Barbara from Seattle, Washington, was surprised to hear a friend from Montana use the term jockey box to mean “glove compartment.” Heard in much of the Northwestern United States, jockey box is a relic of the days when the drivers of...
More book recommendations: For a smart, in-depth look at language change and usage controversies, Martha suggests Talk on the Wild Side: Why Language Can’t Be Tamed by Lane Greene. Grant says his 11-year-old son thoroughly enjoyed all of the...
chitting n.— «Then sprout the potatoes before you plant them. This time-honored process, known as “chitting,” gives them a head start and often increases your eventual yield.» —“How to Spur On Early Spuds” by...
firefly moment n.— «Guests of the Women’s Resource Center enjoyed Embracing Firefly Moments at the Plantation Golf and Country Club with author/speaker Barbara Braunstein. Barbara kept the attendees in stitches with humorous anecdotes and...
deguttling n.— «Video footage (which, for those in offices, could probably be viewed on a site called something like Shouldn’t-you-be-getting-on-with-your-work?dotcom) reveals Tevez rubbing the back of his neck as Terry walks away...
hand-over-hand n.— «He seemed to like doing that too, even though to get him to paste the words on oak tag, the teacher had to use a technique called “hand-over-hand,” which is just about as discouraging as it sounds...