When you hear the F-word in a modern Hollywood movie about life in an earlier century, you may wonder if this expletive is an anachronism. Is the F-word of recent vintage, or did Hollywood actually get right this time? Grant recommends a book on the...
drunk bus n.— «As a staggering girl’s stiletto heel punctures your ankle and the guy next to you throws up all over himself, the humid air becomes filled with an earsplitting, slurred version of the JMU Fight Song. Welcome to the Night...
hog-house amendment attrib.— «The use of so-called hog-house amendments takes away the public’s right to comment on legislation because a bill can be rewritten to address a new subject after public hearings have already been held on the...
bag night n.— «Perhaps “bag nights” could use further clarification, since it’s a backpacker’s term that, even then, is subject to personal preferences. Henceforth (how’s that for sounding official?), here are my...
mongo n.— «Nagle’s interests lie more with the trash collectors than with the trash, although the two intersect on the subject of “mongo”—sanitation lingo for “redeemed garbage” or the act of collecting it.…“Within the department...
half-pregnant adj.— «The resolution on North Korea belongs to a new set of UN decisions that diplomats refer to as “half-pregnant.” These, though impressive on paper, are subject to “ifs and buts” that render them...
