Stephen Girard job n.— «That drawhead on which we had been working was tried and found to be short. We have to do all the work over again. A Stephen Girard job like that makes me lose heart.» —by Rexford B. Hersey Workers’...
bun-head n.— «I began my career as a ballet dancer, a little “bun-head,” as we were called.» —“Carole Shelley plumbs the heart of a Jewish mother” by Hedy Weiss Chicago Sun-Times Mar. 6, 1988...
John Henry syndrome n.— «Cardiologists have coined the term “John Henry syndrome” to describe black men’s propensity for hypertension and heart attack.» —“Steel Drivin’ Man: An Excerpt” OUPblog (New York...
alligator arm n.pl.— «Still, John Lewis wishes he had a quarter for every alligator-arm quip he’s heard. “People always say if my arms were longer, I might reach more balls, but I try not to take it personally,” he said...
coup de glotte n.— «Actually, Mr. Johnson explained, the trick at the heart of ventriloquism isn’t “throwing” the voice but “treating” it. Thanks to a throat-muscle manipulation that opera singers call a coup de glotte, the amplitude of...
shotgun hunt v.— «The shotgun hunt will be a quick series of test one at a time to check for tuberculosis, diabetes, anemia, and some kinds of cancer and heart diseases, syphilis, and other diseases.» —“Shotgun Medical Test Is Next...