pip – An apple seed or lemon seed is a pip. More…
citrus, citron – Latin citrus signified the citron, an Asian tree with lemonlike fruit; citron is a French derivative of citrus, coined on the model of French limon, “lemon.” More…
lemon sole – Actually a type of flounder—not sole—it has nothing to do with lemon other than it is pale-yellow in color; the name derives from French limande, “flatfish.” More…
muddle – To muddle a lemon is to lightly mash slices to release the essential oils. More…
punch buggy – A game in which the first player to call “punch buggy!” on sighting a Volkswagen Beetle gets to punch the other person. More…
doust – A firm blow or punch. More…
pack a punch, pack it in – Pack a punch is of U.S. origin from the 1920s, as is pack it in. More…
punch – Has an obscure origin, but stories include it being from Sanskrit panca, “five/five kinds of,” as the drink had five ingredients. More…
impassible, impassable – Impassible is incapable of feeling or suffering; impassable is not capable of being passed. More…
impregnable – Means “incapable of being taken by force” (from French prendre, “seize”). More…
indefatigable – Means “incapable of being wearied.” More…
inimitable – Means “unique; incapable of being imitated.” More…
escarpment, scarp, palisade(s) – A cliff formation or line of cliffs can be called an escarpment, scarp (from Italian scarpa, “slope”), or palisade(s). More…
scree – A mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain. More…
katabatic – Skiing is a katabatic sport—moving down a slope or valley. More…
comet – Has a tail, and gets its name from Greek kometes, “long-haired star.” More…
bangs – The practice of cutting horses’ tails the same length was called “banging off,” which led to this term for a woman’s hairstyle. More…
soup-and-fish – Refers to the attire of white tie and tails. More…
tailgate – Originally a gate that dropped down at the tail of a wagon. More…
pleuritis, pleurisy – Greek pleura, “side” or “rib,” came to be used for the “inner lining of the chest; lungs,” and pleuritis or pleurisy is the inflammation of this area. More…
intertrigo – Inflammation caused by the rubbing of one area of skin on another. More…
phlegm – Comes from Latin phlegma, “clammy moisture,” and Greek phlegma, “inflammation.” More…
polio – An abbreviation of poliomyelitis, from Greek polios, “gray,” and muelos, “marrow,” meaning “inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord.” More…
floss – A word for untwisted filaments of silk used in making embroidery or satin. More…
lame – A material consisting of silk or other yarns interwoven with metallic threads. More…
scroop – The rustle of silk. More…
tabby – The common tabby cat derives its name from silk with a wavy pattern, from Arabic utabi, the name of the quarter in Baghdad where the silk was made. More…
omphalos – From the Greek word meaning “navel”—for the round stone in the temple of Apollo at Delphi supposed to mark the center of the earth—it describes the center, heart, or hub of a place, organization, or sphere of activity. More…
omphaloskepsis – Contemplation of one’s navel as an aid to meditation. More…
navel, umbilicus, belly button, omphalodium – The navel is also the umbilicus, belly button, or omphalodium; navel and umbilicus share the same Indo-European root. More…
El Dorado – A place offering fabulous wealth or opportunity (after the legendary place in South America, “the gilded one”). More…
ease – First meant “opportunity, ability,” or “means to do something.” More…
hint – First meant “an occasion or opportunity.” More…
occasion – Once had the specific sense of “an opportunity for finding fault or giving offense.” More…