Try Wordnik, the new dictionary with more than 1.7 million words. Examples, pronunciations, and more!
Catchword for “water buffalo”
Catchword: water buffalo
Filed under: ,
Part of speechn.
Quotation: Other times foundations fracture and wells crack, the water draining away. “Water buffalo”—the local term for replacement water tanks wrapped in white insulation—graze in backyards and side lots.
Article or document title:
“In The Black” (URL)
Author:
Jane M. Von Bergen
Article, document, publication, web site:
Philadelphia Inquirer
Publishing location:
Pennsylvania
Dateline:
Waynesburg
Date of publication:
May 11, 2008
This catchword has yet to be researched.
Comments:
I don't know if your American readers are aware of it, but there's an actual, literal water buffalo, defined by Merriam-Webster as "an often domesticated Asian buffalo." The Philippine carabao (kalabaw in Tagalog and karabaw in Visayan, another Philippine language) is a water buffalo.
by Jose F. Lacaba 17 May 08, 0316 GMT

water buffalo (n)
1. a small two wheel trailer used by US Army and Air Force to transport potable water to troops in the field
2. Colorado has arcane water laws with the chief tenet being 'first user has first right.' A long-time expert lawyer in this field of law is nick-named a 'water buffalo'.

by Walter Bjorneby 21 May 08, 0308 GMT

Who coined the term and when.

This water trailer is far from the looks of a buffalo. I think it looks more like a pig.

by Chris Roback 25 Jul 08, 0205 GMT

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
simming n. (11/8)
nimbleton n. (11/6)
kitchen n. (11/6)
skuke n. (11/6)
parlor n. (11/6)
strap hanging n. (10/8)
parclo n. (10/8)
Dipper n. (10/8)
jeggings n. (10/5)
dittoism n. (10/5)
crop n. (10/3)
sliming n. (10/3)
protestival n. (10/3)
excessing n. (10/3)
pencil top n. (10/3)
trophy jacket n. (10/3)
ball golf n. (10/3)
Scottish cringe n. (10/3)
bagel v. (9/30)
 More catchwords...
New Comments
Ben Zimmer commented on riffed (8/18)
Gregory Teague commented on Taig (8/13)
Ben Zimmer commented on single shot (8/9)
christymarx commented on heinie (8/6)
amy_lu commented on mouth-breather (7/19)
hawkoffee commented on Mortarville (7/8)
Featherwood0973 commented on featherwood (6/30)
garyvh commented on rexing (6/28)
JR commented on jam track (6/21)
ElasticMind commented on innerpreneur (6/20)
GlennT commented on fourwall (5/31)
RevRayGreen commented on medible (5/25)
OKSoldiers commented on Mortarville (5/21)
Lew Hollerbach commented on eyebrow window (4/24)
Ollie commented on rexing (4/22)
Subscribe to the RSS feed.Subscribe to the mailing list.Browse the archive.Add to Technorati Favorites. © 1999-2009 by Grant Barrett, Double-Tongued Dictionary, New York City.