a poke in the eye with a rusty nail

better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick

better than a poke in the eye with a shitty stick

eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye


AR

en-noun

AR (countable and uncountable, plural ARs)

(countable, sports, US) Initialism of American record, national record for the United States.


CA

CA (countable and uncountable, plural CAs)

(US, nautical) Initialism of armored cruiser, a type of warship

(US, nautical) Initialism of heavy cruiser, a variant of the cruiser type of warship

heavy cruiser

(US, military) Initialism of civil affairs, a military occupational specialty or branch


CO

corrections officer
corrections officer#English

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of corrections officer.

correctional officer
correctional officer#English

(US, law enforcement) Initialism of correctional officer.


DE

DE (countable and uncountable, plural DEs)

destroyer escort
destroyer escort#English

(US, navy) Initialism of destroyer escort, a type of warship of the destroyer subtype, also called a frigate.


MD

MDs (plural)
M.D. (alternative)
M. D. (alternative)

(US, medicine) Symbol (usually a postnominal) indicating a medical degree; medical physician or medical doctor; doctor(ate) of medicine

Initialism of medical doctor. (medical physician; medical surgeon)

medicinae doctor (doctor medicinae
w:Doctor of Medicine

Initialism of doctorate of medicine. (medical degree; originally from New Latin medicinae doctor (doctor medicinae))

doctorate of medicine

(military, US) Initialism of Marine detachment.


NH

(US, aviation) prefix code for NASA research helicopter designations.


NC

(US) Abbreviation of North Carolina, a state of the United States of America.


NC

(US, aviation) prefix code for NASA research cargo plane designations.


OH

(US, army, aviation) Initialism of observation helicopter.


VA

He is in a VA hospital.

(US, government) Initialism of Veterans Administration, the government department of Veterans Affairs


piece

Belizean Creole: pees

Sranan Tongo: pisi

→ Finnish: biisi

→ Irish: píosa

→ Japanese: ピース (pīsu)

→ Scottish Gaelic: pìos

From Middle English pece, peece, peice, from Old French piece, from Late Latin petia, pettia, possibly from Gaulish *pettyā, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis (“piece, portion, quota”); doublet of English fit, fytte, fytt (“musical piece, chapter”), Icelandic fit (“web”), German Fitze (“skein”), from Old High German *fitjâ. Compare Welsh peth, Breton pez (“thing”), Irish cuid. Compare French pièce, Portuguese peça, Spanish pieza, Italian pezza, Italian pezzo.

der

He's packin' a piece!

I wanted peace, but now my piece is clearing out the block.

2005, “Bloody War”, in Certified, performed by David Banner:

It was do or be done. Get or get gotten. It was self-preservation like I'd never felt before, and when Rome passed me his piece I didn't even hesitate as I raised that bitch in the air and aimed it at Vyreen.

2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 116:

"This is just a cover story," Clay says to O5-8, not taking his eyes off Marion. "It's a good one, but she's had it worked out in advance."
"Clay, lose the piece," says the O5.
Grudgingly, Clay does so.

2008–2021, qntm, “We Need To Talk About Fifty-Five”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 9:

The announcer is wearing a new piece.

(US, Canada, colloquial, short for hairpiece) A toupee or wig, especially when worn by a man.

My grannie came and gived them all a piece and jam and cups of water then I was to bring them back out to the street and play a game.

2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin, published 2009, page 46:

(Scotland, Ireland, UK, US, dialectal) A slice or other quantity of bread, eaten on its own; a sandwich or light snack.

I got a piece at lunchtime.

(US, colloquial, vulgar) A sexual encounter; from piece of ass or piece of tail.

Ugh, my new computer is such a piece. I'm taking it back to the store tomorrow.

(US, colloquial, mildly vulgar, short for piece of crap/piece of shit) A shoddy or worthless object (usually applied to consumer products like vehicles or appliances).


twit

(chiefly US, informal) Chiefly in the form in a twit: clipping of twitter (“a state of excitement or nervousness”).


gracias

grassy arse (alternative)
grassy ass (alternative)

/ˈɡɹɑ.θi.əs/

Borrowed from Spanish gracias (“thank you”).

bor+

Muchos gracias, my friend. —The girls are in the kitchen, Bimbo told Vera.

"Gracias, my friend. I owe you a great debt.

“No, gracias, my friend. This will do fine.”

2010, Tina Rosenberg, Glenapp Castle: A Scottish Intrigue, page 154:


bruit

en-verb

bruit (third-person singular simple present bruits, present participle bruiting, simple past and past participle bruited)

bruits (present singular third-person)
bruiting (participle present)
bruited (participle past)
bruited (past)
bruit (infinitive)

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

The noun is derived from Middle English bruit (“commotion, tumult; fame, renown; collective noun for a group of barons”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman brut (“commotion, tumult; noise, sounds; fame, renown; hearsay, rumour; collective noun for a group of barons”) and Old French bruit (“commotion, tumult; noise, sounds; fame, renown; hearsay, rumour”) (modern French bruit (“noise; report, rumour”)), a noun use of the past participle of bruire (“to make a noise; to rattle; to roar; to rustle”), from Late Latin brugere, an alteration of Latin rugīre (“to roar”) (the present active infinitive of rugiō (“to bray; to bellow, roar; to rumble”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewg- (“to belch; to roar”)), possibly influenced by Late Latin bragere (“to bray”). The English word is cognate with Catalan brogir (“to roar”); Old Occitan bruir, brugir (“to roar”).
The verb is derived from the noun.

nb...

brewt, brewte, brut, brute, bruyt, bruyte

der

And if it be to be beleued, as bruted is by fame. / A day did paſſe without the Sunne.

1567, Ovid, “The Seconde Booke”, in Arthur Golding, transl., The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, […], London: […] Willyam Seres […], →OCLC, folio 20, recto:

Generally, Whether there be [...] any that stubbornly refuse to conform themselves to unity and good religion: any that bruiteth abroad rumours of the alteration of the same, or otherwise that disturbeth good orders, and the quietnes of Christs Church and Christian congregation.

a. 1576, Matthew Parker, John Strype, “[An Appendix to Archbishop Parker’s Life.] Number XI. Articles for the Dioceses, to be Inquired of in the Archbishop’s Metropolitical Visitation.”, in The Life and Acts of Matthew Parker, the First Archbishop of Canterbury in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. […], volume III, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, published 1821, →OCLC, paragraph 22, page 32:

There haue bin diuers and variable reportes with some slaunderous and shamefull speeches bruited abroade by many that returned from thence.

1590, Thomas Hariot [i.e., Thomas Harriot], “To the Adventvrers, Favorers, and VVellvvillers of the Enterprise for the Inhabitting and Planting in Virginia”, in A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, […], Frankfurt am Main: […] Ioannis Wecheli, […], →OCLC; reprinted as Narrative of the First English Plantation of Virginia […], London: Bernard Quaritch, […], 1893, →OCLC, page 9:

And the Kings rowſe the heauen shall brute againe, / Reſpeaking earthly thunder; [...]

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], lines 127–128:

Even his amours he bruits forth to the public, to the delight of every pot-boy.

1822 September 1, “Character of an Ex-sheriff”, in The Rambler’s Magazine; or, Fashionable Emporium of Polite Literature, […], volume I, number IX, London: [William] Benbow, […], →OCLC, page 413:

As he took John Willet's view of the matter in regard to the propriety of not bruiting the tale abroad, unless the spirit should appear to him again, in which case it would be necessary to take immediate counsel with the clergyman, it was solemnly resolved that it should be hushed up and kept quiet.

1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 33.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 128:

In course of time Ariston died; and Demaratus received the kingdom: but it was fated, as it seems, that these words, when bruited abroad, should strip him of his sovereignty.

1859, Herodotus, “The Sixth Book of the History of Herodotus, Entitled Erato”, in George Rawlinson, Henry Rawlinson, J[ohn] G[ardner] Wilkinson, transl., The History of Herodotus. […] In Four Volumes, volume III, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, paragraph 64, page 458:

What need to bruit our pleasant quarrel abroad? You will like the weapons, sir, and you shall have your own choice from the pair … You are a fine fencer, I feel sure …

1908, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “Time—Place—Conditions”, in The Elusive Pimpernel, London: Hutchinson & Co. […], →OCLC, page 121:

Thou art not ware, but thou art tossed on the tongues of all the city, casting away all shame, thou bruitest abroad thy deeds.

1914, Ovid, “[The Amores.] Book the Third.”, in Grant Showerman, transl., edited by T[homas] E[thelbert] Page and W[illiam] H[enry] D[enham] Rouse, Heroides and Amores […] (Loeb Classical Library; 41), London: William Heinemann; New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC, section I, page 445:

TV news shows had been bruiting the Boulder case, too; as a result, the atmosphere in the press section that night was knife-keen.

1974, Marvin Kaye, chapter 20, in The Grand Ole Opry Murders (A Hilary Quayle Mystery; 2), London: Head of Zeus, published 2014, →ISBN:

Paranoid. Now he knew what it meant, this word that was bandied and bruited so easily, and he sensed the connections being made around him, [...]

1997, Don DeLillo, Underworld, 1st trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Scribner, published 2003, →ISBN, page 421:

[I]t's bruited that the tunnel would cost "10 to 20 million yuan ($2.95 million) more than the current high speed railway for each kilometer." Pony up, taxpayers!

2010 August 4, Darren Murph, “China’s Maglev Trains to Hit 1,000km/h in Three Years, […]”, in Engadget, archived from the original on 2020-08-10:

Bruiting about this notion of a "monarchical project," the Englishman persuaded himself that [Simón] Bolívar himself aspired to such a model.

2013, Marie Arana, “Man of Difficulties”, in Bolívar: American Liberator, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 388:

(transitive, archaic in British, current in the US) To disseminate, promulgate, or spread news, a rumour, etc.

ébruiter

to disseminate, promulgate, or spread news, a rumour, etc.


they

the (alternative)
thay (alternative)
thaay (alternative)

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *tóy
Proto-Germanic *þai
Proto-Norse *ᚦᚨᛁᛉ (*þaiʀ)
Old Norse þeirbor.
Middle English þei
English they From Middle English þei, borrowed in the 1200s from Old Norse þeir, plural of the demonstrative sá which acted as a plural pronoun. Displaced native Middle English he from Old English hīe — which vowel changes had left indistinct from he (“he”) — by the 1400s, being readily incorporated alongside native words beginning with the same sound (the, that, this). Used as a singular pronoun since 1300, e.g. in the 1325 Cursor Mundi.
The Norse term (whence also Icelandic þeir (“they”), Faroese teir (“they”), Danish de (“they”), Swedish de (“they”), Norwegian Nynorsk dei (“they”)) is from Proto-Germanic *þai (“those”) (from Proto-Indo-European *to- (“that”)), whence also Old English þā (“those”) (whence obsolete English tho), Scots thae, thai, thay (“they; those”).
The origin of the determiner they (“the, those”) is unclear. The OED, English Dialect Dictionary and Middle English Dictionary define it and its Middle English predecessor thei as a demonstrative determiner or adjective meaning "those" or "the". This could be a continuation of the use of the English pronoun they's Old Norse etymon þeir as a demonstrative meaning "those", but the OED and EDD say it is limited to southern, especially southwestern, England, specifically outside the region of Norse contact.

etymon

MARY ELLEN is a different case from the others. She has five children and, she claims: "I don't know who they father is. I ain't never kept track. They is always another one. You know, I can catch me a guy[.]"

1974, Arthur Hippler, Hunter's Point: a black ghetto in America, page 88:

It's a shame to see someone talk so bad about the gays and lesbians in prison. She is brainwash to the fact that she think every gay and lesbian in prison is guilty of they crimes.

1988 February 7, Mike Riegle, quoting John Royal, “Why Does GCN Have A Prisoner Project?”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 29, page 10:

But all they kids be listenin' to me religiously / So I'm signin' CDs while police fingerprint me

I got bitches askin' me about the code for the Wi-Fi / So they can talk about they timeline / And show me pictures of they friends

2015, “Energy”, in If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, performed by Drake:

He guessed one of the well-off people living in these houses must have took a shine to Cody and decided how he'd look good stuck up on they roof.

2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, published 2016, page 175:

(US dialects, including African-American Vernacular) Their.


they

They’s music in the twitter of the bluebird and the jay.

1889, James Whitcomb Riley, Pipes o' Pan:

They ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

But they ain’t nothin’ in there you didn’t already have.

2008, Christian Carvajal, Lightfall, page 82:

Well, they’s a lot of ‘em didn’t survive, if you believe me.

2010, Alessandro Portelli, They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History, page 207:

(US dialectal) There (especially as an expletive subject of be).


graft

en-noun

graft (countable and uncountable, plural grafts)

Uncertain. Some lexicographers suggest an extended use of Etymology 2, above, expanding from “digging” to work more generally, and from there to dishonest work. Others, however, suggest an extension from Etymology 1, shifting from “a shoot or scion” to the notion of corruption through the idea of excrescence.

If policemen take graft now from the liquor dealers for the privilege of keeping open on Sunday, what is to prevent them, if this bill is passed, from taking graft from the liquor men for the privilege of selling liquor before 1 p.m. on Sunday[…]?

(uncountable, US, politics) A bribe, especially on an ongoing basis.


elbow

From Middle English elbowe, from Old English elboga, elnboga (“elbow”), from Proto-Germanic *alinabugô (“elbow”), equivalent to ell + bow. Cognate with Scots elbuck (“elbow”), Saterland Frisian Älbooge (“elbow”), Dutch elleboog (“elbow”), Low German Ellebage (“elbow”), German Ellbogen, Ellenbogen (“elbow”), Danish albue (“elbow”), Icelandic olbogi, olnbogi (“elbow”).

know the difference between one's ass and one's elbow

"An elbow, huh?" putting all the contempt he could in his voice; and somehow any synonym for detective seems able to hold a lot of contempt.

1924, Dashiell Hammett, Zigzags of Treachery:

(US, dated, early 20th-century slang) A detective.


leg

→ Finnish: legi

→ Hungarian: leg

From Middle English leg, legge, from Old Norse leggr (“leg, calf, bone of the arm or leg, hollow tube, stalk”), from Proto-Germanic *lagjaz, *lagwijaz (“leg, thigh”) (see it for more).
Cognate with Scots leg (“leg”), Icelandic leggur (“leg, limb”), Norwegian Bokmål legg (“leg”), Norwegian Nynorsk legg (“leg”), Swedish lägg (“leg, shank, shaft”), Danish læg (“leg”), Lombardic lagi (“thigh, shank, leg”), Latin lacertus (“limb, arm”), Persian لنگ (leng). Upon borrowing, mostly displaced the native Old English term sċanca (Modern English shank).

der

piss on someone's leg and tell them it's raining

Which was lower than whale shit in the eyes of any paratrooper; it would have been a disgrace to be a leg.

2019, Elliot Murphy, A Vietnam Story, page 94:

(US, slang, military) An army soldier assigned to a paratrooper unit who has not yet been qualified as a paratrooper.


neck

en-verb

neck (third-person singular simple present necks, present participle necking, simple past and past participle necked)

necks (present singular third-person)
necking (participle present)
necked (participle past)
necked (past)

From Middle English nekke, nakke, from Old English hnecca, *hnæcca (“neck, nape”), from Proto-Germanic *hnakkô (“nape, neck”), from Proto-Indo-European *knog-, *kneg- (“back of the head, nape, neck”). Cognate with Scots nek (“neck”), North Frisian neek, neeke, Nak (“neck”), Saterland Frisian Näkke (“neck”), West Frisian nekke (“neck”), Dutch nek (“neck”), German Low German Nack (“neck”), German Nacken (“nape of the neck”), Danish nakke (“neck”), Swedish nacke (“nape of the neck”), Icelandic hnakki (“neck”), Tocharian A kñuk (“neck, nape”). Possibly a mutated variant of *kneug/k (compare Old English hnocc (“hook, penis”), Welsh cnwch (“joint, knob”), Latvian knaūķis (“dwarf”). Doublet of nek. More at nook. Displaced halse (“neck, throat”) and swire (“neck”).

Alan and Betty were necking in the back of a car when Betty's dad caught them.

Molly had been in love with Sick Boy since he necked with her in a seedy disco-bar in Leith a few weeks ago. Sick Boy had made a drunken point about HIV transmission and to illustrate it had spent most of the night french-kissing her.

1994 [1993], Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting, London: Minerva, →ISBN, page 326:

(intransitive, informal, chiefly US) To make love; to intently kiss or cuddle; to canoodle.


predicate

predicate (third-person singular simple present predicates, present participle predicating, simple past and past participle predicated)

predicates (present singular third-person)
predicating (participle present)
predicated (participle past)
predicated (past)
prædicate (alternative)

From Latin praedicātus, perfect passive participle of praedicō (“publish, declare, proclaim”), from prae + dicō (“proclaim, dedicate”), related to dīcō (“say, tell”). Doublet of preach.

The law is what constitutes both desire and the lack on which it is predicated.

1978, Michel Foucault, The Will to Knowledge, trans. Robert Hurley (Penguin 1998, page 81)

(transitive, originally US) to base (on); to assert on the grounds of.


mutt

Mother fuckin' mutt! You, you fucking piece of shit!

1990, Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas, spoken by Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci):

“He’s so blatantly stupid. He’s a punk. He’s a dog. He’s a pig. A con. A bullshit artist. A mutt who doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he said, among many other things, in a video.

2019 November 20, Luke O'Neil, quoting Robert De Niro, “Robert De Niro v Trump: a complete history of a (mainly one-sided) beef”, in The Guardian:

(chiefly US, slang, derogatory) An idiot, a stupid person.

бара́н m (barán, literally “ram, sheep”)


slug

Nicoline van der Sijs
Slug (disambiguation)

Originally referred to a slow, lazy person, from Middle English slugge (“lazy person", also "slowth, slothfulness”), probably of either Old English or Old Norse origin; compare Norn slug (“lazy, slothful, sluggish”), dialectal Norwegian slugg (“a large, heavy body”), sluggje (“heavy, slow person”), Danish slog (“rascal, rogue”); perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sliǵ-ōn, from *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”) or otherwise from the root of Old Norse slókr (“lazy person, oaf”), whence Icelandic slókur (“laziness”). Compare also Dutch slak (“snail, slug”). Doublet of slotch.

inh

(US, slang, District of Columbia) A hitchhiking commuter.


pants

en-noun

pants pl (plural only, attributive pant)

desctree

→ Japanese: パンツ (pantsu)
→ English: pantsu
→ Mandarin: 胖次 (pàngcì)
→ Korean: 빤스 (ppanseu)

Etymology tree
Ancient Greek πᾶς (pâs)
Ancient Greek ἔλεος (éleos)
Proto-Indo-European *-eti
Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti
Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti
Ancient Greek -έω (-éō)
Ancient Greek ἐλεέω (eleéō)
Proto-Indo-European *-mṓ
Ancient Greek -μων (-mōn)
Ancient Greek ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn)
Ancient Greek Παντελεήμων (Panteleḗmōn)bor.
Spanish Pantaleónder.
Italian Pantaloneder.
French pantalonbor.
English pantaloon
English pantaloons
English pants
Shortened from pantaloons (“trousers”): borrowed from French pantalon, itself derived from Italian Pantalone, one of the principal characters found in commedia dell'arte, who wore tight trousers. Doublet of pantsu. The verb is from the noun.

etymon

get glad in the same pants one got mad in

by the seat of one's pants

drive by the seat of one’s pants, fly by the seat of one’s pants

“But they cover the legs,” Joseph explained. “That is the only reason my people wear pants: to cover the legs in the winter, or when traveling through rough country, full of thorns. In warm weather, or in open country, pants are unnecessary, uncomfortable, and foolish.”

1933, Kenneth Roberts, Rabble in Arms, published 1996, page 220:

It's in the evening after dark when the blackleg miner creeps to work. With his moleskin pants and his dirty shirt, there goes the blackleg miner.

1970 June 25, traditional (lyrics and music), “The Blackleg Miner” (track 4), in Hark! The Village Wait, performed by Steeleye Span:

Then he gave me a last desperate push and I tripped over the shorts caught around my ankles and fell down. I tried to pull my pants up with my boxing gloves but without success.[…]In those days nobody wore underpants and I was bare-arsed and fancy free in front of everyone.

1989, Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One, Penguin, published 2006, page 427:

Look for pants with reinforced seats and knees and full-length side zippers that make it possible to put the pants on while you are wearing boots, crampons, skis, or snowshoes.

2010, Ronald C. Eng, editor, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 8th edition, US: The Mountaineers Books, page 24:

I rolled up the legs of the pants, then I went back into the trees.

2005, Octavia E. Butler, Fledgling, page 12:

The episode also opens with an inspired bit of business for Homer, who blithely refuses to acquiesce to an elderly neighbor’s utterly reasonable request that he help make the process of selling her house easier by wearing pants when he gallivants about in front of windows, throw out his impressive collection of rotting Jack-O-Lanterns from previous Halloweens and take out his garbage, as it’s attracting wildlife (cue moose and Northern Exposure theme song).

2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:

Taylor was seen nearby and had a three foot machete down his pants.

2014 January 13, “Blackburn man hid machete down his trousers”, in The Lancashire Telegraph:

(chiefly Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Philippines, Singapore, Northern England) An outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far as the ankles; trousers.

broek

garment covering the body from the waist downwards


roach

Back-formation of cockroach, as if it were a compound.
Marijuana-related meanings by similarity of appearance of the butt, attested since the 1930s.

(US, slang, smoking) The butt of a marijuana cigarette.

In his half hour of free time between brooms it was Willie's custom to smoke his lunch in an alleyway. He'd take just half a roach, only enough to make him feel a new day was starting, no more no less.

1957, Alfred Maund, The Big Boxcar, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, →ISBN, page 106:

(US, slang, smoking) An entire marijuana cigarette, blunt, or joint.


matanza

Borrowed from Spanish matanza (“slaughter”), from matar (“to kill”).

bor+

Captain Hall has given a very excellent description of a matanza, the slaughtering place of a large hacienda, where cattle are killed in numbers with the view of making charqui : the fleshy parts alone are used, all the soft fat being carefully cut off […]

1826, John Miers, Travels in Chile and La Plata, page 310:

[…] a "tramp bitch," whose puppies had been captured in the neighborhood of the matanza. The beef-packery is guarded at night by a dozen ugly-looking mastiffs, and the tramp dogs generally give the establishment an extensive berth; but […] They used to sit in groups on the slope of a little hill near the matanza, appealing to the charity of the proprietor by yelping in chorus every now and then. There was so much waste stuff around the place that the captain concluded to grant their petition, and, by way of encouragement, sent them a car-load of beef-bones and "rippings," instructing the driver to scatter the scraps between the hill and the bone-pit.

1882, Felix Leopold Oswald, Zoological Sketches, page 179:

There is a great variety of products of the matanza. Here I describe three of the most widely appreciated ones: the dried ham, whose fat is choice tocino, the sausage called chorizo and the preserved loin and ribs of pork.

1997, Jessica Kuper, The Anthropologists' Cookbook, →ISBN, page 30:

Before the matanza could open for business (and stay in business), nine different regulating authorities had to sign off, including organic certification, transportation, the state Environment Department, weights and measures licensing, the Livestock Board, the USDA, and even Homeland Security.

2015, Courtney White, Two Percent Solutions for the Planet, page 45:

A place where animals are slaughtered, for their hides, meat, tallow, etc, particularly in a Latin American context; a slaughterhouse.


heel

From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock.
Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.

couldn't pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel

the heel of the white loaf

1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

Boiled mutton was in one, and the heel of a damper in another.

1902, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Bush Studies (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 32:

`Have ye seen,' said Uncle Jobson with basilisk severity, `what's become of the heel of to-day's loaf?'

1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1965, →OCLC, page 42:

(US, Ireland, Scotland, Australia) A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread.

The bottom half, or the bun heel is placed in the carton, and the pickle slices spread evenly over the meat or cheese.

1996, Ester Reiter, Making Fast Food: From the Frying Pan Into the Fryer, page 100:

(US) The base of a bun sliced in half lengthwise.

(specifically, US) The obtuse angle of the lower end of a rafter set sloping.


heel

en-verb

heel (third-person singular simple present heels, present participle heeling, simple past and past participle heeled)

heels (present singular third-person)
heeling (participle present)
heeled (participle past)
heeled (past)

(US, intransitive) At Yale University, to work as a heeler or student journalist.


swan

swan (third-person singular simple present swans, present participle swanning, simple past and past participle swanned)

swans (present singular third-person)
swanning (participle present)
swanned (participle past)
swanned (past)
swanny (alternative)

Probably from dialectal I s’wan, a corruption of I shall warrant; or possibly from a minced form of I swear on.

"Well, I swan, man, I had a better opinion of you than that."

1907 December, J. D. Archer, “Foiling an eavesdropper”, in Telephony, volume 14, page 345:

‘She slammed the door so hard I figured a window'd break […].’ ‘I swan,’ I said.

1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 214:

(US, dialectal or colloquial) To declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).


loose

en-adj

loose (comparative looser, superlative loosest)

looser (comparative)
loosest (superlative)

packaged

antonym(s) of “not held or packaged together”

bound

antonym(s) of “not bound or tethered or leashed”

From Middle English loos, los, lous, from Old Norse lauss, from Proto-Germanic *lausaz, whence also -less, leasing; from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- (“to untie, set free, separate”), whence also lyo-, -lysis, via Ancient Greek.

der

(US, slang, motor racing, of a stock car) Having oversteer.


nudnik

nudniks (plural)
noodnick (alternative)
noodnik (alternative)
nudnick (alternative)

From Yiddish נודניק (nudnik) < root of נודיען (nudyen, “to bore”) + ־ניק (-nik, “noun-forming suffix”) (English -nik). Ultimately from Proto-Slavic *nuda < Proto-Indo-European *newti- (“need”) < *new- (“death, to be exhausted”).
Compare Russian ну́дный (núdnyj, “tedious”), Ukrainian нудни́й (nudnýj, “tedious”), Polish nudny (“boring”), Slovak nudný (“boring”), Old Church Slavonic ноудити (nuditi) or нѫдити (nǫditi, “to compel”), Hebrew נוּדְנִיק (“nag”).

cog

Hebrew נוּדְנִיק (“nag”)

He interrupts people, and he is not interested in anything except what concerns him and his brother. He is a nudnick!

1992, Richard Preston quoting Samuel Eilenberg, The New Yorker, 2 March, "The Mountains of Pi"

Juliana greeted strangers with a portentous, nudnik, Mona Lisa smile that hung them up between responses, whether to say hello or not.

1962, Philip K. Dick, “The Man in the High Castle”, in Four Novels of the 1960s, Library of America, published 2007, page 15:

(US, colloquial, sometimes attributive) A person who is very annoying; a pest, a nag, a jerk.


torta

Borrowed from Spanish torta, from Latin turta, thought to derive from Latin tŏrta f (“twisted”). Doublet of torte and tart.

(US) A sandwich, served either hot or cold, on an oblong white sandwich roll, derived from Mexican cuisine.


street

streets (plural)
streete (alternative)
streat (alternative)
streate (alternative)

Belizean Creole: schreet

From Middle English strete, from Anglian Old English strēt (“street”) (cognate West Saxon form strǣt) from Proto-West Germanic *strātu (“street”), an early borrowing from Late Latin (via) strāta (“paved (road)”), from Latin strātus, past participle of sternō (“stretch out, spread, bestrew with, cover, pave”), from Proto-Indo-European *sterh₃- (“to stretch out, extend, spread”).
Cognate with Scots stret, strete, streit (“street”), Saterland Frisian Sträite (“street”), West Frisian strjitte (“street”), Dutch straat (“street”) (see doublet straat), German Low German Straat (“street”), German Straße (“street”), Swedish stråt (“way, path”), Icelandic stræti (“street”) (Scandinavian forms are borrowed from Old English), Portuguese estrada (“road, way, drive”), Italian strada (“road, street”). Related to Old English strēowian, strewian (“to strew, scatter”), Latin sternō, Ancient Greek στορνύναι (stornýnai). More at strew.
The /aː/ vowel of the Latin form shifted by Anglo-Frisian brightening to /æː/ in West Saxon and /eː/ in Anglian Old English; these developed respectively to /ɛː/ and /eː/ in Middle English, /ɛː/ and /iː/ in Early Modern English, and finally /iː/ in Modern English by the Great Vowel Shift. The modern spelling reflects the Anglian form, as in sleep, greedy, sheep.

der

(specifically, US) The roads that run perpendicular to avenues in a grid layout.


road

From Middle English rode, rade (“ride, journey”), from Old English rād (“riding, hostile incursion”), from Proto-West Germanic *raidu, from Proto-Germanic *raidō (“a ride”), from Proto-Indo-European *reydʰ- (“to ride”). Doublet of raid, acquired from Scots. Cognates include West Frisian reed (paved trail/road, driveway).
The current primary meaning of "street, way for traveling" originated relatively late—Shakespeare seemed to expect his audiences to find it unfamiliar—and probably arose through reinterpretation of roadway "a way for riding on" as saying "way" twice, in other words as a tautological compound.

inh

his driveway doesn't go all the way to the road

someone's driveway doesn't go all the way to the road

the grass is always greener on the other side of the road

the road to hell is paved with good intentions

what happens on the road stays on the road

The new depot, on which work started in May, 1956, has three reception roads leading to 13 sidings capable of taking 25 trains, a 450 ft.-long car examination shed with nine roads, a lifting shop with two roads and three permanent way sidings.

1959 November, “L.T. and E.R. developments in East London”, in Trains Illustrated, page 527:

(US, rail transport) A railway or (UK, rail transport) a single railway track.


road

(US, Canada, sports, chiefly attributive) At the venue of the opposing team or competitor; on the road.

away

at the venue of the opposing team or competitor


expressway

(US, regional) A divided highway, especially one whose intersections and direct access to adjacent properties have been eliminated.


exit

en-verb

exit (third-person singular simple present exits, present participle exiting, simple past and past participle exited)

exits (present singular third-person)
exiting (participle present)
exited (participle past)
exited (past)

From Middle English exit, from Latin exitus (“departure, going out; way by which one may go out, egress; (figuratively) conclusion, termination; (figuratively) death; income, revenue”), from exeō (“to depart, exit; to avoid, evade; (figuratively) to escape; of time: to expire, run out”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). Exeō is derived from ex- (prefix meaning ‘out, away’) + eō (“to go”) (ultimately from ). The English word is cognate with Italian esito, Portuguese êxito, Spanish éxito. Doublet of ejido and exitus.
The verb is derived from the noun.

ацара

to go out or go away from a place or situation — see also depart, leave

At approximately 10:35 a.m. said John Doe exited 110 East 36th Street without the brown paper bag. [...] On four occasions, said John Doe was observed exiting 110 East 36th Street and observed on two occasions entering apartment actually marked 71, but meaning apartment 710 on seventh floor of 150 East 35th Street.

1970 January 6, Morris Edward Lasker, United States District Judge, United States of America -v- James Armiento and Edward Jernek, Defendants [Opinion of the Court] (no. 36451), [New York, N.Y.]: United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; reprinted in Edward Jernek, Petitioner, against United States of America, Respondent: Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (docket no. 34984), South River, N.J., New York, N.Y.: Lutz Appellate Printers, 17 June 1971, appendix B, footnote c, page 20a:

More than one-quarter (26 per cent) poor in 1991 exited poverty in 1992.

1995 August, Poverty’s Revolving Door (Bureau of the Census Statistical Brief; SB/95-20), [Washington, D.C.]: Bureau of the Census, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, →OCLC, page 1, column 2:

Many owners of private businesses will make the decision to exit their businesses because they have reached natural retirement age, or because they are ill, or because they have decided for personal reasons that they have just had enough.

2002, John Hawkey, “The Importance of Time and Timing”, in Exit Strategy Planning: Grooming Your Business for Sale or Succession, Aldershot, Hampshire, Burlington, Vt.: Gower Publishing, →ISBN, page 3:

[C]ommunity-based programmes for women exiting prison work most effectively when cultural issues are a primary consideration and relationships of trust are already established.

2011, Dot Goulding, “Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Cultural Difference in Rehabilitation Programmes”, in Rosemary Sheehan, Gill McIvor, Chris Trotter, editors, Working with Women Offenders in the Community, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Willan Publishing, →ISBN, page 173:

These geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) can become a hazard when they flow through conducting infrastructure, usually entering and exiting networks where equipment is grounded to Earth.

2023 November 15, Prof. Jim Wild, “This train was delayed because of bad weather in space”, in RAIL, number 996, page 30:

(transitive, originally US, also figuratively) To depart from or leave (a place or situation).

When Walsh exited the "Q" train, he walked three blocks underground on the concourse which took him into the World Trade Center, the twin towers which highlight the skyline of lower Manhattan.

1994, William F. Roemer, Jr., Mob Power Plays: The Mob Attempts Control of Congress, Casinos and Baseball: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: S.P.I. Books, Shapolsky Publishers, →ISBN, page 159:

(transitive, specifically) To alight or disembark from a vehicle.


freeway

Contrary to what one might expect of an essay on freeways, this one is neither a diatribe nor a paean.

1983, David Brodsly, L. A. Freeway: An Appreciative Essay, page 1:

A 106-kilometer section of this 117-kilometer new freeway (between Hsinchu and Hsichih 汐止) was opened to traffic in 1997, and the entire line will be finished in December 1999.

1999 June, “Transportation”, in A Brief Introduction to the Republic of China, Government Information Office, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 110:

In the late 1950s and 1960s most large cities started planning freeway systems, acknowledging the incredible growth in car ownership.

2008, Derek Hayes, Canada: An Illustrated History, page 257:

The Australian freeway story of the late twentieth century, like many planning stories, can be told as one of high technical expectations dashed by political controversy.

2010, Robert Freestone, Urban Nation: Australia′s Planning Heritage, page 161:

motorway

Chiefly in Europe, Australia and New Zealand

expressway

In Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and some parts of North America

interstate

If part of the [[:w:Interstate Highway System|Interstate Highway System]]

(US, Parts of Canada and Australia) A highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic running in two directions on one separate carriageway each


motorway

In December, track operators replaced the crushed rock with brick, earning the motorway the nickname, Brickyard.

2018, Paul R. Wonning, A Year of Indiana History Stories, volume 1, Greensburg, Indiana: Mossy Feet Books, page 250:

The 9-degree banking you see in the Speedway’s four turns is believed to be the first intentionally banked motorway in the United States.

2020 July 13, Jeff Olson, “Race To Develop Automotive, Safety Technology Never Stops at IMS”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), Indianapolis Motor Speedway, archived from the original on 2021-12-16:

(chiefly US) A racetrack venue designated especially for the sport of auto racing.


turnpike

From Middle English turnpyke (“spiked barrier across a road”), originally used to block access to such a road until toll was paid. Equivalent to modern turn + pike (“shaft”).

inh

Eleven Pair of Mills ſtand within Four Miles of the Place, which bring a great Trade to it: But the Road is by this means ſo continually torn, that it is one of the worſt Turnpikes about London.

1769, Daniel Defoe, A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain, 7th edition, volume II, page 184:

[T]here is a bundle of pawnbrokers' duplicates, those turnpike tickets on the road of poverty ...

1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, chapter 11, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

(chiefly US) A toll road, especially a toll expressway.


superhighway

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

(US) An expressway, especially one designed for high speeds.

super-autopista

US An expressway especially one designed for high speeds


driveway

(UK, US) A short private road that leads to a house or garage.

camí d'accés

The design originally called for a 1-lane-wide driveway leading from the street to the parking area.

1988 April 25, Joseph Truni, “Asphalt Answers”, in Popular Mechanics, page 127:

They drove in the driveway into the parking lot that was totally full.

2020 October 28, Franco La Monica, Catch 44, Meadville, Pennsylvania: Christian Faith Publishing, →ISBN, page 37:

(US) A road that enters or circulates through a defined area, such as an institution, compound, land area, etc., for the purpose of private access, maintenance, or security.


pavement

en-noun

pavement (usually uncountable, plural pavements)

From Middle English pament, from Anglo-Norman pavement and reinforced by Middle French pavement; both from Latin pavīmentum (“paved surface or floor”), from pavīre (“to beat, to ram, to tread down”). Morphologically pave + -ment.

der

[H]e attempted to recover his importance, by haranguing upon the Roman highways, when Mr. Jolter desired the company to take notice of the fine pavement upon which they travelled from Paris into Flanders […].

1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:

The antirunway munitions are specifically designed to cause maximum destruction to airfield pavements.

(now chiefly Canada, US) A paving (paved part) of a road or other thoroughfare; the roadway or road surface.

(now chiefly Canada, US) The paved part of an area other than a road or sidewalk, such as a cobblestone plaza, asphalt schoolyard or playground, or parking lot.


sidewalk

→ Cebuano: saydwok

Stay on the sidewalk.

(US) A paved footpath located at the side of a road, for the use of pedestrians

(US, by extension) Any paved footpath, even if not located at the side of a road


UTC

(US, law) Initialism of Uniform Traffic Code.


British

From Middle English Brittish, from Old English Brettisċ.
The spelling with single -t- appears in the 13th century under the influence of Medieval Latin Britannicus, but spelling with -tt- persists alongside -t- during the 13th to 17th centuries.
In reference to the island of Great Britain from ca. 1400 (Latin natio Anglica sive Britannica, Brittisshe occean 1398, the Britishe nacion 1548).
As a noun, referring to the British people, British soldiers, etc. from ca. 1600.

(chiefly US) The British English language.


while

en-noun

while (plural (archaic or informal) whiles)

From Middle English whyle, from Old English hwīl, from Proto-West Germanic *hwīlu, from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō (compare Dutch wijl, Low German Wiel, German Weile, Danish hvile (“rest”), Norwegian Bokmål hvile (“rest”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest”). Cognate with Albanian sillë (“breakfast”), Latin tranquillus, Sanskrit चिर (cirá), Persian شاد (šâd).

مُدَّة

even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while

even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while

even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while

An uncertain duration of time, a period of time.


nada

Borrowed from Spanish nada (“nothing”). Doublet of née.

Sketchers lookin' like Balenciaga / Thrift clothes lookin' like the Prada / Whole fit lit, it cost me nada

2019, “Balenciaga”, performed by Princess Nokia:

(informal, colloquial, chiefly US) Nothing.


distance

en-verb

distance (third-person singular simple present distances, present participle distancing, simple past and past participle distanced)

distances (present singular third-person)
distancing (participle present)
distanced (participle past)
distanced (past)
distance (infinitive)

From Middle English distance, distaunce, destance (“disagreement, dispute; discrimination; armed conflict; hostility; trouble; space between two points; time interval”), from Anglo-Norman distance, distaunce, destance, Middle French distance, and Old French destance, destaunce, distaunce (“debate; difference, distinction; discord, quarrel; dispute; space between two points; time interval”) (modern French distance), and directly from their etymon Latin distantia (“difference, diversity; distance, remoteness; space between two points”) (whence also Late Latin distantia (“disagreement; discrepancy; gap, opening; time interval”)), from distāns (“being distant; standing apart”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Distāns is the present active participle of distō (“to be distant; to stand apart; to differ”), from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart, asunder; in two’) + stō (“to stand”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”)).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Cognates
* Middle Dutch distancie, distantie (modern Dutch distantie); Dutch afstand (“distance”, literally “off-stand, off-stance”)
* German Distanz; German Abstand
* Italian distanza
* Portuguese distância
* Spanish distancia

sijoittaa erilleen

to set (someone or something) at a distance from someone or something else

[H]e is of Opinion it is inhuman, that Animals ſhould be put upon their utmoſt Strength and Metal for our Diverſion only. Hovvever, not to be particular, he puts in for the Queen's Plate every Year, vvith Orders to his Rider never to vvin or be diſtanced; […]

1713 March 29 (Gregorian calendar), [Richard Steele], “Wednesday, March 18. 1713.”, in The Guardian, number 6, London: […] J[acob] Tonson […]; and sold by A. Baldwin […], →OCLC, page [2], column 1:

(chiefly US, horse racing, archaic) Of a racehorse: to beat (another horse) by a certain distance; also (passive voice), to cause (a horse) to be disqualified by beating it by a certain distance.

of a racehorse: to beat (another horse) by a certain distance; to cause (a horse) to be disqualified by beating it by a certain distance


unit

Formerly unite, a later form of unity; see unity.

This air-conditioner is the most efficient unit we sell.

(US, UK, Australia, New Zealand) Any piece of equipment, such as an appliance, power tool, stereo system, computer, tractor, or machinery.

The new apartment complex will have 50 units.

(US, Australia, New Zealand) a measure of housing equivalent to the living quarters of one household; an apartment where a group of apartments is contained in one or more multi-storied buildings or a group of dwellings is in one or more single storey buildings, usually arranged around a driveway.

asunto

table of organization and equipment
table of organization and equipment

(US, military) Any military element whose structure is prescribed by competent authority, such as a table of organization and equipment; specifically, part of an organization.

поделение

military: military element with prescribed structure

(US, military) An organization title of a subdivision of a group in a task force.

(US, military) A standard or basic quantity into which an item of supply is divided, issued, or detailed. In this meaning, also called unit of issue.

(US, military) With regard to Reserve Components of the Armed Forces, denotes a Selected Reserve unit organized, equipped, and trained for mobilization to serve on active duty as a unit or to augment or be augmented by another unit. Headquarters and support functions without wartime missions are not considered units.

(US, slang, vulgar) A penis, especially a large one.


macadam

en-noun

macadam (countable and uncountable, plural macadams)

Named after Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836), who invented the process of macadamization. Used for describing road surfaces originally constructed using the McAdam method, but now sometimes used for any road or street.

named-after

(US, dated, countable) Any road or street.


man-of-war

men-of-war (plural)
man of war (alternative)
man-o-war (alternative)
man o' war (alternative)
man-o'-war (alternative)

Samoan Plantation Pidgin: manua

Tok Pisin: manua

→ Dhivehi: މަނަވަރު (manavaru)

→ Swahili: manowari

Chatto & Windus
Isla Contoy
National Maritime Museum

From Late Middle English man of wer, man of werre (“fighting man, soldier”). It has been suggested that sense 2 (“powerful armed naval vessel”) derives from the fact that such vessels were manned by men-of-war (“soldiers”; sense 1).

any of a number of seabirds, especially one which attacks other seabirds for their food

not used in Finnish (no equivalent collective term; see the translation tables below)

Stercorarius parasiticus
Stercorarius parasiticus#Translingual

Short for man-of-war bird or (obsolete) man-of-war hawk: any of a number of seabirds, especially one which attacks other seabirds to take their food.

(specifically, US) The Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus).

военен

man fighting in a war — see also soldier, warrior


down

en-adj

down (comparative more down, superlative most down)

tlb

(chiefly predicative, but see usage notes)

more down (comparative)
most down (superlative)

From Middle English doun, from Old English dūne, aphetic form of adūne, from ofdūne (“off the hill”). For the development from directional phrases to prepositions, compare Middle Low German dāle (“(in/to the) valley”), i.e. "down(wards)".

noncog

He's chill enough; he'd probably be totally down with it.

Asker: Are you down to hang out at the mall? / Answerer: Yeah, as long as you're down with helping me pick a phone.

Asker: You down? Yes or no? / Answerer: You know I'm down for whatever.

Then again, with your name being Juanita Perez, I wasn't sure if you were more down with the Latinos or something.

2001, Omar Tyree, For the Love of Money, page 121:

He said Lunceford's band was smoother and had more musical variety and great show-band novelties, but that there was something about the way we did our things that made us sound more down with it.

2002, Count Basie, Albert Murray, Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography Of Count Basie, page 194:

And we could then feel more "down" with more unconscious guilt.

2007, David W. Shave, Small Talk--big Cure!: Talking Your Way to a Better Life, page 58:

I thought, Oh, Sarah must be one of these super gentle, herbal-tea-drinking, crystal-having kind of people. And she was just super down. She belched like a sailor.

2019 September 30, Jessica Hopper, Sasha Geffen, Jenn Pelly, “Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair”, in Vanity Fair:

(Canada, US, slang) Comfortable [with]; accepting [of]; okay [with].


Down syndrome

Named after John Langdon Haydon Down (1828–1896), an English physician who first described the condition as a distinct form of mental disability in the 1860s.

(neurology, medical genetics) A genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 (a chromosomal excess), whereby the patients typically have a delay in cognitive ability and physical growth, as well as a small head and tilted eyelids.

مُتَلَازِمَة دَاوْن

genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess

唐氏綜合症 /唐氏综合症

tong⁴ si⁶ zung³ hap⁶ zing³, tong⁴ si⁶ zung¹ hap⁶ zing³


mama

mamas (plural)
mamma (alternative)
momma (alternative)

Originally from baby talk. Possibly influenced by Middle English mome (“mother, aunt”), from Old English *mōme, from Proto-West Germanic *mōmā, from Proto-Germanic *mōmǭ (“mother, aunt”), from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂-méh₂, reduplication of *méh₂- (“mother”), related to German Muhme (“aunt”), Latin mamma (“mother, nurse”), Irish mam (“mother”), Lithuanian mama, moma (“mother”).

onomatopoeic

baby talk

All the flowers that you planted, mama, in the backyard / All died when you went away

1990, Prince (lyrics and music), “Nothing Compares 2 U”, performed by Sinéad O’Connor:

(hypocoristic, usually childish, Canada, US) Mother, female parent.


pin

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: pins

→ Polish: pin

→ Spanish: pin

→ Swahili: pini

→ Swedish: pin, pins

From Middle English pinne, from Old English pinn (“pin, peg, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *pinnaz, *pinnō, *pint- (“protruding point, peak, peg, pin, nail”), from Proto-Indo-European *bend- (“protruding object, pointed peg, nail, edge”). Related to pen (“enclosure”).
Cognate with Dutch pin (“peg, pin”), Low German pin, pinne (“pin, point, nail, peg”), German Pinn, Pinne (“pin, tack, peg”), Bavarian Pfonzer, Pfunzer (“sharpened point”), Danish pind (“pin, pointed stick”), Norwegian pinn (“stick”), Swedish pinne (“peg, rod, stick”), Icelandic pinni (“pin”). More at pintle.
No relation to classical Latin pinna (“fin, flipper, wing-like appendage, wing, feather”), which was extended to mean "ridge, peak, point" (compare pinnacle), and often confused with Latin penna (“wing, feather”). More at feather and pen (Etymology 3).

cog

(US) A simple accessory that can be attached to clothing with a pin or fastener, often round and bearing a design, logo or message, and used for decoration, identification or to show political affiliation, etc.

значка

US: accessory attached with a pin; lapel pin


dismal

From Middle English dismal, dismale, from Anglo-Norman dismal, from Old French (li) dis mals (“(the) bad days”), from Medieval Latin diēs malī (“bad days”).

der

.[…] the proprietors of all the great unimproved tracts of Swamp lands will form themselves into Drainage Companies, by which method alone can we ever hope to witness the complete reclamation of the dismals of the seaboard. No reasonable doubt can be entertained that the clearing and draining of the lands will produce their usual effects in ameliorating the climate and that the tidal portions of No. Caro- lina may thus[…]

1908, Charles Lee Coon, The Beginnings of Public Education in North Carolina: A Documentary History, 1790-1840, page 949:

The term "Dismal" requires some clarification. At one time, all large swamps in eastern North Carolina were commonly referred to as "dismals," probably because they were so gloomy, dreary, and dark, and there are a lot of swamps or "dismals" in eastern North Carolina.

2020 May 1, Hudson, Berman, Our Good Earth: A Natural History of Soil, Algora Publishing, →ISBN, page 167:

(US, especially North Carolina, possibly dated) A dreary swamp in eastern North Carolina or Virginia in the United States.


pretzel

en-verb

pretzel (third-person singular simple present pretzels, present participle pretzelling or (US) pretzeling, simple past and past participle pretzelled or (US) pretzeled)

pretzels (present singular third-person)
pretzelling (participle present)
pretzeling (US participle present)
pretzelled (participle past)
pretzelled (past)
pretzeled (US participle past)
pretzeled (US past)
bretzel (alternative)
brezel (alternative)

[ˈpʰɹɛʔt͡sɫ̩]

From dialectal German Pretzel, a variant of standard Brezel, from Old High German brēzitella, from Vulgar Latin *brāchiātellus, diminutive of Latin brāchium, bracchium (“arm”); named for the appearance of folded arms.

They discovered a snake pretzelled into knots.

(transitive, Canada, US, informal) To bend, twist, or contort.


jerk

Probably from Middle English yerk (“sudden motion”) and Middle English yerkid (“tightly pulled”), from Old English ġearc (“ready, active, quick”) and Old English ġearcian (“to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply”). Cognate with Scots yerk (“to jerk”). Related also to English yare (“ready”).

inh

Because oral sex deprecation and anti-gay bias both have long histories among humans

many of the words for "contemptible person" come from literal terms for anyone who performs oral sex or performs anal sex; see overlap at Thesaurus:gay man

Oh, Raymond―don't be such a jerk. Go and get yourself a drink or a tranquilizer or something.

1962, George Axelrod, 1:23:39 from the start, in The Manchurian Candidate, spoken by Eleanor Iselin (Angela Lansbury):

And [Albert Fish] was dizzyingly happy about it, smiled as described the grizzly details of the tortures and the murders, appearing to the detectives and one of the detectives said "he appeared as the Devil himself." I mean this Albert F-, I mean this guy was a real jerk!

2013, Norm Macdonald Live, season 1, episode 3, spoken by Norm Macdonald:

I finally fired him, because he was being a real jerk to his customers, even to some of the staff.

You really are a jerk sometimes.

(originally Canada, US, slang, derogatory) A person with unlikable or obnoxious qualities and behavior, typically mean, self-centered, or disagreeable; an asshole.

(US, slang, derogatory) A stupid person; an idiot or fool.


jerk

en-verb

jerk (third-person singular simple present jerks, present participle jerking, simple past and past participle jerked)

jerks (present singular third-person)
jerking (participle present)
jerked (participle past)
jerked (past)
yark (alternative)

This is jerking’s 9/11

(Internet slang) To satirize behavior that is, to an extent, common in a community, especially in circlejerk subreddits.


bear

en-noun

bear (countable and uncountable, plural bears)

Belizean Creole: byaa

→ Hawaiian: pea

→ Irish: béar

→ Maori: pea

→ Niuean: pea

→ Tahitian: pea

→ Tokelauan: pea

→ Tyap: a̱bya

→ Wallisian: pea

→ Xhosa: ibhere

From Middle English bere, from Old English bera, from Proto-West Germanic *berō, from Proto-Germanic *berô (compare West Frisian bear, Dutch beer, German Bär, Danish bjørn).
etymology notes
This is generally taken to be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“shining, brown”) (compare Tocharian A parno, Tocharian B perne (“radiant, luminous”), Lithuanian bė́ras (“brown”)), related to brown, bruin, and beaver.
On this theory, the Germanic languages replaced the older name of the bear, *h₂ŕ̥tḱos, with the epithet "brown one", presumably due to taboo avoidance; compare Russian медве́дь (medvédʹ, “bear”, literally “honey-eater”).
However, Ringe (2006:106) doubts the existence of a root *bʰer- meaning "brown" ("an actual PIE word of [the requisite] shape and meaning is not recoverable") and suggests that a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwer- (“wild animal”) "should therefore perhaps be preferred", implying a Germanic merger of *ǵʰw and *gʷʰ (*gʷʰ may sometimes result in Germanic *b, perhaps e.g. in *bidjaną, but it also seems to have given the g in gun and the w in warm).

der

don't sell the skin till you have caught the bear

sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you

By the time we got into Tulsa Town
We had eighty-five trucks in all
But there's a roadblock up on the cloverleaf
And them bears was wall-to-wall.
Yeah, them smokies is thick as bugs on a bumper
They even had a bear in the air.
I says, "Callin' all trucks, this here's the Duck.
We about to go a-huntin' bear."

1975, “Convoy”, in C.W. McCall, Chip Davis (lyrics), Black Bear Road, performed by C. W. McCall:

'The bear's pulling somebody off there at 74,' reported someone else.

1976 June, CB Magazine, Oklahoma City: Communications Publication Corporation, June 40/3:

He was listening for reports of Kojaks with Kodaks, or bear sightings (cop alerts) at his front door (ahead of him), especially plain wrappers (unmarked police cars) parked at specific yardsticks (mile-markers) taking pictures […]

2015, Matt Cashion, Last Words of the Holy Ghost, page 85:

(CB radio, slang, US) A state policeman (short for Smokey Bear).

That window can be a bear to open.

"This was a real bear to refinish. You can't believe how hard it was right here to get a thousand years of crud out of this carving."

2014, Joe Buda, Pilgrims' Passage: Into a New Millennium; Rebuilding the Past:

(colloquial, US) Something difficult or tiresome; a burden or chore.