Welcome to another newsletter from "A Way with Words"! In our latest episode, we talked about bird names, "like a duck on a June bug," overuse of the word "like," the expression of disbelief "Good night, nurse...
Chicken bog isn’t a bird name, nor is it a place. It’s a dish of rice, chicken, country sausage, and lots of black pepper, found primarily in the Southeast. It sometimes goes by the name chicken perlow or pillow or pilau. A South...
wrinkling n.— Note: “Wrinkle,” spelled with an R, is a regional name for the periwinkle. «Jobs like “wrinkling”—the local term for heading out into the intertidal zone at low tide and gathering periwinkles for sale...
BARF n.— «Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst didn’t name his raw diet after puppy puke. The name “BARF,” which stands for “bones and raw foods,” was coined on the Wellpet e-mail list, where Billinghurst’s...
absentee lobbying n.— «Dustin McDaniel’s bid to ban “absentee lobbying” raises a question: How often do lobbyists pay for lawmakers” food and drinks without attending the event? Many lawmakers and lobbyists say they’re...
slow gardening n.— «The mix of shrubs and flowers Mr. Rushing planted instead of a traditional lawn is an example of his “Slow Gardening” approach. The term takes its name and inspiration from the Slow Food movement, whose adherents...