swiper
n.— «Some venues have even resorted to installing ID card machines, known to security as “swipers.” “The first thing we do is swipe the card, and it shows exactly what the card should say on the screen,” says Mario, bouncer at a popular destination in the club district of Richmond St. West.» —“Do you know who your kids are tonight?” by Casey Fernandez-Irwin Town Crier (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Apr. 9, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Episode Archives
Hair on Your Tongue (episode #1517) 02/11/2019: If you speak both German and Spanish, you may find yourself reaching for a German word instead of a Spanish one, and vice versa. This... [more]
Train of Thought (episode #1516) 02/04/2019: Chances are you recognize the expressions Judgment Day and root of all evil as phrases from the Bible. There are many others, such as the... [more]
Colonial English (episode #1515) 01/28/2019: The anatomy of effective prose, and the poetry of anatomy. Ever wonder what it'd be like to audit a class taught by a famous writer?... [more]
Space Cadet (episode #1514) 12/24/2018: We have books for language-lovers and recommendations for history buffs. • How did the word boondoggle come to denote a wasteful project? The answer involves... [more]
Howling Fantods (episode #1513) 12/17/2018: Are there words and phrases that you misunderstood for an embarrassingly long time? Maybe you thought that money laundering literally meant washing drug-laced dollar bills,... [more]
You must log in to post a comment.