Is or was the word "shonky" antisemitic? [more inside]
posted on Jul 15, 2008 - 13 answers 
To bonzer or not to bonzer, that is the question for our Aussie MeFites. [more inside]
posted on May 13, 2008 - 31 answers
Can anyone tell me the etymology of the term "lunch out," meaning 'to freak out'? [more inside]
posted on Jan 9, 2008 - 8 answers
Contemporary pop culture term equivalent, in both meaning and ridiculousness, to "getting jiggy wit it"? [more inside]
posted on Aug 13, 2007 - 18 answers
The abbreviation "yr" as a substitute for "your": is this a feminist thing? Where did it come from? [more inside]
posted on Jul 23, 2007 - 52 answers
So, how does the Italian phrase "Si fa'icche si vole" translate into English..? [more inside]
posted on Jul 5, 2007 - 7 answers
What term was used to describe a person with a photographic memory prior photography? [more inside]
posted on May 20, 2007 - 18 answers
Why do some people say "anyways"? I notice Mayor Bloomberg always says it. He may be the mayor of NYC and a billionaire media mogul, but he sounds like he never opened a book in his life. I know he's from Boston, but I don't believe this is a regional thing.
posted on Feb 9, 2007 - 32 answers
I think telling women to "get some balls" is offensive. Am I too sensitive? [more inside]
posted on Jan 21, 2007 - 116 answers
Here in the far-flung reaches of the English-speaking world, we're constantly being told our local language is being taken over by "American Slang". But does it go the other way? Are there any British / Australian / New Zealand or wherever phrases and words that have become commonly used by people in North America recently? Do Brooklynites ever exclaim "Crikey!" or "Bloody Hell!"?
posted on Oct 27, 2006 - 50 answers
Explain to me the popularity of "moonbat." [more inside]
posted on May 24, 2006 - 20 answers
I've noticed when reading European books translated into English, the turn of phrase "Do sex" or "sex each other" etc. Is this an accurate translation, or is it a watered down translation for the tradionial f-word in American English? British books sometimes feature it as well. Are both phrases used in Europe? Is there a difference in meaning?
posted on Feb 16, 2006 - 19 answers
My grandfather was from the Deep South, and his speech was very colorful. He used the word "epizootics" to describe any kind of flu-like illness. I realize this is a real word, used to describe epidemics in the animal world. But he pronounced it differently, "eppa-zoo-tiks." Or sometimes he said "eppa-zoo-ti-kus." Has anyone else heard this before? Would this be considered slang, or an idiom, etc? [more inside]
posted on Jan 12, 2006 - 12 answers
What's the etymology of "gully" (as in "street", "badass")? Thanks.
posted on Dec 4, 2005 - 11 answers
Is "Starlight" some form of British slang for "Medic"? [more inside]
posted on Nov 29, 2005 - 15 answers
My friend DJ just got a snowboard with a pretty girl painted on it, and she's named it "Betty" after the surfer slang for a good-looking woman. What's the equivalent to "Betty" in surfer lingo to describe a good-looking man?
posted on Nov 7, 2005 - 16 answers
Is there a good online dictionary of idioms and phrases? I know there are online thesauri, but they don't have the colorful expressions from the original Roget's I.
posted on Dec 16, 2004 - 6 answers
LanguageFilter: Any Arabic speakers here? I'm trying to decipher an Arabic phrase: "Baashake ya halo." I might have spelled it wrong, but I know it's not a common Arabic phrase so much as it is slang. Any ideas?
posted on Dec 12, 2004 - 9 answers
I'm listening to some Public Enemy MP3s and it has ocurred to me that I don't know, nor have I ever known, what "cold lampin'" means or refers to. Anyone?
posted on Jul 15, 2004 - 12 answers
Could someone please explain what the phrase "bleeding deacons" means ?
posted on Apr 14, 2004 - 13 answers
anyone speak polish? my grandmother used to have a word (most likely not a nice one) for what my irish grandfather referred to as "chippies"--young women, tight pants, high heels, bright lipstick. not *bad* girls, per se, but not nice ones either. i'm thinking it might have been "cichodjka" (more or less pronounced: tsyhodyeh'kah) but my aunt says no, that doesn't sound right to her.
posted on Jan 20, 2004 - 7 answers
