scrap
n.— «Three Norteños riding in the car—including a 16-year-old Tracy boy—were convicted in connection with the crime. Transcripts suggest it was Ramos’ shirt that drew their attention. “Is that guy a scrap?” one of them asked, using the derogatory term for a Sureño.» —“Thug life” by Alex Breitler Record (Stockton, California) Apr. 22, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A magnificent new book celebrates the richness and diversity of 450 years of written and spoken English in what is now the United States. It’s called The People’s Tongue, and it’s a sumptuous collection of essays, letters, poems...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski is puzzling over demonyms, those names people who reside in a particular area. For example, someone who lives in Brooklyn, New York, is a Brooklynite. People who live in Boston, Massachusetts, are called Bostonians, but what...