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Scotch Mist (phrase)
Ethnic and place names are often used as derisive adjectives.Ed Cray, "Ethnic and Place Names as Derisive Adjectives", ''Western Folklore'' 21:1:27–34 (January 1962), p. 27-34 Kenneth Porter, "Still More Ethnic and Place Names as Derisive Adjectives", ''Western Folklore'' 25:1:37–40 (January 1966) Most of these derisive adjectives reflect stereotypes about the ethnicity or the place. Most are pejorative and some are offensive. ;African dominoes:Dice. ;African golf:Craps. ;Arizona cloudburst:A sandstorm. ;Arizona paint job:An unpainted, weathered pine building. ;Arkansas asphalt:A road made of logs. ;Arkansas fire extinguisher:A chamberpot. ;Arkansas toothpick:A knife with an extra-legal blade. ;Aztec hop:Dysentary or diarrhea. ;Baltimore beef steak:Liver. ;Boston strawberries:Beans. ;Bronx cheer. ;California Bible:= California prayer book. ;California bank notes:Silver and hides used as money. ;California breakfast:A cigarette and an orange. ;California prayer book:A deck of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Folklore
''Western Folklore'' is a quarterly academic journal for the study of folklore published by the Western States Folklore Society (formerly the California Folklore Society). It was established in 1942 as the ''California Folklore Quarterly'' and obtained its current name in 1947. It is indexed in JSTOR. Abstracting and indexing The journal is abstracted and indexed in Historical Abstracts EBSCO Information Services, headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a private company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. EBSCO provides products and services to libraries of very many types around the ..., Humanities Index, Music Index, Prepublication Online Data System, and Arts and Humanities Search. External links * Publications established in 1942 Folklore journals Quarterly journals English-language journals 1942 establishments in California {{folklore-journal-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dutch Uncle
Dutch uncle is an informal term for a person who issues frank, harsh or severe comments and criticism to educate, encourage or admonish someone. Thus, a "Dutch uncle" is the reverse of what is normally thought of as avuncular or uncle-like (indulgent and permissive). Origins During the Anglo-Dutch Wars between England and the Netherlands in the 17th century, the English language gained an array of insults (including "Dutch uncle"), such as: These terms also gained prominence in 17th-century New England during its rivalry with New Netherland, which the Dutch captured (and later recaptured) during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. These colorful (though now incongruous) phrases became part of English usage worldwide, and some are still in use today. Alternative explanations Another proposed explanation is that the term, often expressed as "talk to one like a Dutch uncle," originated in the early 19th century as an allusion to the sternness and sobriety attributed to the Dutch peop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philadelphia Lawyer
Philadelphia Lawyer is a term to describe a lawyer who knows the most detailed and minute points of law or is an exceptionally competent lawyer. Its first known usage dates back to 1788. Philadelphia-based Colonial American lawyer Andrew Hamilton, a lawyer best known for his legal victory on behalf of printer and newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger, is believed to have inspired the "Philadelphia lawyer" term. This 1735 decision helped to establish that truth is a defense to an accusation of libel. See also * Philadelphia (film) ''Philadelphia'' is a 1993 American legal drama film written by Ron Nyswaner, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Filmed and set in its namesake city, it tells the story of gay man Andrew Beckett (Hanks) who ..., a legal drama References Informal legal terminology Culture of Philadelphia {{US-law-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apple Butter
Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives apple butter a much longer shelf life as a preserve than apple sauce. Background The roots of apple butter lie in Limburg (Belgium and the Netherlands) and Rhineland (Germany), conceived during the Middle Ages, when the first monasteries (with large orchards) appeared. The production of the butter was a perfect way to conserve part of the fruit production of the monasteries in that region, at a time when almost every village had its own apple-butter producers. The production of apple butter was also a popular way of using apples in colonial America, well into the 19th century. The product contains no actual dairy butter; the term ''butter'' refers only to the butter-like thick, soft consistency, and apple butter's use as a spread for bre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Police Lineup
A police lineup (in American English) or identity parade (in British English) is a process by which a crime victim or witness's putative identification of a suspect is confirmed to a level that can count as evidence at trial. The suspect, along with several "fillers" or "foils"—people of similar height, build, and complexion who may be prisoners, actors, police officers, or volunteers—stand side-by-side, both facing and in profile. There is crucial information that should be conveyed to the eyewitness prior to viewing the lineup. It is necessary to inform the eyewitness that it is possible the perpetrator is not present in the lineup. The eyewitness should also be told that they do not have to choose one of the people from the lineup. Including these details has shown to result in fewer misidentifications. The lineup sometimes takes place in a room for the purpose, one which may feature a one-way mirror to allow a witness to remain anonymous, and may include markings on the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Gods (theatrical)
The gods (UK English), or sometimes paradise, is a theatrical term, referring to the highest areas of a theatre such as the upper balconies. These are generally the cheapest seats. One reason for naming the cheapest seats "the gods" is because the theatres have beautifully painted ceilings, often mythological themes, so the cheap seats are up near the gods. Another is that those seated in "the gods" look down upon both the performers and the occupants of more expensive seats, like the Olympian Gods looking down from Mount Olympus upon the lives of mortal people. There are references to the "gods" in many plays and films. Among them is the famous French film, '' Les Enfants du Paradis'' (or ''Children of Paradise'' in its US release), which is described as "set in the teeming theatre district of 1840s Paris (the " boulevard du crime"), the paradise of the film's title is a reference to "the gods", the highest, cheapest seats in the theatre, occupied by the poorest of the poor. As ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moonshine
Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial distilleries have begun producing their own novelty versions of moonshine, including many flavored varieties. Terminology Different languages and countries have their own terms for moonshine (see ''Moonshine by country''). In English, moonshine is also known as ''mountain dew'', ''choop'', ''hooch'' (abbreviation of ''hoochinoo'', name of a specific liquor, from Tlingit), ''homebrew'', ''mulekick'', ''shine'', ''white lightning'', ''white/corn liquor'', ''white/corn whiskey'', ''pass around'', ''firewater, bootleg''. Fractional crystallization The ethanol may be concentrated in fermented beverages by means of freezing. For example, the name ''applejack'' derives from the traditional method of producing the drink, ''jacking'', the proces ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beer Belly
Abdominal obesity, also known as central obesity and truncal obesity, is a condition when excessive visceral fat around the stomach and abdomen has built up to the extent that it is likely to have a negative impact on health. Abdominal obesity has been strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other metabolic and vascular diseases. Visceral and central abdominal fat and waist circumference show a strong association with type 2 diabetes. Visceral fat, also known as organ fat or ''intra-abdominal fat'', is located inside the peritoneal cavity, packed in between internal organs and torso, as opposed to subcutaneous fat, which is found underneath the skin, and intramuscular fat, which is found interspersed in skeletal muscle. Visceral fat is composed of several adipose depots including mesenteric, epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT), and perirenal fat. An excess of adipose visceral fat is known as central obesity, the "pot belly" or "b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Venetian Blind
A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard material, including wood, plastic or metal which are held together by cords that run through the blind slats. Vertical blinds run along a track system which can tilt open and closed and move side-to-side. Window blinds can be manoeuvred with either a manual or remote control by rotating them from an open position, with slats spaced out, to a closed position where slats overlap and block out most of the light. There are also several types of window coverings, called shades, that use a single piece of soft material instead of slats. The term window blinds can also be used to describe window coverings more broadly. In this context window blinds include almost every type of window covering, whether it is a hard or soft material; i.e. shutters, rol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jockstrap
A jockstrap, also a jock (male), jill (female), strap, cup, groin guard, pelvic protector (female), supporter, or athletic supporter, is an undergarment for protecting the testes and penis or vulva during contact sports or other vigorous physical activity. This article deals chiefly with the genital protective sports gear designed for the male body, colloquially known as a "jock". A jockstrap (males) consists of a waistband (usually elastic) with a support pouch for the genitalia and two elastic straps affixed to the base of the pouch and to the left and right sides of the waistband at the hip. The pouch, in some varieties, may be fitted with a pocket to hold an abdominal guard (impact resistant cup, box) to protect the testicles and the Human penis, penis from injury. The #Jockstraps for females, jillstrap ( a "jill") is the female equivalent of the jockstrap, but is designed to protect the vulva from getting struck. Etymology The word ''jockstrap'' has purportedly bee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mexican Standoff
A Mexican standoff is a confrontation in which no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory. Any party initiating aggression might trigger its own demise. At the same time, the parties are unable to extricate themselves from the situation without suffering a loss. As a result, all participants need to maintain the strategic tension, which remains unresolved until some outside event or interparty dialogue makes it possible to resolve it. The term ''Mexican standoff'' was originally used in the context of using firearms and it still commonly implies a situation in which the parties face some form of threat from the other parties. The Mexican standoff is a recurring trope in cinema, in which several armed characters hold each other at gunpoint. Etymology Sources claim the reference is to the Mexican–American War or post-war Mexican bandits in the 19th century. The earliest use of the phrase in print was on 19 March 1876, in a short story about Mexico. An American ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scalping
Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cultural practice of the taking and display of human body parts as trophies, and may have developed as an alternative to the taking of human heads, for scalps were easier to take, transport, and preserve for subsequent display. Scalping independently developed in various cultures in both the Old and New Worlds. Europe Several human remains from the stone-age Ertebølle culture in Denmark show evidence of scalping. A man found in a grave in the Alvastra pile-dwelling in Sweden had been scalped approximately 5,000 years ago. Georg Frederici noted that “Herodotus provided the only clear and satisfactory portrayal of a scalping people in the old world” in his description of the Scythians, a nomadic people then located to the north and west of the Black Sea. Herod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
