Public radio listeners love language! Get A Way With Words, the call-in radio show about words, language, and how we use them.
LATEST CATCHWORDS
tabletop exercise
Emergency services, voluntary agencies, utility companies, health authorities, the Environment Agency and the RAF simulated what they would do to help the area recover in the event of a major flood. Exercise Brighid, as it was called, was a “tabletop exercise” based on the scenario of a coastal flood affecting the Taw/Torridge estuary and it focused on Barnstaple and Bideford.
Filed under: / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
fallen angel
This bias will show through in our holdings of both traditional growth companies as well as what we refer to as “fallen angels”—growth companies that have had a temporary setback and are consequently trading at very appealing valuations relative to their future growth potential.
Filed under: , , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
sticky bomb
The devices are called “sticky bombs,“ which are attached to parked or even temporarily stopped vehicles using magnets.
Filed under: , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
may state
Applicants also must meet state and federal requirements for possessing firearms—they cannot be under indictment or convicted of a felony, have a mental health history, be convicted of domestic violence, among others. Iowa is what is known as a “may” state, which means the issuing agency—in this case, the county sheriff—has full discretion on who gets a permit. Some people are pushing for Iowa to become a “shall” state, which means applicants who meet set criteria would have to be issued a permit, removing the discretion of the sheriffs.
Filed under: , , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
Katrina cottage
Earlier this year, the group’s board of directors decided to build what are commonly called “Katrina Cottages” to house the visiting artists. The small wooden homes were originally designed to be alternatives to the trailers provided by the federal government in the wake of massive Hurricane Katrina, which pounded the Gulf Coast in August 2005. The design has since become popular for vacation homes and as affordable housing in some parts of the country.
Filed under: , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
autastic
Autastic…It is a mix of autistic and fantastic…Evan and I have come to the agreement that we are a little of both.
Filed under: , , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
Twi-hard
The most recent “Twilight” book sold an astonishing 1.3 million copies in the first 24 hours, and fans—also known as “Twi-hards”—stay up all night to attend the books” midnight release parties at bookstores across the U.S.
Filed under: , , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
screw up move up
The practice called “screw up move up” takes place by utilizing sexual favors with fellow employees to work up the chain of command, and also by violating policies and laws, an employee can screw up, not be charged or fired, and move up the chain of command at a later time.
Filed under: , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
crop
A “crop” is the term for a get-together of scrapbookers, similar to the term “bee” for a group of quilters.
Filed under: , , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
cutaway
According to a spokeswoman for the Marina Airport-based Skydive Monterey Bay, reports of a fallen skydiver this afternoon were triggered by the freefall of some equipment. The equipment, involved in a procedure known as a “cutaway,“ is usually held by the skydiver from leap to landing, but in this case was dropped before one of the afternoon skydivers reached ground.
Filed under: , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
hanger appeal
Asos is also not affected by what is known as “hanger appeal,“ the need for garments to look good on a rail so that customers will pick them up in the first place.
Filed under: , / Posted Nov-20 / comments? / more details…
foiler
Note that Blair won’t be an only child for long if Cyrus does marry Eleanor. His son Aaron (the artist now dating Serena) would become Blair’s step-brother, just like in the books. Oh, and just a warning to anyone searching for “Gossip Girls” spoilers—Josh wants you all to know that he sometimes puts out fake information to throw everyone off the scent! They are called “Foilers.”
Filed under: , , / Posted Nov-19 / comments? / more details…
Romanette A thorough discussion of this word can be found at the Volokh Conspiracy blog.
One bright spot in the colloquy came during Assistant to the Solicitor General Nicole Saharsky’s defense of an expansive view of the law. In discussing the statute at issue, 18 U.S.C. 922 (a)(33)(A)(i) and (ii), justices had been referring, awkwardly, to sections “little eye” and “little eye eye.“ But Saharsky had a far better way. She called them “Romanette one and two,“ using an obscure but self-explaining and almost whimsical term for a lower-case Roman numeral. “Romanette?“ asked Chief Justice John Roberts quizzically. “Oh, little Roman numeral,“ Saharsky replied offhandedly. No biggie. “I’ve never heard that before!“ said Roberts. “That’s… Romanette.“
Filed under: , / Posted Nov-19 / comments? / more details…
labette
The center is envisioned as a “labette,” a little laboratory, that will examine whether the old way of telling stories—particularly those delivered to the millions on screen, with a beginning, a middle and an end—is in serious trouble.
Filed under: / Posted Nov-18 / comments? / more details…

MORE CATCHWORDS...

New Catchwords
scope dope n. (11/18)
platespeak n. (11/18)
triggerfish n. (11/18)
belay slave n. (11/16)
blend wall n. (11/16)
bliss point n. (11/16)
shall state n. (11/16)
shralping n. (11/15)
keister v. (11/15)
Xoogler n. (11/13)
door-stepper n. (11/13)
porn slapper n. (11/13)
wedgebuster n. (11/13)
sharp adj. (11/11)
rap v. (11/11)
midnight drop n. (11/11)
sanctuary cell n. (11/11)
flying winemaker n. (11/11)
connectome n. (11/11)
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