hood tax
n.—Gloss: a mugging or the things taken in a mugging. «Police say some criminals have taken to calling their robberies at gunpoint of people on Akron streets a “hood tax,” part of a growing number of robberies involving guns.…The victim, 28, told police he was walking to Family Video at about 10:30 p.m. when he was approached by the two, who pulled handguns and announced: “This is hood tax.” The victim said he understood “hood tax” to mean he should surrender his cash and valuables.» —“Street stickup gets 75 cents, cell phone—then victim shot” by Carl Chancellor Beacon Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) Nov. 8, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Ring-Tailed Tooter (episode #1563) 02/22/2021: National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a foreign... [more]
What the Blazes? (episode #1562) 02/08/2021: What kind of book do people ask for most often in prison? Romance novels? No. The Bible? No. The most requested books by far are... [more]
Mudlarking (episode #1561) 01/25/2021: Twice a day the River Thames recedes, revealing a muddy shoreline. Hobbyists known as mudlarks stroll the surface searching for objects that have found their... [more]
Snaggletooth (episode #1560) 01/11/2021: Many of us struggled with the Old English poem "Beowulf" in high school. But what if you could actually hear "Beowulf" in the English of... [more]
Like a Boiled Owl (episode #1559) 12/21/2020: What's it like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail all the way from Mexico to Canada? You'll end up with sore muscles and blisters, and... [more]
You must log in to post a comment.