rent-a-tute
n.— «The names the men and women are known by colloquially belie the true nature of the transaction, some research suggests: It’s sex for hire, where black men’s flesh is tied—at least temporarily—to white women’s pursestrings. The men go by many monikers. In Jamaica and other former British colonies, they’re called rent-a-gents, rent-a-Rastas, rent-a-tutes, the Foreign Service. In the Dominican Republic, they’re sanky pankys (a play on “hanky panky”).» —“Sex tourism in full boom” by Jeff Heinrich Ottawa Citizen (Ontario, Canada) Jan. 8, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won’t find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers in the book Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape. The book is an intriguing collection...
Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, not at all. The answer lies with politics and conquest rather than language itself. Plus: a new...