Join two wayward radio hosts on A Way With Words, the call-in radio show about writing, speaking, slang, old sayings, and more.
Catchword for “alligator”
Catchword: alligator
Filed Under: , , , , ,
Part of Speech: n.
The part of speech reflects that used in the full entry, and not necessarily the part of speech as it is used in the quotation below.
Quotation: Summertime on Interstate 81 can be dangerous. It’s alligator season.…Those “gators” aren’t wayward reptiles searching for a cool mudhole, but trucker lingo for tires or retreads that have flown off trucks and cars and are strewn about the roads.
Article or Document Title:
“‘Gators’ Lurk On Interstate 81 They Look Like Huge Reptiles And Can ‘Bite’ Just As Hard”
Author:
Zeke Barlow
Article, Document, Publication, Web Site:
Roanoke Times & World News
Publishing Location:
Va.
Date of Publication:
July 3, 1999
Page Number:
A1
This cite belongs to a full entry for alligator.
Posted 28 Dec 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Leave a comment, which must be approved by the moderator before it will appear. Courtesy matters!

Keep in mind that we're interested in terms that are not well-covered in mainstream dictionaries, or not covered at all. A mass of unexamined Google hits counts for nothing, but an early use of the term you've found in a book or periodical is very useful. A term does not have to be new to be recorded here, it merely needs to be worthy of more attention.
Name (mandatory):

Email (mandatory):

Location (optional):

Your Web Site (optional):

Remember my personal information

Notify me, by email, of follow-up comments.

Recent Catchwords
nightstand Buddhist n. (5/9)
brown gas n. (5/9)
rewilding n. (5/9)
hardening off n. (5/9)
car-fu n. (5/9)
bump up suit n. (5/9)
cat-claw n. (5/8)
crabs in a bucket other. (5/8)
poofer n. (5/8)
peopletician n. (5/8)
sandbox sailor n. (5/7)
combat shower n. (5/7)
sushi index n. (5/7)
lake lettuce n. (5/7)
ghost in v. phr. (5/7)
head out v. phr. (5/7)
sang n. (5/7)
zebra striping n. (5/7)
filler n. (5/6)
winter soldier n. (5/6)
 More catchwords...
Sponsored links:
Car Reviews
Used Cars
Lexicographer's Rules
How to buy a dictionary (4/29)
Jinx and padiddle: games we play (4/16)
Saying it wrong on purpose (4/1)
Nicknames from the Underground: Busharraf, Chillary, and Killadelphia (3/19)
New slang unpacked (3/4)
UPDATED: Crosswords in Black and White (3/3)
Find me in American Way Magazine (3/3)
Recent catchwords: read-alike, violin hickey, throw a Porsche at someone, Q-tip cruise, 1-800 car (2/28)
The Tell-All of the Century: Snitching Slang (2/19)
Fog line, instant ancestor, trashout (2/12)
 More blog entries...
Find A Word  »
 A   B   C   D   E 
 F   G   H   I   J 
 K   L   M   N   O 
 P   Q   R   S   T 
 U   V   W   X   Y 
 Z   0-9 
Search
Search Site

Google Site Search
New Comments
Richard William Walker commented on cat-claw (5/10)
chris commented on bootleg (5/9)
Tama commented on jitterbug (5/9)
Grant Barrett commented on cat-claw (5/9)
Thomas commented on cat-claw (5/9)
Thomas commented on cat-claw (5/9)
Kimo lanikai commented on Hawaiian peace sign (5/8)
Julie Dobkin commented on who laid the rail (5/7)
Dale fawthrop commented on blute (5/6)
JoJo commented on bag nasty (5/6)
SCohen commented on throw (someone) under the bus (5/6)
Grant Barrett commented on throw (someone) under the bus (5/6)
Grant Barrett commented on strap (5/6)
SCohen commented on throw (someone) under the bus (5/6)
David Hutton commented on strap (5/6)
Subscribe to the RSS feed. • Subscribe to the mailing list. • Browse the archive. • Add to Technorati Favorites. • © 1999-2008 by Grant Barrett, Double-Tongued Dictionary, New York City.