track
v.— «The district police chief’s office, on the third floor of the police compound, is dimly lit; sandbags block the windows. Norris goes over the plan, telling Col. Anan, the chief, how many polling sites his police need to protect. In military parlance, the chief isn’t “tracking.” After about twenty minutes, the chief finally says he doesn’t have enough men to do the job.» —“Getting Out the Vote” by Michael Hastings Newsweek Oct. 13, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn’t about “suffering.” It’s from a Latin word that involves voting. Plus: military cadences often include...
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...