historical Archives – Page 3 of 6

Baltimore wrench

Posted by Grant Barrett on December 8, 2005 · 1 Comment

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dance of the lemons

Posted by Grant Barrett on October 7, 2005 · 1 Comment

dance of the lemons n. the repeated reassignment of bad teachers to different classes or schools. Also turkey trot. Editorial Note: Lemon, meaning “a person who is disappointing, foolish, untrustworthy, inept, or the like” (1997, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, vol. 2) dates to at least as early as 1906. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
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dica

Posted by Grant Barrett on September 14, 2005 · Add Comment

dica n.— «Cell phones with digital cameras a also known as dica a are Korea’s top-selling consumer electronics product.» —“Top most popular items for 2003—phone cameras to historical fiction” by Chun Su-jin Joins.com Dec. 31, 2003. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
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spawn

Posted by Grant Barrett on August 2, 2005 · Add Comment

spawn n.— «Attempts to place Liverpool’s success in some manner of historical context of luck—or “spawn,” to use the vernacular—have been laughable.…There’s two ways of rebutting the appearance of season-wide spawniness.» —“The Near Side—Am I Feeling Lucky?” by Deiseach Shankly Gates (U.K.) July 30, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
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Canada point

Posted by Grant Barrett on July 1, 2005 · Add Comment

Canada point n. a place away from a city’s center where newspapers are distributed to newsboys and news agents. Editorial Note: Now historical. This term appears to have been used only in Boston and New York City. Etymological Note: Probably by comparison of the remote locations of such centers of distribution to the vast expanses [...]
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pissdale

Posted by Grant Barrett on May 24, 2005 · Add Comment

pissdale n. on a ship, a scupper for urination; a urinal. Now historical. Etymological Note: The etymological information given in the cite from The Sailor’s Hornbook is likely correct. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
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