Showing 11-20 of 24 entries tagged
“North American”
low rider
A low-rider is a car that has been modified to allow its chassis to be lowered closer to the ground […]
disc jockey
The term ‘disc jockey’ was first added to the OED in the 1971 Supplement. At the time, our first example came from the American entertainment trade magazine Variety […]
the Company
In 1989, when the OED first entered the expression ‘the Company’ as a name for the Central Intelligence Agency, the earliest evidence we had was from a 1967 slang dictionary. Research has since turned up […]
bromance
‘Bromance’ refers to an affectionate but non-sexual relationship between two men and OED editors are currently researching the term […]
mullet
The OED defines mullet as ‘A hairstyle, worn esp. by men, in which the hair is cut short at the front and sides, and left long at the back.’ It was certainly […]
Long Island iced tea
The creation of this potent cocktail is widely attributed to bartender Robert C. Butt, who entered the recipe in a contest at the Oak Beach Inn nightclub on Long Island, New York, in the early 1970s, according to […]
suicide (drill)
In American sport, ‘suicide’ refers to a type of particularly grueling running drill, usually performed on a basketball court. Athletes […]
def
The word ‘def’, meaning ‘excellent; outstanding; “cool”’ is one of the earliest and most prominent terms to come to mainstream slang from […]
Hold ’Em
At any given poker night nowadays, there’s a good chance that ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ (also called simply ‘Hold ‘Em’) will be played. But before the 1970s, […]
backwash
‘Backwash’ is a chiefly American, colloquial term referring to the mixture of saliva and beverage that flows back into the beverage container after one takes a drink. It’s relatively recent; the earliest evidence OED researchers have found thus far dates to […]