People who hunt treasure with metal detectors have a lingo all their own. Canslaw means the shreds of aluminum cans left after a lawnmower ran over them. And gold dance? That’s the happy jig you do if you find something far more valuable than...
Linda from Wichita, Kansas, thinks we need a word for that closed-mouth little smile we give to strangers on the street — not a friendly Duchenne smile, just a polite acknowledgment of the other person’s existence. She suggests the word smurm...
Duchenne smile n.— «He knows the difference between Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles: one crinkles the orbicularis oculi muscles and the other does not. One is genuine and shows in the eyes; the other mostly involves the mouth and looks...
happy-clappy adj.— «There again, his departure may not have been quite so abrupt as it at first appears. Of the eight top executives—nine if you include Mickey Mouse—photographed in the company’s happy-clappy annual report, he’s the only...
nerdgasm n.— «When nerds partake in one of these activities, they may have what is commonly referred to as a “nerdgasm.” Contrary to what the name implies, nerdgasms rarely involve the expulsion of bodily fluids. They usually...
shoobie n.— «“They get offended when we say, “Shoobie, go home.” Besides, it’s bad for business. I just smile and wave and say, “Ya’ll come back now.’”…Shoobie is a name Long Beach Island residents attach to...