| Word | Description |
When found |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
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in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask or small barrel) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn.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. |
06/06/2009 |
| off your rocker |
off (one’s) rocker Slang. 1. Out of one’s mind; crazy. |
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. |
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.” |
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 |
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 |
01/07/2009 |
| from whole cloth |
“something that is wholly fabricated or a complete lie” |
11/05/2008 |
| twofer |
Alteration of two for (the price of one). |
11/03/2008 |
| sucrets |
anti-cough sweet |
11/02/2008 |
| malarkey |
insincere or foolish talk; nonsense |
10/24/2008 |
| tomfooling |
tomfool (noun): very stupid person |
07/30/2008 |
| whippersnapper |
an unimportant but offensively presumptuous person, esp. a young one. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/whippersnapper) |
07/18/2008 |
| La-Z-Boy Chair |
A relaxed chair. http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventions/a/lazy_boy.htm |
07/15/2008 |
| Jake brake |
“While the term Jake Brake technically only describes Jake Brake brand engine brakes, it has become a genericized trademark and is often used to refer to engine brakes or compression release engine brakes in general, especially on large vehicles or heavy equipment.” Compression release engine brakes may make a loud chattering or machine gun noise while being used, which has led many communities to ban them. There are signs on the side of some freeway offramps, or at municipal boundaries, that will say “No jake braking”, “Engine brakes restricted”, etc. These signs are referring to compression release engine brakes. |
07/12/2008 |
| ennui |
listlessness, boredom. |
07/07/2008 |
| blotter | Blotter can also refer to an official summary, usually covering a short duration, such as a police blotter, or the trade confirmation summary of a financial institution. The term is frequently used in financial institution software terms to represent a list of current trades in a spreadsheet-like interface whose status is updated in real-time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blotter | 06/30/2008 |
I’m a software engineering manager in Arlington, Virginia. I love technology and working with people to build great software.
Send me a message, find me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
I was quoted in The Economist and my site was posted on Slashdot. I speak English and Dutch fluently, and pretty decent German, French and Bulgarian. I founded Dutch in America.com which has more than 3,300 Facebook fans.