In Korea, fairy tales often begin with the saying In the old days, when tigers used to smoke. Turkish children often hear an opening like this one: Once there was, once there was not, when camels were town criers and fleas were barbers, when I...
If you catch your blue jeans on a nail, you may find yourself with a winklehawk. This term, adapted into English from Dutch, means “an L-shaped tear in a piece of fabric.” And: What’s your relationship with the books on your...
In English, fairy tales often begin with the phrase “once upon a time.” In contrast, Korean folktales often begin with “In the old days, when tigers used to smoke,” or similar phrases, such as “In the old, old days when...
It’s a common superstition: do not split a pole. That is, if two people are walking down the street, they shouldn’t each walk around a different side of a lamppost, telephone pole, or mailbox. But if they do, there’s a remedy: just...
punt ugly n.— «In LSU football parlance, the formation with three upbacks between punter and deep snapper is called the shield formation. Tigers fans call it “punt ugly,” a name that Jasper takes some offense to.» —“Jasper battle for...
bonus baby n.— «Al, who signed with the Tigers in 1953, was what was then known in baseball as a “bonus baby.” As a result, he came straight to the big leagues out of high school when he was 18.» —“Big day for...