Chock-a-block means crammed full, filled to capacity with people or things. The term chock-a-block started out as a nautical term. Chock-a-block describes a block and tackle pulley system on a ship when it is raised to its fullest extent, there is no more rope free and the blocks are tightly …
A dewclaw is a vestigial toe that grows on dogs as well as certain other mammals, reptiles and birds. A dewclaw is non-functional, though there is some research that suggests that dewclaws help with traction when gripping something or running. A dewclaw is high on the leg and doesn’t normally …
Excelsior means higher, better, superior. Excelsior is derived from the Latin word excelsus, meaning high, elevated, lofty. Excelsior is often used as a name for products to indicate high quality. Excelsior is also used as an exclamation, exhorting movement onward and upward, particularly popularized by the comic book author/artist Stan …
Scuba is an aqualung, an apparatus containing compressed air that allows a diver to breathe underwater. Scuba may be used as a noun or an adjective. The first underwater oxygen rebreather produced in quantity was the Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus, invented by Sir Robert Davis in 1910. Scuba is a …
To this day, I still laugh at my husband’s face when I first bought a skort and wore it. I could see the confusion as I showed him how it worked and explained what it was. I still don’t think he believes it’s a real word. But I assure you, …
A bivouac is a temporary camp, usually a camp without tents or other shelter, which is intended for very short-term use. Bivouacs are often pitched by soldiers or mountaineers. Bivouac may also be used as a verb to mean pitching a temporary encampment without tents or other shelter. Related words …
Pleather is artificial leather made from polyvinyl chloride. The word pleather is a portmanteau of the words plastic and leather. Pleather was coined in the late 1980s or early 1990s, it is a generic term for imitation leather. Naugahyde is the proprietary name of an artificial leather, it was developed …
An antimacassar is a piece of cloth or a doily attached to the back of a sofa or armchair, and on the arms of a sofa or armchair, to protect the upholstery from dirt and grease. The word antimacassar was coined in 1852, from the prefix anti– and the name …
Tinseltown is a slang term for Hollywood, California, the capital of the American film industry. Tinsel is a shiny material usually used in Christmas decorations, it is gaudy but has no real substance. Hollywood is often depicted as a place that is beautiful on the surface, but underneath, is a …