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)
Deviled Eggs (episode #1554) 09/14/2020:
Some TV commercials launch catchphrases that stick around long after the original ads. The exclamation Good stuff, Maynard! is still a compliment almost 40 years... [more]
Play It by Ear (episode #1553) 08/31/2020: How does social context shape our perception of language? When hiking the Appalachian Trail, a young woman from Wyoming found that fellow hikers assumed she... [more]
Moon Palace (episode #1552) 08/17/2020: What happens in a classroom of refugee and immigrant youngsters learning English? Their fresh approach to language can result in remarkable poetry — some of... [more]
Online Event August 27, 2020: Lemonade, Anyone? 08/04/2020: ... [more]
Cherry Bombs (episode #1551) 07/27/2020: An ornithologist says there's a growing movement to change the name of a pink-footed bird currently called the flesh-footed shearwater. The movement reflects a growing... [more]
You must log in to post a comment.