English words

In 2004 I moved from the Netherlands to the United States, and it’s been great to experience a new culture from up close. I like to keep track of new English words and expressions that I learn over time. Some of these words were completely new to me and for others I wasn’t very sure about their precise meaning.

Word	Description	When found
As easy as falling off a log	as easy as pie / a piece of cake, no sweat http://www.omniglot.com/language/idioms/easy.php	05/03/2010
spring chicken	new kid on the block	03/25/2010
doing donuts	car on ice	02/02/2010
drive shaft	A drive shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement between them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive_shaft	01/28/2010
desiccated	To dry (for example coconut)	08/24/2009
samovar	A samovar (Russian: самовар, pronounced [səmɐˈvar] ( listen); literally “self-boiler”) is a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samovar	07/28/2009
jalopy	Jalopy is an old, decrepit, unreliable and often nonfunctional car which has limited mechanical abilities and is often in an unmaintained and often in a rusty or dented shape. A jalopy is not a well kept antique car, but a car which is mostly rundown or beaten up.	07/25/2009
sod		07/06/2009
pinch an inch	Indicates whether or not a person has a lot of body fat. http://www.weight-loss-i.com/weight-control/body-fat-test-pinch-inch.htm	07/02/2009
thresher	A thresher, or threshing machine, is an antique machine that was used to thresh grain. Modern day variant: combine. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threshing_machine	06/28/2009
smock	Shirt or under dress.	06/28/2009
scuttlebutt	Scuttlebutt means water fountain or, in Navy slang, a rumour or gossip. The term is identical to the iconic colloquial concept of a water cooler in an office setting, that at regular times becomes the locus of congregation and casual discussion. Water for immediate consumption on a sailing ship was conventionally stored in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask or small barrel) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became Navy slang for gossip or rumors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuttlebutt	06/06/2009
off your rocker	off (one’s) rocker Slang. 1. Out of one’s mind; crazy. http://www.answers.com/topic/rocker	06/02/2009
glee club	A glee club is a choir, historically of men but also of just women or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in singing short songs.	05/14/2009
copasetic	Copasetic, also spelled copacetic, copesetic or - less commonly - kopasetic, means very satisfactory or acceptable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copasetic	04/23/2009
to throw me for a loop	to upset someone unexpectedly and severely “Seeing an accident on the road always throws me for a loop.” http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/throw+for+a+loop	03/17/2009
jump the shark	Jumping the shark is a colloquialism coined by Jon Hein and used by TV critics and fans to denote that point in a TV show or movie series’ history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations, particularly for a show with falling ratings apparently becoming more desperate to draw viewers in. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have “jumped the shark” are typically deemed to have passed their peak.	03/13/2009
Warble fly	Warble fly is a name given to the genus Hypoderma, large flies which are parasitic on cattle and deer.	03/06/2009
feeling cooped up	cooped up: confined http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/cooped%20up	02/15/2009
tiger cruise	“a “TIGER CRUISE” is a chance for relatives of the sailors to experience what living & working on a functional naval vessel is like. The navy will set you up with your own berth with the other sailors,(& fellow Tiger cruisers) feed you, & from what we are hearing put on an “airshow”. You’ll see all aircraft take off & get arrested, as well as a series of high speed flybys.” http://forums.signonsandiego.com/archive/index.php/t-6375.html	01/25/2009
to talk turkey	http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-tal1.htm “nowadays it usually refers to speaking frankly, discussing hard facts, or getting down to serious business”	01/20/2009
Bolster	a long narrow pillow or cushion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolster	01/07/2009
from whole cloth	“something that is wholly fabricated or a complete lie” http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-who1.htm	11/05/2008
twofer	Alteration of two for (the price of one). http://www.thefreedictionary.com/twofer	11/03/2008
sucrets	anti-cough sweet	11/02/2008