Thin Blue Line
The phrase Thin Blue Line represents the idea that law enforcement (associated with blue uniforms) acts as the barrier (or "line") between the community they protect and lawlessness. In the 2010s, the Thin Blue Line…
Archives
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Where Did The Expression “Hair Of The Dog” Come From?
If you’ve woken up on New Year’s Day feeling as if you’d been hit by a truck, you may have sought a hangover remedy with an infamously odd name: the hair of the dog. Let’s take a look at where this name comes from. What does hair of the dog mean? A morning drink may be the last thing you want after a night of boozing, but that’s …
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Blue Alert
A Blue Alert is a statewide alert sent after a police officer is killed, seriously injured, or missing after an interaction with a suspect who is on the run. It is up to the individual… -
“Cost” vs. “Price”: How Much Is The Difference?
We love to talk about and compare the price of things. Maybe you remember the price of your favorite candy bar when you were a kid versus what its price is now. Or maybe you’ve had to take a good look at the cost of living in an expensive city. You’ve asked yourself, is it worth it? Can you afford it? When we start a new hobby …
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What Are “Season’s Greetings”?
First, is it season’s greetings or seasons greetings? There’s nothing like sitting down to fill out the holiday cards and realizing you’re not quite sure what to do with your apostrophe. Do you wish your friends and family “season’s greetings”? Or, should it be “seasons’ greetings”? Maybe you can just bypass that pesky punctuation altogether? Hey, if you’re sloppy enough, the smudged ink might just …
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Chad
Chad is a usually disparaging internet slang term used for a popular, confident, sexually active young white male. Its female counterpart is Stacy, who is often portrayed as Chad's sexual partner. Use of Chad is… -
187
187 is slang for "murder." 187 is a term associated with hip-hop songs dealing with topics of crime or gang violence. -
OANN
OANN stands for One America News Network, an American right-wing cable network. As of 2019, OANN reported reaching 35 million homes. Its popularity grew during the Trump presidency as he promoted it multiple times, frequently via… -
“Grieve” vs. “Bereave”: What Is The Difference?
When you’re sad about the loss of a person, a pet, or even an item, it can feel like there are no words to describe those feelings. Emotions take over and melancholy sets in. But after that initial reaction, when the feelings start to subside, do you tell others you were grieving or bereaving that loss? Let’s explore the differences between these two mournful words. What does …
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“Torturous” vs. “Tortuous”: What Is The Difference?
Separated by just one pesky letter, these two similar-sounding adjectives can be torturous to keep straight. Or is it tortuous? Let’s take a look at the definitions and applications of each. What does tortuous mean? Both torturous and tortuous come from the Latin verb torquēre meaning “to twist.” This derivation is easy to detect in the meaning of tortuous, defined as “full of twists, turns, or bends.” …
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blue screen of death
The blue screen of death is a melodramatic nickname given to a blue screen that appears when a device running a Windows operating system experiences a severe error. In popular culture, Microsoft's blue screen of death… -
spinning wheel of death
The spinning wheel of death is a melodramatic nickname given to the rotating wait cursor on Apple devices that resembles a rainbow-colored pinwheel. The term spinning wheel of death is frequently used in tech-help articles…
