A restaurant manager in Kokomo, Indiana, had an employee who failed to show up for work. This left him wondering about the phrase left in the lurch. It probably derives from an old game similar to backgammon called lourche, the object of which is to...
In Leonardo da Vinci, biographer Walter Isaacson notes that da Vinci was fond of riddles, including this one: Winged creatures will support people with their feathers. This is part of a complete episode.
Noah in Burlington, Vermont, wonders about the catchphrase I’m too cringe for New York, too based for LA. As explained at Know Your Meme, the slang term based is now a positive term popularized by the rapper Lil B, referring to one’s...
rap v.—Gloss: short for “rappel.” «He kept falling, flailing and failing to make the moves, eventually just hanging on the rope and begging me to lower him down to the last ledge. He was out of steam; we rapped back to the...
rapso n.— «Anchor Marco Werman profiles a musical trio from Trinidad called 3canal. The band specializes in a musical blend of soca, rap and soul, known in Trinidad as “rapso.”» —“Global Hit (5:30)” The...
guap n.— «Late last night I was watching some rap star or hip hop mogul on Carson Daly, and Carson asked him about “new cool urban” words. The guy told him that the new word for “Money” is “Guac” as in short for Guacamole. Some people...
